Sheri Allain took storytime to a whole new level.  With her photo-personalized stories, she’s also spawned an entire generation of kids who are stars before they reach the age of 2.

What business did you start up?

While on maternity leave, I authored an award-winning children’s story book. Our e-commerce website is Mini Me’s Books.

We publish the only photo-personalized book of its kind: you upload a picture of your child, along with two adults (e.g. parents, grandparents) and we insert your faces onto the main characters of the story. So you become the star of the story – literally!

In less than 10 months, our book has been voted the “Best Million Dollar Idea” on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch , exclusively chosen for a Nicole Richie swag bag & won an iParenting “2008 Greatest Products” award (a division of Disney Family)

What motivated you to do it?

I noticed that my baby loved looking at family photos. I wanted to use our cherished family photos in an exciting way (a traditional photo book was not very imaginative for a young mind, and also too laborious for Mommy to create) — but a colorful story book was the perfect backdrop!

The book has proven to be a great way to bond with my baby: she enjoys looking at photos of herself and her family, and it allows us to start reading at an early age. This helps develop early literacy and language skills.

How many children do you have, and how old are they?

1 child, Layla, 18 months.

How long have you been running your business?

Since July of 2008.

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

Profitable — still working on that one! Luckily I know how to streeetch a dollar.
However, we have had some great success – both as a book and as a Momtrepreneur – within less than 9 months of launch…the BEST success has been customers – moms, aunts, grandparents – who really LOVE our book & say that their child enjoys reading it. What a thrill!!!!

How did your family react to you starting your own business?

My family is supportive, although in different degrees. My immediate family is entrepreneurial; we get ‘it’ –the passion, anxiety, be-your-own-boss drive. My extended family is more conservative, so they value education & a ‘good job’ (playing it safe, less entrepreneurial-minded).

Easiest part of your job?

It feels so natural. It’s like my second baby. I don’t always know what to do, but it feels somewhat instinctive. You quickly learn and adapt as you grow together!

Hardest part of your job?

“Not enough” (time, money).

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

Be VERY fiscally prudent at the beginning (yes, it will take longer than you think). Be open to new ideas and new people. Have faith and don’t give up!

Can you recommend 3 essential websites for moms in, or going into, business?

Mommy / Momtrepreneur sites — yours included! There are a lot of smart women who are a great resource.
Mommy Millionaire
DailyCandy.com. If you want to target Moms, follow what the influencers say is hip.

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

Becoming a new mom and Momtrepreneur has opened my eyes to just how many of us there are out there! And with so many AMAZING products! I appreciate why women are becoming leaders in small business & new start-ups.

A few more questions, just because American Express should be featuring more Momtrepreneurs…

Childhood ambition…. Journalist or work at a trendy magazine.
Fondest memory…. hearing my daughter laugh, such pure joy.
Indulgence…. chocolate (it’s also a daily necessity!).
Last purchase….. 2 jumbo packs of #4 diapers.
Favorite magazine….. too many to name – all of them.
Inspiration….. all Momtrepreneurs that I read about – famous or otherwise.
My Life… is full & fulfilling.

Laura Varn created The Azula with her sister, became the president of her own company, prettySMART! LLC, and has completely saved our butts. Any winner of the 2008 New Ideas For A New Carolina Contest is a successful momtrepreneur indeed.

What business did you start up?

My sister Julie and I originally invented The Azula to be a fashionably designed mat for women to sit on at the edge of the swimming pool to keep their bathing suits from snagging! Our patent-pending product is now also being used for stadium seats, for football, soccer and baseball games, sitting on hot leather car seats, outdoor festivals, indoor water parks and more. The Azula is water-, mildew-, mold- and chlorine-resistant, is machine washable, has a cushion for comfort and can be rolled up and tied with a built-in cord and placed into a bag.

What motivated you to do it?

We both kept ruining our brand new bathing suits on the rough poolside surface, getting up and down so often to chase after our young children! We thought there must be something in the market to fix this annoying problem and discovered there was not. So we thought, why don’t we invent something? So we did. And we launched the business together. Our mission is to create products that solve problems for women in a fun, simple and creative way.

