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
I nominate Kia Robertson the creator of Today I Ate A Rainbow! Her product actually gets kids excited about eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables…even picky kids!!!!! This product is going to be huge…it’s now in Disney Family Fun magazine so it won’t be long!
Mr Lady nominates Aimee (Greeblemonkey), who co-owns and operates Klein Buendel, a communications firm specializing in health promotion and disease prevention. She started her business a decade ago when I used to be her neighbor (did you know we used to be neighbors?) Klein Buendel is now the 50th largest woman-owned company in Colorado, and employees 35 people.
Cool Mom Picks nominates Nina Restieri, who transitioned from a successful advertising career into building the phenomenally popular MomAgenda. Her organizational products are beautiful and smart, have sales in the multi-millions for a reason. The press page alone is a who’s who of dream media outlets for any entrepreneur.
There’s hardly a parent out there who isn’t familiar with the smart, practical, adorable designs from skip*hop: award-winning diaper bags, nursery decor, baby gear and more. In 8 years, this mom (and pop!) -run business has grown to have their own line at Babies R Us, Target, Macy’s and beyond. Ellen is also super committed to philanthropy. Cool Mom Picks is deiighted to nominate her.
Jyl runs the fantastic site, MomItForward – a great resource for just about everything, as well as the extremely successful #GNO twitter parties which brings women together to discuss issues that impact our daily lives.
Gabriel Blair, Laura Mayes and Laurie Smithwick looked around the internet in 2007, searching for a place where women could collect interesting stories and didn’t find it – so they created Kirtsy. All while balancing other successful careers and blogs.
Alli is the founder of Blissfully Domestic womens magazine, which promotes original content from talented women from around the world. She is also the co-founder of the wildly successful BlissDom Conference, which just had 700 women (and men) descend on Nashville in January 2011.
Maile recognized the fact that most camera bags were, in a word, ugly, and started Epiphanie bags to help women be stylish AND lug around all their photo gear. Go to any women’s conference these days and you can’t throw a lens cap without hitting one!
Macaroni Kid has found the prefect way to empower moms. Mac Kid gives local moms a way to connect with their communities, make some extra money and be there for their kids! Moms publish a weekly e-newsletter with all of the family friendly events in their area. Macaroni Kid is a valuable resource for the moms in their communities
Andrea Van Ness is the creator of Thumbuddy To Love which makes children products to help stop thumb sucking and other harmful habits. Her new product called The Binky Fairy is debuting in March 2011 to help children break the pacifier habit.
Leslie Gail is a Life Strategist for Mom’s, a best-selling Author, a Mom TV web show host and Spokesperson. She is passionate about helping women reinvent themselves while creating more wellness, balance and joy. She is mom of two and resides in Denver,CO.
Risa & Leslie started Big City Moms 6 years ago and it’s the best place around to connect with other new and expectant moms. I made most of my mom friends through their new mom lunches when my first son was born.
Not only does she own a great little maternity boutique in Charlotte, NC, but she is also one of the creative forces behind All About Baby. A local vendor-driven mini baby fair that has quickly grown in popularity among the Charlotte mommy-to-be crowd! She works hard to do all she can for everyone she meets!
Lindsay & Gena just launched Earth Monkeys, an eco-friendly baby accessory company (all products are made from recycled plastic bottles.) Between diaper changes and keeping their monkeys from climbing the curtains they also started a moms blog to reach out and connect to the moms they serve. These two moms definitely care about the environment and making life easier for fellow mommies!
Chloe Womack is an amazing woman, She is a motivational speaker, Author and Host of her own in-studio radio show “My Sisters Keeper”. She does it all including starting a non profit organization titled “I’m a Keeper” for young woman.. All while raising a 1 year old, 21 year old daughter in college and 16 year old son in High School… She is simply amazing!!!
Kelsey Kleiman is the co-founder of Stomping Ground Photo which specializes in preschool and private school portraits. However, this is not the typical school portrait as these colorful photos display the children jumping, dancing, laughing, and just being themselves. This mom definitely know what mom’s want and helps provide that with lasting memories of their kids AND beautiful wall art!
Mom mavens Minnow and Sarah established SavvyMom Media in 2005 to bring Canadian moms ‘practical solutions to their everyday mom dilemmas’ and now publish multiple email newsletters and websites dedicated to bring tried and tested solutions to their vast mom community.
Stacie Dale Designs provides beautiful, hand painted products, specializing in keepsake boxes. Stacie has been building and running her business since 1997 from her home in Audubon, PA.
Two years ago, Jodi created the Go! Go! Sports Girl Dolls. The award winning dolls are designed to be a fun and educational way to promote self-appreciation and the benefits of daily exercise, healthy eating and sleeping habits, self-esteem and overall healthy life-skill for girls. Her hope is that the Go! Go! Sports Girls help deliver the right message.
I’m so impressed by Ann Kochsiek, founder of ZooPals. Her son had leukemia, and her maternal energy and desire to help him turned into creating exam tables shaped like friendly animals. As a doctor I completely agree that decreasing fear makes for a better exam, and I love moms who turn passion for their children into something that helps others. Go, Ann! Go, PediaPals!
Caroline Freedman is cofounder of NurturMe, an organic baby food company launched in June 2010. NurturMe is made from 100% organic ingredients. Parents add breast milk, water or formula to prepare the delicious and nutrient-rich powdered fruits and veggies. In addition to running NurturMe, mompreneur Caroline also works full-time at Dell and has a young daughter (NurturMe’s spokes-toddler).
Gabby is the creator of kiddotags and raising 2 little girls. She noticed that when you have kids, you need to have everything labeled. So why not have custom labels that keep your kids things looking nice. She a great person with awesome business savvy to boot. Check her out.
Renee designed a safe no-slip playard sheet after hearing friends/daycares complain about other sheets. Regular fitted playard sheets can be pulled off the mattress causing an entanglement risk. Renee invented a playard sheet that covers the entire playard board and cannot be pulled off. Great for travel cute fabrics and organics.
I nominate Melissa Gunning the creator of the Wean Cubes! The glass baby food containers are a perfect size, have cute colored lids and are a great way to safely store baby food. I love her cubes and her website!
Amy launched Inspiring Moms, the core product of the company is the “balance MAP”. It’s an online tool that helps mothers take control of, organize, and enjoy their busy lives. There is nothing like it currently on the market—it’s a GPS for managing the demands of motherhood. Amy is on a mission to help moms balance the crazy demands of their life, without guilt.
I would like to nominate Grace Welch: Mom Inventor of the innovative diaper changing system called the PATEMM PAD. She owns and operates Patemm Inc, an online business which sells her award-winning pads and is a mother of 4 children. Patemm has incredible customer service and is committed to keeping their product made here in the USA. Grace deserves to be on this list!
Heather Castillo is the creator of WayTutuCute.com, an online boutique which features mom-made items. 90% of the items featured on the site are handmade by Moms across the US. It’s so important these days to support small businesses, and Heather has created a site that does just that.
Fun, funky, functional hair accessories for girls of all ages! We’ve been showcased in TOT TRENDS WEEKLY & Parenting OC Mag, we’ve gifted several celeb babies, and are carried in adorable baby boutiques! Sweets that are mom-approved.
