Welcome to The Entrepreneur Mamas Page! Here we highlight different Central Vermont moms that work both in and outside of the home. Interviews focus on the joys and challenges associated with owning one's own business while juggling family life. We hope you enjoy these interviews and that they inspire and uplift you! Feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have someone you'd like to see interviewed!

*Laura has kindly offered Mama Says readers free shipping on Etsy orders over $20 through June 30th. To redeem, customers can click on "apply shop coupon code" at checkout and enter the code: mamasays 

Who or what inspired you to start your business?
I've always considered myself a crafty person, but before kids, I had only tackled a few simple sewing projects. Once I knew we had a baby girl on the way I was inspired to start sewing baby gear. I made her crib bedding, curtains, diaper bag, and all sorts of clothes. As I got better at that, people started to ask me to make things for their babies and it sort of took off from there. Making items as gifts turned into making items for sale and after about 3 years I've been able to make it my primary income now that I've established a general product line and sales methods. I currently sell at The Vermont Farmer’s Market in Rutland on Saturdays through the summer and at a handful of crafts shows during the holiday months. You can also buy online through my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/babykthreads 

What challenges do you find in balancing work, family, and life? How do you meet these challenges?
Lots. Some days it's easy, other days it's a disaster trying to balance mothering, wifing, house holding and making progress on all things Baby K Threads. I think any mom can relate. My husband and I recently bought a home (about a year ago) which has helped me get a more dedicated space for my sewing that I'm able to outfit so Kaylin can play at the same time. Being settled has also helped me "work with the seasons" more. I spent much of the winter/spring focusing on production, which allows me to focus on my markets and other opportunities in summer with less pressure to produce more inventory during the high seasons. 

My husband gets a "daddy day" on Saturdays with our daughter when I'm at market, which is nice for both of them since he works M-F.

What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
Seeing my stuff on happy kids! That's for sure. Watching grandmas and moms get really excited. That's a close 2nd. I love meeting babies in the grocery store wearing my shoes. I see kids walking around the farmer's market wearing my hats. Customers stop by my booth to tell me how much their gift was loved. I've also met lots of local moms which has led to play dates and new friendships.

It's also great that I'm able to contribute to our household financially while still being able to spend the majority of my time with our daughter (and baby k #2 on the way in September). I enjoy getting out of the house on Saturday's for my "business day" in Rutland and talking to lots of adults. As any mom with little ones can attest, it's nice to talk to adults too. 

How do your family and community inspire you?
My family and I try our best to live an eco-friendly lifestyle which has inspired me to incorporate as many recycled and sustainable materials into my products as I can. All of my onesies are organic fair trade cotton and many of my hats, shoes, and other products are upcycled from clothing I find at thrift stores right here in VT. People are always in need of gifts for babies and kids and I’m proud to be able to offer them a locally made option. 

What plans do you have to grow your business?
I just got my Etsy shop working well in the last 6 months. It's already become about 25% of my sales in that time. I'm hoping that I'll be able to use my farmer's market sales to grow my online sales as more folks hear that they can find me online. It also helps to keep the business going in the "off season". I'm not looking to grow too much other than that, as I'm mostly limited by my time. There's only so much time I can sit and sew things and I'm not looking to "outsource" that part of it at all. So it'll stay a small mom-biz, but hopefully one that can pay for a few more groceries. 

What advice do you have for other mamas who work in and outside of the home?
Take one day at a time and expect to have both productive days and days when nothing at all gets done. That’s OK! Set reasonable goals for yourself and try not to overdo it. There are some days I feel overwhelmed by my mile long “to do” list and Kaylin seems to need my constant attention. I find that if I take a half hour break to do a special activity with her, she’s much more content to play independently afterwards which allows me to get my work done. Also, make sure to take time for yourself each week. Any adult can go kinda stir crazy being cooped up with a toddler all week. Taking a walk or simply having lunch with a friend leaves me refreshed and recharged. I have more patience on the crazy days and it makes me a better mom. 
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You can reach Laura and see her goods at www.etsy.com/shop/babykthreads or www.facebook.com/babykthreads. She'll also be at the Rutland Farmer's Market every Saturday this summer. Stay tuned to her Facekbook page for upcoming craft shows and events. 

* Karine is generously offering Mama Says readers a free 11x14 print when they book any type of photo shoot between now and end of June. 

Who or what inspired you to start your business?
My 5 year old daugther is at the root of my love for photography. She was such an adorable baby and she always loved the camera, which allowed me to quickly grow as a photographer. Over the years it was only natural to combine my love for photography, knitting, crocheting, and editing into the art of newborn and infant photography. It truly is a perfect fit for me since it combines all of my favorite hobbies and allows me to customize my sessions from start to finish.  I was inspired to start my business so that Vermonters would get to experience custom photography at family friendly prices.

What challenges do you find in balancing work, family, and life? How do you meet these challenges?
Balancing work, family, and life can certainly be a challenge for anyone. I have always been a great multi-tasker, I'm extremely organized at home, and I can tell you what's on my calendar for the next few months. When I made the decision to start my photography business I promised myself that I would find a good balance, or else I wouldn't do it. Watching my kids grow is something I just can't put a price on. I get as much work done as I can while they are napping, or as soon as they go to bed, so that I can focus on them when they are up. I also do my best to keep my weekends free so that I can catch up with my husband too.

