Are you a stay at home mom? Why not become a, mompreneur? Allison Lancaster, lifestyle blogger and, mompreneur, shares how to start and grow your business along with your babies.
Today on the, Transform your Mind, to Transform your Life radio show and podcast. I interview Allison Lancaster. Allison is a mom, wife and six-figure business owner. She started her business in 2016 after giving birth to her first son, who spent 2 weeks in the NICU. She has since grown not only a lifestyle blogger; but has become a trusted online business manager for entrepreneurs who are seeking to find purpose, passion & freedom as a, mompreneur. Allison’s passion project is teaching other moms how to become work at home moms so that they can grow their business along with their babies.
Allison How did you go about deciding to be a Mompreneur?
The entire time I was pregnant with my son, I had decided to go back to work. We had a daycare picked out and everything. But I think going through the NICU experience and just becoming a new mom, that’s a huge life change. Whether you’re an NICU mom or not. I can remember one day that just sticks out in my mind, my son was about two months old, my maternity leave was dwindling down and I could just remember sitting looking at my baby and just crying. I didn’t want to leave him to go back to work.
Myrna: So you fell in love and couldn’t bear to part with your baby!
I’ve always had kind of an entrepreneurial spirit. I had my own business as a wedding planner and always had a side hustle. I have always wanted to have my own business. So when I decided to be a, mompreneur, I started just researching like a mad person on Google for ideas. I started out by buying things from Walmart on clearance and then trying to sell them on Amazon, which some people make great business out of; but I just could not do it.
So I considered what I am good at. I clarified my strengths. Writing has always been a passion of mine, so I decided I’ll just start a, mompreneur, blog.
I really didn’t think that it would be any sort of a career. It was just something I used as an outlet.
How did you build your Business as a, Mompreneur?
The, NICU experience, was really kind of a traumatic birth experience; so I decided to download by writing about it and maybe helping other NICU moms.
The, NICU experience, is a different kind of experience from a regular birth. I mean you don’t get to hold your baby for days, possibly weeks and you’re separated from him or her and you have to watch them being fed by tubes. It is both a traumatic and terrifying experience.
Other, NICU moms, started sharing their experience and it was powerful.. My blog was very quickly picked up and syndicated by a large parenting website.
I joined some blogging groups on Facebook and I found this amazing community of bloggers who were very receptive and helpful.
Then I started promoting my blog on Pinterest, just kind of pinning it just to see what would happen. My content very quickly gained traction had I had some viral pins.
Then friends started to reach out to me and there they were like, hey you’re doing really well on Pinterest. You’re being syndicated in all of these places. What are you doing and how can you help us?
So that’s really kind of where the online business management side of my business was born.
How did you Grow your, Mompreneur, Business along with your Babies?
I took on one client and then they referred me and here we are some 50 or more clients later.
Myrna: Wow yeah I have a blog ( this one!) and my blog did not take off! I have never been syndicated and I have yet to figure out what Pinterest does! So you’re doing great. Why do you thing you were so successful so quickly?
It has come full circle. Initially I would have said it was the marketing pieces of it and the website building and things like that. But late last year I noticed a shift. People wanted to hear about the nuts and bolts of running a business and that is what I blogged about.
Today I kind of talk about everything, I call it a lifestyle blog. I share a lot of my grandmother’s recipes. I’m a southern girl and we like our food. I share a lot of parenting kind of tips and advice too. I have 2 kids now. A 3 year old and a 9 month old. As they’re growing, things that I’m learning and discovering, I share.
How to Find your Passion, Purpose and Freedom as a, Mompreneur
Mompreneurs, are women entrepreneurs who just happens to be moms as well. A lot of, mompreneurs, started their businesses because they wanted the freedom to stay at home with their babies, or the freedom to travel or whatever kind of freedom they are looking for.
I have started very recently a free course for, mompreneurs, who want to become virtual Assistants. Mompreneurs, who want to stay home with their babies and don’t necessarily want to sell a product or create a product. I want to teach them how they can start a business offering virtual assistant services. We all have marketable skills whether that’s accounting, bookkeeping or marketing. I kind of coach them through the process.
Most, mompreneurs, don’t even remember what their purpose was in starting their business. They just wanted to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So I do a lot of business strategizing with clients. I ask them what is your five-year plan for your business?
Why did you start your business, was it to stay at home with your babies or was it to travel?
Then I ask them. Are you seeing those things in your business right now? If not why?
I teach, mompreneurs, to find their passion and purpose by doing what they love.
I think it’s different for every person; but there’s just a lot of questions and kind of deep-diving and soul-searching that you have to do. We have to do it consistently, not just in the beginning or in the middle of your business. It’s a daily thing. Ask yourself, how does this task fit into my bigger plan and my bigger purpose?
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Additional Resources:
https://blog.myhelps.us/the-quest-for-purpose-six-holistic-ways-finding-purpose/
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