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
Faithful Reluctant Momtrepreneur readers know I have struggled to settle on one business. I always have a dozen ideas bouncing around my brain and can’t decide which one is worth going for.
Luckily, a conversation with our own Momtrepreneur Maven, Jill Salzman, helped me narrow things down.
Jill asked me to describe all my business ideas and we talked about their viability for a while. This one would be fairly straightforward, that one might have steep start-up costs, etc. There were so many things I hadn’t considered about each business, and I was grateful Jill helped me identify businesses that weren’t a good match for my situation.
But then things got interesting. Jill told me she’d been watching carefully while I pitched my ideas, and there were a few that made me light up. She noticed that one concept in particular seemed to float my boat. With this idea, I spoke rapidly and the details flowed, my eyes glistened and my hands gestured wildly (it’s an Italian thing I can’t control). Clearly, this was an idea to explore further.
-Michele Golden, The Reluctant Momtrepreneur
I’ve decided to harness the collective genius of our readers and ask for your thoughts. After all, what is the internet, if not interactive?
Anyway, I’ve been mulling over the following: am I more likely to succeed with a business in my former field or in something completely new? On the one hand, using my past experience would help me avoid a steep learning curve. On the other hand, venturing into a whole new area is pretty darn exciting and would keep my interest.
If you have any thoughts or experiences to share on this question, please drop me a line at reluctantmomtrepreneur@jillsalzman.com. I’ll be sure to share what I learn in a future post.
-Michele Golden, The Reluctant Momtrepreneur
We all know why the senior Dadvisor is such a valuable team member for any Momtrepreneur. The errands. The dishes. The moral support. All the little and not so little things that provide the Momtrepreneurs in our life with the support system they need to do what they do.
But what happens when the senior Dadvisor gets infected himself with the entrepreneurial bug? As our better halves have taught us, there’s nothing to do but follow the dream.
It turns out that your very own senior Dadvisor has been bitten. No matter that he has a full-time job already, as well as full-time Daddy duty. The seed of an idea has taken hold of his brain and simply will not let go.
Fortunately, I live with a rather saavy momtrepreneur who has been advising me on how to turn this idea into a reality. What is this idea, you say? For that, dear reader, you will have to stay tuned . . . .
-The Senior Dadvisor
I have trouble answering a very simple question: What do you do?
As a new parent, I would answer, “I’m a stay at home mom,” while exuding a matronly glow. A couple years later I’d say, “I stay home with my daughter, but I also do a little consulting” (which was true enough at the time).
These days I ramble, “I’m home with my kids, which is great, I wouldn’t miss it for the world, but what I’d like to do is start my own business, maybe next year, but maybe not until the year after, when my son is in school full time…”
Is it just me, or does this scream woman-in-conflict?
One of the great blessings of parenthood has been learning to live in the moment. But now I’m letting myself look into the future, and I’m getting a little confused. Clearly I don’t know how this is all going to play out.
So do me a favor. If you meet me on the playground or at a soccer game, please don’t ask me what I do.
-Michele Golden, The Reluctant Momtrepreneur