What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
There are so many things that I love about what I do, but my favorite is having the chance to meet wonderful brand new parents at a very happy time in their life. The look on their faces when I position their newborn and dress them up with cute outfits is just priceless! 

How do your family and community inspire you?
My kids inspire me to enjoy life to the fullest. They remind me to let loose and not take myself so seriously. My community inspires me to be the best parent I can be.

What plans do you have to grow your business?
My plan is to keep offering outstanding services to my customers and affordable pricing, so that word of mouth will get me far. 

What advice do you have for other mamas who work in and outside of the home?
Once a week take some time off just for yourself. Forget about how messy the house might be, trust that your kids are fine with their babysitter or with daddy, turn off your cellphone and go do something for yourself.  You'll come back as a happier you and as a better mom, wife, and worker.

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When she's not snapping photos in the studio, Karine can be reached at (802) 477-2033. You can also see more of her work on Facebook and on her website.

*Solenne has generously offered the Mama Says community 10% their purchases for the month of April. Be sure to mention that you read her interview on the MS website! 


What sparked your business idea?
The Tulsi Tea Room started out as a collective venture. We were a group of people interested in doing an herbal collective - all with a common interest in healing herbs and foods and the idea was refined into the idea of a Tea Room. Adrienne Allison, former owner of Green Mountain Medicinals, really headed up the operation at this point and with her business experience and help of a lawyer specializing in collective businesses, we set up the Tulsi Tea Room Articles of Incorporation. 

There were five of us original members. In the first 3 months of being open - two became pregnant and one was expecting a grandbaby! My pregnancy followed soon after Pan, Mliki and Sirus were born. I believed these early years really shaped the Tea Room in being a baby-friendly zone, as well as us struggling with the split between family and trying to run a business. However, for all of us I know that the Tea Room, being able to bring our babies to 'work' (we weren't actually taking in enough to get paid at this time), and spending the days with other mothers was critical in the first year in terms of keeping us from isolation, giving us a sense of purpose that was outside our children, yet that we were able to include them in, and in sharing advice and tidbits with other mothers. As a mother and for the kids, the Tea Room was a wonderful community in the that first year of life. As a business model, however, bring our children to work and having a collective enterprise without clear management and difficultly putting business responsibilities first, was coming to an end of an era. 
In August of last year, I decided that I wanted to pursue the Tea Room as the single owner. We have done a lot of changes and renovations and while it is still an extremely child-friendly space, we are now able to focus more on serving food and drinks and making treats!

What challenges do you find in balancing work, family, and life? How do you meet these challenges? 
I struggle quite a bit in balancing work and family and...nevermind about life and personal time! Even now, I am writing this while chasing Miel around the Tea Room! The thing about running your own business is that you never get to go home, there is always some project to work on, people to call, or paperwork to do. I must say that I have not yet found a good balance. Things feel like a pendulum - either I am really on top of things as work and stay up late doing paper work and work long days making things, or I take days spending time with my family or just Miel and fall behind in work. I am trying to be more conscious of this - try to finish work at 3 and then go home and focus on Miel until bedtime and do a little paper work after she goes to sleep, but unfortunately there are always things that come up!  Right now my partner and I just split childcare, which leads to a lot of juggling and less of a routine. The result is that Miel is extremely adaptable and easygoing - I think the lack of routine bothers me more than her! It is my springtime resolution to find more of a balance between work and family. 

What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
I love the work that I do. The events leading up to the current arrangement at Tulsi  allow me to incorporate all the things I love: making wholefoods treats, all the creative work involved in running a business, learning new Indian foods and macrobiotic recipes, and I even love the bookkeeping when I have the time to really focus on it. My favorite part however is the actual production and cooking - I love the satisfaction of researching recipes or just thinking of something and then the multitasking work in the kitchen and then the final finishing off the dish or the batch of treats. 

What plans do you have to grow your business?
So many plans to grow the business! My current project is working on expanding the selection of Amai Bijoux Sweets. I recently hired someone to help me, so we have been able to have more selection available all the time, and have some of her new gluten-free, vegan baked goods. As part of this I am working on the packaged products and the website and hope to be able to sell the treats online sometime this summer. We also have a full summer booked of farmer's markets, special venues and catering! Other short term projects to get ready for spring include updating the tea menu and releasing our new spring menu. We are also hoping to expand the hours and be open later on weekends all this summer. Iris (owner of Grian Herbs next door) have also been chatting about a tonic bar....

What advice do you have for other mamas who work in and outside of the home?
One piece of advice I have for other mamas who work in and outside the home is that you can't take things too seriously. There are so many areas where you can get hung up and really stressed out  and sometimes the mountain seems so huge. Its then that you have to start realizing what is really important and what can fall away or wait for a little while. As long as you are motivated - the time will come to get what needs to get done done! 
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Between baking, cooking, bookkeeping, and serving customers you can reach Solenne at the Tea Room at 223-0043. You can also check out her website: http://www.tulsitearoom.com

*Mia always offers free initial consultations, whether you heard about her through Mama Says or some other source!

1. What sparked your business idea?
I’ve always been a gardener.  I grew up in it, began gardening professionally when I was 28.  Back then, it was something I did on the side to support my farming habit but 2 ½ years ago I left the farm and moved with my daughter to Montpelier and needed to start fresh.  So Hens & Chicks was born out of necessity as well as out of my passion for plants and soil.  Living in a more densely populated area is allowing me to expand the gardening into a full-time, seasonal business without spending half the day travelling to jobs.

