ERICA EHM Q&AWITH - The MOMpreneur

Sisters and partners Jill Vos and Jennifer Broe.
markets we know are there, in other cities and rural areas.
Alberta Agriculture has been involved in the planning and
construction of the facility. When we needed help, we hired
experts in accounting, printing, photography and web
design, and we worked with business consultants as well as
organizations like the Alberta Food Processors Association.
The demand has always run ahead of our time and resources,
and wanting the business to grow slowly and intelligently,
we’ve occasionally put on the brakes, trying to weigh our
options on outside investment and the desirability and
feasibility of other markets. We’re always interested in
exploring new ways of distributing the product.
With the growth of the business and five children
between you – Jennifer with two, Jill with three and a
fourth on the way – how do you balance your family
and working lives?
Jennifer: Time-management skills are absolutely essential.
Neither Jill nor I have ever wanted to work at Baby Gourmet
full-time and so we’ve had to carefully coordinate schedules
with our spouses, child care providers and each other. We
began this business putting our families first, and we’ve
kept it that way. So far, we’ve managed to work several
days a week each, but we have needed to be really firm and
organized about it. We’ve hired people to help us with every
aspect of the business. Also, it’s important that you love
what you do. We are passionate about providing healthy,
tasty food and the creative side of the business – researching
and creating new recipes – really keeps me going. Balancing
the business with our family lives would be too stressful
and exhausting to bear if we didn’t feel the way we do about
our jobs. MP
Baby Gourmet’s Top Tips for the Mompreneur
Do your research! Develop a business plan from the
very beginning. A feasibility study will determine whether or
not your venture is going to be profitable and the time
commitments it will require. Analysing your idea will help
you to decide how, why, where and when to proceed.
Manage your time. If you are trying to balance family and
work and want be successful with both, you must organize your
day ahead of time. It is very easy to become overwhelmingly
stressed if you are not organized.
Outsource to the professionals. We are not
accountants or graphic designers by training and we do not
try to be. Get balanced books and top-notch marketing
materials by outsourcing the areas of your business you are
not comfortable handling yourself. A professional job and the
time saved are well worth the cost in the end.
Surround yourself with a positive support system.
Find like-minded people who will encourage growth and
success. Becoming a business owner can be a most difficult,
draining and challenging task, so you do not need negative
feedback. Seek out people who can pick you up at times
when you feel you are falling.
Utilize the resources available to you. There are
many programs and forms of funding available to entrepreneurs
who locate them. Take the time to research your industry and
find out what is available to you and take advantage of these
opportunities. Locate strategic advisors to assist you along
the way.
The Mompreneur • September 2007
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