Bantuveris, a mom of a young daughter, founded VolunteerSpot.com, a free time-saving coordination tool that helps busy moms active in their childrens classrooms and PTAs, teams, Scout troops, faith and community groups. VolunteerSpot provides easy online signup sheets to organize helpers, mobilize volunteers for events, and collect donations of needed food and supplies. VolunteerSpot has grown mom-to-mom, group-to-group to more than a half-million volunteers nationwide!
Parentella is a private parent teacher social network. Their mission is to strengthen the home school tie. They also have a volunteer management application that makes it super easy for room parents to schedule and organize class parties, events, and fund raisers. Aparna Vashisht is the founding mom and CEO and is the proud mom of 3 boys. She loves to tweet, read, and sleep when she can.
Rebecca is the heart and soul of Petit Couture where she is the founder, creative force, brand and marketing wiz, and operational ‘jack of all trades’. She’s creative with business sense and knows how to drive results. To top is all off she’s an amazing mother of three (under age 9) and a partner to a startup exec. You can find her here: http://petit.bz/h4dpns & http://twitter.com/rebeccakw
Delicia Ormiston is the owner and designer of Kota Couture, a very trendy, edgy and stylish clothing line for kids. She is also a very busy mom of two adorable children and keeps them and her adorable kids line going. Who doesn’t want their kids to look cute but still cool. She deserves all the recognition in the world.
Katie ONeill is the founder of Kt Steppers llc, making custom, unique and top-selling Childrens Step Stools. Kt Steppers have also been labeled the steppers to the stars as her custom designed steppers can be found in many a celebrity nursery and home. Katie & her steppers have been featured on Martha Stewarts Dreamers into Doers, E! News,& various others.
Sara Green invented The Give Bag, the world’s first infinitely reusable gift bag, w/ patent-pending, erasable Give Tag gift tags & an interior material flap to cover the enclosed gift, eliminating the need for wasteful tissue paper. Each Give Bag comes w/ its own unique tracking #, allowing gift-givers to follow their GB around the globe! The Give Bag is adored by celebs, moms & kids alike!
Gina is the founder of A Touch of Whimsy Designs, a whimsical place for unique, personalized stationery & gifts. She has successfully transitioned her former ‘Best in Ebay’ store to an online website which has been expanding since 2006. A gracious work ethic & high quality items has kept the customers of this mom of 3 boys coming back for their stationery & custom gifting needs.
Kim Graham-Nye is not only revolutionizing diapers throughout N America and the UK, but she’s proving that business and family can go together better. gDiapers offers employees on-site childcare and flexible scheduling so that parents get work/life balance. Kim is a true visionary in green and family-friendly business practices, nurturing them from the bottom up.
Victoria creates beautiful & very unique Photo Portraits. Fantastic gifts for friends and family. With great attention to detail she is able to place a person into a completely bespoke theme. She set up her business in 2006 allowing her to stay at home with her baby girl. After the loss of her baby boy and didnt want to miss a moment with her new baby she was inspired to set up her own business.
Teana is the founder of My Little Diva Accessories. Her company is committed to building a brand that personifies a unique lifestyle accompanied with the fun and flirty trends of todays fashion scene. She designs her acessories for the fashion-forward diva from age 0-tween.
Mary Kay Hoal founded Yoursphere, a social network that puts safety first. Hoal left a successful career to make safety and privacy a key priority for children online. Hoal is a married mother of five children (both biological and adopted) ranging in age from 6 to 19 years of age. Yoursphere is a vibrant online interactive experience for kids and teens that offers the best of the internet.
In addition to raising two beautiful children, Sophia (age 4) and Oliver (almost 2)Mel started up her own business- Little Belties. What began out of necessity has evolved into a hot little home business that has garnered international acclaim and yet she still manages to sew and package all the belts by hand while being a domestic goddess!
Debby Yennaco is the creator of lit’l desi9s, offering Adorable puzzle-like animals, trucks & princesses (& much more!) created by using all the letters of a child’s name! lit’l desi9s’ Unique Gifts are Guaranteed to be the talk of ANY Party! In 2009, Debby started a Home Party business with 3 young kids in tow! lit’l desi9s was featured on Boston Chronicle & Pregancy & Newborn.
Heather Stouffer, a mom of two, created Mom Made Foods in 2006 because she believes in convenient meals that do not sacrifice quality or nutrition. Inspired by kids and the familiar recipes they love, Mom Made uses only the freshest quality ingredients, such as organic products and meats raised without antibiotics, all sourced in the USA. Sold in grocery freezer aisles nationwide.
Annelise Pitt launched Thistledown Cozies 15 years ago to design, manufacture and market high-end tea cozies and accessories for the tea industry. Her beautiful and customizable cozies are sold on the web and in tearooms and gift shops. Her products are made in the USA by skilled, home-based seamstresses. I am not an expert on tea, but I know tea drinkers and I know how to keep their tea hot.
Mountain Mama founder Teresa Delfín brings her passion for adventure to motherhood, designing maternity clothing that the Los Angeles Times calls the Patagonia for pregnant women. Her debut line won a prestigious 2010 Polartec® APEX Award for design innovation and excellence, and was featured on Good Morning America.
Imagine the challenge of balancing family, business AND moving your company every 2/3years! That’s what Joanna does when her husband’s military orders means packing up her business, 2 sons, house and husband, and moving across the country. Attagirlgifts.com answers the military wife’s question “hey, where’s my medal?!” and honors our home front heroes for *their* military life achievements.
Tera created Deals4Moms.org which offers deals to moms in South Florida. Instead of charging for advertising, Tera encourages sponsors to donate 100% of what they would spend on advertising to 4Kids of South Florida. She’s a mom with a huge heart!
Nominating Paige Smith, Owner of Pure Belly. Six unique pregnancy, labor & postpartum designs. Inspired by her experience with carrying twins and two other challenging pregnancies. Her goal was to manufactuer in the US, be Ob endorsed, eco-friendly (organically grown bamboo) she did it!
Rosie Pope’s days are filled with being a mom, wife, designer, educator, TV personality and all-around guide for women during their pregnancies and beyond. Rosie’s goal is to bring together high-quality products and expert services to make each woman’s experience from pregnancy through motherhood the best it can be.
Kim Webb, mother of 2, founded Rockin’ Green as a labor of love. A clean-rinsing laundry detergent that was invented & specifically formulated for cloth diapers, it rocks with all wash. Its comes in 3 formulas (Soft, Hard & Classic Rock) & 7 scents like Mighty Mighty Marshmallow & Lavender Mint Revival. Rockin Green started in 2009 & has grown 25-30% each month. Kim is the force behind it all
I nominate my wife Jennifer Dutcher, founder of Rock-a-Thigh Baby (RTB). She invented a solution to the frustrating problem of baby socks that dont stay on or cover lower legs. RTB socks are an eco-friendly, USA made, thigh-length sock for children. In addition to being a hard-working mamaprenuer for her business that saw amazing growth last year, Jen is an awesome mom to our four young girls!
Antoinette, aka The Twooth Fairy, invented the company’s first product, Twooth Timer, for her own children. Recommended by dentists & hygienists, all her products are designed to help parents teach their children good dental hygiene habits because oral health is integral to overall health. Antoinette has made it her company’s goal for every child to have a lifetime of healthy smiles!