2. What challenges do you find in balancing work, family, and life? How do you meet these challenges?
The flexible nature of landscape gardening has been well suited to parenthood.  I set my own hours from week to week and I can drag my daughter along on nursery trips as long as there is the promise of a swimming hole and an ice cream at the end of the day.  She’s 12 now and is really into having her own spending money, so she will most likely work a little for me this summer.  She doesn’t love gardening the way I did at her age, but she’ll do it
 for money.

I have been a business owner (whether farm, bakery or gardening) since my daughter was born and from the beginning, molded the businesses around motherhood.  When I had my bakery, I could start my day at 4am and have most of the actual production completed by the time my daughter was awake.  I’ve never been able to use evenings to my advantage, but mornings are great!  The different aspects of my life - home, family, work, play - have always been integrated; it has felt like one big, delicate, organic, self-feeding organism.  My work is my life is my daughter is my work.  The part that I didn’t handle so well was the marriage.  I think it needed more feeding.

I had big plans and dreams for my farm in Chelsea and becoming a mother definitely modified those plans.  That first summer when she was a baby, I watched everything unravel around me, but it got easier as she grew older.  There was never a question that being present for my daughter was the priority; I’ve had to temper my ambitions to accommodate her.  Now that she is older and needs less of me, I am beginning to look in new directions.  It opens up again.

3. What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
 When I used to work with another woman in the Upper Valley, we would be out on the top of a hill somewhere in somebody’s gorgeous garden, surrounded by flowers and sunshine, chatting and laughing as we worked and we’d say to each other incredulously, “we’re getting paid for this?!”  For me, working outside, using my body, making beautiful spaces for people – it is all such pure pleasure. I love my clients; I learn from their visions and ideas.  The plants make me happy.

4. What plans do you have to grow your business?
 This will be my third summer with Hens & Chicks.  My goal is to grow it just enough to be able to hire one part-time helper.  I also hope to expand the edible part of the business, find a way to encourage people to hire me to develop vegetable gardens as well as ornamental.  More and more homeowners are putting in raised beds for veggies and with a little tutoring, a little season extension, could produce a lot more food for themselves than they realize.

5. What advice do you have for other mamas who work in and outside of the home?
Priorities.  Housecleaning definitely isn’t.  Sometimes cooking isn’t either.  When my daughter was little, I quickly figured out what tasks could be done with her and which ones required more focus on my part.  Never clean during naptime.  My daughter helped me stop and play more than I might have without her.  I got better over the years at really being with her when I decided to put my work down.  Nothing felt worse than to physically be there, but feel my mind a million miles away, always dwelling on the work that wasn’t getting done.  That wasn’t satisfying for either of us.  

I’m back in school, which feels a little like starting another business…at the end of last semester, I joyfully anticipated the first weekend without homework when I would have time to really spend with my daughter.  Well, she chose to spend that weekend with her friends and I got to enjoy the quiet, open time by myself.  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  I guess I should have seen it coming!
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When Mia's not out gardening she can be reached at [email protected] or 229-4134.

What sparked your business idea?

I had been working at the county mental health agency which I loved, but then, as it does, life and perspectives totally changed for me after having my son, and I realized I needed to work to bring in an income for my family, but did not want to work full time.  So when my son was a few months old I began the process of creating and establishing a private psychotherapy and dance/movement therapy practice.

What challenges do you find in balancing work, family, and life? How do you meet these challenges?  
I just find the daily practice of trying to find balance a challenge!  Especially as my sons get older I find urges to further my work and "profession" but then am pulled back to the fullness and challenge of the daily grind that I feel I have to let the career stuff go.  I am learning to just let these feelings and reactions flow back and forth and not get attached to either.  Someone once said motherhood and work/career questions never bring peace for women, and I do think that's true.  I try to practice being peace everyday, whatever day I am in.  I do feel lucky that my husband and I can both work part time to have a rhythm to our life that feels mostly sane to us.  I would hope that our society could move in the direction of supporting families in this way more.

What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
First, I feel that it's more than what I do, it's really who I am.  And then I have the privelege and honor to bring my study and curiousity to witness people's lives, mostly women and mothers, who are searching for their truths and ways to make meaning of their lives.  I so enjoy bringing body awareness, movement and the arts into the mental health arena.  And I love that I have the opportunity to learn about different aspects of our human experience, and that I am constantly learning about myself, being inspired by other's courage to face challenges and struggles in their lives.  And I get to witness women's transition into motherhood, to explore the endless changes and evolutions motherhood brings to us. (Guess there is not just one thing!)
 
What plans do you have to grow your business?
I am working to do more groups, I have a motherhood group currently running and will have a pregnancy group in the fall, both exploring the transition to motherhood issues and themes. 

I have started to diversify my practice through offering supervision to other human service workers, which has been a wonderful opportunity to support others doing such important work in our community.  I am working with the Community Response Team, which has representatives from different health perspectives, to support mothers who are getting medically supported substance abuse treatment, like methadone and suboxone. 

Being spurred on by the New Town tragedy, I have started to so some workshops around anti-bullying and violence prevention using a movement-based curriculum called Disarming the Playground.  I'll also be doing a postpartum workshop for Good Beginnings.  And I'd love to do a group or workshop on raising boys in our culture.

