I recently talked with Amber Dusick, the owner of several very interesting websites, who was kind enough to shed some light on her experience as a momtrepreneur.

What business did you start up?

I launched a few “info-preneur” websites: Do It Yourself Weddings and Make Baby Stuff and am working on a third, In&AroundLosAngeles.

What motivated you to do it?

I started Do It Yourself Weddings right after my husband and I got married in preparation for having children. I hated my job and wanted to be able to stay at home with our children so I needed a way out, a way to work for myself. I had just gotten married and did a lot of the planning myself and saw a niche on the internet that needed filling so I jumped on it. The idea for Make Baby Stuff came after I had my son and my focus turned to crafting for babies rather than weddings.

How long have you been running your businesses?

I’ve been running Do It Yourself Weddings for just over 6 years now. Make Baby Stuff is just over year old and the Los Angeles site is brand new – just in the beginning stages.

How long did it take you to start becoming profitable and/or successful (however you choose to measure success)?

I was able to make enough money to quit my job within the first year of launching the wedding site.

How did your husband and/or family react to you starting your own business?

My husband is unfailingly supportive. He wouldn’t blink if I told him I wanted to become a helicopter pilot. Starting tomorrow. He knows that if I’m excited about something I can make it happen.

Easiest part of your job?

The easiest part of my job is the freedom it gives me. I can ignore my websites for weeks and weeks on end and they still bring in a steady income thanks to advertising. I don’t have to actually DO very much once they are up and running.

Hardest part of your job?

The hardest part is developing the website in the first place, before any money is coming in. It takes a lot of time and effort that first year. It is hard to stay motivated, to stay up late after my son goes to sleep when it isn’t bringing in any income at all at first, but I know that down the road it will pay off.

What, if any, tools or advice do you wish you knew then that you know now?

I wish I would have launched ten more websites back before I had children! No seriously, I don’t think I would have done anything differently.

Any people or computer programs or other materials that you recommend for fellow momtrepreneurs to use/buy for their companies?

A housekeeper. Especially for work at home moms. I always thought that having a housekeeper was incredibly indulgent but we now have a woman come just twice a month and she scrubs our toilet and deep cleans the floors and countertops. It is SO worth it, and I mean that in a business sense. The amount of time it takes me to fully clean the house the way she does would take days since I’d be doing it while taking care of my son. I just can’t afford wasting time doing something I don’t enjoy anyway so it actually is cost effective to outsource it.

Can you recommend 3 essential websites for momtrepreneurs?

Millionaire Mommy Next Door
Ladies Who Launch
Mompreneurs

Anything else I should have asked you that you should answer?

Childcare is always something people ask about. “How do you do it all?” “Do you have a nanny?” Nope. I have no childcare and work 100% of the time when my son is napping (which is slowly starting to disappear – crap) and after he goes to sleep at night. I’m answering these questions while he naps for example. It isn’t uncommon for me to stay up into the wee hours of the night working, but I can get away with this because I’m doing something I love. I’m happy to stay up and be tired the next day because I love what I do.

A few more questions, just because American Express should be featuring more momtrepreneurs:

Childhood ambition…..to be an artist
Fondest memory…..eating strawberry ice cream in the sunshine when I was five. Not sure why but that moment has always stuck with me.
Indulgence…..ice cream and hot baths. Often at the same time.
Last purchase….. A vintage milk glass bowl. I plan to eat ice cream out of it.
Favorite magazine…..Honestly, I hate them all. They are just full of ads and have little content. Online blogs are much better these days.
Inspiration…..comes from friends, family and the internet.
My Life…..is just where I want it to be.

Check out the new Mom Job Board at Mommster.com.

Instead of wading through more Craigslist ads (too local), posting at various job bulletin boards like Monster.com (too expensive), and emailing too many friends about possible opportunities (too ‘friendly’), I thought we could focus on what moms need right here.

Employers, you get to post, too. Moms are skilled to the max. Find one right here.

It’s easy, and it’s free. Post, peruse, and get down to business.

Intimidated about starting your own business?  Not possible.  You’re a Mom.

Five–not three, not two–five different women this week told me about one major factor that was preventing them from starting a business: fear. Some feared not having enough time to get the job done. Some feared the amount of work they (optimistically) thought may pile up before them. The majority of these women were scared by the competition.

What competition?

They spent hours late at night looking at other companies that were doing just what they wanted to do. They saw glitz, glamour, shiny websites and dazzling products. Theoretical competition, really, since they haven’t formed their own companies just yet.

What they failed to see, and what I’d like you to know, is that without this “brilliant,” “amazing” competition, how can you succeed? If Google never got into business because Yahoo already had a search engine, how would your kids be completing their homework right now? If Target was too scared to launch because Wal-Mart was first, who else would air those dreamy ads that force me to buy *more* clothes there? If welfare-stricken J.K. Rowling never picked up a pen because of the billion authors who came before her, Harry Potter would not be. (Do not even go to that sad place with me).

Don’t run away from the competition. Look at it from all angles and ask yourself how you can do better. You know you can. And if I can’t convince you, just listen to Nike.

(P.S. Everyone else had children before you came along. Did you have these same fears about producing your own kids?)