that mothers are likely to be offered annual salaries $11,000 less on average than their peers. Well, the 12 women highlighted below, all of whom founded or cofounded their successful companiesthey had kids, are here to prove any doubters wrong. Motivated by motherhood, they started eight companies that are making life better for moms and their kids.
Shah and Chang didn't necessarily imagine becoming entrepreneurs, but were inspired to start a company after experiencing the struggles of early parenthood. Now that they are mompreneurs, working on a product that makes them better parents themselves, they cherish the alignment between their personal and professional passions. Often times, the games and ideas they create at home with their kids serve as inspiration for the play activities that go directly into the app.
Fawson loves how Saalt gives a voice to people who represent vast differences in financial security, political views, cultural upbringing, and personal priorities. “I loved finding myself in a circle of women halfway across the world in Kenya talking about periods. Everyone there has the same questions I do. We all laugh about our periods in the same way my friends do. They are excited about the benefits of period cups.
“We’re driven to make something that matters,” says Chiou. “Our friends call us 'courageous.' We just think we would regret it if we didn't try. Everything we do is motivated by our own children.” To aspiring mompreneurs, Morea says, “Follow your joy and inspiration. Find a way to delegate everything that drains you or that you don’t like to do. When you allow yourself to set your soul on fire for your business, you can build from a completely different place; a place where work is play and where work is an act of self-care that serves your highest good.
Goldman advises aspiring mompreneurs to “Just go for it! Think about your business constantly and talk about it with others. Do one thing every day to keep the momentum alive. After a while, you’ll have no choice but to keep going!”6) Christina Carbonell and Galyn Bernard, Cofounders of Primary