What advice do you have for other mamas who work in and outside of the home?
I love the phrase "healthy selfishness" and feel that our culture does not do well in supporting mothers to take really good care of themselves...there seems to be this urging or expectation to put the child first, even at the expense of showering, eating and going to the bathroom!  There's the challenge with finding balance, to move away from the "it's me or it's them" mindset, and work to find flow of conscious care for all in our families, to honor all members and what they are contributing.  And giving that credit to ourselves!
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Jennifer can be found at her office at 295 North Main Street (2nd floor) in Barre or at: (802) 279-5809 or [email protected]

*Linda has generously offered a free one hour consultation to any mom who owns her own business or is interested in starting one. You can email her questions about your website, social media strategy or the marketing portion of your business plan ahead of time. She'll then meet with you for an hour and provide feedback. Just mention Mama Says to take advantage of this great offer! 

Tell us a little bit about what your business does.
Grow! internet Marketing is full service online marketing company specializing in data-driven marketing strategies for businesses and non-profits seeking to spread their message through a variety of online marketing channels including social media, search engine optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC i.e. AdWords) and email marketing.

Who or what inspired you to start your business?
A group of moms that I was meeting with on a monthly basis. At the time I was commuting to Burlington working for a web development company as a project manager. I was not happy being the front line for a crew of developers who often missed deadlines and I wanted more freedom to spend time with my son. The group of women I was meeting with at the time encouraged me to go out on my own and freelance as a web marketer.  At the time this group served as the mentor I needed to take the plunge and thus far it’s been incredibly successful! Thanks to all you ladies who are reading this who were there! 

What things have you found crucial to helping your business grow?
My business has grown almost entirely by word of mouth. Given that I’m in the marketing field, it’s a bit ironic that I don’t like to market myself. In the tech field, it’s vital to remain current and I try to stay on top of what’s happening across the online marketing spectrum as well as the web development realm. 

What challenges do you find in balancing work, family, and life? How do you meet these challenges?
Being my own boss is incredibly helpful when it comes to balancing work, family and life, but it’s easy - especially when my office was at home - to never stop working even when it’s family time etc. I have to make a concerted effort to not check my email constantly. I find I’m most successful at that when we leave town. I’m not a doctor and my clients will call me if their website goes down, so I don’t really need to constantly check my email. It was only this year that I told my clients that I would not be checking email on vacations. On one of them I was able to let go of the day to day enough to let myself think about other tech possibilities besides the online marketing work I do currently. I’ve learned that taking that space is vital to remaining creative and inspired. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to take more weekend trips to get away with my kids. 

What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
I spend a lot of time looking at the data that comes out of Google Analytics and make recommendations for how businesses can improve their marketing efforts or websites. This is by far my favorite aspect of the job.  Somedays I dream about just being a web analyst instead of a project manager, online marketer, seo, ppc, social media expert. 

What advice do you have for other mamas who work in and outside of the home?
If you work from home, I highly recommend getting an office or joining a co-working space. It’s nice to get out and network with other people who may or may not be in your industry, but who may help you think about your work or a particular project in a different way. 

The idea that we can have it all as women and mothers in the US and in most other countries is still a cultural illusion. The most important thing we can do as mothers, women and citizens is become politically active around issues related to family and children. Whether it’s childcare, parental leave, living wage laws, etc. As a Ms. magazine reader in college I could never figure out what all the hub-bub was about maternity leave and childcare they were talking about back in the late 90’s. It’s only once you become a parent that those issues hit home, but by then we’re often so overwhelmed with family and work responsibilities that it’s hard to engage. My favorite place for this info is momsrising.org - they have email alerts for bills in Congress at the national level. I think KidsArePriorityOne also does a good job at the local level. 

Tell us the story of how you started your business?
My business started very simply: I've wanted to start my own business forever, and I have had a lot of ideas (such as bringing a baby gear/clothing/cloth diaper service cooperative to Montpelier), but I never quite got all the pieces in place. I would start working on a business plan, doing research into viability, costs, and etc. But none of those ideas ever felt right. Then all at once several of my friends suggested I start selling the tea I'd been making them for years. I was pretty nervous at first, at the idea of trying to create something on my own. Then one day I just bit the bullet and decided to do it. I didn't bother with a business plan or any of the rest of it at first, I just put the formulas I'd been using a lot of recently onto Etsy, ordered some business cards, and started selling tea.

The level of interest was very impressive. And I'm really glad I didn't start with a business plan and a clear idea of exactly how I wanted it all to look. Because my customers very quickly let me know what they wanted and the niche that I should fill, and I've been taking their lead since. I've tried to learn from this experience and have kept my business very open to customer feedback. I ask for input from my Facebook followers: solicit their needs for teas to be developed, ideas for creative names, feedback about the taste of teas in the tasting stage of development. I really enjoy this interaction over social media because it can be a bit isolating running your own business. It's nice to have so many people invested in Keri's Kures and willing to take the time to help me make it even better.

I can't tell you the whole story of how I started my business, because I feel I'm still starting it! I opened up shop just over 3 months ago with 3 teas and an Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/KerisKures). Now we have 7 teas, a website (http://keriskures.com/) and a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/KerisKures). We've evolved our packaging from simple plastic baggies to sustainable, compostable recycled kraft paper bags with beautiful art on the label. I'm amazed at how far Keri's Kures has come over the last few months, and I can't wait to see where we go over the next three.

