Starting my own business was huge.  Not taken lightly.  A lot of thought, time, and money was put into launching The Speech Mom and Bloombox.  I would do it all over a million times.  My company is still a baby.  It still needs a lot of attention and has a lot of growing up to do.

A lot of people congratulate me on my decision to make this happen.  But a lot of people, well…make me wonder what they are trying to tell me.  So hold on to your hats people – this is not  you average speech, language, and feeding post…

10 ways to Support a Female Entrepreneur

1.  Understand I don’t have flexible hours. I work until my kids get home from daycare.  I make dinner, play with my kids, put them to bed – then I work more.  Owning my own business has proven to be anything but flexible.
2.   When you offer to help, be prepared if this female entrepreneur takes you up on it.  If you say “If you ever need help with the kids, drop them off” or “I would be happy to help you with pick up from preschool” I may say “That would be great.”  You have been warned.
3. Be okay if I choose you.  There are about 10,000 things I can choose from each day.  I can choose to clean the bathroom, make freezer meals, vacuum, do the dishes, mop the floor.  But I will probably choose you..and their is only time to choose one.  I will choose to drink coffee with you while our children play rodeo in my living room.  So when I choose you, don’t gasp at the mess.  Be happy I chose you.
4. If I fall a few inches short – let it go.  I might be 10 minutes late to pick up Hank from daycare or I may forget to bring diapers for Gus.  Just because I am a bad ass momtrepeneur, it doesn’t mean I am perfect.
5. Don’t mom guilt me.  If you say “It is too bad your kids have to be in daycare,” I will immediately attempt to send you back to 1950 – where you belong.  I decided to be a working mom.  It’s okay to be whatever kind of mom we want to be.
6. Collaborate.  Don’t Compete.  You have a cool product similar to another woman in town?  Maybe shoot her an email.  You can’t handle how awesome another blogger’s posts are?  Ask her to be a guest blogger.  I can’t do this without an awesome team (of women) – so let’s not.
7. Know I am aware my husband is awesome and supportive.  He knows this, I know this.  We all know this.  My mom has co owned and been the secretary for my dad’s business for 33 years.  I have never heard anyone say to my father “You are so lucky to have such a hard working and supportive wife.  I can’t believe she works full time AND takes care of the kids and does the laundry.”  That’s not a thing we say to men.  Don’t say it to women.
8. High five a woman for trying.  I am going to have a few failures.  I am going to hit some walls.  Please don’t enjoy these crashes.  Instead, let’s have a glass of wine.  These crashes suck enough without people snickering at them.  And anyways, no one likes a snickerer.
9. Show your children successful women.  My husband once told me “The boys will see hundreds of successful men.  I want them to see their mom be successful.”  Let’s not make it a whole thing for our next generation.  Make female entrepreneurs the norm.
10. Believe in us.

Thank you all for supporting me.  I couldn’t do it without you.