Written by Maia, President & Founder

This is the third post in our three-part series about mission-driven mompreneurs.

I get a lot of questions about my business—how Gimme the Good Stuff got started, why I do what I do, and if I have any tips for other moms (and dads) who are interested in starting their own businesses. So I decided to write about my experiences, and I reached out to two other mission-driven mompreneurs to include their stories and wisdom, too.

• In the first post, I introduced the three of us and our motivations for becoming mompreneurs.
• In last week’s post, we shared about the pros and cons of mompreneur life.
• In this week’s post, we’ll sum it all up with some of our hard-earned tips and wisdom for how to be successful mompreneurs.

Maia James, Gimme the Good Stuff

I credit the success of my business in large part to having quality help—and not just from my business partners (my parents!), as well as a meticulous accountant, wonderful freelance writers, a talented illustrator (my brother!), and an ultra-reliable shipping manager for our store, among many others who make my website tick. I also have invested in childcare and housekeeping help, which has freed up my time to focus on the tasks that provide the most value to my readers—namely, producing our Safe Product Guides.

Here are my top tips for being a successful mompreneur:

• Accept that it will never all be done. Running your own business, especially while raising a family, means that you’ll go to bed every night with an unfinished to-do list. The sooner you accept this, the less it will make you crazy and drain your energy.
• I am not a decisive person by nature—I tend to go round and round weighing the pros and cons of all choices. As a business owner, I’ve had to learn to make decisions quickly, and accept the fact that sometimes there won’t be an obvious best choice. Avoiding “analysis paralysis” is crucial if you want growing a successful business when you have limited time.

Katya Johnson, Beautycounter

The keys to Katya’s success have been choosing the right kind of business—one that matches her skills, personality, and interests—and then working really hard to meet her goals. (As I mentioned in previous posts, she’s the main breadwinner for her family, and she’s grown her Beautycounter income to be more than double her old corporate salary.)

Here are Katya’s top tips for being a successful mompreneur:

• Feel like you don’t have the time to start a business? First, find the discipline. Look at your schedule and figure out where you can carve out the time you need. This might mean cutting out TV time and working after your kids are in bed.
• If you don’t already believe in yourself, then get a thick skin now! Don’t take it personally if all your friends aren’t jumping up and down to support you. Stay focused on why you’re doing what you’re doing, whether it’s having a positive impact on the world, bringing in extra income for your family, etc.

Elleni Cavallaro, Olea Blue

Elleni says that the most important thing when taking the mompreneur plunge is to choose something that you’re truly passionate about. Everyone thought she was “crazy” to take on a start-up business. (With three young kids and a consulting business, her plate is already pretty full!) But she was inspired by a really strong drive that helped her start Olea Blue and push through the start-up challenges that have emerged so far. This is what true passion feels like. She can’t imagine doing it without that genuine drive.

Here are Elleni’s top tips for being a successful mompreneur:

• If you have a passion and a skill set and want to do something, then just do it! You should have some kind of a vision and a plan, but you don’t have to have everything figured out before you get started, and you don’t have to do everything perfectly. Start small, and see where it takes you.
• Make a work schedule for yourself and stick to those boundaries as much as possible, or else you will be working all the time, and that’s obviously not sustainable for you or your family.

Do these mompreneur stories ring true for you?

What do you think of our tips and wisdom? Do you have any of your own work-and-family stories to share? Please comment below, and feel free to ask questions as well. One of us will be happy to answer. I’d also like to invite anyone who is interested in learning more about starting your own Beautycounter business to contact Katya; she’s a wealth of information and passion.

Stay sane,

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The post Tips and Wisdom for Being Successful as a Mompreneur appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Because I get so many questions about my business—how Gimme the Good Stuff got started and why I do what I do, I decided to spend some time writing about my experiences as a “mompreneur.” And because it would be lame for me to just talk about myself, and because I know some other mission-driven mompreneurs, I decided to interview two of them and write a three-part series about mompreneur life:

• In the first post, I introduced the three of us and our motivations for becoming mompreneurs.
• In this post, we share about the pros and cons of mompreneur life.
• In next week’s post, we’ll sum it all up with some of our hard-earned tips and wisdom for how to be successful mompreneurs.

