In the busy-ness of getting ready for the green giveaway starting tomorrow, I was not able to personally interview a mama. But, I wanted to share with you a story of inspiration and entrepreneurship that I often refer to when I'm having a particularly tough day or for business advice. It is the story of Sandra Wilson of Robeez.
Surely you have heard of Robeez shoes and seen their cute designs all over the place. But you may not know the Robeez story and how it all began. Sandra Wilson, founder of Robeez, handcrafted a pair of soft leather shoes for her little one. She realized that the shoes improved his balance. It was then she knew she had something and she threw herself into production. And while they are popular now and you can find them in major department stores, the company started over 14 years ago and started small....with only 20 handmade pairs at her first trade show.
In 2006, Robeez was sold to Stride Rite, so Sandra is no longer the owner of Robeez. But she left quite a legacy. In fact, one of her passions was helping other mompreneurs. Here is an article taken from the Robeez website where she shares tips, considerations and possible pitfalls in life as a mom and entrepreneur.
"Over the years, I have been approached time and time with people asking for that one element that will make their business a success. While I cannot offer a single magical phrase, I can offer my experience: some tips, considerations, and possible pitfalls in the life of a mompreneur.
Surely you have heard of Robeez shoes and seen their cute designs all over the place. But you may not know the Robeez story and how it all began. Sandra Wilson, founder of Robeez, handcrafted a pair of soft leather shoes for her little one. She realized that the shoes improved his balance. It was then she knew she had something and she threw herself into production. And while they are popular now and you can find them in major department stores, the company started over 14 years ago and started small....with only 20 handmade pairs at her first trade show.
In 2006, Robeez was sold to Stride Rite, so Sandra is no longer the owner of Robeez. But she left quite a legacy. In fact, one of her passions was helping other mompreneurs. Here is an article taken from the Robeez website where she shares tips, considerations and possible pitfalls in life as a mom and entrepreneur.
"Over the years, I have been approached time and time with people asking for that one element that will make their business a success. While I cannot offer a single magical phrase, I can offer my experience: some tips, considerations, and possible pitfalls in the life of a mompreneur.
Start with a plan – Develop a business plan, and set regular goals. My background in financial management was very helpful in the early days, but you don’t need an accounting degree to understand cash flow. For your business to survive, you must have regular income coming in. I set monthly revenue goals for myself. This helped keep me on track.
Consider your motivation – If you envision an extravagant lifestyle funded by the profits of your home-based business, think again. Becoming an entrepreneur is hard work, and it can take time to reap the rewards. For the first five years, I drew very little “salary” from the company. But when times were tough, I focused on my motivation for starting the company – to spend more time with my son – and suddenly I was back on track.
Be resourceful – There are loads of resources out there for entrepreneurs and women in business, but sometimes it requires some digging. Look into local business development organizations. Ask questions, make phone calls, and be persistent.
Do the tough stuff; nobody else will – It can be lots of fun to create a new logo or design a new website, but those sales calls need to happen in order to meet your revenue goals for the month. You have to do the tough stuff so you can get to the fun stuff!
Find creative ways to achieve balance – Flexibility is one of the biggest reasons moms want to start home-based careers. But when you’re answering emails and boxing shipments at 2 am, you may need to find better ways to manage your day. One option that worked for me: I put Robert in daycare two days a week when he was a toddler. This allowed him to spend time socializing with other children and gave me the opportunity to get the bulk of my work done, uninterrupted.
Understand your business, especially your finances – In the early days, I did all my own bookkeeping. This was daunting at times, but it ensured that I was aware of the status of my business. Avoid just handing over expenses to your accountant; take a look at where the money is going. I highly recommend a basic accounting course for all entrepreneurs.
Have a support network – Seek support from friends, family, daycare – whatever works for you. At one point, my husband and I discussed moving to another area of the city but quickly put the brakes on the idea when we realized it meant moving further away from what the support we had in place.
Have fun! – The popular adage is true: find a job you are passionate about, and you’ll never work a day in your life. I knew moms around the world would love Robeez as much as I did, and I stuck with it. From day one, Robeez was built around being a fun place to work. I still enjoy coming to work every day.
Take some time for yourself – It may seem like an impossible luxury between running a business, raising children, and managing a household, but taking time for yourself needs to be a priority. It will keep you sane! "
Well said! Don't you think? Also, if you are hungry for more, before Sandra left Robeez, she kept a blog and answered mom business owners' questions. I have also found some great information there!
I can't write a post without some eye candy! Here are some of Robeez' new designs ::
Consider your motivation – If you envision an extravagant lifestyle funded by the profits of your home-based business, think again. Becoming an entrepreneur is hard work, and it can take time to reap the rewards. For the first five years, I drew very little “salary” from the company. But when times were tough, I focused on my motivation for starting the company – to spend more time with my son – and suddenly I was back on track.
Be resourceful – There are loads of resources out there for entrepreneurs and women in business, but sometimes it requires some digging. Look into local business development organizations. Ask questions, make phone calls, and be persistent.
Do the tough stuff; nobody else will – It can be lots of fun to create a new logo or design a new website, but those sales calls need to happen in order to meet your revenue goals for the month. You have to do the tough stuff so you can get to the fun stuff!
Find creative ways to achieve balance – Flexibility is one of the biggest reasons moms want to start home-based careers. But when you’re answering emails and boxing shipments at 2 am, you may need to find better ways to manage your day. One option that worked for me: I put Robert in daycare two days a week when he was a toddler. This allowed him to spend time socializing with other children and gave me the opportunity to get the bulk of my work done, uninterrupted.
Understand your business, especially your finances – In the early days, I did all my own bookkeeping. This was daunting at times, but it ensured that I was aware of the status of my business. Avoid just handing over expenses to your accountant; take a look at where the money is going. I highly recommend a basic accounting course for all entrepreneurs.
Have a support network – Seek support from friends, family, daycare – whatever works for you. At one point, my husband and I discussed moving to another area of the city but quickly put the brakes on the idea when we realized it meant moving further away from what the support we had in place.
Have fun! – The popular adage is true: find a job you are passionate about, and you’ll never work a day in your life. I knew moms around the world would love Robeez as much as I did, and I stuck with it. From day one, Robeez was built around being a fun place to work. I still enjoy coming to work every day.
Take some time for yourself – It may seem like an impossible luxury between running a business, raising children, and managing a household, but taking time for yourself needs to be a priority. It will keep you sane! "
Well said! Don't you think? Also, if you are hungry for more, before Sandra left Robeez, she kept a blog and answered mom business owners' questions. I have also found some great information there!
I can't write a post without some eye candy! Here are some of Robeez' new designs ::
2 comments:
That was a really inspiring story! I think its so wonderful how she was able to turn a nurturing endearment and turn it into money, thats revolutionary.I actually work with Microsoft, and right now I’m really excited to spread the word about the “Vision to Venture” tour they’re having between April and May, which will consist of five live events. Featured speaker, John Jantsch is a marketing and digital technology coach, award-winning social media publisher, and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide, as well as many other speakers offering industry tips. The tour is fully geared towards women entrepreneurs and savvy web gals.You can see more and register at http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/v2v/ so let me know what you think! And if you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them !
This is so very true, we definitely relate to this. Keeping balance is key especially when being a mom of 3 and also working on your biz. Here's a cool video from when we got started, we hope it inspires some moms to take the plunge!
http://tuniandgblog.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/how-tuni-g-got-started/
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