subject: The Making Of A "mompreneur" -you Can Do It! [print this page] "Mompreneur" hasn't yet qualified as an entry in Websters. I bet it will soon. "Mompreneurs" are the talk of internet marketing.
A mompreneur refers to women who create home businesses while simultaneously parenting their children. It not just a term but a movement, too young to be tracked with accuracy by statisticians.
Is a mompreneur different from the typical entrpreneur? Yes!
The feminine psyche is a part of this unique character. Motherhood has spirited many, previously unsuspecting women, to pursue the road of business undertaking.
Many mompreneurs got there accidentally. As mothers, they discovered unmet needs and filled them well.
Numerous new baby and children's products were developed when a mother saw a need and satisfied it. Think of the Boppy pillow for nursing babies and the Baby Einstein education videos.
For other, the drive began from the desire to spend more quality parenting time. They were compelled to find a way to pursue business in alignment with their schedule.
Some professional women became mothers later in life. They didn't want to 'give it all up' but needed to find a way to align this desire with wanting to be with their children.
Technology had made this eminently do-able. Women can do the same work they did before but adapt it to their home workplace and schedule. Freelance writing and home accounting businesses are two examples of this adaptation.
Most mompreneurs work at home. They don't have to worry about the office commute any longer. The children's naptime is their official work time.
It can be a 24-hour a day job. The edges of the parent sphere and the work sphere can be blurred, not always optimally.
With time and experience, women have learned to separate the two roles through sheer concentration. Some moms share tasks such as carpooling to support each other to ease the load. Discipline is necessary; you must know when to just say "No!"
Do mompreneurs have the same business objectives as other business builders? Not necessarily. Most women in business do it for the love. They know their business must be strong enough to sustain itself but their goal, at least at the start, is not necessarily to make that first million.
These women comprehend that full time working is still the domain of the professional who can work without interruptions or distractions. At the same time, they understand the qualitative value of their dual roles and wouldn't trade it for anything!
And these moms often become really successful, more than they originally anticipated. The recent partnership of Silpada and Avon is one recent example of the kind of success that can happen. This merger raised the credibility--and even the aspirations, of mompreneurs everywhere.
Today's economy is only just beginning to understand that mompreneurship is a new business model. It is more than a passing trend. Mompreneurship, properly managed and pursued, can have staying power. Another glass ceiling has been shattered!
Women can do it all. Momprenuership is a phenomenon that will go down in the history books and you can be a part of it!
