WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR BUSINESS?
Monday, December 1, 2008 at 6:34AM
Hi Everyone,
I love the Mommy Millionaire forum and I am curious to see what your inspiration was in starting your business. I started Tees For Change when I was pregnant with my first son and decided to have a home birth. I received so many negative responses and encountered many people who were afraid and kept on saying "what if something goes wrong?" so I decided to turn their negative energy into positive tees! www.teesforchange.com
What was your inspiration for starting your business?
I came up with the idea for my business during my cancer treatments, so I had something to look forward to and to pass the time. I've ran into my fair share of those that don't believe in what I'm doing, but it is growing nonetheless. I joined this forum to find positive energy with like minded women.
Hugs,
Angela
www.classicresumes.com
Hi there,
My inspiration was desperation! I have two beautiful children turning 3 and 14 this month and was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. I also have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Anyhoooo...I need to be able to earn an income but have it be flexible enough for those "bad days" when I just cannot do more than get my kids dressed, fed and to school on time.
For now I sell books online, just really ramping it up now. It's something that I have been doing for a few years as a way to get rid of some of my own library to make way for the new. It's fun - if you like books! It's not a forever thing, but it will pay the bills until I figure out what my "greater purpose" is!
Welcome and I can completely understand your situation. The greater purpose comes when the time is right. After dealing with cancer, I'm confident that you will do well, whatever that endeavor happens to be.
Hugs,
Angela
Hi Angela, and thanks for the positivity!!! I'm sure it will "just come to me" someday soon. I'm mulling a few ideas around in my head right now. How are you feeling? Isn't it funny that after cancer, nothing seems all that terrible or daunting? I'm trying to adopt a more zen-like attitude about everything...after all it's just "stuff" right?!
Have a fabu evening!
Heather
I came up with my business because I was looking for software that would help me to organize my life at home and couldn't find anything that matched what I was looking for.... so I made it! :) Necessity is the mother of all invention!
When my oldest son was 9 years old, it used to break my heart when he would ask me, "Mom, do you have to work today?" When I would say yes he would cry. I was working two jobs, one full time and one part time and going to college full time. Being self employed for me was about being able to be a Mommy full time and still being able to support them financial. This has always been my major goal for wanting to start a business. Now, my oldest on is 15 and my youngest is 8 ( he will be 9 in May). My business is still a dream but my inspiration still remains the same, I want to be available when my children need me.
My sons were my inspiration too. My older one never settled down at a daycare. For 18 months almost every second day I was coming to work with no make-up and my eyes were wet from crying, because the last thing I saw at the daycare was my son screaming and begging not to leave him (we changed daycares, talked to teaches, nothing helped). And when my second son was born, I had a year of paid maternity leave (thanks to Canadian government :)) ) to come up with idea.
I'm old enough to have had a couple of wonderful careers, and I have. My Mother and I had a great fabric store and we also taught sewing classes from basic to tailoring and lingerie. Then after being divorced for many years I remarried and became an instant Mom to a pre-teen and 2 teenagers. My husband and I then began to take care of his Father and my Mother whose health begin to decline. We took care of his Dad for about 2 years prior to his death and my Mother was ill for over 8 years. I then became a Realtor---which I dearly love this career. Then, my only aunt had lost her husband about 18 mos. prior and she became ill with heart attacks and strokes. So we moved her in with us and took care of her for between 3-4 years. So, with the news media really hurting our real estate big time....I have had time to work on projects that I have made as gifts for years. My friends have encouraged me to produce these items, but I never had time before.....with the market down I do have time.....so who knows. The future looks great. My website is almost done. My lawyer has given me the go ahead with the TM. This forum has given me so much assistance and excitement. I feel like each of you are like extended great family members.
Hugs to each of you,
Gail
Since my mom worked full-time in the early sixties, when I was growing up, which was almost unheard of back then, I really wanted to stay home with my kids. So when my first son was born, I told my job that I wouldn't be returning, and that I was going to start something at home. Their reaction was one of disbelief, and they told me I'd be back within two years. Well, it's 22 years later, and I'm still working at home. I started a transcribing business, and still do that occasionally. But after 21 years of doing that, and hearing everybody's bad news all the time (there's not much good news in doing lawsuits), I decided I wanted to do something that made people happy, and decided on my pillowcase business. I had been sending them to friends for gifts, and their reactions were so good to the pillowcases that I decided to start my business.
Lesley
www.pillowcasegram.com
This is a fun thread to read!
