I had a chance to talk to Shara of MommyPerks.com, a website that offers PR, social media and advertising packages to mom entrepreneurs at any stage of their business. As a mom entrepreneur herself, Shara’s learned things we can all benefit from.
What is MommyPerks.com and why did you start it?
Mommy Perks was founded in 2005 by someone other than me. The site was built, originally, to be a local “discount/perk” outlet where parents could find great local deals. I bought the company in early 2009, changed the concepts and my husband and I remodeled the entire layout and look.
I didn’t want the site to be a local outlet but rather, a global one (if possible). Rather than focus on local deals, I combined my background experiences to make the site fit my passions: early childhood, small business, parenting, networking, marketing, perks, reviews, pr and more. So in essence, Mommy Perks is now an array of services, articles, tips and deals.
I also own my own book business and my husband and I own and run 11 websites in total. We cross-link our sites and offerings in order to reach more readers, parents, teachers, educators and business owners.
If you can offer one tip to mom entrepreneurs, what would it be?
Be patient. Nothing great ever happened over night. Most small businesses want and hope that their business will explode and succeed right away.
In reality, how many of us could handle that? Between the pressures of day to day living, business finances and the stocking of inventory and filing of taxes – having things move slowly but surely is generally the better way to go. Be willing to pace yourself, explore new ideas, ditch what’s not working, ask others for advice, seek council, modify when needed and grow over time. A small business, built on a stable foundation of wisdom and reality, is far more likely to succeed long term.
How do you balance work and family?
With a nanny! LOL. My husband has been a web designer for more than 13 years and I’ve owned my own businesses since 2007. It’s been a struggle all along. We have three kids now (not including an additional child that we Mentor), three businesses and we volunteer with the town charity group. I’m also a Library Board member and my husband serves with the Small Business Group in town.
Before we had a nanny we would attempt to take turns working: one hour on, one hour off. It was difficult, to say the least. We now have a live-in nanny which gives us the ability to work, focused, for 7 plus hours a day. At 3 p.m. I stop working in order to pick up my eldest son from school, come home, talk about homework, cook dinner, etc. My husband cooks, also – we take turns with the meals and cleaning. In the evenings, we work a bit more to check email and reply to any important requests. On the weekends we have extra family time: charity events, walks, going out for dinner or ice cream, going for a drive to explore something new, etc.
What are some of the mistakes you see mom entrepreneurs making today?
Oh, boy. One of the biggest mistakes is their assumption that just because they have a great idea, it will take off quickly and get them on magazine covers right away. This may happen but it’s unlikely.
Another big mistake I see is that many moms take criticism to heart. “Me? You don’t like me? Why not?” It’s my belief that the only way we can grow our business is by listening to constructive criticism and embracing it. In fact, I seek it.
I ask others for their opinions and guidance and I take their replies into account. Sometimes that’s painful. However, the only way we grow and mature is by allowing necessary changes to stretch us. If we close off to feedback, we’ll never grow.
If ten people say: “You’re site is really hard for me to navigate!” Don’t take this personally. Make the site easier to navigate and thank them for their advice. You’ll likely get more sales – so great! They did you a favor. It’s so important to have a thick skin in business and not a thin layer that will easily be snapped.
What are some of the products/services that you offer on MommyPerks.com that can help entrepreneurs?
Mommy Perks offers numerous PR options and social media campaign options for small business owners. We also offer advertising for those who don’t want the commitment of a larger package.
Our Pine Media site offers web design, graphics, hosting, programming, SEO and more.
Inside our PERKS Directory, my clients offer discounts that range from 10% off to free shipping, etc. My clients sell products such as jewelry, clothing, skin care, cleaning products, handmade items, educational products, books, CDs, DVDs, pottery and more.
At Mommy Perks we strive to be a community that helps one another, supports one another and refers one another. Some of my clients and readers have been around for years now! We’re a small but mighty little group.
{ 3 comments }
Shara is the “Bee’s Knees”! She knows SEO like it’s nobody’s biz! In addition to knowing her stuff, Shara is honest, reliable and I have always known her to operate with integrity. She’s awesome!
Wendy =)
Just l love what Shara and her husband does for all of us small businesses! She is such a great person to work with!
I couldn’t be happier with Shara and her husband Rick. We hired Shara to do our PR, and have never looked back. She works tirelessly for her clients. And through her, I met her husband, who is a web designer/programmer.
We now have the “family” working with us! Rick is completely revamping our site, and we are launching a new one any day now!
It is a joy, pleasure, and actually an honor to know such amazing people. The world needs more Shara’s!
Wendy@Kiboomu
Comments on this entry are closed.