Top 50 Mompreneurs, 2011
They cook, they clean and, between naptimes, they run kickass companies. For those who run their own mom-centric firms, the responsibilities of motherhood are only half the battle. Babble is running our first ever salute to the top 50 mompreneurs who pull all-nighters, suffer enormous financial set-backs, and balance business and baby every day to make their entrepreneurial dreams come true. Here's how they did it.
- Christina Couch
21 / 50
21
Ann Marie Foonberg | The Real Mom TV Network
Ann’s Rankings
bright idea
Company: The Real Mom TV Network
Location: Denver, Colorado
Children: Daughter, 10, two sons, 6 and 8 ⢠Age: 34
Inspiration: In 2008, Foonberg realized she was having trouble raising her three kids, who each have a special need. “I could either unravel or gain control,” she says. “I felt the concept of a restoration team for moms could really help, then I thought, ‘Well, why not put it online?’”
Perspiration: Foonberg wrote episodes at her kitchen table and shot them in her living room. Her biggest challenge: finding balance. “It’s easy to forget that you need time to make yourself happy and healthy too,” she says. “In fact, I was crying in my office five minutes ago because my daughter is having issues at school and my youngest is at home with croup. Those moments came a lot more frequently in the beginning, but they still happen and when they do, it’s easy to think, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this.’”
Success: Real Mom TV launched in December 2009, brought in thousands of viewers after just eight weeks, and is now watched by half a million people across the world. By May 2010, the show landed advertisers and raked in enough money for Foonberg to move production out of her house and into a real studio.
I’m honored to be among such great Women!
What you did was awesome and so inspiring for so many moms struggling with challenges.