5 Questions is a new series where online business women are asked 5 questions about being a mom and entrepreneur. To be featured, please contact me.
Whitney Trujillo is the Founder of The Mother List, a free online listings resource for the sale of everything Baby, Kid, Mom and Maternity related.
1. What or who inspired you to start your business?
What inspired me was my own need for something exactly like The Mother List. I did not like the mainstream anonymous listing sites that everyone uses and I didn’t have the time to bid and hope I won items on an auction site, either. I wanted the service to be completely free, to have users be registered to eliminate anonymity and for it to be a comprehensive list of things that anyone would need while raising a child (including things for Mom). We also encourage people to ship whenever possible to eliminate some of the risks associated with some of the other commonly used websites.
2. What motivates you?
What motivates me is that I’m providing an important service for families. Raising a child doesn’t have to be as expensive as it is. I believe in the idea of The Mother List and think with some really hard work, it will gain critical mass. We have had an incredible launch since mid-April and my main focus/challenge is to keep that momentum going
3. How do you balance being a mom and an entrepreneur?
It is much harder than I ever imagined it would be. Being a Mom is never easy and being an entrepreneur is potentially even more of an emotional rollercoaster. I have a 14-month-old son and I can look at him at the end of the day and think, “perfect” every time (well, most times)! With being an entrepreneur, I have the best day followed by the worst day … wash, rinse, repeat!
4. What do you love most about what you do?
Working with other Mom Entrepreneurs! My new favorite thing to do is get in a room of other Mom Entrepreneurs and brainstorm on how we can help each other and try to solve each other’s problems. Nothing equals the power of getting a group of women together (especially Mothers) to get creative and help each other.
5. What single piece of advice would you give someone who is starting out?
Don’t give up! A lot of people hit their first snag and it defeats them. They find out about competition, they lose their first piece of business, etc. and they can’t get past it. Every one of these hurdles is crucial to the development of your business. Embrace them and conquer them! You will never feel better!
You can contact Whitney at whitney _at_ themotherlist.com or follow her on Twitter – @whitneytrujillo. Also check out TheMotherList.com.
To find out more about or to inquire about how you can be featured in our series, please visit our 5 Questions page. Or feel free to contact me for more information.
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Lots of great advice – it is so scary to put yourself out there and take time away from kids. But so worth it!
@Heidi – I’m still trying to find that balance between work, family and me.