How do you find balance, or attempt to find balance, in your life? 
At first this was a totally impossible struggle. I had this ever-growing list of to-dos and I would get frustrated when the baby wouldn't take his full nap, or my teenager wanted to have friends over, and etc. I find it really hard to formulate new teas when I'm being constantly interrupted, I loose my train of thought, and have to start over because I'm afraid I'll overlook something important. One day it just suddenly occurred to me that I had a huge expanse of time between when I put the baby down at night and when I went to bed. So I shifted all my regular evening chores to daytime and reserved the evenings for Keri's Kures. It's worked out great! It's amazing how much I can get done in those four hours. Of course there are still struggles - when I have a big order I need to prepare for shipping and the baby's having one of those clingy days, for example. But for the most part I love working for myself because it allows me to spend time with my children and fit my work into the times they don't need me.

What makes your business stand out?
Vermont has a lot to offer in the alternative medicine arena. What makes Keri's Kures stand out is that I'm focused on making my teas accessible to people who aren't familiar with natural medicine. That's one of the reasons I keep it simple: no more than four ingredients in any tea formula, and the names are very descriptive. Currently there's Help Mama Sleep, Help Baby Sleep, Help My Stomach, Help My Back, and Help Me Not Slap a Bitch which is designed to relieve the symptoms of PMS. Most importantly, I make my teas delicious. It's important that my tea be something you can enjoy, not something you have to choke down to feel better. This can really be a challenge because in some cases the most effective ingredient is sometimes not very tasty, so i do a lot of experimentation with different combinations and ratios to make sure there's a balance between effectiveness and taste. For example my PMS tea has a delicious flavor due to the main ingredient being chocolate, medicinal grade cacao beans that is. 

What advice do you have for other mamas who work in and outside of the home?
I find it so hard to give others advice, since each of our situations is different. One thing that applies to all of us is said so often that it's cliche, but it really is true: our children grow so fast! I woke up one day and my daughter was a teenager. I realized I had been working so hard (outside the home) to provide for her financially I hadn't been around to experience her childhood. It's amazing how little money we really need to survive, and I would rather do without the material possessions and make sure I have time to spend with my children before it's too late. 

What plans do you have to grow your business?
I have so many plans for growth it's hard to decide where to start! My first step is to complete the line of teas I'm developing now: the goal is to have 20 teas to choose from. Then I will move on to developing a line of delicious tinctures: most people find tinctures to be a more convenient form of natural medicine but shy away from it because of the taste. I have plans to make tinctures that taste great, so hopefully that will be my second line of products.

I am working to get into farmer's markets and craft fairs as another step for getting name recognition. Doing business locally is important to me, so I want to focus more on the local sales and less on the internet.
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Keri can be found mixing teas right here in Montpelier, rocking her infant son while he cuts his first teeth, or online at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/KerisKures

Tell us the story of how you started your business.
I had been dreaming about opening a kitchen store for years. I was just waiting for the time to be right in my personal and professional life, waiting for the right space to open up in town, and of course I was figuring out the financing. Four and a half years ago, all of the pieces just came together. After tons of research, plotting and doodling, I walked away from the terrible job I had at the time and just took the leap to open up my beloved store — my first baby! 

How do you find balance in your life?  Business, family, life!
Balance is the biggest challenge for me as a business owner, a mother, a wife, and a person who loves to cook, sew, read, garden, socialize... Sometimes I wonder how there could possibly be enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do! When I'm at the store, I feel the constant pull of wanting to be with my baby; when I'm at home, I worry that I'm not putting in enough face time at my business. My mantra has become, "I'm not the first woman to struggle with this! Millions of women have done it before me!" For some reason, I find comfort in that idea, and I look to the other women in my life who are so strong and inspiring, women who manage to balance family and career with such grace. My sister is one of those people and I think about her all the time when I'm worrying about balance.

I've known my entire life that I wanted to me a mom, and as an adult, I've always known that I wanted to work, so I guess the trick is trying my hardest to be the best at both of these things, both of which are completely consuming, and making sure that I don't allow either of these roles to swallow me up. Balance is tricky!

What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
I love cooking so much, so sourcing products, testing products, getting new products in, all of that still continues to thrill me. I never get sick of it. When a huge delivery of boxes comes through the front door, I get giddy! And I have to admit, I love being my own boss. I love being in charge of my own day, and I love that I created something that's completely my own. As a new mom, being a business owner has some challenges (no paid maternity leave!), but it's also given me a level of flexibility that I may not have if I wasn't my own boss... 

But my very favorite aspect of owning a business is the connection that I have to the town that I absolutely love. I have such affection for Montpelier, and being a part of the downtown business community means a lot to me. I've met so many amazing people through Capital Kitchen, a few of my very closest friends are people who I met through my business. 

What advice do you have for other mamas who work in and outside of the home?
I'm hardly an expert at this, but here is my biggest word of wisdom: delegate! Accept that you are never going to be able to do EVERYTHING and plan accordingly. For me, it's really difficult to not have my hand in absolutely everything in my business and at home. So I'm really working hard to let things go, to ask for help, to trust that the people in my life are fully capable of doing things really well, even if it's not always "my way," which is never easy for me! Lean on your partner, lean on your family, your friends, your employees.