When my second daughter was 1, I finally decided it was impossible to work from home and concentrate with 2 toddlers craving for attention. So I took the plunge, quit, and started MotherTongues. The idea behind the t-shirts have kind of grown from just untranslatable words, to untranslatable words with a deeper meaning - peace, justice, unity, community, caring for the earth... It has been a fun journey, with each t-shirt changing me in the process as I learn about different cultures & outlooks on life.
i was inspired by the fact that like many women here I have a child andI couldn'tbear the thought of leaving her with anyone, I guess you could say she is my mini business advisor partner. drooling over yarns and all. I also wanted to take care of us financially so I decided to just jump in and get my feet wet. I've been happy ever since
Being a dietitian and advocate for the prevention of childhood obesity, I was always really good at doling out advice! My idealistic vision was quickly shattered once I actually became a mom and started "walking the walk" - not just talking the talk! I was overwhelmed by the day-to-day struggles I encountered with my own children when it came to cultivating healthy habits. My greatest challenge was when my twins (around 3yrs at the time) caught on to the whole snack phenomenon - begging incessantly until I caved!! Then I resorted to bribery and threats before realizing that I needed to do something. That was the biggest lightbulb moment of my life. I knew I had something really big here - and have since developed a "continuum of prevention" beginning as early as pregnancy and throughout childhood. I am launching my first product (in a series) this February at Toy Fair. It is appropriately named, "The Snack Time Survival Kit" - keeping to my idealistic vision of cultivating long lasting healthy habits, however with a pragmatic approach that will actually make mom's life easier!!!
I hated dragging the stupid infant seat around, so I didn't want to rely on a bundleme...I bought some fleece and stayed up late one night and came up with the bloak
I invented my product after recovering from breast cancer surgery and I was having a horrible time showering with surgical drains. It was hard to come up with a great idea and not be physically able to do anything about it except draw sketches on a piece of paper. So when I was able to go to the store and then sit at my sewing machine, it was glorious. I just talked to a friend who is recovering from a mastectomy and she told me how my harness made things so much easier for her. That is what it is all about for me, making someone's life a little less difficult. I am excited to think that my licensing efforts will someday put this product into the hands of many more people around the world who might need it.
It is so inspiring to hear other people's stories. Stories gives me the confidence and drive I need when the little voice in my head says "are you crazy?".:)
As a stay-at-home mom of three I didn't really have any great need to start a business. I have always loved fashion and children so it's fitting that I ended up designing children's clothing. I had dreamt of owning a B&M store in the future but wasn't sure what I wanted to sell. After the birth of my daughter I started sewing bibs, burp cloths and blankets for her in the shabby chic, french vintage style that I love. I was in love with all of the great girl's clothes that are out there but saw a very specific vision of a clothing line in my head and a light bulb went off. Oprah calls it an "Aha moment" and I thought, "I can do that". I had so many ideas for the clothing line and future store that I could barely get it all down fast enough! I do have to admit, it takes alot longer than I thought to start a business like this and ALOT more money(even though I did write a business plan;). I have definitely come up against some obstacles but am determined to bring this dream to life. It has been a frustrating but fun journey so far and the response has been great!
Great thread! I wasn't looking to start a business. I just gave a wedding gift my mother and I created to a wonderful friend. The gift received so much attention at the wedding that we were being asked where we bought it. After the wedding, many people saw it being opened and loved the entire concept. We were encourage by them to turn our idea into a business. It took about 2 more years before we actually decided to try. Making that decision to begin the business was the bravest step and I am thankful I had no idea how challenging it could be at the time. It has been an amazing journey and I am thrilled to be doing my part to help people celebrate their lives every day!
Well I was inspired to start my business really to help my young daughter who all of a sudden starting bedwetting...she had been potty trained at a early age and then to my surprise as well as to her surprise she started bedwetting . To see the shame in her face and to see the tears rolling down her face just broke my heart. I began to clean her up one morning and sent her on her way to school...from there that's when my business was born. I said to myself...self...lol what can I do to help her and to change the lives of millions of children that suffers from bedwetting. I wanted to give her a good night sleep as well as allowing her to regain her dignity back and from there that is where The Night Helper Potty Watch was born. "NO MORE EMBARRASSMENTS!!!
I still have a long way to go but i want stop until I have helped every child I can!!!
I started Fresh Leaf Designs soon after joining a "Mastermind" Group - the women in this group encouraged me to combine my passions (inventing and home decor) and "go for it". After taking a leave of absence from my hospital job, I recognized that I was much happier working toward forming my business.... At that point, the creativity flowed and I read as many books as I could get my hands on. I hope that my business idea is sustainable - nothing would make me happier at this point in my life!!!