How many children do you have, and how old are they?

I have two children, a 5 year-old son and a 3 year-old daughter, and work full-time as a vice president for an energy company. Julie has four children, a 13 year-old son, a 10 year-old son, a 8 year-old daughter and a 3 year-old daughter and is a stay-at-home mom.

How long have you been running your business?

We launched the business just one year ago. So much has happened in one year!

How long did it take you to start becoming profitable or successful, however you choose to measure success?

We feel successful that in just 12 short months, we are selling in 20 states already. The trade shows have been invaluable in that regard. We caught the eye of a national major catalog, and will be featured in it this summer, and our stores are starting to reorder at a great pace. Word of mouth is really starting to spread because it’s such a different and practical product, and we feel the business is really gaining momentum and growing in this first full season for us.

How did your family react to you starting your own business?

Both our immediate family members, and our parents and other sister were very encouraging. Our dad started his own business about 25 years ago, so it’s in our genes. Our husbands have been great, and our children are very supportive. We’ve got a built in fan club, as our mom is the oldest of 11 and our dad is one of 7. They spread the word a lot! We are very lucky to have so much support. My 3-year old helps pack up the Azulas; everyone is in on it!

Easiest part of your job?

Getting to work together. We know each other so well, we can play off each other strengths. I am more big picture, marketing, PR, and Julie excels at the details, the organizing, the office work. It’s the best feeling in the world to be living your dream with your best friend, your sister. It’s been easier to conquer the fears.

Hardest part of your job?

Juggling the financial stresses of launching a new business in the midst of an economic downturn while balancing the needs of family. The trade shows are very hard to arrange, with working out logistics of whose going to watch the kids for a week, how to take that much time off the full time job, etc…so much to do and so little time!

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

That just when things are looking down, something amazing always happens to turn it around. I’ve seen it happen so many times to us in the first year. The networking and support from fellow female business owners and vendors is an incredible resource…use them often. You have advice and lessons learned and this supportive framework helps everyone succeed. I also wish we knew to have our website built with SEO in mind so that we could have done it right from the beginning.

Can you recommend 3 essential websites for moms in, or going into, business?

Ladies Who Launch
Momtrepreneur.net
Startup Nation

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

How did you come up with the name “prettySMART!” for your company name?
Growing up, one of us was tagged the ‘smart’ one, and the other, the ‘pretty’ one. We decided to turn these adjectives on their heads, tongue-in-cheek, to make them our company name! We hope when people see our practical, multipurpose, affordable and fun product, they will think it is ‘pretty smart’ and solves a problem for them.

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

Childhood ambition….to be a TV news anchor.
Fondest memory….when my husband proposed to me (at a Jimmy Buffett concert, with thousands around!)
Indulgence…..a long hot bath, with candles lit, a glass of red wine and Bille Holiday music on.
Last purchase…..a fabulous pair of red shoes.
Favorite magazine…..Reader’s Digest. It restores my belief in America.
Inspiration…..my two children inspire me to be my best every day.
My Life…..is wide open, positive, chaotic and every minute is accounted for. Wouldn’t have it any other way!

When last we met, I realized I had a Big Idea on my hands. How? The wise Momtrepreneur Maven expertly guided me to that conclusion, focusing on a concept that was commercially viable and within my skill set. She really got me pumped up.

What did I end up with? For now, let’s call it Service Business X. I know, I know, you want details. But every Momtrepreneur needs to keep things under wraps for a while. I’ll fill you in if this thing gets off the ground.

Next up is an exploratory stage. Jill recommended I take 2-4 weeks to research what it would take to launch and sustain this business. She told me to *get off the internet* (okay, okay) and talk to real people about my idea. So I’m going to bounce my idea off trusted friends to get their reactions and suggestions. I’m also going to talk to professionals in this field to see how my business might fit in (I’ll have to be a bit cagey in these discussions – I don’t want to give away my trade secrets!).

