Growing Growing Gone...one mompreneur's story

Thank Goodness for Friends...

2009-03-08T21:50:00.003-04:00

What is a girl to do when forced with too much work in too little time -- ask for help. You really get to know who your friends are when you put in a plea for free slave labour. I am very thankful that I have friends who are more than willing to help me out when I place that call.

This past weekend was work crazy. Andrea showed up yesterday at noon and we worked, and worked and worked until dinner today.

To top it off my very supportive husband looked after the kids so I could be free to commit daylight hours to the business.

All was going great, we got lots done -- I was feeling great until my 4 year old daughter asked if I didn't love her anymore because I loved working on the store.....my heart broke....and in that instant I realized that even though I try to give everybody what they need from me....sometimes I drop the ball.

How I became a Mompreneur

2009-02-27T12:50:00.002-05:00

The seed for Growing Growing Gone initially started when I was on maturity leave for my second child. I found it very difficult to juggle their individual schedules to actually get things done outside of the home most days. So I started to browse online and I found that although there were children’s clothing stores they were often designer brands and rather pricey; since I could never get to the malls before the sales racks were picked clean I saw a need.

It wasn’t until I went back to work that I started to allow this idea to grow. I found I didn’t have the same job satisfaction going back to work this time, I was looking for something more and I didn’t like the idea of having to miss the daily wonders in my children’s lives. That being said we were not in the financial position for me to quit my job and stay home, but we did have the ability to let me pursue my mompreneur dream on the side.

Starting your own business is not easy, just when you think you have it all figured out there is something else to learn. Time is my biggest enemy – there just isn’t enough of it. I didn’t want to take away the precious time I have with my kids so most nights I start working on Growing Growing Gone after they go to sleep, or I work in secret during my lunch break. One other thing I have learned is you need to know your limitations and ask for help when you need it. Luckily I have a very supportive husband and group of friends who are very willing to donate an hour of their time when I need some manpower.

Through this whole creative process I have become tired mommy, but I am also one happy mommy which in the end I believe makes me a better mom. That is the most important lesson I learned in my mompreneur journey.

www.growinggrowinggone.ca

Welcome to my insanity.

2009-02-18T21:09:00.005-05:00

The main question that people ask me when they find out I have become a mompreneur is -- where do you find the time. I wish I could say I owned a time machine that allowed me to extend the number of hours in a day, but the truth is following your dream becomes a give and a take. I am currently taking away the hours of sleep I get each night but I am getting a sense of accomplishment that I haven't experienced since my early years in the workforce.

Don't get me wrong, being a mom is a rewarding experience, but sometimes you just need to take off the mom hat.

I am trying to do all of this while keeping my full time (aka the one that pays the mortgage) job as a financial analyst. So my day typically goes like this (on the days my husband isn't on shift)

Midnight to 6:45 - attempt to get as much sleep in as the kids will allow. My two love bugs frequently get up at least once a night. By the time the alarm clock rings I can almost guarantee that the population sleeping in my bed has grown sometime during the night.
7 - 7:30 - mad dash to get dressed and get out the door and feed the kids if necessary.
7:45 - 8:30 - the commute to work in Toronto traffic and hoping I am not late...again.
8:30 - 12:30 - paying job
12:30 - 1:30 - mompreneur job (whatever can be done on the sly on the computer in my very exposed cubby)
1:30 - 5:00 - paying job
5:00 - 6:00 - the commute home
6:00 - 8:00 - family time -- dinner, play, bath, books, cuddle, bed etc.
8:30 - 11:30 - mompreneur job

I have been trying to put this business together for almost 6 months now, but we have officially been online for 3. This company is still in its infant stage....and like most infants they require far more attention then you can possibly imagine. Hopefully I can keep this up...