From Humble Beginnings to Huge Success

“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” Demosthenes If you have been holding back on your “lightbulb” idea, find inspiration from these success stories and you’ll realize that you don’t have to sacrifice motherhood for success. You too can have it all!

Pampered Chef:

Founded by Doris Christpoher, a homemaker in suburban Chicago in 1980. Inspired by her dedication to traditional family mealtimes and driven by her entrepreneurial spirit, she founded The Pampered Chef. She saw a real value in time-saving kitchen tools designed to make cooking quick and easy. She came up with her “at home” party ideas, letting other people sell her products for commission. She wanted moms to see and experience firsthand how the products work. This method proved to be a huge success. Twenty years later, she has a $700 million enterprise, owned by Warren Buffet!

Crocs:

Sheri Schmelzer wanted to differentiate all of the Crocs in their house. She started playing with one of her kids by filling in the holes in the Crocs shoes with cute little buttons, rhinestones, fabric etc. Now, each pair was unique to the owner. Her husband came home and saw the Crocs and his own light bulb moment. Even she is amazed by how far you can go with one simple idea. “All I heard from family and friends was 'Gee, there are holes right there! Why didn't I think of that?'” In December 2006, not long after their first prototype was made, Crocs bought Jibbitz for $20 million, with the Schmelzers staying on board. How to squeeze in a little more time for your business venture:

Naptime

There’s a lot that can get done during naptime or once your youngest child is in school for at least a couple of hours. Take advantage of little breaks that you have during the day and take small steps do research or organize your new home office.

Ask for help

Ask for help. When your family and close friends realize that you are trying to do something for yourself, maybe they will pitch in and help with carpool or a playdate.

Ask questions

Ask questions, reach out to experienced “mompreneurs.” I think you will find, like I did, that most people are willing to help! You can email someone that’s done something that you admire and start a conversation, ask for advice.

Take 10 minutes

Take 10 minutes here and 15 minutes there and do some online research, subscribe to online blogs or trade magazines that are within your product’s industry. Get yourself into the industry. Learn, read, explore.

When there's a will...

Like these women, you are a busy mom. But where there’s a will there’s a way and if you really believe in your product, just take action. More ideas on getting started can be found in my book www.YourIdeaInc.com

About the author

Sandy Abrams is founder and CEO of Moisture Jamzz, Inc. (www.moisturejamzz.com). Founded in 1993 around her signature moisturizing glove product, Sandy built her company from scratch into a business grossing millions without a business degree. Today, it is still a privately held corporation that Sandy runs with her husband. Moisture Jamzz has counted among its clients Bath & Body Works; the Estée Lauder Company; H2O PLUS; Crabtree & Evelyn; Bare Escentuals; Bed, Bath, & Beyond; Linens ’n Things; Stroud’s; Williams-Sonoma’s Chambers Catalog; Bloomingdale’s; and QVC. Her products have been featured by editors in many of the top lifestyle publications such as In Style, The New York Times, Glamour, Shape, Cosmo, Redbook, Modern Bride, and Beauty Launchpad. Sandy’s new book Your Idea, Inc. is a step by step guidebook to help first time entrepreneurs follow in her footsteps www.YourIdeaInc.com.