Maia James, Gimme the Good Stuff

For me, there are two big pros to running Gimme the Good Stuff. The first is flexibility. Because I started this work when my first son was just a newborn, I was able to grow the business to fit with his needs and other aspects of my life. Almost four years later, when my second son was born, I adapted my work commitments again.

Now that they are both older—the oldest is in school full-time, and the youngest is in preschool for mornings only—I’m able to put more and more energy into my (endless!) to-do list.

The other big pro is that, with an internet-based business, the sky is the limit. This is especially true in the age of social media. My income and the scope of my business are limited only by my own time, energy, and motivation. There is also a lot of room for creativity and experimentation. We can try new things, observe the results, and adjust accordingly.

There are drawbacks in my mompreneur life, of course. Because my parenting responsibilities come before my business ones, my productivity goes out the window when there are disruptions at home—hello, flu season! Also, the same factors that make an internet-based business exciting are also challenges. It was super easy for me to start a blog back in 2009. It’s also easy for a million other people to start blogs, so there is a lot of “noise” and potential competition. And, as I mentioned in our first mompreneur post, I put in a ton of time as blogger (as in, years) before I ever figured out how to make any money doing it.

Katya Johnson, Beautycounter

Like me, Katya chose a type of business with a low barrier to entry. Being able to minimize the risks of starting a business was one of the biggest pros for her, because it protected the security of her family.

Katya got started as a Beautycounter consultant with an investment of $700 and continued to work at her regular full-time job for two more years. Another big pro for her is being able to set her own (high!) goals, because she is the main breadwinner for her family. Some Beautycounter consultants make a few hundred dollars a month, and some replace six-figure salaries.

Katya also loves being part of a mission-driven company. Beautycounter is a Certified B Corporation and part of the mission is to advocate for more health-protective laws in the largely unregulated cosmetics industry. As Katya says, the big difference with Beautycounter is the advocacy platform. “It’s more than just selling eye cream,” she says. “It’s about changing laws – similar to Lead in Paint, Women Voting, Smoking on Planes. All of those movements started with an idea for better…this is our movement for better and we are actually making some waves!”

The combination of providing for her family and having a positive social impact is really motivating for Katya. She worked her butt off in her old corporate jobs—and even liked them—but now she’s doing work that she can really pour her heart into. (If you are inspired by Katya’s story and interested in starting your own Beautycounter business, shoot her an email.)

Katya says that the main con of being a Beautycounter consultant is the stigma of direct sales. People assume that Beautycounter is “like Avon or Mary Kay,” and Katya knows that she is often perceived as being “one of those people” trying to push products and sign up a bunch of people to work under her.

But Beautycounter is a modern company with multiple sales channels, including consultants, e-commerce platforms, and strategic partners, like Goop, Serena & Lily, and Target. So Katya has learned to overlook the stigma of direct sales and not worry so much about what other people think—more on that in next week’s post!

Elleni Cavallaro, Olea Blue

With three kids five years old and younger, Elleni says the biggest pro in her mompreneur life is doing work that she can fit into her family’s schedule. Obviously, she has to work really hard to make all of this happen, but so far, the autonomy that comes with being her “own boss” has been worth it.

Elleni also loves that her work with other brands allows her to to use her business and consulting background but on a very part time basis. “Most consulting jobs wouldn’t hire you for part time.” Finally, Elleni loves that Olea Blue is a family business, and she’s fortunate to be able to work closely with her mom (pictured below, with Elleni at an olive oil tasting).

