Mompreneur
Mompreneur: A Mom who is also an Entrepreneur.
How did I get here…where do I go from here?
When I left the “real” work place 16 years ago, I never dreamed I would be doing what I am today. I left because we had a 1 ½ year old, and then twins. Yes, life was very crazy in our household, and we had always planned on me being a Stay at Home Mom. But 1 question always irritated me? “Do you work?” Of course I learned to correct those people, and said “You mean, do I work outside of the house?” ;-) Being a Mom was my passion, and I worked very hard at it…and still do.
Flash forward years later, and a daughter desperately wanting Santa to bring her the Barbie VW Bug car…in pink. All of the stores were sold out, and I turned to eBay. I found one, and paid more than they were selling for in the stores. But the look on her face Christmas morning…priceless! From that point on I was hooked on the idea of online buying and selling. I started with items I had from my closet, with tags still on. Still don’t know how those extra clothes got there LOL People liked what I sold, & I liked earning a little money to help the household income.
The next 4 years I dabbled in other products and subsequently opened a store, had a custom template made and got a little more serious. The last 2 years I got even more serious and opened up a website, and branched onto Amazon as well. While the learning process can be frustrating, it is also exhilarating! I love thinking outside the box, and communicating with others who are in similar situations. I love the flexibility that things are done on my time, and I can walk away from the office anytime I want. Although with laptops, the office seems to be with me more often than not. I have so far resisted the urge for a Blackberry 
The one constant throughout these year is putting my family first. Whoever came up with the name Mompreneur sure had the order of words right for me. I occasionally still get asked “Do you work?” or “Where do you work”. I tell them I work from home, and if I feel the need, I further explain what I do. Yes, our kids are much older, and one is able to drive himself. But knowing I can drop everything and be there for them is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Knowing how much I have accomplished while multi-tasking for 16 years is a great feeling of pride. And seeing how much my family appreciates me as a Mom, and how cool they think my business stuff is…priceless.
Proud Momprenuer:
Lanae Paaverud
April 25th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Good for you! I agree, mompreneur has the word order right. There’s nothing that beats parenting. However, I do think we women also need our own identity and be women as well as moms. That identity is different for everyone. For me, it’s having a business where I can work from home as well as parent.