Ever Try Raising a Business and a Child? It’s Tough, but These Single Moms Have it Under Control.

By Karen E. Spaeder

Look into the eyes of a single mother and you’ll likely see a thousand stories brimming at the surface---tales of the first world, the first step, the first skinned knee, the first, “I love you, Mommy”. Yes, they’ve got stories to tell. And for many of them, one of those stories has something to do with starting and growing a successful business- somewhere in between their kids’ piano lessons and hockey practices.

The idea of a single mom toting her BlackBerry to soccer games and sending out client e-mails at 2 a.m. is becoming more familiar. According to a 2006 study from the SBA’s Office of Advocacy, approximately 1 in 4 families, or more than 8.3 million, is headed by a single mother caring for children who are under the age of 18. And while it’s unclear what percentage of those women own their own businesses, one thing is certain: Single “mompreneurs” aren’t sitting on the sidelines, waiting for good fortune to come to them. They’re in business for themselves and for their children. And as any good mother will tell you, those are two powerful motivators when it comes to creating a successful business.

We’ve talked with four of these women to get their perspectives on what it’s like to start a business as a single mom—in their cases, with little or no financial or emotional support from the fathers of their children. Read on to learn how they’ve turned their passions into successful businesses that allow them to balance work and family

Bethany Newell
The Nesting Instinct
Word-of-mouth is huge when you’re a new mom—you want to know where your friend got her diaper bag, where your sister got that cute maternity top, where your co-worker found her nursery décor. That’s exactly what Bethany Newell found when she was pregnant— only in her case, it was other people who wanted to know where she was getting all her goods. Thus was born the concept of The Nesting Instinct, right along with her son, Dillon, who is now 4.

Newell’s New York City company, launched in 2003, provides personal shopping services for expectant parents nationwide, with Newell finding everything from car seats and strollers to a wardrobe for Mom, Dad and baby. First, Newell sits down with clients to find out what kind of lifestyle they lead; for instance, if they live in the city, do they need a car seat? From there, she determines what they should have in terms of baby gear and what they can leave off their wish list. “There are so many things out there, and so much of it is unnecessary,” says Newell, 39, a single mom from Day One. “[My task] is tuning in to what they need and streamlining the process.”

As it turns out, word-of-mouth is still huge for Newell—only now, it’s in the form of positive buzz generated by her services. Her challenge these days is juggling the many projects on her to-do list. She’s already added to her coffers by creating a line of party favors as a division of The Nesting Instinct, among other endeavors. She’d also like to write children’s books and create children’s music CDs, and she is looking to expand her small line of children’s clothing. Does Newell think she’s got too much on her plate? Not a chance. “Challenges are what make a business grow,” says Newell.

Being passionate makes a business grow, too. Newell, who expects to grow her business to six figures this year, pursues the things she cares about, and that’s precisely why she’s successful. Says Newell, “When business is consistently coming in, it’s an amazing feeling to know this is really a success story, as a parent and as a business owner.”

Brandi Bolger
Apple Blossom Tea Room
Brandi Bolger didn’t always plan on working outside the home. But her life changed in 2004, when, after being a married, stay-at-home mom for seven years, she was faced with a divorce and realized she would need to support herself and her two children, Andrew, now 10, and Madison, now 4.

Bolger took a job at a local tearoom and fell in love with the entire tea experience—though she admits her affection began long before she set foot in the tearoom. “I have always loved tea—Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, all that kind of sappy, girly stuff,” she says.

After Bolger had been working in the tearoom for about a year, the owners decided they wanted to sell the business. “I considered buying it, but it wasn’t making enough money for me to purchase it at the price they were asking,” she says. But at that point, she knew she wanted a tearoom of her own. When another local tearoom closed, she leased the space from the building owner and reopened it as Apple Blossom Tea Room in December 2006. The best part about having her own business? “I like that when I come in the room, [I know] it’s mine,” says Bolger, 29.

Her Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, clients seem to like it, too. “They’re all very pleased with the changes I made here,” says Bolger, who projects sales of $40,000 for this year. “They love the menu. A lot of them already know me in town, and they’re very supportive and encouraging.”