Sarah just launched Your Baby Booty to help expectant moms navigate the baby registry process. She helps moms save time, money and stress during the whole baby registry process. In addition to launching Your Baby Booty, she is the mother of her first kiddo…Jackson!
Tereson Dupuy, founder of FuzziBunz Cloth Diapers and known as “The Mother of the Modern Cloth Diaper” is credited with sparking the entire modern-day cloth diapering movement in 1999, resulting in hundreds of thousands of moms giving cloth diapers a try. Her invention made cloth diapers easy to use and wash at home. Tereson also donates thousands of FuzziBunz diapers to orphans around the world!
follow a MS and Fibromylisia Badge of honor wearing woman. Wife of an police officer. Momma of a 2yr old, trying hard for #2 share in this crazy journey of trying to make the world spin a little slower! A woman who after physical struggles just re-embarked in the work world in the fall by becoming an independent contractor during what quite time that is found taking sales calls.
She started WeddingChannel.com and Stella & Dot jewelry. It’s no surprise that this mother of two would be successful. And she’s shared that opportunity with thousands of other women.
Jennifer Pickett
pickettjennifer@hotmail.com
In between bottle feedings, noontime naps and play dates, Angie Medlock and Whitney Koval crafted a plan to create an irresistibly adorable line of clothing for tots. Transforming basic to brilliant, they began with the classic boxer short and bloomer silhouettes, updating them with lower case letter appliqu’s, snaps for simplicity and colors in a punchy palette.
Amber Schaub is the founder and CEO of RuffleButts, a fun & frilly clothing line for infant & toddler girls launched in 2007. Centered around its signature RuffleButt bloomer, the line now covers from head to toe and is carried at http://RuffleButts.com, Nordstrom, and ~1,000 boutiques worldwide. Amber’s the mom to a two and a half year old, Aubrey, and is expecting her second child in April!
Kelsie Zimmerman is co-owner & designer of Sugarcube Press, a letterpress stationery company & design studio. Kelsie designs textiles, among a zillion other things…helping the world to be a prettier place. Her fabric designs grace the bags of Petunia Pickle Bottom & her card designs are found in 300 stores. Mom to Beck, 6, and Wren, 10 mo’s, and manages to keep things somewhat sane.
Jillian Davidsson’s love for life and all things family, directly led her to creating PaxBaby, the “go to” website for moms wanting to “wear” their babies. It can be a confusing task trying to pick out just the right carrier, but she does it with personalized care, an amazing return policy, and a revolutionary carrier rental service. All while raising five children with one on the way!
Alex Krasnoff is cofounder of Tadpole and Lily, a company that makes beautiful handmade headbands. Tadpole and Lily was started in 2010 when a mother and her daughter paired up to make beautiful handmade headbands for her own new little tadpole. Tadpole and Lily headbands are hand sewn petal by petal, by Alex herself, and are so sweet and absolutely girly!
Michelle Fowler is the brains behind the much loved Aussie brand Cushie Tushies. Designing a revolutionary modern cloth diaper and teaming that with adorable prints, the brand has grown into one of the most popular on the market. With good friend Catherine Langman in partnership they grow rapidly and internationally! With fantastic accessories and service this is a business set for greatness.
Ju-Ju-Be was started because despite the great fashion and features of other brands, there were still some things lacking. No one had put to use the latest in technology, or acted on the idea that fashion and function aren’t mutually exclusive, and no one had delved into the deep realm of microbes and anti-stick coatings. Who says that diaper bags aren’t rocket science?
After years of experience, Nicki the owner of Nicki’s Diapers created a new diaper taking the pros of all the different diapering systems and eliminated the cons. This resulted in the Best cloth diaper system available – trimmest fitting and highly absorbent! Nikki is also the mom of three young kiddos!
Sarah started Laudy Daudy with designer burpies & has grown immensely over the years. Laudy Daudy makes handmade, stylish & creatively designed products! Their products offer a unique twist on basic items for infants & children w/a whimsical, colorful & vintage feel. Almost everything is made-to-order & whenever possible, recycled materials are used. Sarah is also a devoted wife & mother of two!!
Trisha Rocks! Always informative and always engaging. I love her stuff.
Jillian Davidson is awesome! She has 5 kids and one on the way love the way she handles business and interacts with her customers. she has the sweetest disposition.
Katie is a believer in cloth, and developed these diapers originally for her son to eradicate overnight leaks! The Little Sandman offers diapers, wool and fleece covers, and more! She has been growing her brand by word of mouth, selling her products on mom message boards before she got her website up and running. She is currently getting her products in local NH baby boutiques.
Jennifer Porter is lead tight rope walker at Satsuma Designs. She balances business, family, faith and fun. She dons ill-fitting leotards to spice up the act. Porter designs her collection of eco-chic gifts for babies to help keep families happy and healthy. This mompreneur works hard to nurture her family & business with a smile and a fully stocked bag of trail mix on hand to keep it all going.
A great mom’s site!
excellent diapers
Family Fun Coach, Sue Kirchner, created ChocolateCakeClub.com to inspire and help busy families make the most of their family time and have more fun together. Shes passionate about helping busy parents smile more and refocus on the pleasure of parenthood. Her site has become a trusted source for fun family activities, unique gifts & tips that help families, Have their cake and eat it, too!
I nominate, my daughter, Anna Muzzy and Nancy Gutierrez. They are co-founders of Rock Me, a completely American made infant and toddler fashion clothing line that is launching March 2011! The styles are all one piece but look like separates and make changing babies quick and easy because there are no snaps, no buttons, no zippers, and no other closures.
One woman is trying to singlehandedly change the way all young children learn math. She thinks children deserve to learn math gently, with beautiful books and stories, with treasure chests and jewels. Arithmetic Village is her new program offering free activities, downloadables and lesson plans for moms and teachers. Her own three girls “help” her run the company.
Founder and owner of Vintage Kid and The Bees Knees Kid online stores for clothing for children of all ages. Juggling household chores, motherhood and sourcing and providing excellent quality products and the most fantastic service out there all with a smile and ‘nothing is too much trouble’ attitude. And all from her home in Australia.
She should mompreneurs the product is so unique
Absolutely one of my favourite work from home mums! Fantastic service everytime!
Carey is the founder of bebe children’s store and bebeonline.com.au . She is also stay at home mother to 2 kids (age 1 & 7). Her store focusses on modern baby/kids products that are also organic & eco-friendly. She has a fab facebook page and posts great blogs on gentle parenting and mothering.
Elizar is a true inspiration to the Mom who wants to balance work/motherhood and life – she shows you that you can have it all. – Elizar started Huggalugs about 5 years ago when her oldest child was a baby – she now also has a son and distributors is at least 12 countries not to mention over 1200 stores in the USA alone! Inspirational
Beautiful Soles soft leather shoes was created by Lucy Jackson and Alison Henry when they both had little babes in arms. Nearly 7 years on the Beautiful Soles range has been fine tuned into simple, funky and colourful soft shoes.
Showcase your beautiful little soul in the coolest shoes around and know you are also following the advice of paediatricians and podiatrists everywhere!
26 yr old Mum of 2 (1 on the way) always helps Mums/Women in business for very little reward herself. From hints, tips, free advertising and business resources to just being there for support and to ask questions. Multi-tasking Women Who Achieve Heaps has been there for my business and Jess does an awesome job juggling her family with her mwwah community and does what ever is needed to help.
