With a 3-year old business, Caitlin finds solace in her clients and making a difference in families’ lives. See why Caitlin does what she does, and how she incorporates a little People Magazine as many of us do…

What business did you start up?

I founded Alter Ego Concierge, a domestic staffing and lifestyle management agency that specializes in the staffing of private households.  We place full-time, part-time and temporary nannies, housekeepers, personal assistants, baby nurses, doulas, elderly companions, and other private household staff.  We also specialize in concierge services.

What motivated you to do it?

I wanted to bring high quality domestic staffing to a professional level in the Chicago area.  I love what I do. I love interacting with my clients and candidates, and ultimately I am happy to get up every day and do my work!  

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We could not be more excited. In the last two months, we’ve been launching like crazy!! We now have our monthly meetups, or Founding Moms’ Exchanges, in these locations:

Zagreb, Croatia

Indianapolis, IN

Singapore

Oakland, CA

Almere-Haven, The Netherlands

Denver, CO

Krakow, Poland

Scottsdale, AZ

Adelaide, Australia

And in Mexico? In addition to Mexico City we’re now also in Satélite, Monterrey, DF Roma, and San Luis Potosi, too.

It’s been an incredible ride connecting mom entrepreneurs around the world! We look forward to many more cities in the months to come, too. Don’t see your city listed here? Check out all of our cities over here.

Dig the eco-chic lifestyle? Kimberley does. She’s created a unique gift item out of her desire to go green, which is a gift in and of itself. Check out how Kimberley did it and be inspired to find the inventor in you, too.

What business did you start up?

I launched Gift It Green, a cotton fabric gift boxes are reusable, fun, and unique. It has eco-chic crinkly tissue paper and multiple layers to capture the thrilling experience of unwrapping a gift. Gigs are designed to be gifted forward and are super easy with no scissors, tape, or waste.

What motivated you to do it?

I want to leave the world a little better for my kids. Opening presents should be a blast, but I always hated the waste!  There wasn’t anything like this available.

How many children do you have, and how old are they?

3 boys (5, 3, and 1 month.)

How long have you been running your business?

I’ve been readying the concept for 18 months but launched in April of 2012. Read more

Guest Post by Julie Schumacher :: A smart woman I’m related to is fond of saying, “There just aren’t any medals at the end of this.” What’s this? Motherhood. And she’s right. No one gives you a wreath of laurels for the late nights or a gold watch for all the barf. I’ve yet to see a plaque, not preschool made or cheesily punned, for the work we do. Sure, it’s a rewarding gig. Sure, I love my tot to death. And sure, she’s all the thanks I need and her happiness is my main reward.

What my sister was getting at was that there’s no glory in saying you do the work we do, all by your lonesome. Especially if you’re also a Founding Mom with a human baby and a business baby you are trying to nurture. No one invites you to accept the Oscar for “endurance solo performance by a mother/business owner.” Sorry to break it to any of you prepping your speech. Rather than feel defeated, what if we all embraced it and realized how empowering it truly is to not do it on our own? There’s freedom in that lack of glory, mamas.

In my first post here, I wrote about the power of saying no. Today, I’m arguing for yes. More yeses, please, all around.

When I talk to my friends whose kids are my kid’s age and whose businesses are like mine, the general vibe is that we’re all doing the best we can at everything. And by everything, I mean we’re doing everything seemingly all the time and all at once. We’re thriving in some places at some time, surviving in others, phoning it in on occasion. The list of jobs and duties and responsibilities (and joys and smiles and heart-expandingness) is a big one.

If we’re playing a ton of roles simultaneously already, why add martyr to the list? Read more

Rachel just launched her business after leaving her life as a teacher. She turned her educational know-how into a neat business where she can continue to help students grow. Read on to find out what Rachel came up with…

What business did you start up?

I recently started Skills for Success.  I work with middle and high school students who struggle with organization, time management, and effective studying.

What motivated you to do it?

After teaching high school for eight years, I needed a break.  I love working with students but I wanted to help them in a way that I couldn’t in my classroom.  Also, I was looking for a more flexible schedule that wasn’t dictated by a bell every 52 minutes, so I could spend more time with my young daughter. Read more

An entrepreneur’s confidence is inspiring. When we heard from Samana, we were thrilled to find a CEO who knows what makes her clients happy. And like the rest of us, she shares her desire to know so much more about marketing. Read on to find out more about this healthcare guru.

What business did you start up?

North Shore Natural Health Care. We focus on de-stressing moms and helping kids be healthy through natural and conscious healing methods which include energy balancing, diet and education.

What motivated you to do it?

I want to help moms and kids to be healthy, and to teach them greater awareness to cultivate health and balance in their lives and in their bodies.

How many children do you have, and how old are they?

