Mompreneur Next Door

So you have these admirable degrees, this fantastic job, and this amazing son, but you want more. Should you want more? Is that even fair? Shouldn’t you be happy with what you have? But maybe there’s more out there for you. And then something happens. Your goddaughters want a tutu, and you make them the cutest ones ever, and you embroider shirts, customized especially for those sweet girls. Other people start to want embroidered items for their children, and you find yourself as a mom who works full time who stumbled upon an amazing business. And your name is Shatara Weaver, and you think that you never would have imagined your life where it is, but here you are, and it’s pretty amazing! You may wonder why I used the pronoun “you” in the above paragraph, and it’s because although this is Shatara’s story, it is not hers alone. There are so many of you moms out there who have incredible degrees, work histories, and experience who may be looking for something more, who may have some cre

Imagine this - you have two small children, a full-time job you love, but it's intense. There are a lot of early mornings, late nights, and missed moments with your kids. Then you're lucky enough to have your boss let you go part time. You may make less money, but it's relatively flexible, you have more time to be the present mom and wife you want to be, and things are going pretty well. Then one day all of that changes. Your company is no longer going to offer part-time, flexible positions. You have the option to either work full time or say good bye to the career you have built for the past 23 years. That's exactly what happened to Christy Kelly and what happens to many women once they have children. She had worked full time in the dental field and had recently moved to part time, which apart from the lower pay had been wonderful for her and her family. Luckily for Christy, she had her eyes open to other opportunities and had started a Plan B that soon became her P

Are you a creative type looking for more than the corporate grind? You know you have the ideas, but do you have what it takes to break free? Lisa Gutierrez Martinez often asked herself those questions, and she even asked her friends, some of whom basically told her that her business idea was crazy. Luckily for her and many people who have benefitted from her culturally impactful, creative and stylish dinner parties, she didn't listen. Lisa has worked successfully in various corporate positions, liking some, not loving some, and throughout them all envisioning other ways she could be professionally challenged and fulfilled as an entrepreneur. Having her own business was even more of a calling for her when her son was born. Until he was around one, she stayed with her job and had limited flexibility, but she still had to be away from him for 8 to 9 hours a day and knew it was time for a change so started her "side hustle." Like many entrepreneurial-minded people, Lis