Chantelle is a mum of 3 children under 7, She runs a succesful online Graphic Design Business and is now in the mist of creating a Bridal Magazine, Everything Chantelle has done is done by hard work and late nights as she always puts her family first, I nominate chantelle as I believe that she is a mum who does not wait for things to come to her but instead goes out and gets them
Jen is a Mum and a business women who inspires us all daily. She constantly involving her community in thought provoking topics and educating everyone so they can choose a way that works for them, not just the way society says it should be done. Beyond The Baby is the most supportive group of Mum’s who are not their to judge.
Kristy Sammis, Sheila Bernus Dowd & Stefania Pomponi Butler are 3 of the 4 partners of social media marketing agency Clever Girls Collective, Inc. (The fourth partner is “world’s best auntie”: Cat Lincoln.) CGC connects their clients with decision-making, budget-wielding women & their engaged communities. Their Clever Network is 2300+ influencers strong.
Melissa Macdonald is the author of the most amazing book- “breastfeeding: real mums tell you how”. It has helped thousands of mothers in their time of need. She is a pioneer for finally giving realistic advice, support and encouragement with no judgement. She researched and interviewed hundreds of mothers. Melissa has truly triumphed and should be recognised.
Or-Tal Kiriati is the founder and CEO of Saveby and a married mother of 3 kids. Saveby is the self-serve group shopping platform. For more than a decade Or-Tal has consulted to high-tech companies, which followed a career as a business journalist. Shes committed to the quest for improving education worldwide. Writes about her career & family at http://www.or-tal.com
My wife Linda for the past 2 years has not only rasied our daughter she has created an online resource hub supporting families at all stages in life. Juggling a toddler, a business and a team of work at home parents she takes it all in here stride. She gives without expectation of return
Barbara Jones founded one of the premiere word of mouth marketing companies in the U.S. that connects brands with women & moms called One2One Network. She also co-founded the 2nd largest women’s blogging & social media conference in the U.S. & the largest in Canada called BlissDom. Her goal is to encourage women & moms to build their businesses & pursue their passions by way of social media.
KidzVuz.com is the only website where tweens have their say about the things they love. It empowers kids to speak their minds through user-generated video reviews. Nancy & Rebecca also have their own personal blogs as well as co-host (with 2 other techmoms) the weekly podcast The Blogging Angels. They are each moms to twins determined to build something original online while raising kids in NYC.
Funny mom who writes for alphamom, among others. She has two kids, one on the way and writes such hilarious yet heart-wrenching stories about life, kids and it all.
Sherryl is a busy mom of three young kids (6, 5, and 3), an active school volunteer, and the founder of Lizzie, Izzie + James, a web-based children’s accessories brand. LI+J launched in January 2011 with a collection of hand crafted hair accessories made from premium wool felt in rich and vibrant colors. Sherryl was recently featured in the Greenwich Times, Stamford Advocate, and Connecticut Post.
I nominate my mom. She owns a website that is all about celebrities and still manages to be a great mom to me and my brother. Besides the fact that I get to see some really great celebrities sometime also!!
Julie Kenney is mom to 2 boys, Blake & Landon. After succeeding in the corporate world, Julie was inspired to combine her love of creating fabulous gift bags & her heart for charity into her own celebrity gifting company, Jewels and Pinstripes. Meeting celebrities one week & helping in her boys’ classroom the next, Julie positively maintains the balance of a strong business woman & a devoted mom.
Donna set up Bella Fitness, a team of Personal Trainers, in 2007. Her idea was to have a mobile training company. Clients say they often would not exercise if a trainer was not at their door. She is on the board for the Alzheimer’s Association. She sends a trainer to a transitional home to exercise the tenants 3 times a week. She takes care of her mom and son. She thanks God for all of it!
Sheryl Lyon is founder of Betterra.com, an online natural family living boutique specializing in naturals and organics for mom and baby like cloth diapers, jewelry and baby carriers. The store was a natural extension of A Much Better Way, also founded by Sheryl in 2005 as an online source of attachment parenting news, articles and ideas.
Kelli is a mom of THREE boys under the age of 6, and has run a successful Indie handcrafted skincare/makeup and bath line since 2005! She is re-branding her entire line into her ‘new brand’ of crushed botanicals and I am amazed at the work she is able to do, what a huge job and undertaking! Always willing to help other business owners and is simply awesome! I am ahmazed
Amanda Bennetts is the creative and fabulous women who has introduced us all to her fantastic collection of Boots. Bennetts boots is and was based on her own need and dream for all women to have fashionable footwear that fits and is comfortable.She is a great supporter of charities with profits going to Parkinsons Australia and the Premiers Relief Fund.
Kelby Carr is the founder and CEO of Type-A Parent and Type-A Parent Conference. She is a writer, a pioneer of the social parent blog, SEO and social media consultant, and former investigative newspaper reporter turned new media mom. Type-A Parent is the first social network dedicated to all parents who blog, and she also publishes Investigative Mommy Blogger, pursuing journalism 3.0.
The Founding Moms is a collective of meetups around the world for mom entrepreneurs to get together monthly to educate, network and help each other get down to business!
A Canadian e-shop that brings Canadians quality and most favorite products Erica Ashmore has discovered blogging. Most products are exclusive to stores in Toronto or a first to Canada basis. Her site offers lots of great products and was recently launched in November of 2010 her selective and unique quality of products are steadily increasing as her store evolves.
Robyn is an amazing mompreneur, not only does she balance a large manufacturing business, family (including one special needs child), and homeschooling, but she is also commited to making herself as healthy as she can by running and staying active and is currently training for her first triathlon!
Beth is the founder of Catbird Baby, maker of the popular pikkolo soft structured baby carrier, the patent-pending babywearing support belt, catbird baby mei tai, and the original winter carrier cover designed for wide-base carriers like mei tais and SSCs.
Owner of the first Natural Parenting Shop in Halifax, Nova Scotia, April MacKinnon began Nurtured as an online mail-order home based business in 2006. Since then, Nurtured has become more than a store, but also a broader community and valued resource in the local community when it comes to making responsible parenting decisions. April is also the Owner of Anointment Hand Made Natural Skin Care.
Clarissa is a wonderful friend to all who know her in real life and in the blog world. She is a fabulous parent, chic mama and always glam. Her entrepreneurial spirit is amazing. Clarissa is a role model to many and she deserves to be recognized as a TOP mompreneur in 2011.
Owner and designer of her own brand Happy as Larry designs, Amy creates by hand many of her nursery and homeware collection. She also works closely with a Nepalese community of ladies who create many of her designs for her. Amazingly she manages to fit this in-between raising 2 little boys.
Baby Boot Camp arrived shortly after her first child in 2001. As an experienced personal trainer she developed Baby Boot Camp to balance the fitness needs of new moms with their desire to spend time with their baby. Horler began franchising her innovative fitness program, enabling active women to follow their entrepreneurial spirit while still spending time with their family.
I nominate my wife Rebecca Pickens, founder of Spruce Kids & Spruce Kids Blog. Spruce Kids is a nutritional strategy and management company whose mission is to help parents raise children who are sound in mind, body and spirit. Spruce focuses on services designed by an expert advisory board for children with Autism, Asthma, ADHD and Allergies.