So here I go, folks, out of the starting gate and down the track. Did you all place your bets?

-Michele Golden, The Reluctant Momtrepreneur

Aliza Freud, momtrepreneur and marketing maven, created the well-known website, SheSpeaks.com, as a voice for women everywhere. You can join her site and test out products for a variety of brands; you can blog there; you can also become a part of the strong community that she has created. There are currently 100,000 women who belong to the site, which makes for an immediate reach of over 12 million women in their networks–and 80% of these women are moms. Aliza truly embodies the momtrepreneur who took some small steps and made a world of difference.

Why did you decide to call the site SheSpeaks?

It’s a community of women. They try the products, then tell people what they think about them. It offers women a forum to broadcast their voices…and they can do so as loudly as they can. Companies recognize the importance of female consumers, who happen to be responsible for over 80% of household spending. That’s a lot of money!

When was SheSpeaks started?

February of 2007.

Why did you start it up?

I knew companies did not understand what women wanted. I worked for American Express in marketing prior to starting the site, and at many points in my career I focused on the women’s market. I never felt like these companies understood women’s market. When I started SheSpeaks, I thought women would like to respond to brands about their products, but I wasn’t sure women would do it without being paid. I thought giving women a voice and a free product would be awesome, though…and it worked. It has really evolved. The member reviews on the website are not even products we’re testing, they’re products posted by users.

How many children do you have?

I have two children. Two girls; one is almost 4 and one is almost 2. I started the business when my youngest was 3 months old.

Was your family supportive from the get-go?

My family is very supportive. My husband is extraordinarily supportive, he knew I had no alternative, that I had to start it!

Did you have to find investors to start up?

We boostrapped to start the company. We did not take on any investment, and we felt strongly about that.

Was starting the business scary, frustrating, exciting?

Had I sat down and thought of all the risks, I would not have done it. I believe that you almost have to have blinders on a little bit when starting something up. That’s what I commonly hear when I talk to other women business owners. It’s so important to stay super-focused, and you have to function to a certain degree with blinders on. The feminine trait that bodes well for a business owner is that you have to go with your gut, and women tend to go with their gut a lot.

Why do you think you became as successful as you have in a mere two years?

You have to be smart about what you are launching. I think you have to have a clear idea that there is going to be a source of revenue, a decent source of revenue, but I think you can really get yourself crazy in terms of creating a business plan. At the end of day, you have to go with your gut. You just have to be passionate and committed to it.

Easiest part of your day?

Talking to people. I love talking to other people.

Hardest part of your day?

The administrative stuff.

Something you wish you knew then that you know now?

I knew when I started out but I didn’t take it seriously…I wish I’d taken a piece of advice that I was given much more to heart: if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. You get what you pay for!

Our expert cook and momtrepreneur Judi shares her easy peasy recipe for a quick dinner. You can assemble this anytime (up until the cook-in-oven part) and refrigerate or freeze it until you want to serve.

Preheat oven to 350 while returning a phone call. Then boil some water and throw in 8 ounces of wide egg noodles, or grab leftover noodles from last night’s dinner.

Take an email break to gather together the following:

2 lbs ground beef or turkey :: 1 large onion, chopped :: 2 cloves garlic, pressed :: ¾ tsp salt :: ¼ tsp pepper :: 7 ½ oz. small can sliced olives :: 15 ½ oz can tomato sauce :: 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese :: 1 T Chili Powder (optional) :: 1 small can sliced mushrooms (optional).

Finish up a conference call while you saute an onion until soft. Add garlic, sauté another minute. Add meat, brown and then drain any excess oil. Text a message to your Twitter account. Add salt pepper and chili powder and olives. Mix in tomato sauce. Cook covered about 20 minutes. Then return a few emails.

Take off heat and add 1 ½ cups cheese, stirring until melted. Add those cooked noodles, and then Twitter about how easy this was. Put mixture in 9×13 pyrex, top with remaining ½ cup cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Delicious.  And productive.