In October, 2010, I woke up and announced to my family that I was going to start a business. It went something like this, “Good Morning! Today, I am going to become a mompreneur. Have a great day at school.” I know it sounds a little flippant, but there really was no other way of putting it. As I said it, I watched 3 mouths drop to the floor, and I could feel guilt sitting on one shoulder and determination sitting on the other. For some reason, I decided that on that particular morning, I was going to pursue taking my spark of an idea to market.
Let me give you a little background. I was a Stay At Home Mom, Domestic CEO, Professional Volunteer/Giver of Time, and providing free support and life skills for the last decade! I had casually looked into what going back to work would look like for me, and I did not like what I found. Maybe I was not looking in the right place; Maybe I was not presenting myself in the right way; Maybe I was not fully committed; Maybe my creative energies were too strong. Who knows?
What I did know was on this particular morning in October, I was raring to go! I was creating my own destiny, which I am pretty sure sounded like “blah blah blah” to my family. I do not have a business background, but rather a post-graduate degree in clinical social work, so I really had no idea where to begin. I did not let that stop me because I know how to listen and seek out others who can help. Of course, I found StartupNation which quickly became a valuable resource.
By the end of that week in October, I ran my sliver of an idea by a trusted advisor, drafted a partial business plan, set up my own blog so others could follow my adventure, secured a business attorney who helped with non-disclosures for this idea/product, and Backngroovemom was born. I began to work at such a rapid fury because I was so intrigued at the idea of creating something of my own. I discovered many tricks and overcame huge hurdles. Don’t get me wrong, I made many mistakes, and I am sure that I will continue to make a few more. I will give you a behind the scenes look at those tricks and mistakes…just not now. I cannot give everything away at once!
If you are a mom who thinks that somewhere deep inside you have just a tiny little ember or a huge flame of curiosity at becoming a mompreneur – here is my first recommendation:
-Sit down with a piece of paper and write down everything you have ever done. I mean everything. Even if you do not think it is relevant – write it down. Include past and current work experience, volunteer experience, neighborhood committees and projects, the style in which you navigate your every day life, even extended family obligations.
-Take a hard look at your list – did you forget volunteering in the reading corner in your child’s class; negotiating your grandfather into a nursing home; managing your household budget? Do NOT leave anything out because these are all valuable skills.
-If you helped grandpa get what he needed in the nursing home, cutting red tape and how to negotiate on many different levels is a skill you hold. If you were in charge of the first grade reading corner, patience is part of your make-up. How about managing the neighborhood block party? After that, you now know how to negotiate with many different ideas, wants, personalities.
-The point is that you may have a very unique skill set that you have neglected to pay attention to, and this can help you discover your own business in many ways.
-Make your list, consider your ideas, and think about what type of business these qualities lend themselves to……
At the beginning of my pursuit, my oldest son exclaimed “You cannot do this…I am only 9 – I still need you.” He is now excited by my mission and contributes regularly (really). My journey has come a very long way since last fall, and now I am so excited to share on StartupNation an all-access backstage pass to the tour. Until then, visit my blog http://backngroovemom.com to stay up to date with my “product”-tivity.
