• Home
  • Brooke Burke
  • Must Have
  • Recalls
  • Contributors
  • Contests & Twitter Parties
  • Become An Insider
  • ModernMom Store

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • Ask Dr. Psych Mom
  • Cooking
  • Around The House
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
  • Career
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Hot Topics
You are here: Home / Career / Interview With Mom Behind the Uber-Like Service for Kids: HopSkipDrive

Interview With Mom Behind the Uber-Like Service for Kids: HopSkipDrive

May 18, 2015 by Dani Shear Leave a Comment

I have been a mommy blogger for several years.  Then, my husband had a temporary work crisis and I had to get a “real job.” Having been a “creative” most of my life, I was pretty terrified about my future corporate prospects. A fellow Mommy pal shot me over a job opp for an unusual, new start-up company called HopSkipDrive. It is an “Uber-like” service for kids, created by Moms, for busy Moms, driven by experienced caregivers.  But don’t let the comparison to Uber scare you.

These three Moms (Joanna McFarland, Janelle McGlothlin and Carolyn Yashari Becher) are doing it their own way and they are trailblazers in the business. The company is obsessive about creating a safe, reliable, convenient solution for busy parents.  And man, do they take it seriously.

CareDrivers never just drop a child and go, unless the parent so requests. They walk a child in to where they need to go if the parent asks for it. Potential CareDrivers are probed deeply: they must have at least five years of child-care experience and go through a 15-point certification process that includes background checks, driving record checks (drivers must have a spotless driving record), meeting each CareDriver in person, vehicle inspections, reference checks and driver training. The vetting process is…unprecedented.

I got the job as HSD’s new Westside Manager. And it’s been an amazing, learning experience working with these three, passionate women.

If there ever was a “Modern Mom”, CEO of HopSkipDrive, Joanna McFarland, would fit the bill. I asked this busy Mom some questions about her new, behemoth gig.

What brought all three of you together? What was the six degrees of separation?

Janelle (McGlothlin) and I have known each other since our oldest kids were babies. We were at a birthday party and were complaining about how hard it is to get our kids where they need to go. I jokingly said we should buy a van and hire stay-at-home moms or nannies in the neighborhood to drive our kids.  That idea of gathering caregivers to fill this need is what sparked the idea for us.

Carolyn Yashari Becher had been thinking about the idea for years. We were introduced through one of our advisors. We had very complementary skill sets and we dated for several months to make sure we could work together. Now we finish each other’s sentences.

Briefly describe your current job?

As CEO, my job is to be chief worrier. I worry about every detail of our business and whether we are doing enough to please parents, drivers, kids and employees.

What advice would you give people who want to follow in your footsteps and begin a start-up company? 

Buckle down because it is hard. It is harder than anything I’ve ever done.  The highs are amazingly high and the lows are despairingly low.  And everything is personal because it’s your baby.

Looking back, are you glad you dove in and went for it? Any regrets?

I regret we didn’t get started sooner. I was afraid of taking the risk, but wish I had done it sooner.  Other than that – no regrets. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

What do you think makes the HopSkipDrive formula so successful?  

As moms, we completely get this problem. Safety is in our DNA and we approach solving this problem from the view of “what would work for our own kids?” We are authentic and I think that comes through to parents and CareDrivers.

Is having a new start up company like having a new baby?

It’s exactly like that. Everyone gives you a ton of advice based on their own experience. The advice is often conflicting and not relevant.  You think you know what you are getting into, but you really have no idea until it happens. And every company, like every baby, is different.  What works for one does not work for another.

What’s your favorite “escape” activity? yoga? meditation? belly dancing? etc.

Hah! Who has time? I love spending time with my family and grabbing dinner with friends. And, when I can sneak it in, I love yoga.

When you are at the point of exhaustion, what keeps you going?  

What keeps us going is knowing what a massive difference we are making for the parents we serve in helping them manage their lives and their familes. I also think about the income opportunity we are providing for our CareDrivers and offering them a flexible way to make money on their own schedule in a way they feel is safe, and often with their own kids riding along as co-pilots.

Can a “Modern Mom” really have it all?

I think it depends on what ‘all’ is. A “Modern Mom” can define what she wants for herself and her family. There is no such thing as balance, but everything does kind of work out in the end. Over time, there can be balance, but maybe not in the minute. If the Modern Mom lets go of guilt, she can get a lot closer to having it all (I’m still very much working on that part).

How do your kids feel about Mommy starting “HopSkipDrive”?

One unexpected part of starting HopSkipDrive was seeing how proud my kids are of me, and knowing that I’m creating a role model for them of a strong woman. I was talking to a friend about the business and my oldest, Jackson, came up and announced “My mom has been on the news, and she started a whole company to help drive kids around!”  I have never been prouder than that moment.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Career

About Dani Shear

Dani's children book, "The Foodie Club' was published last year by Blackbird Books and she's just finished writing her second book "Little Luke and the Ghoster Coaster" with Robin Afrasiabi. Dani Shear won the Slamdance/Fox21 teleplay competition a few years back and sold a pilot to Fox entitled "theTRUEword". She has written for the "Rules Of Hollywood" column in the LA Times. Dani also completed her first feature "Group Hug". Dani is mom to two delicious daughters, Sydney, 11, and Sunny, 6. She is excited to be part of Team HopSkipDrive.

Contest & Twitter Parties

I Kill Giants $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway

Win a Body Glove Performer 11 standup paddleboard

Search

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ModernMom Boutique ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

10 Things I Want My Daughter To Know

10 Things I Want My Daughter To Know

The other day one of my teenage daughters told me she was …[Read More...]

ModernMom TV

Can a Women Get Pregnant if She Is Not Ovulating?

Can a Women Get Pregnant if She Is Not Ovulating?

Technically, no. According to the U.S. Dept. of Health and …[Read More...]

When to Take a Toddler to the Emergency Room With a Fever

When to Take a Toddler to the Emergency Room With a Fever

When you touch your toddler's forehead and it feels like …[Read More...]

How Do Children Overcome a Fear of Water?

How Do Children Overcome a Fear of Water?

While the water proves an enticing playground to some …[Read More...]

How to Tell If You Are Pregnant While Breastfeeding

How to Tell If You Are Pregnant While Breastfeeding

While it's a common misconception that breastfeeding …[Read More...]

How to Remove the Lens From Plastic Frames

How to Remove the Lens From Plastic Frames

Today’s eyeglass trends have turned plastic frames into a …[Read More...]

How to Find Out Your Pregnancy Due Date

How to Find Out Your Pregnancy Due Date

Ready or not, he's coming. The normal date of your period …[Read More...]

What Can I Substitute for Butter When Making Frosting?

What Can I Substitute for Butter When Making Frosting?

What Can I Substitute for Butter When Making …[Read More...]

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2018 · Mom, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc. The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.