Raelynn started Mommy Necklaces out of her basement. Mommy Necklaces are an original line of jewelry inspired by motherhood. They are stylish, customizable, and dependable necklaces for both breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding moms. Mommy Necklaces can be used for a distracted breastfed baby, or just a way to spruce up your everyday wardrobe.
Bratsacks are a fab eco gift any young child (or Mom) would love. Her bags are made from vintage and reclaimed fabric in hip motifs and with excellent workmomship. She also makes purses and bags for Mom.Jessie manages to keep up with her two busy sons, husband and a dog grooming business.
Steph Scott, founder of the Get Babied Doula Collective in Austin, Texas, wanted to keep up with the demanding 24-7 on-call schedule of being a doula while juggling her young children. She formed the first collective of its kind in Austin. Now, GB has grown to 10 doulas who share an on-call rotation.
Candy Tai is the Founder and CEO of KCMetroMoms.com, a site that helps local moms (and dads) discover more about the resources, businesses, & events happening in their communities. The launch of the site was the first of its kind in the metro, & continues to gain popularity among busy KC families. She has worked with brands like Parents.com, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Chevy, Cheerios, and many more.
After working with Jessica for a year now, I can tell you that she’s not only a wonderful mother and wife, but she is a thoughtful friend, an inspired designer, and a kind leader. If anyone is a picture of balance it is her, with a business and an entire house of diabetics (her husband and 3 children).
Sarah G. is a mother of 4 wonderful kids, who also homeschools, and is owner of the Cloth Diaper Store – PinStripes and PolkaDots, LLC. She is very passionate in all her endeavors and spends quality time with any customer, patiently answering their questions and concerns. She is a mom who has really found a way to balance life, career, and community building.
Sisters, Talia and Danielle, are inventors of Myself Belts- the belt kids can fasten themselves! Inspired by their kids sagging pants, they created a patented belt that little hands can fasten, thereby promoting independence. This Mompreneur Duo learned the ins/outs of a new industry- nurturing their business and children at the same time. Six years later the daily juggle (and joy) remain!
30 year old Berkeley mom of 3 and CEO of The Nurture Center maternity store online and physical store in the San Fransisco area, serving thousands each month since the year 2000. Originally home-based as http://www.tendercargo.com, now employing many at the store and office location.
Brenda Nixon empowers parents with information and affirmation. Her award-winning The Birth to Five Book helps early childhood parents understand child development and behavior. She’s a writer, speaker, and radio host, and serves on the National Kids Advisory Board for Ziggity Zoom, as a parenting columnist on besteveryou.com and as a parenting resource for numerous media outlets.
This pediatric RN and comedy writer presents the newest kids health articles and funny parenting stories that will keep you smiling, informed and at times out-loud laughing! ‘Cause laughter is the best medicine!
Julianna Shaw is the founder of ZoLi, makers of non-toxic baby feeding & care products that blend substance, sustainability & style. ZoLi puts babys health as its #1 priority & is committed to giving parents safe solutions to real-life challenges. It practices eco-friendly manufacturing, creating premium products from the safest & best possible materials, ensuring a healthier future for babies.
Founder, EVP & Dir. Of Innovation for Namaste Mama LLC Stacee Magee is a mother of 6 and developed the patented Evolution Diaper to meet the needs of her children. She has been recently awarded a patent on her innovative Evolution Diaper and has several other patents pending. She is a member the Real Diaper Industry Association legal committee.
wean green!!!
started her own concierge company with $37 budget http://www.maidsontherun.com, started a not for profit to offer free house cleaning to families that have children diagnosed with a serious illness nationwide http://www.cleaningwithameaning.org battled breast cancer chemo, radiation and double mastectomy, and now invented The Bag Holder http://www.facebook.com/bagholder Carol Blodgett her mom
Marlynns passionate about living loudly & helping other mompreneurs. She runs a successful graphic design & strategy studio, Urban Bliss Media. In 06, she launched ThePowerMOB, a pro org for mompreneurs. She speaks about running a biz + raising a family at conferences/mtgs all over the US. She blogs about food, being mom to a 3 & 6 YO, fashion, design, decor & inspiration at Urban Bliss Life.
Shelley started QuestionMoms.com when she couldn’t find market research panels that were affordable for inventors. As an inventor, she needed feedback on her concept and branding, but free online surveys sent to friends weren’t enough. QuestionMoms.com allows inventors and entrepreneurs to ask 100 or more moms what they think of their ideas while moms make money providing valuable feedback.
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Dannielle and Monique are the creators of b.box – the multi award winning brand redefining everyday baby essentials around the world. What makes them unique? They create innovative, stylish and practical products for today’s parents, at an affordable price. It all began on a flight four years ago. Ever tried changing a diaper in an airline cubicle? Mission impossible! And so b.box was born.
Dana and Tamar founded Dapple when their children were newborns because they couldn’t find household cleaning products that were safe around their kids, and could clean the unique messes that babies can make. Their products use natural ingredients to tackle milk and formula on baby bottles, sticky fingerprints on toys, mashed up peas on onesies, and more.
Candy has Willy Wonka. Baby products have Rebecca Finell. An award-wining industrial designer and mother of threeshe also is the co-founder and primary inventor behind Boon. Boon creates modern baby products that help simplify parents livesand 10% of its profits are donated to benefit childrens charities. Her ability to create products that merge function with style is nothing short of epic.
Lauren Hise is a new mom, inventor, and creator unique concepts such as her newest venture, Baby Love. This one stop shop offers children’s and maternity consignment, nursing wear, new toys and gifts, unique gift baskets, balloons and cards, baby shower favors, and to top it all off a studio which provides space for baby & me classes, children’s classes, playgroups, parties, and more!
There’s something mysterious about Indian cooking: aromatic spices & colorful curries. But this exotic flavor profile doesnt have to remain an enigma thanks to Modern Day Masala. Inspired by her husbands culture, Kristin Sharma developed this organic Indian spice collection. Kristin now helps busy families like hers to create a healthy meal while also creating jobs for moms in her community.
Nikki is an artist and business owner. Starting 13 Black Cats Designs was the first step in a long line of successful ventures. With her works being featured on The Indiexhibit, Once Upon A Puzzle, Pen and Ink, Zazzle, Etsy and more she is more than on her feet, she keeps on her toes. Check out her beautiful illustrations, you won’t be disappointed.
Beth has come up with a unique and wonderful product combining a timeless toy, the puzzle, with delightful stories that can be personalized with a child’s name, along with favorite people and things in their life. Colorful illustrations decorate the puzzles making them perfect for enjoying again and again. Even if you don’t enjoy puzzles hop on over to the site and play around, it is a lot of fun!
Carolyn is the founder of the one and only Clingy Cord. The Original Clingy CordTM is the PERFECT accessory for children who love to drop, throw or toss their sippy cups, bottles, blankets, pacifiers, and more to the dirty floor. The patented sliding knot design is fully adjustable to fit a variety of objects and the plastic link attaches to almost anything.
While raising her son, Cheryl has found the time to work with her cousin Amy in creating a series of children’s books, a sing-a-long nursery rhyme CD, which is included with each book. Amy operates a full-time daycare, They have developed their business, relying entirely on working in their spare time. I nominate them for their product, “The “Pacie Pixie.”