Making the transition from managing a tearoom to owning one hasn’t been easy. As the owner, Bolger is responsible for everything from bookkeeping to planning the menu, not to mention paying rent and utilities. But through trial and error and her commitment to juggling her roles as entrepreneur and mother, she’s taking big strides in her business. “I’m kind of in a fog,” she jokes. “But I’m really trying to live by the saying ‘Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.’ I leave work at work and concentrate on home when I’m at home.”

Mia Jackson
Doro Marketing Services
“I always had an entrepreneurial goal,” says 39-year-old Mia Jackson. “The rushing back and forth of trying to have a corporate career and be there for my daughter were not meshing. I was not doing either [job] to the best of my abilities.”

A single parent from the beginning, Jackson was formerly employed in Charles Schwab’s advertising department. In 2001, she decided to use her marketing background to launch her own firm, Doro Marketing Services, in North Bethesda, Maryland. “I knew that having my own company would require much more of me,” she explains, “but I also knew I would have more control over when and how I did things.”

Having her own business gave Jackson the freedom to attend school events when her daughter, Taylor, was in high school. She was able to work around Taylor’s schedule and be there for her when she got home from school. At the same time, Jackson has been juggling a growing client roster that includes nonprofits, government entities and small businesses. Now that Taylor is 17 and in college, Jackson will have more time to grow the business, and she expects sales of $200,000 this year.

Along the way, Jackson has learned to deal with the special challenges that a homebased business can bring: the distractions, the isolation, the feeling of being overwhelmed. What’s helped tremendously, she says, are weekly meetings with a fellow homebased entrepreneur— an “accountability partner,” so to speak— where the pair discuss strategic planning and goals. “If you’re a one-person shop, it’s easy to get distracted,” she says. “[It helps] having someone who knows what you’ve been working on—someone who can give you a little push.”

Jackson also schedules time for herself—to refresh, renew and prepare to tackle all the challenges that come her way. “Pulling it all together can be daunting at times,” she says. “Being the only decision-maker for yourself, your business and your child or children can be extremely exhausting. But I feel I’m at a tipping point. My business is poised to grow.”

Brandi Ramos
Buy BIG From Brandi
Being a single mom is nothing new for Brandi Ramos, who has been on her own with her son, Solomon, since he was 6 months old. Still, she never ceases to be amazed by the way he inspires her. “I wake up every morning and look at that face,” says Ramos, 31. And evidently, that’s motivation enough for Ramos to continue building her Springfield, Illinois-based business on eBay, Buy BIG From Brandi.

Ramos, who started her company in 2004, provides personal shopping services for big and tall men in approximately 50 different countries. She’ll handpick a wardrobe for an entire season, making it easier for larger men to get clothes they like in sizes that fit. In fact, she’s gotten so good at the ins and outs of running a business on eBay that she now teaches other potential eBay sellers how to set up shop on the online auction site.

Along with growing her business, Ramos has had the added challenge of caring for a son with autism. Solomon, now 9, was diagnosed just before his third birthday, but “from the beginning, I knew there was something wrong,” says Ramos. For a time, she and Solomon lived in Germany, when Ramos was in the Army. They returned to the U.S. when Solomon was 17 months old, and he started receiving special services for his disorder about a month later. “Autism threw a loop into things,” says Ramos. “But I feel like I can overcome anything.”

Ramos isn’t just paying lip service. She takes steps to grow her business, involving herself in networking groups, blogs, her local chamber of commerce and the eBay community itself. Having that support system in place will likely prove useful as she achieves her next set of business goals—among them, having her own internet storefront.

And while Ramos notes that becoming a single parent was the hardest thing she has ever done, she also says it’s taught her a lot about herself—as a person, as a business owner and as a mom. “You have to be a fighter,” says Ramos, who projects sales of more than $100,000 for 2007. “Have a goal, find your focus and make that goal happen. When you do that, it builds character. In turn, people respect you.”

Karen E Spaeder, former managing editor of Entrepreneur magazine and editor of Entrepreneur.com, is a freelance writer in Southern California specializing in small business and education