Mompreneur Advice from Melissa Vroon

All across the country, moms are raising families while running a business so YMC and UPS teamed up to find Canada's Most Inspiring Mompreneurs! Our panel of judges were blown away by the amazing submissions but finally narrowed it down to the six winners. Here's one Runner-up Winner's story and her advice for other Mompreneurs.

Family Fun Canada began in Calgary in 2008 as a place where parents could go to source information about family-friendly attractions, events, and issues relevant to their lives. When my business partner moved to Vancouver, we took it as an opportunity to expand by starting a site for Vancouver families using the same proven formula.

Family Fun Canada is our landing site for the city pages including Calgary, Vancouver and soon, Edmonton. It has also become a blog where we share stories, articles, recipes, and more.

How I manage to build my business while raising kids:

  I’ve learned that there is no such thing as a perfect work/life balance. As a business owner, I live in a constant state of swaying in many directions.

  I’ve learned to be flexible and to take advantage of quiet time whenever it comes.

  Because I work from home, I cannot always work during the day because I want to be an engaged mom to my kids. Instead I work in bits and pieces where I can. Some days this means waking up early before the kids do and other days it means working into the wee hours of the night.

  My smartphone is one of the best tools I have; it allows me to stay connected while waiting to pick my son up from kindergarten or standing in line at the grocery store.

Of course, there are also those days when my kids watch a little more TV than some parenting experts might recommend but on the flip side the nature of the website means we’ve had opportunities to go on some pretty cool adventures together and document the experiences.

My advice to new Mompreneurs:

  We’ve all heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child; the same is true for business. Get out of the house, go online, and meet people at conference and classes.

  Connect with other mompreneurs on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.

  I have learned so much by chatting with other like-minded women in real life and online. Each tip, suggestion or piece of advice they have imparted has collectively helped my business grow. I also believe in being generous with sharing what I have learned with others.

Mothers are a force to be reckoned with and when we hold each other up, when we teach and are taught, there’s no stopping us.