Also, let yourself off the hook about certain things. I'm a total neat freak by nature; Lily is 4 and a half months old, so it's taken me that long to even begin to accept the idea that the house might not always be vacuumed, there might be dirty bottles in the sink sometimes, and that load of laundry that has been sitting in the washer for three days (wet) is probably going to sit there for another day. And the world will absolutely not end! So that's my other piece of advice: let it go!
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You can find Jess at her store located at 18 State St. in Montpelier. You can also find out more about her shop here.

*Denise is generously offering 10% off her products when you mention Mama Says during the month of October. You can find her products on Etsy.

What sparked your business idea?
My husband and I moved to Plainfield in 2004 and were excited to keep a few farm animals. Having just arrived to Central Vermont from Burlington I had some breathing room and really wanted to try running a small studio business. That coupled with my serious addiction to and background in textiles, helped to get us three ewes in the backyard and a spinning wheel. 
It was easy to see that Vermont has a special affection for artisan crafters and there is large support for locally made products. If it could work anywhere, Vermont is the place.

What challenges do you find in balancing work, family, and life? How do you meet these challenges?
Sleep and protein for breakfast. Things get nuts, they just do. Self care is a big focus for me now so I try to remember these are the choices that I have made. It really helps! Family life is very busy and my husband also runs his own business, check-ins are a must. My husband and I each take one evening per week to ourselves for down time, adventures... anything not related to work or kids.

Of course, occasionally at the end of the day one of my kids will notice that my socks don’t match. We have a laugh at my expense and I try to remember what is important and what is just not.

What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
Work days are a pleasure....truly. Enjoying our farm animals out on pasture, collecting and growing plant dyes and brewing up colors, It is all a lot of very welcomed work.

For years, I sold locally on consignment or wholesale to stores. Selling at craft shows when the kids were both babes was really not for me. The intense preparation that fairs and shows require was helping to quickly drain my sanity. Selling on Etsy has been a good experience. I’ve learned much more about what people like about my work due to direct feedback and have been happy with it’s sales.

What plans do you have to grow your business?
While my head is sometimes buzzing with production ideas, keeping pace with both my home life and Mom responsibilities tempers them down to a hum. I can tell that the next three to five years will be a time for collecting business growth ideas and sitting on them a bit. Hopefully, the more fruitful plans will make their way through my nesting time and I can jump on them when things feel right. 

My favorite future plan is the purchase of an industrial knitting machine to make plant dyed, locally grown, cozy woolens from the studio.  New this summer has been a bit of primitive solar dyeing and plant dyeing wool/silk blend scarves. This winter, I’ll have a few very special hand knit leggings with silk lining..... you get the picture. Baby steps. 
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Denise can be found in her studio, in the barn, or online through her Etsy.store.

*Allyson is offering 'buy three jars get the fourth free' when you mention Mama Says at one of the following Montpelier Farmer's Markets....9/22, 10/13 and 10/27. Her offer also applies to the Jeffersonville Farmers' and Artisan Market every Wednesday thru Oct 17.

What sparked your business idea?
It was always really important to me to make home-made baby food for both of my kids. With my first child, Addison, I found it really manageable to make batches of purees, freeze them in ice cube trays and use them as needed. When I had my second, Bodhi, I found that it was much more challenging keeping up the supply with all of the demands of motherhood and life in general. I needed to supplement. I found myself scoping the shelves in grocery stores and being dissatisfied with my options. Products didn’t taste like what they said they were and textures were watered-down and soupy. While the grab-and-go squeeze packages were appealing, I wanted to encourage sitting at the table and eating (not squeezing) a meal together.

I saw that there was a need for a good, organic product on the store shelves and was surprised that there wasn’t anything locally made. I had found a niche and thought that someone should really do this! It really wasn’t until my husband JJ encouraged me to start my own business that I thought that the someone should be me. To him, if you have a good business idea you don’t sweep it under the rug and let someone else do it, you take it by the reigns and go for it. His support in this venture has been absolutely crucial and I’m not sure if I would’ve come this far without his encouragement.

What challenges do you find in balancing work, family, and life? How do you meet these challenges?
Being a mom, whether working out of the home or not, is a big juggling act. Having my own business has certainly thrown one more ball into the air, but the satisfaction I have knowing that I have something that is my own really grounds me. As a mom, I have often felt that I was losing myself a bit because of all of the needs of my family that come first. As most moms agree, the “me” time becomes very limited and sometimes nonexistent. The challenge is to make sure that everyone is getting what they need and no one feels short changed. My husband and I are good about spending one-on-one time with each of our kids and are getting better about scheduling date nights for the two of us. Our life is all about scheduling these days and, as most busy families, our calendar is chock-full. Instead of just obligations we include those things that we need for ourselves: running and races for JJ, pilates and yoga for me, and play dates for the kids.

When scheduling doesn’t quite work out, I try to turn those challenges into opportunities. I often take my kids to the farmers’ markets to help out at my stand. My daughter Addison has proven to be quite the little salesgirl and Bodhi is a great walking advertisement with his beet-stained cheeks and a spoon in his hand. Work time has also proven to be great family time and allows for wonderful teachable moments.

What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
My favorite thing so far is getting my product out to the consumers and getting instant feedback. Farmers’ Markets’ have provided great opportunities for this. I love when a parent gives a spoonful to their child and he or she says “more! more!”. I always encourage the parents to try it as well. It’s so satisfying when the parents find it just as tasty as the kids do!