The biggest con related to Elleni’s newest venture, Olea Blue, is that they’re still in the start-up phase. There are many rewards that come with having a new business—Elleni is excited, she has lots of new challenges to keep her engaged, and she gets to enjoy big and little wins every week. Buy because Olea Blue is a mission-based company, profits are first distributed to the farmers and reinvested back into the business to continue to educate consumers on high-phenol olive oil.

The cons that come with Elleni’s business consulting work are different. As a consultant, it’s her job to support her clients. Sometimes, she has to jump in to help resolve a problem or meet a deadline. Being “on call” in this way can conflict with family commitments.

Do these mompreneur stories ring true for you?

Do you identify with any of these pros and cons of mompreneur life? Do you have some of your own work-and-family stories to share? Please comment below and one of us will respond!

Next week, I’ll be back with Katya and Elleni to talk about our tips and wisdom for being successful mompreneurs.

Stay sane,

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The post Pros and Cons of Mompreneur Life appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Written by Maia, President & Founder

I get a lot of questions about my business—how Gimme the Good Stuff got started, why I do what I do, and if I have any tips for other moms (and dads) who are interested in starting their own web-based businesses.

On the one hand, starting a business when you have kids is a terrible idea. You’ve probably never had less time or energy. (Most days, I feel like I’m just barely getting by!)

On the other hand, having kids can be deeply transformative and motivating. You look at the world differently. You worry more about the present and the future. You do some growing up yourself, maybe discovering new strengths and skills. And, ugh, family life is expensive, so I for one was extra motivated to earn more income.

Gimme the Good Stuff is about 7 years old now (the same age as my oldest son—not a coincidence!). So it’s probably about time that I write about my experiences as a “mompreneur.” And because it would be lame for me to just talk about myself, and because I know some other mission-driven mompreneurs, I decided to interview two of them and write a three-part series about mompreneur life:

• In this first post, I introduce myself and two of my mompreneur friends and share what motivated each of us to start our own businesses.
• In the second post, published next week, we’ll talk about the pros and cons of mompreneur life.
• And last but not least, in two weeks, I’ll share our tips and wisdom for being a successful mompreneur. (Why re-invent the wheel?)

I hope you find this series to be interesting and helpful. Please comment to share your questions and stories. And yes, all you pop-preneurs out there are welcome to join us, too!

Maia James, Gimme the Good Stuff

As you probably already know, I have two sons—they’re 7 ½ and 3 ½ years old—and I founded this website, Gimme the Good Stuff.

How and why I became a mompreneur: Gimme the Good Stuff was born around the time I had my first son, in 2009.

I grew up in Vermont in a pretty health-obsessed community and family, but it’s when I was pregnant in my late 20’s that my curiosity and concern went into over-drive. I wanted to know what types of ingredients were in everything I was putting in and on my pregnant body (and eventually in and on my baby, and using in my home). So I started researching and had a lot of wake-up calls (read: freak-outs) about the toxins found in a lot of conventional products and even “natural” products.

Soon, friends began asking me what products they should be using to give their kids the healthiest start possible. First I compiled Word docs with lists of “The Good Stuff” and “The Sneaky Stuff,” and eventually I turned these lists into a product review blog.

Starting a blog was easy, but for a long time (like almost 4 years), GGS was not a money-making business–I didn’t even have a revenue plan for the first year. You could say that I began this work very much on purpose, but the business part was something that came later.

Also, confession: Although I was totally into being a stay-at-home mom in theory, the reality of it wasn’t quite what I had envisioned. I was restless and more than a little bored. I missed some of the stimulation from my old full-time job as a communications director, a job I left when my son was born. Researching and blogging (between nursing and diaper changing) was a nice intellectual and professional outlet for me, even without a paycheck!

Katya Johnson, Beautycounter

Katya is the mom of two boys, ages and 5 and 2 ½, and she also has a thriving business as a Beautycounter consultant (she earns more than double her former corporate salary!).