This mompreneur ROCKS. She is CEO and Founder of Kingston O’Niel an Executive Search Firm. Growing by leaps and bounds, she placed more candidates in successful positions during the first quarter of this year than many place in an entire year. She juggles, she works, and she is very involved with Dress for Success, a non-profit organization helping woman prepare to enter the work force.
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A mother-and-daughter team behind Kashka by KidCuteTure – the most original injection of style into the world of baby wear. Standing true to their principles of uncompromised comfort and quality, they create most eye-catching styles that are edgy and sweet. Fearlessly using non-traditional colors and stripes they embark on a style journey that brings to market designs that are just unforgettable.
Susan started Hipperbibs after searching for special needs bibs, drool bibs, and fashionable bibs for her son, Ian, who has Angelman Syndrome. She came up with a unique bib that would compliment her son’s clothing and in turn would not draw attention to the fact that he was wearing a bib therefore, maintaining his sense of dignity. Hipperbibs are now being worn by children and adults worldwide.
Jaclyn Rubly, my wife is the founder and owner of a brand new media outlet startup that focuses on celebrity baby fashion and trends that are big in Hollywood. Jaclyn is a busy working mom who thrives on finding new fashion trends that are popular among Hollywood and moms across the nation.
Karen founded Paper Fancy, an online stationery + gift boutique that gives a percentage of sales to her favorite charity, Child Savers of Virginia. She also serves as a founding board member of a community preschool that awards full scholarships to some of the area’s neediest families.
Kim Hall, owner of Diapers and Denim, started out at small craft fairs. Using great marketing skills on her website, her business has grown to wholesale of her wipe cases in over 40 Boutiques across the US. She was just recently featured in Child Style Magazine. Balancing a retail & wholesale business plus keeping up with 3 girls, this hardworking mom deserves recognition!
Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is CEO/Founder of The Best Ever You Network, Mom of Four Boys, Radio show host, children’s book author, actress, shoe hound & promoter of all things Best Ever.
Cami is the owner of CC Bums, “going green for the every day family”. Her specialty is cloth diapers, and she makes every type on the market, which puts her ahead of other WAHM diaper-makers who only have one pattern. She also makes reusable wipes, toilet paper, feminine pads, nursing pads, produce bags and childrens apparel, all with 3 kids at home and the fastest turnaround in her market!
Using her background in journalism and design, Donna started Itty Bitty Greenie in 2010 to share her research on the latest childrens products made by manufacturers committed to earth-friendly practises. Her popular online eco-shop offers organic clothing and skin care, green toys and toxin-free feeding products, and donates 1% of every sale to environmental and childrens charities.
I nominate Lisa Nuckols, founder of Crow Mountain Crafts. She hand crafts soaps, candles, lotions, lip balms, wool care products, ect. She goes above and beyond to balance her work and her family while still providing the best customer service I have ever seen. She is a strong supporter of WAHM made items and cloth diapering and has 1 y/o and 2 y/o boys.
Kinzie is a mom of 4 with a special education teaching degree. She created a personalized look and find book. Think “I SPY” or “Where’s Waldo” but you are searching for your OWN family’s faces. Her book is a hit for ALL ages!
My sister, Kristen Stevens, owner of Cute Beltz, is truly the definition of a “Mompreneur,” juggling being a wife, mom to two toddlers & running her own business. Cute Beltz specializes in easy to use Velcro belts & cute D-ring belts for Boys and Girls, up to age 6. She couldn’t bear to see her daughters sagging pants anymore, so she launched Cute Beltz in 2008 and the response has been amazing.
Anysia is mom to two children and founder of Naturity, an organic bath and body line. They also have a great baby line. They are committed to their customers and the preservation of the planet. The products are 99-100% organic and have a zero toxicity rating. The products are amazing and she does a great job balancing work and motherhood. Anysia definitely deserves to be #1 Mompreneur!
Jacki Kane empowers moms of all family configurations, faith and chocolate preference to take the stage at her show, TIME OUT: The mother of all comedy shows. As a stand-up comedian herself, she gives moms an authentic, powerful voice that happens to be hilarious.
Accessorize your Sprout with LINA BEAN! Caroline created this hot line for life in the toddler lane. After design stints with Lilly Pulitzer, Anthopologie and a once-in-a-lifetime couture job with Ralph Rucci, she became a Mom of two sons and needed an outlet for her fashion-forward skills. The line includes bibs, blankets and other accessories in fresh fabrics that look great on baby AND Mom!
This lady runs one hell of a diaper business!!!! I always buy from her, and will never go back to other WAHM diapers again! Everything ships in awesome time, considering that she is the only one making these diapers and all the other goodies that she has!!!
Robin, mom to Savannah Rose, born on 7/19/10 created the SoothEaze blanket. In addition to running this business, she writes a blog where she highlights other mom entrepreneurs at http://ctmomreviews.blogspot.com//
Abbie Schiller & Samantha Kurtzman-Counter are the mamas behind The Mother Company, the multi-platform childrens media company. The website (www.themotherco.com) and “Ruby’s Studio” children’s DVD series is focused on social and emotional learning. The style and content of “Ruby’s Studio” is unlike anything currently available. Abbie and Sam are truly redefining childrens entertainment.
Touched by breast cancer in their families, breastfed a total of 12 kiddos between the two, helped them see the connection. This is what drove them to start making nursing pads. They have been able to give support and most importantly help women gain knowledge about breastfeeding and the benefits for both baby and mother. Proud sponsors of Best For Babes Foundation and Operation Shower.
Wendy Wiseman is the co-president of Kiboomu along with Sherry Segal. Wendy & Sherry are leaders in Early Childhood Educational Music, award-winning App Developers, philanthropists, Canada’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs & Top Mom Bloggers. Their blog, KIBOOMU, features simple, easy and fun crafts that Sherry finds from around the world, along with their award winning music and apps.
Good Job keep up good work.
Ambrelee Taylor is owner of Peek-A-Bootique. She runs her business, is a FT student & takes care of her 3 children (1 has severe allergies).She has been selling on the internet & locally, and is ready to launch her website April 2011. She plans to open her own not for profit this year to support philanthropy in her community. She is determined, caring and an inspiration to those who meet her.
Allison is the CEO/Founder of Mom Corps, a national staffing company that matches companies with professional moms looking for flexible work arrangements. Her company has grown to become the premier staffing company serving the working mother niche, with 14 franchise offices located around the U.S.
My 2 Sassy Sisters, started this One of a Kind Sassy Signs company having 7 kids between them.There were no cool outdoor signs out there- With kids & all their activities, having Garage Sales & Garage Saling is a MUST for these moms! They have a line of Party & DeZine a Signs with Stickers.Their favorite part-”market research” ie:garage saling with the kids! Online & in over 500 retail locations.
The Lice Detectives are two mom’s each with 3 young kids,. The idea to hatch their company came tot them a few years ago, when their daughters got lice at the same time. After spending a lot of time and money on toxic treatments, they decided their had to be a safer better way. One year and another outbreak later, the Lice Detectives was formed. Safe, effective non-toxic lice products.
Stephanie is Founder + CEO of InCultureParent.com, for parents raising little global citizens. InCultureParent developed as a result of her own bicultural/lingual family (her husband is Moroccan Muslim + they have daughters aged 2 and 4). The magazine is built around the ideas of culture, language and tradition and presents many different parenting styles and cultures around the world.