What plans do you have to grow your business?
My plan for this year is to get on more store shelves in Vermont and to be a familiar brand with Vermonters. In the upcoming years I hope to expand my line with some new flavors and play around with some spices like cinnamon and vanilla. I am also considering delving into some frozen purees so people can mix and match flavors to their own liking.I also hope to set up my website so people can make online orders. Already the interest has been high it is just a matter of growing at a pace that I am comfortable with. My mantra through out this whole process has been....”baby steps”!
____________________________________________________________________________________________Allyson can be found on Facebook. You can also find her products at the Farm Store in Jeffersonville and hopefully in other local stores soon. 

*Amy is offering either 10% off her Yoga After Baby class card OR 40% off one Yoga Therapy session when you mention Mama Says.

Tell us the story of how you started your business? 
Even though I have been teaching yoga in the Montpelier area for a few years, Emerge Yoga, wasn’t established until fall 2011. During this time, I created a focus on pre and postnatal yoga. Once this specialization began to emerge, I felt it was time to formally create my business and actively present my work and offerings to the community. This has been a lesson in being open and accepting that paths shift and change. Originally, during my teacher training, I had hoped to work with the local hospice where I was volunteering. While I still hold an interest in this, the timing wasn’t quite right. However, my teaching had shifted to the other spectrum of life, supporting women and their birth partners in pregnancy and postpartum. As my path altered, my training expanded to include prenatal yoga.

I found working with women who were journeying through different stages of motherhood remarkably rewarding, almost healing. It’s been a way for me to offer support through movement, connection and exploration that I realize I wish I had experienced more of while pregnant, birthing and adjusting to motherhood.

My interest in being a part of births began to grow. I wanted to learn more, witness, and experience how to support women and families through their birthing journey. I found an amazing doula certification program that fit perfectly with my background in movement and thoughts about birth. I am in the process of completing my study and birthing requirements.

Simultaneously, I had been studying an anatomy-based approach to therapeutic yoga for pain relief that is suitable for every body. I have found that my specific trainings have influenced, supported and enhanced each other. Thus tooling me with a skill set that I feel confident sharing with others.

My business continues to emerge into clearer paths -- each specific interest and training influenced, supported and enhanced by the others. By allowing myself to step away from what I thought my yoga teaching would look like, I have actually found myself coming full circle, teaching to specialties that have been important parts of my life.  

How do your family and community inspire you? 
My family and friends have been very supportive as I completed trainings. This includes time away from home and juggling care for my boys while transitioning to both parents working more outside of the home. Their willingness to help and my knowing that my boys are with wonderful people has contributed in making my learning possible. That sense of giving and support inspires me to do the same in return. 

What things have you found crucial to helping your business grow?
Believing in myself is huge! So is setting intention and attention to the focus I want my work to have and the way this work will best fit into my family's life.

Also, learning how to sense when I have too much on my plate. I am a huge multi-tasker and often times find myself with too many important things happening. At times the work comes first, which doesn’t feed or nourish my family. So, learning to take a step back, pause and consider the impact a new work commitment may have on my family and business has been crucial to all aspects of my life. It also presents the opportunity to be quite regularly surveying my business path, the choices I’m making and being ok with the fact that I may end up somewhere I hadn’t thought the final destination would be.

Reaching out to those in the community who work in various stages of pregnancy, birth and motherhood has been helpful. I do have a website, which in this day and age seems to be a necessity. It is great to have information about my offerings and testimonials in this on-line form. However, good old word of mouth referrals or recommendations have a much stronger impact.

I am also inspired by sweet moments with my boys. Their excitement for me to come and teach yoga in their classrooms, wanting to “help” with my baby yoga classes, their gentle reminders to breathe or asking to meditate with me. It reminds me to continue my practice of yoga in every-day life.

Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 years?
Wow, I’ll have a 13 and 11 year-old by then! I honestly have a hard time imagining what that will be like. For myself, I hope to have created a balance of responsibilities, fun and growth that enables continued bonding with my family while we encounter and navigate all of our new stages of life together.

In terms of my yoga business, I envision a dual focus. Working out of my home seeing clients privately for Therapeutic Yoga while also offering specifically focused, niche yoga classes. By then, I will have completed my doula certification and see myself attending just a few births a year while my boys are still young.

I have greatly enjoyed working with prenatal & postnatal mamma’s and their birth partners and would love for this work to expand, connecting with others in the community who offer services for expectant mom’s and families.
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Amy can be found doing yoga in her garden or in her studio. To find out more about rates, summer/fall class schedules, and more visit her website at  www.emergeyoga.net . You can also email her at [email protected] 

*To enter a True Body Soap Giveaway follow this link: http://tryvermontfirst.com/2012/07/02/staying-true-giveaway/
You'll also get a chance to check out the Try Vermont First blog by Mama Says' very own Honi Bean Barrett!!