I wanted to include Katya in this series for a few reasons. Like me, she had a wake-up call related to the ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products. However, she funneled her passion into a different type of business (more on this in a minute). Also, I really like Beautycounter’s products and mission—more so than any other single cosmetic brand I’ve found. (Here’s the specific makeup products I use.)

How and why Katya became a mompreneur: Katya worked in high-tech corporate marketing and communications for 14 years. She had always wanted to own her own business, but she didn’t have the funding, patience, and risk-tolerance to open a traditional brick-and-mortar store.

Then she suffered a bout of postpartum psoriasis that affected her forehead and scalp. The psoriasis and the fact that she was nursing made her want to use products that only had safe ingredients.

For seven months, Katya experimented with a ton of “safe” and “natural” options, but nothing worked. Desperate, Katya turned to a conventional skincare brand. Her psoriasis started to clear, but as soon as she missed a step in the complicated regimen, it would flare up again.

Beautycounter was really new at that time. Katya was skeptical after having so many “safe” brands fail her, but she quietly did some research on Beautycounter after a friend recommended it. She was impressed by the background and safer-beauty vision of Gregg Renfrew, Beautycounter’s CEO and founder. So she gave some Beautycounter products a try, and after three days, her psoriasis was not just temporarily cleared up, but gone.

Relieved and inspired, Katya felt a huge responsibility to “pay it forward” and help educate people about the Bad Stuff in most personal care products, and the much safer alternatives available. So she became a Beautycounter consultant and grew her Beautycounter business for about two years while continuing to work her traditional job.

Katya started doing Beautycounter full-time after the birth of her second son, at which point it had more than replaced her corporate salary. These days, she loves working independently while supporting a company that’s on a mission to affect policy change in Washington.

(If you’re interested in starting your own Beautycounter business, contact Katya. She’s not pushy, I promise, but because she’s a managing director and a founding member of Beautycounter, she really is a wealth of knowledge).

Elleni Cavallaro, Olea True

Elleni and I go way back—more years than I care to count!—and these days, she’s the mom of three young kids (her boys are 5 and 3 ½ years old, and her daughter is 15 months), the founder and owner of Olea True, and a branding and marketing consultant for some businesses (including for Gimme the Good Stuff!).

How and why Elleni became a mompreneur: Elleni has always been business oriented. She owned a brick-and-mortar maternity and baby boutique in the DC area before selling it so she and her husband could move back to Massachusetts, where she’s from, to raise their family. She was a full-time stay-at-home mom until recently, when two big things motivated her to return to her entrepreneurial roots.

The first thing was practicality (Elleni is nothing if not practical!). Elleni has an MBA, but she knew she couldn’t rely on that alone to score a job when she was ready to go back to work after 10 years of full-time mothering (that’s how long it would have been between the birth of her oldest child and when her youngest started kindergarten).

At the same time, Elleni calculated that she would have to earn approximately a gazillion dollars a year to offset the cost of full-time childcare for three young kids in her pricey Boston suburb. She and her husband decided that it made sense for her to do something part-time and independent. Elleni also wanted to know that she could be the breadwinner for her family, should the need ever arise.

The second thing that motivated Elleni to get back to work was passion. While her consulting work provides an outlet for her professional interests, her other business, Olea True —a premium olive oil company–came to her as a passion project. Her uncle, a scientist, introduced her to the health benefits of high-phenol olive oil. She quickly became fascinated, reading everything she could and talking about it to anyone who would listen.

Elleni was also moved by the fact that many Greek olive farmers were selling precious, high-quality olive oil to huge conglomerates for way less than what it was worth. So Elleni and her uncle teamed up to buy one batch of olive oil from one farmer at a fair price and import it into the U.S. sell it to friends and family and anyone else they could reach. They also created a pilot program to test premium olive oil for its phenol content (phenols are one of the components behind olive oil’s health benefits), and Olea True was born.

Do these mompreneur stories ring true for you?

Do you identify with any of the motivations shared by me, Katya, or Elleni? I think it’s interesting how different we all are.