I have two amazing stepchildren. Ian is 10 years old and Isabelle is 12 years old.

How long have you been running your business?

For about 1.5 years, my husband Rango and I have been developing it together.

How long did it take you to start becoming profitable and/or successful, however you choose to measure success?

We are still building. I am working part-time doing physical therapy with a physician’s group which I enjoy. The business can pay for our office expenses but we need supplemental income so my husband does some chiropractic and I do the physical therapy. We are working to upgrade our website and begin blogging to improve online exposure.

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Do you wish you had some personal accountability when it comes to running your business? You’re not alone.

For the last 3 years, I’ve hosted a monthly Founding Moms’ Exchange, which is what we call our Meetups. Since I host Exchanges in 2 different locations, I meet entrepreneurs twice a month to talk business. To date, our most successful Founding Moms’ Exchange is our annual “Accountability Partner” Exchange. In a room of twenty members, we partner off with the following assignment:

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We’ve got more powerful webinars coming up just for you! Check out these superb experts offering their guidance, tips & tricks:

7 Mistakes Women Make With Their Money & How To Stop Making Them
Thursday, February 28 @ 5 PM PST/7 PM CST/8 PM EST

Although this webinar will take place at night in the States, it will be 9 AM in Australia when we speak with Susan Broughton about your journey to abundance.

In “7 Mistakes Women Make With Their Money & How to Stop Making Them” Susan shares how she made mistakes with money, what she learned from her own mistakes and from working with her clients, in a practical and entertaining way. Learn more about the mistakes you may be making and get tips to put into practice immediately to improve your habits, your thought patterns, your financial situation and your life.

Susan Broughton refers to herself as a Recovering Financial Planner having “escaped” the corporate world of financial services. She now helps women slay their money dragons and live purposely abundant lives in her company Journey to Abundance.

Click here to learn more about Susan.

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Karen will be discussing why policy matters to business and entrepreneurs and some of the key issues that will be debated and decided over the next year impacting the Founding Moms Community.

For nearly twenty years Karen Kerrigan’s leadership, advocacy and training work has helped foster U.S. entrepreneurship and global small business growth.  She is president & CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, and is the group’s chief advocate for its members. Kerrigan is a founding member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum, and regularly provides counsel to governments and business associations across the globe regarding entrepreneurial development, capacity building and policy formation and implementation.

Learn more about Karen here.

Paula will cover the many roles of a momentrepreneur;  the idea of “enough-ness”;  how to shift perspective of what balance looks like;  and provide suggestions to help a momentrepreneur find their balance.

Paula G. Rosario is a brand marketer with over 20 years’ experience crafting marketing strategies and engaging target audiences. In time she realized she received much gratification from supporting, mentoring and coaching others.  Following her heart, in 2005 she pursued training as a leadership and Certified Energy Coach. Today, Paula is the owner of Balance for Professional MOMS where her mission is to uplift and inspire women to fill their own cup, connect to their inner sparkle and create the business and life they love.

Learn more about Paula here.

Need business advice? Want to watch these webinars in our Community? Check it out here.

You spoke. We listened. The Founding Kit has been rearranged, revamped and relaunched!

We’ve reworked our business startup kits for aspiring entrepreneurs and we think you’ll like what you see. Have a great idea but don’t know who to turn to for website development or social media setup? Have a fledgling business that you want to take to the next level but don’t know the right publicist, accountant or lawyer to help? Not sure where to find an accountability partner? We do.

We’ve worked hard and vetted thoroughly to find the most incredible service providers on the planet. (In fact, co-founder Jill Salzman has used every single one of them to build her businesses.) We’ve gotten incredible deals on the first year of services from each of them so that negotiating great rates is one less thing for you to worry about. And if you check out The Founding Kit or the Kit & Caboodle and find that they’re a bit too comprehensive for your needs, you can head to our Custom Kit to pick and choose exactly what suits your needs.

We hope to help aspiring founders over the hurdle of the painful startup phase. We’ve heard the call from thousands of entrepreneurs over the years and we’ve been there one too many times ourselves. See what Forbes, Crain’s, Doejo, NBC Chicago, and the Upstart Business Journal have to say about it. Then head over to FoundingKit.com and check it out for yourself!

What’s it costing you and your business to keep doing what you’re doing and not get the help you need to grow your business? If you don’t know Lara Galloway and Shelagh Cummins from MomBiz.com yet, now’s your chance. Lara and Shelagh are awarding one scholarship to a Founding Mom to attend the MomBizRetreat Chicago in February 2013.

They’re giving away one full scholarship to the MomBizRetreat Chicago (value $800.) Join them at the Amalfi Hotel in beautiful downtown Chicago on February 14-17th, 2013. (Travel and accommodations not included.)

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