and sharing.
Once we had a mission statement (and every brand or business needs a mission statement), it was easy to decide what editorials fit on our pages and which brands were a match for us.
Good timing helps too. I’ve been lucky enough to witness the evolution in digital media spending. Each year we see more and more money being shifted from traditional media to online publications, and we’re there to help and reap the rewards.
While we love helping brands spend money, we really love being able to help them solve problems. Client problems boil down to two things:
◊ They need to reach affluent, engaged moms who care about style.
◊ They need to find other bloggers who have strong networks.
I never tout myself as the smartest business woman, the best writer, or the most stylish dresser. What I do better than most, is hustle. Early on, clients were wowed by my professionalism, ability to meet deadlines, and follow-up.
At the end of a project, I kept hearing the same thing, “I wish there were more of you.” This got me thinking that I did in fact know “more of me” …well, not me exactly, but I had marvelous connections with blogging friends.
Why couldn’t I gather some peers to deliver great social media posts? A new segment of our business began. We called it Momtrends Blogger Outreach. We match bloggers up to campaigns for some of our favorite bands - like Hickory Farms, Hershey’s, Chase Bank, Amwell Healthcare, and more. Bloggers love us for providing new financial opportunities, and brands adore us for delivering results.
Whenever I spot a hole in the marketplace, I jump in. It doesn’t always work, but when I see inefficiencies, it makes me crazy. Seeing brands waste good money on bad events still makes me twitchy.
A recent Volvo test drive event in California is a case in point. I went out there as a brand fan, knowing in my bones that Volvo needs to be marketing to moms directly. They are wasting money on television and traditional media. I invested time and energy to woo the client. I haven’t convinced them to spend a dime with me yet, but usually my persistence pays off, and my instincts are reliable.
I know which stories and brands will resonate with my readers. My dogged pursuit of the best brands for my blog has reaped great rewards.
What else works? Turning down business that doesn’t make sense. It’s hard to turn down a five-figure deal with a fast food chain after a few slow months, but we do it every time. I don’t want a reader scratching her head when she sees me hawking fries after spending a decade encouraging readers to try to cook more homemade meals.
Authenticity and trust mean more than fast and furious growth.
I want this brand around for decades to come.
Now we’re a team of 10. I’m proud and inspired by the women I work with. Each day they bring a level of awesome to everything we do. We’ve moved out of my home, and in to shared space in Brooklyn called We Work.
My team is an interesting mix. Nine out of ten of us have children (one employee has grandchildren - that’s my mom). We range in age from 27-67, and we live in four different states. What we share is a common belief that motherhood can and should be fabulous. Each editorial meeting starts with asking: how we can delight our reader? What is she not getting right now, and what does she need more of?Analytics, social media feedback, and interaction at events fuel our research. We’re never happy with what we did last year. Over the years, we’ve strived to build our community by bringing in new moms. A big part of that is storytelling through pictures. We’re using original photographs and producing edited videos. The goal - drawing new moms in with images and keeping them engaged through storytelling and problem solving.
Do we do it perfectly every time?
Nope. But we never stop striving for better.
The same goes for parenting. Am I a perfect mom? Not even close. The dance between business and family is a tricky one where the tempo often changes.
Since starting my business almost a decade ago, I refuse to stop asking questions. It’s served me well.
What problem are you ready to solve as a Mom Boss?
No one hands a Mom Boss opportunity on a silver platter and does all the hard work for her.
Mom Bosses invariably have a bumpy path to success. Along the way, they have to muster up an inner voice that gives them tough love. Mom bosses know the road is long and the challenges are big, but they also know they are capable, strong, and smart. There comes a point in the creation of every business where hard decisions have to be made. Money is often sacrificed, sleep is lost, and tears are wept.
Leaving the safety net of working for others is risky. There’s no guarantee of income or benefits. I CAN guarantee you’ll work long hours and that no successful Mom Boss has it easy 100 percent of the time. Before jumping into the world of self-employment, you should ask yourself the hard questions:
Are you financially stable enough to make less?
Can you give up the social atmosphere of your workplace?
Will you be productive while working in an unstructured environment?
Do you have the wherewithal to be Head of IT, HR, Marketing, Sales, Product Development and Janitorial?
Being a Mom Boss is no joke. Your work can be like wrangling a cranky toddler into a stroller - unwieldy and unpleasant. It can also be the most fulfilling work you’ll ever do. But let’s be clear, you’ve got to be passionate and purposeful to make it work. You’ve got to have a whole lot of tough love for yourself, because no one is going to do the hard work for you.
Is a Mom Boss born, or is she made? The answer is both. Some are thrust into greatness due to circumstances. Connie Peters, Founder and CEO of Modern Mama Media, didn’t set out to become a digital media powerhouse. She remade her career when her workplace wouldn’t budge on family time. Rather than continuing to get buried under her workload, she flexed her start-up muscles and went to work for herself. Other moms are more like GG Benitez. Prior to becoming a successful Mom Boss, she had several jobs where she tapped into her prodigious talents; she knew she had the drive and ambition to lead a business. It wasn’t until after having three kids that she truly fulfilled her potential as the CEO of the thriving company, GG Benitez PR.
What both women have in common is smarts, skills, and the willingness to take a few risks. Let’s start with Connie. Before starting Modern Mama, Connie was a software engineer in Vancouver. When her company nixed her plans to work part-time, she left. While it’s maddening that many companies have zero flexibility for working parents, it was just the kick in the pants Connie needed to start her company.
Connie went back to work full time after having both of her older girls. The third child prompted her to want to scale back on work. When she returned to work after her maternity leave, she asked for reduced hours at a reduced salary, but was turned down. Connie quit four months after returning to work. Within a year of leaving a job that demanded “all or nothing” from her, she launched Modern Mama.
Modern Mama is an online