For instance, Elleni is logical, practical, and strategic in all business decisions, and I’m all over the place (I never even wrote a business plan!).

Katya followed a very traditional corporate path before veering off, whereas Elleni has always followed an entrepreneurial career path (she’s started a handful of successful businesses).

I left my job when I had my son without any plan for replacing the income; Katya waited until she HAD replaced her income before leaving her “real” job. (Wait–the pattern I see here is that Elleni and Katya both know what they are doing, and I’m flying by the seat of my pants! Sounds about right…)

The one ingredient you’ll find in all our stories is a true passion and mission behind what we are doing. I believe that this is the reason that here we all are–at last!–earning real incomes running our own businesses.

It really goes to show you that there isn’t a one size fits all model for this stuff, but that a sincere passion for the business you choose is crucial.

Do you have any of your own work-and-family stories to share? Do you have questions for any of the three of us? Please comment below and one of us will respond!

Next week, I’ll be back with Katya and Elleni to talk about the major pros and cons of mompreneur life (there are many of each, trust me!).

Stay sane,

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The post Meet Three Mompreneurs and Their Motivations appeared first on Gimme the Good Stuff.

Written by Colleen Webb, Chief Product Investigator

Hello, everyone! I’m Colleen. My name and face may be new to you, but I’ve been working here at Gimme the Good Stuff in a behind-the-scenes role since 2014. Most of my work involves really nitty-gritty research. I look into products and what they’re made of. Some people may call this neurotic, and others may call it “thorough.” I’ll take either!

As a human being and mom, I have a strong drive to get to the bottom of things and help us all make the healthiest choices we can for ourselves and our loved ones. I also have personal experience with pregnancy, birth, raising little people, and creating a home that’s as healthy, nurturing, and sane as we can make it.

In the coming weeks and months, you’ll see more posts from me where I share some my experiences and the questions and challenges that are part of my life as a mother and wife.

Maia and I Go Way Back!

I’ve known Maia and her family for as long as I can remember. We lived in the same Vermont town for much of my childhood, and her mom, Suzanne—a.k.a. the Chief Health Officer at Gimme the Good Stuff—is largely responsible for my mom’s interest in natural food. My mom’s interest in natural food became my interest in healthy living, which eventually evolved from a personal passion into my professional work, so…I guess I have Suzanne to thank for my wellness career!

My Education & Background

I attended Duke University for my undergraduate degree (Duke is also Maia’s husband’s alma mater!) and then got a master’s in Integrative Health Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies. I’ve been a freelance health writer and wellness coach since 2009. Also, and mostly, I’m a mother and a wife. I have two young kids and a third one on the way. My husband is a military officer and PhD student. Our lives are full, to say the least!

My Approach to Health & Wellbeing

If my life and work have taught me anything definitive about health, it’s that there isn’t always a clear line between good and bad, “healthy” and “unhealthy.” There are so many ideas and theories about how we should be eating, sleeping, exercising, raising our kids, etc. And yet, we constantly have to make choices about what’s best for us and our families.

These days, it seems like everyone has an opinion and a position that they can support with “evidence.” Trying to sort through all of this information can be maddening. That’s why I do what I do, and why I’ve been following Maia’s work since she began digging into things in 2009.

I learn new things every time I take on a project. I’ve seen trends and professional recommendations in health and wellness come and go, so I take all current thought with a grain of salt. I ask myself what makes the most sense based on the ideas that have held up the best over time. It’s a historical gut-check of sorts. I also try to keep an open mind and be humble enough to accept information that may disrupt some of my long-term thinking.

And at the end of the day, I remember Maia’s mantra—“Stay sane!” The human body is remarkably complex and resilient. Most of us are doing okay not just because of the good choices we make, but in spite of all the bad stuff that we’re exposed to all of the time. That’s pretty awesome, don’t you think?

To your health,

P.S. We’ve got a bunch of awesome new product guides in the works, but are always open to suggestions. Comment below with what you want me to dig into next!

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