Carolyn Twietmeyer founded Project Hopeful a non-profit encouraging, enabling and educating individuals n families to adopt HIV positive children. She recently has been featured on Today Show and People mag. Carolyn is the proud mother of 13 children 2 of whom are HIV+ adopted from Ethiopia…
After losing her job when her baby was 4 months old, Jamie launched Milkstars, a line of stylish clothing for breastfeeding moms. The line was an instant success and is now carried in over 100 stores. Made in the USA and getting rave reviews from celebs and moms all over, Milkstars tops and dresses look and feel like regular, comfortable tees offering easy nursing access and complete coverage.
Nichole is the owner and operator of Hey Babycakes. This dedicated mother cares for two kids while maintaining a successful business. Her products are homemade, fresh and amazing editable pieces of art. Her contests on Facebook have grown quite a following. She was recently featured in The Ledger about her success. Hey Babycakes just turned one this past month and is growing stronger than ever!
Mom and composer Belinda Takahashi, Ph.D. founded The Juno Company whose line of DVDs, books and Apps won more awards than any children’s media company the year it was introduced, including an Emmy Award. Belinda, full-time mother of two, composes all music for Juno products and launched the companys One For All Program, which donates a Juno DVD to a child in need for every Juno product sold.
Tania is cofounder of Pure Play Kids, which sells battery-free, creative, and ecologically sound toys and products online and through events. Pure Play Kids believes young children develop better in a world of imaginative and creative play than through electronic and plastic toys. Beyond Pure Play Kids, Tania is the mother of two boys (ages 2 and 4) and a dog; she definitely deserves recognition!
Ceramic sculptor and mother of two, Laura Winter, is the creator of Side Door Studio. Harnessing her own passion for self expression through art, she created a creative oasis for children to grow. “In just one week at the studio, my son was completely transformed emotionally!” Her unique ability to inspire and encourage, allows each child to come away with a great sense of pride and achievement.
April Beach founded Sweet Pea Baby Planners and Baby Planner Inc. with original programs like Baby Dream Gear. In addition to running two companies, April is mom to three boys one with special needs. Everything April creates is out of her passion to support families. April authored two baby planner books, and continues to create programs which unite the baby planning and maternity industries.
First Class Care came out of inspiration when Erin had her son Parker. She searched Chicago high and low for a great nanny agency. All she found were illegal agencies or agencies that had no idea how to work with a first time mom. Erin opened in October of 2006 and now has 2 locations in Northbrook and Chicago. Erin specializes in all domestic help.
Creativity flowed from Stephanie to such an extreme, she had no sufficient outlet. In 2007, Executive Creations (“ec”) became that outlet with a purpose. People were immediately lured to her custom wedding and party stationery. ec’s business sky-rocketed. All this is done by Stephanie, the founder, lead designer and stay-at-home mompreneur,and three children-6, 4 and 1!
Dhana Cohen, owner and founder of http://www.thenextbigzing.com the hottest trends and innovative products AWARD site! Dhana does it all. She balances running her business from home, her 2 boys, their sports, she loves cooking, yoga, walking with friends, and supporting her clients build their businesses…She can be found on her computer, and playing chest with the kids
Deborah Michael M.S.OTR/L founded North Shore Pediatric Therapy multidisciplinary clinics 10yrs ago to provide the most innovative pediatric therapy to children w/ sp. needs all under 1 roof.Deborah is also a thought leader online w/ her popular parenting blogs.Deborah is a mother of 5 & prides herself on making sure every child (her own and those she treats) reach their maximum potential.
when does this contest end?
Bundles and Buzz was created by two moms with 5 boys under five between them. Working with mom/baby companies to introduce new and exciting products through THE Bundles. In just three months, Bundles sell out in mere minutes, they have over 2100 active facebook fans and over 2000 subscribers to their e-newsletter, The Buzz. http://www.bundlesandbuzz.com
The Steal Network provides top quality brands and products to women through the websites BabySteals.com, ScrapbookSteals.com and KidSteals.com. Upon returning from maternity leave with her third child, founder Jana Francis decided it was time to start her own company to spend more time with her children. She launched the first website in the Steal Network family, BabySteals.com in April of 2008.
Ten23 Designs was founded by Lauren Sarnoff Atwaters in 2008. Ten23 Designs creates custom vinyl decals to be used for home decor, event decor and so much more. Lauren creates monograms for wedding and events, turning them into beautiful dance floor decals as well as decals to use on other decor elements. Ten23 Designs also specializes in personalized wall decals for every room of the home.
Karena and Elizabeth started Top It Off with a passion to bring fun and flirty accessories to women who want versatility in their fast-paced lives. Grab and go pieces that make every mom feel pulled together. Founded in 2004, Top If Off sells to over 1000 boutiques and gift stores around the country. Karena is mom to Haley (5), Lily (2): Elizabeth is mom to John (4) and Caroline (1).
I think she is an amazing woman!
Kimberly is the work at home mom behind EcoGlo Minerals, an all-natural mineral cosmetics business. She hand makes all products while raising two kids under 3 years of age. She is able to be a stay-at-home mom while having a ‘career’!
One mother residing in Virginia began to think of ways to keep her kids focused so the chance of them bolting or wondering in parking lots would be eliminated. She created the Parking Pal and IT WORKED. Until all vehicles are equipped with back-up cameras and all until all drivers remember to pay careful attention in parking lots, this is a great aid in keeping your child safer.
I nominate Cindy Patterson. She creates MINKY baby lovies, blankets and burp cloths. She has the most adorable patterns. Both of my children love their lovies!
Mom & graphic artist, Bethany Primrose, started her merchandising company in 2007. Inspired by her grandfather’s charitable spirit, every sale benefits a non-profit or charity organization, from children’s charities to art education. Insomniac Arts, was named for the late-night & all-night hours she keeps, so that she can grow her business while being available for her baby girl, Baylor.
CEO and founder of Christina Leigh and company. The original dispersion and wipes pouch.
I nominate my wife Michelle. She left her career as a teacher to be a stay at home mom. She is an amazing mother and role model for our two young boys! And of course a wonderful wife! She is now running her own business as a Scentsy Wickless Candles consultant! I couldn’t be more proud of her!
Debbie’s designs are amazing!! The artistic flare appeals to children of all ages and makes the perfect gift. Kudos to Debbie for her extraordinary talent!
She started brewing candles in her own kitchen in pots and pans, hoping to find the perfect candle to sell to her friends and family. Gold Canyon has grown to a full array of home fragrance products, over 26,000 demonstrators in the U.S. and Canada and is a company worth in the millions now!
Founder of Baby Loves Disco.
Helps run this international company from her Laundry room in between raising her two children (5 & 8), performing as a professional dancer, working as a waitress, and changing the world. Meet her once and walk away saying “Heather Is the nicest most caring person I ever met”.
Liza Lowenberg not only found a way to make a 2nd income for her family, but she hires other moms to work for her and allow them to contribute a 2nd income to their familes. M.O.M. hires moms from across the country to market products to other moms via word of mouth and online viral marketing. M.O.M. empowers other moms!!
