I am receiving so many positive comments from readers telling me how much they enjoy my blog and that encouragement motivates me to continue on. One reason I started Go Go Mama Go was because I love connecting with women who inspire me and who I hope also inspire you. These stories are really for mom entrepreneurs who are at any point questioning themselves, wondering whether they are good enough, whether their idea is worthy enough and if they are ready to jump into a world of entrepreneurship.
Colleen Lanin, The Travel Mama
For Colleen Lanin of Travel Mamas, it took her friend’s encouragement to see that she had something.
Although she has been taking writing classes as a hobby for ten years, Colleen didn’t have the courage to submit anything for publication. When she became a mom four years ago, Colleen searched for help on how to travel with a baby and found that books or even online information was scarce at the time. “I started asking my friends and neighbors,” recalls Colleen. “Basically every parent I met for tips on how to make traveling with a little one easier. Every time our family would go somewhere, I jotted down notes on what worked and what didn’t.” Colleen soon found that she had written about three chapters of a book on how to travel with a baby or toddler. “Then I got pregnant with my second child. The pregnancy, and then caring for two young children, put my writing on hold for awhile.”
It wasn’t until her friend Erin, who had a baby right around the same time as Colleen had her second, asked Colleen if she had any travel tips for her. Colleen sent her those rough draft chapters. “[Erin] told me that I had to write that book to help other moms and that she would be the first in line to buy it.” Newly inspired, Colleen got to work and in a few months, she finished a book proposal for The Travel Mamas’ Guide, based on her experiences and those of other Travel Mamas she had met along the way.
Starting Out
With a book written, this past February, Colleen attended the San Diego Writer’s Conference and found her agent Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency. To help get her book published, Michelle suggested that Colleen build a following before sending the book out to publishers. Within a couple of months, Colleen launched TravelMamas.com, a web site for parents who want to travel with their children when keeping their sanity. The site includes posts on how to travel with kids of all ages, as well as travel tips, printable packing lists and checklists, and links to useful articles and resources. “I made the site I wish had existed when I became a mom.” Since starting, Colleen has published a couple of articles in magazines like Babytalk and San Diego Family. She also has started teaching classes on how to travel with babies and toddlers.
Staying Motivated
Motivated by other women who follow their dreams, Colleen found inspiration in Jennifer Marx, the co-author of the PassPorter series of guidebooks about Disney, and who motivated Colleen to follow her dream to write about traveling with children. Colleen consulted A PassPorter Guide to Disney World while planning a family trip. She was so impressed with the tell-it-like-it-is, friendly writing style of the guidebook, that she flipped to the front to find out more about the authors. Jennifer Marx, the author, had been a Disney enthusiast who originally made scrapbooks to plan and remember her Disney adventures and on one trip she had the idea to turn her passion for Disney into a guidebook to help other travelers. Collen tore the page out of the book and put it up on the bulletin board in her office. “I wrote across it, ‘DO WHAT YOU LOVE!’” says Colleen. “That note motivates me to stay focused on what got me started down this path in the first place: a love of traveling with my family and a love of writing.”
And she’s loving what she’s doing! Along with seeing new places and experiencing the world with her family, Colleen loves combining her passions for travel, writing, and parenting into one. “I love interviewing people I admire for articles in magazines or my blog.” She loves the connection and positive energy created when partnering with other bloggers, web sites and businesses, which she knows “create win-win situations where we’re learning and helping each other while providing a service to our readers and clients.” Colleen adds, “I get so excited every time I make a new connection or come up with a new way to make travel easier for other Travel Mamas!”
Juggling Life
Like many mom entrepreneurs, Colleen finds parenting and work is the greatest challenge. When she first launched Travel Mamas, she worked until midnight after the kids were in bed every day and dreamed about work. “I often woke up during the night worried that I would never have time to do it all.”
Colleen tries to follow the advice that her sister, a full-time as a marketing executive and mother to 13-year-old triplets, gave her to be fully present with her kids when she is with them and focus only on them. “I try but it can be a struggle,” reveals Colleen, who always has articles that need to be submitted, blogs that need to be written and web pages to be updated. “The Twitter application on my iPhone beckons to me more often than I’d like to admit when I should be focused on my kids at the park. ” Colleen also works out of the house and finds that the separation between work and home to be blurred: although she has a full time nanny, her little ones frequently interrupt her work.
But her work structure does have perks. “It’s great that I can see my children during the day and take time off to do Stroller Strides or attend a Gymboree class. “
Colleen remains hopeful about juggling work and home: “I’m still new at this and hope finding a balance will get easier!”
Doing What She Loves
“Follow your passion,” advises Colleen, who doesn’t dwell on how she can make money or what kind of business the world needs. Rather, she believes that it’s important to focus on what your soul needs. “I used to lie in bed at night and meditate and pray that I would find my path in life. I used to look at which jobs existed and wonder how I could make myself fit into one of them instead of looking within myself.” Even when she receives a rejection letter for an article or Travel Mamas doesn’t get a lot of hits one day, Colleen remains certain that she’s on the right path.
“If you are true to yourself, I believe you can’t fail. The universe wants you to be successful.”
You can contact Colleen at Colleen.Lanin _at_ TravelMamas.com. You can also follow Colleen on Twitter: @TravelMamas or check out TravelMamas.com.
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What an inspiring article. I love to read about how people like Colleen just get up, get started and create something new – even while juggling very young kids and running a household.
How great to get encouragement from a friend, and also to find work you love.
I wish you success with Travel Mamas!
Lynette – isn’t Colleen’s story great! Terrific to have such encouraging friends.