Janice, What/who inspired you to start TrueBody?
The origins of TrueBody go back to a series of conversations I had with a couple colleagues at Seventh Generation back in the early 2000's.  We were all very much aligned with that company's mission to help people live healthier lives by reducing household toxins, but it always bothered us that the company's products were so expensive.  We felt it really limited the company's ability to deliver on its mission.  So in Dec. 2006 (after we'd all left Seventh Gen) one of those old colleagues came to me with an idea for what he called "natural Dial," in other words, a basic, everyday bar soap priced more in line with conventional brands.  I knew in my gut right away that this was a big idea.  He and I, along with another old buddy from Seventh Gen, started working on the idea in our spare time.  Eventually, my two friends decided to pursue other opportunities so I took it on full time in Jan. 2008 and launched TrueBody later that year with my mission to make natural products affordable and accessible to more people.  My little catch phrase is "you shouldn't have to be wealthy to be healthy"  :-) 

What makes your business stand out?
I'd love to say that what makes our business stand out is our mission to make healthy, natural products that are affordable and accessible to more people.  But in all honesty, I think what people remember most about us is that our products really work well!  They're just good, basic soaps that do what you expect soap to do.  That's what I hear most from people who write or call to tell me how much they appreciate what we're doing.

How do you find balance in your life?  Business, family, life!
Ah, balance, that elusive goal.... It's hard!  One thing I've learned is that balance is not actually a goal, it's a process.  A never-ending process that requires attention every day.  And some days are better than others.  It's easy for me to become consumed by my work.  I think that's just part of my personality -- my professional self is a big part of who I am and I love my work. But I love being a mom too.  So I've learned to create boundaries.  I literally block off time in my calendar for "mom" time and I stick to it pretty religiously.  I often wish I had more time to volunteer at my daughters' school but I do what I can and when I'm there, I'm there 100%, i.e. cell phone off!  

The one place where I really need improvement - and I have a feeling I'm not alone in this - is in finding more "me" time.  That's the hardest thing of all, but perhaps the most important.  I learned my lesson the hard way after I tore my ACL (and other significant knee damage) in a ski accident this past January.  I'd let my 45--year old body get woefully out of shape and then tried to ski like a...well, 35-year old.  On the advice of my doctor and physical therapist, I've been rehab-ing instead of rushing directly to surgery, and this means I need to move generally straight forward, no sudden changes of direction, don't overdo it, rest more often, and really strengthen my whole body to support my ACL-less knee.  The most valuable part of the whole rehab process has been learning that I am a much better entrepreneur, mom, wife, and human being when I remember to take care of myself as faithfully as I try to take care of everything else.

How does your business give back to the community?
Since I first launched in 2008, I've always been very happy to donate soap to local groups to use in auctions, fundraisers, etc.  Recently, we formalized this into our True Community project and have started making some introductions to elementary school parent groups (PTO, Partners In Education, etc.) about selling TrueBody soap as a fundraiser.  Hoping to test some of these projects next fall.

What continues to drive you?
Being an entrepreneur is like a permanent ride on the wildest roller coaster you can imagine.  Definitely lots of ups and downs and you really have to have a certain comfort level with uncertainty.  I've discovered that I have a pretty high tolerance level for uncertainty, but there are those days when the down-slope of the roller coaster gets to be a bit much and I wonder if I really can (want to) keep holding on.  It always seems that on those days, I invariably get an email or phone call from someone out of the blue telling me how much they appreciate (indeed, LOVE) TrueBody soap, how it's helped them or a loved one who has skin sensitivities, stuff like that.  And that's what keeps me going.  I know I'm doing something important and beneficial and necessary.  I've made a positive difference in someone's life.  That's what makes this all worth it.
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You can contact Janice through the True Body Products website. They recently started an IndieGoGo campaign to help with the launch of two new products. True Body Products would be grateful for any contributions. 

*Michele is generously offering the Mama Says community 10% off any haircut for the month of June. Just be sure to mention Mama Says at the register.

Who or what inspired you to open your business? 
I was inspired to open my own salon because I wanted to have more control over the environment that I worked in. My salon is small and personal. I have only two coworkers who are also my close friends. We try to let our customers know that we work as a team to meet our clients needs. There is no competition between us. It is all about what works for the client.

How do you find balance, or attempt to find balance in your life? 
I have attempted to structure my work schedule in a way that helps me balance work and family. I try very hard to remind myself that taking care of myself, ie taking a walk or quiet/alone time is beneficial to everyone and it sets a good example for my daughters. 
As a single parent raising two tween girls, I always try to remind myself to look at the bigger picture and remember that my main goal is to raise happy, healthy children. By doing this it can help me let go of of the little stuff and focus on the important things, like being a good listener instead of worrying about the house etc. 

What is your favorite thing about the work you do?
 I  have always enjoyed helping my clients to feel good about how they look, but I also feel fortunate for all the wonderful conversations I have had over the years and friendships I have created. 

What makes your business different from others?
I think our salon offers a family friendly atmosphere. We encourage moms to "bring the kids" rather than miss an appointment. We also realize this one window of time may be our clients only time to get away so we try to make their time as relaxing as possible. 

What continues to drive you? 
My coworkers and I say frequently " How lucky are we to have the jobs we do. Not only are our jobs fun, but we meet all kinds of amazing people everyday." 
As far as advice for moms, working or stay at home, is remember that nobody is perfect, we all have good days and we all have not so good days. There is nothing worse than feeling like you are the only one who doesn't have it all figured out. I see alot of woman in my salon and every one has challenges of one kind or another. Be kind to yourself , savor the happy moments and put them in your emotional bank account for the tough times. 
__________________________________________________________________________________________________You can reach Michele while she's clipping away in her studio at 28 School St # 2. To make an appointment call: 
229-0700.