Running out of space for her kid’s art but not wanting to toss the memories, Kristin Matheis founded Preschool Palettes to preserve kid’s artwork “for keeps” in hardcover books. A former designer, it is the perfect marriage of her pre- and post- children lives. Mom of 2 budding artists, she actively contributes her talents to her children’s schools as well as numerous schools nationally.
MugsyClicks creates “school portraits worth framing”. Single mom, Linda Russell, created award winning MugsyClicks to help other “mom photographers” do the same in their local schools. MugsyClicks offers image previewing, online ordering, and home delivery. At MugsyClicks kids are learning that “cheese is a dairy product, not an expression” and parents are delighted with the results.
Founder Shazi Visram is the heart behind HAPPYFAMILY, maker of HAPPYBABY organic snacks. She works every day to encourage babies to crave healthy meals and snacks and give them the nutrients they need to develop and grow. Shazi recently won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, was featured in the American Express Business is Booming campaign and donates to Project Peanut Butter.
Janice Naehu designed and patented a new type of baby bib called the HI-Chair Bib that would cover the laps and thighs of children sitting in a highchair winning the accolades of parents and more importantly children who were happy to replace the old plastic raincoat feeling bibs with a full-body lightweight cotton bib.
Jeena Lugo is a busy mother of 2 children who owns hairbowsunlimited.com. She is the founder and CEO of her company. She designs new pettiskirts, tutu styles and more!
http://www.freshbaby.com
Mandy is the founder and designer of vfish. Launched 3 years ago, the woman’s clothing line in sold in over 650 boutiques across the US. In addition to leading the apparel design direction, in 2011 Mandy launch Cutie Pie Kids, a children’s fashion accessories company.
Mandy is most importantly a full time mother to two addorable girls and an amazing wife. We will never know how she does it all.
Maria founded the Mompreneur Showcase: a one-day event featuring local mompreneurs’ businesses and exposing them to their direct market. Instead an entry fee, donations are accepted in support of local charities. The showcase now has 12 Ontario-area franchisees and is growing quickly. Maria, mother of two, also supports fellow mompreneurs by organizing and leading a monthly networking group.
Lisa is an amazing mompreneur.
She took a hobby that she learned as a young girl and turned it into a passion she loves to this day, making lots of incredible knitted and crochetted items for children and adults.
A regular contributor to major media outlets, Jodi Furman explains clearly how to live an upscale price without the price. A mom with 3 young children, Jodi provides pragmatic and time tested advice– no toilet paper splitting or clothing woven from dryer lint, just modern, rational and doable advice that fits into the very busy and real lives that moms lead.
Karen Zuckerman is the Owner, President, and CCO of HZDG, an integrated creative agency started 25 years ago and a new start-up company, Dormify. Most importantly she is also the mother of 3 children ages 13, 17, and 20. Karen never stops, between meeting with HZDG clients, overseeing the designs of Dormify, and rarely misses time with her family. Follow her @thedormifymom. http://www.hzdg.com/
Lollitops are “the hat that turnes into a purse” Kim invented the product in 2006 & has it trademarked & patented . In less than 5 years she has her products in about 130 stores in the US and 6 countries. Her web site, LollitopsUSA.com is also a one of a kind site, gaining popularity daily.Most importantly, she is a wife & Mom of 3.
The Baby Bonanza & Kid’s Expo was “born” in 2006 after Kendra Nicastro, a Mom of 2 young kids, saw a need for an expo that offers parents a one-stop shop to gather information on a variety of services, shop for fun products & enjoy educational seminars. Now one of the largest expos of its kind, a portion of the proceeds benefit a special organization to the Nicastro family, the March of Dimes.
Ashley & Whitney launched Daily Deals for Moms to connect small, local businesses with moms to keep capital local. They were the first in the industry to offer a cap. The company is 100% mom-run, offering family-friendly jobs for moms across the nation. They also support many other mom-owned businesses, and by keeping capital local, they also support strong communities for families to thrive.
Melissa built Little Diva Tutus on the foundation of giving back. She has donated thousands in cash & products to organizations & families in need.
In April, Melissa faced the unimaginable when her teen son died by suicide. Melissa has shown the public her pain and inspires many with her strength. She’s an amazing example to her daughters & other Mompreneurs.
Rhea Lana started her company in 1997 with the desire to provide the highest quality consignment experience possible to other moms. As as mom of 3, Rhea Lana knows all about shopping for bargains. With currently 47 franchises in 16 states, Rhea Lana’s has become one of the most valuable resources to moms across the U.S.
In 2006, Tammy’s then 7 year old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The challenges of living with diabetes are many. Tammy founded Silver Lining Jewels after searching for better choices in medical alert jewellery to keep her son safe. Silver Lining Jewels offers an impressive selection of medical alert jewellery including bracelets, pendants, and wristbands.
Selena has a 2 year old daughter. She bookkeeping for 3 family owned companies and also owns and operates http://www.thetrendytutu.com Its an awesome site and she should be proud of it.
Sandra is the founder of babybindle and inventor of the SeatPak. The SeatPak is a diaper bag that attaches to the handle of an infant car seat. Simple and functional for those times when only the essentials are needed. Since winning a grant from Huggies to develop her invention and start her company it has been full steam ahead for this mom of 2.
Nicole Germain is the producer of the Fabulous Moms: Women’s Small Business EXPO & Conference. The event brings together mompreneurs to showcase their products/services; learn from expert facilitated educational sessions; and network. Germain has taken her 15 years experience with the non-profit, political, and for-profit sector and helped mompreneurs compete in the marketplace.
Mom to 4 boys. Sells BALLS:like greeting cards/in the mail, fully-inflated, w/PUN messages. Kids help by blowing up balls. on BIG IDEA, TODAY & GMA. Featured in many books: START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS. On Season 1 of Shark Tank. Employs 2 other MOMS:wonderful work environment . Also very funny, especially when it comes to ball jokes. Spends time giving advice to other entrepreneurs. She ROCKS.
Dawn Farver is the owner and operator behind the genius of Girls Looking Cute (GLC). Girls Looking Cute is a personal fashion assistant and morning fashion revolution which provides parents and kids an outlet for a routine. GLC was created due to the problem that moms all over the world have with their daughters getting ready in the morning, bringing fun back into the morning.
Hip Peas is a line of safe, natural hair and skin care products for children. Frustrated by the lack of options for her toddler’s unruly hair, mom Stephanie Mahaffey set out to create the products she was unable to find! Her line expands to 6 products this spring, keeping her busy balancing the growing business and 2 young daughters – who also serve as first line “testers” for all new products!
Unique 1 year photo calendars and chidrens stickerbook to teach children to understand time and waiting for something special.
Mother to Four. CEO. Entrepreneur. Inventor. In 2006 Julie Ekstrom invented the Rumparooz One Size Cloth Diaper for her daughter. She revolutionized the industry with its unique and highly functional design, now Patent Pending in the US Patent Office. Kanga Care LLC started out in her kitchen and has now expanded to 11 new product lines and ships to 45+ countries and 800+ locations world wide.
Mother to Four. CEO. Entrepreneur. Inventor. In 2006 Julie Ekstrom invented the Rumparooz One Size Cloth Diaper for her daughter. She revolutionized the industry with its unique and highly functional design, now Patent Pending in the US Patent Office. Kanga Care LLC started out in her kitchen and has now expanded to 11 new product lines and ships to 45+ countries and 800+ locations world wide.