The Ottawa Citizen

They’re savvy, often former high-tech professionals who’ve left the rat race to raise their children. Hungry for a creative outlet, looking to make some extra cash, or just plain bored, these stay-at-home Type As are ditching their designer suits and starting online businesses from the comfort of home.

They call themselves mompreneurs and they’re staking out new territory on the web.

Not too long ago, mothers used to get advice and swap tips the old-fashioned way — over a cup of coffee or a playdate at the park. Today’s multitasking moms need only turn on their computer and head to the Internet to trade information, exchange recipes and shop online.

But social-networking on the web — check out sites such as Savvymom.ca and Mommyclub.ca — has done more than bring women together to give each other tips and support. Women have realized they have valuable services they can sell — directly to each other and around the world online.

“Mompreneurs is a made-up word, but we are mothers who are inspired by our experience and recognize there is a gap in the marketplace for a certain product or service that needs to be filled for moms or their children. Technology is driving this trend,” says Minnow Hamilton, co-founder of SavvyMom Media and online publisher of savvymom.ca, which has 22,000 subscribers across Canada and four city-specific editions, including one for Ottawa.

“Moms are spending more and more time online,” says Hamilton, who is based in Toronto. “A lot of mompreneurs agree they are spending as much time working at home as they used to in the office. But there is more flexibility with online businesses, and the women feel good and are more motivated about what they are doing.”

In Ottawa, dozens of moms have thriving online businesses, and in some cases have been so successful, they’ve had to expand into retail space. We highlight five of them.

WEB DESIGNERS
www.janetandmichelle.ca

Long distance design team, Michelle Kempton, left, in Nova Scotia and Janet Murphy in Stittsville keep in touch via webcam.

Many mompreneurs agree that having a dynamic website that is well-organized and easy to navigate is one of the key ingredients in attracting customers and maintaining a successful business.

That’s where Janet Murphy and Michelle Kempton come in.

The two moms develop and design websites, despite being half a country apart. Murphy, who lives in Stittsville, has collaborated on web-based projects for almost four years with Kempton, who’s based near Halifax. Kempton, a web developer, handles the business side while Murphy does the graphic design.

“A majority of our e-store clients are moms who decide to start an online business after their maternity leave,” says Kempton.

Some of their clients include Lilou Organics, Daisy Blue and sugardaddyshop.com, whose owner Karen McNaughton was recently nominated for entrepreneur of the year by the Women’s Business Network of Ottawa.

Murphy and Kempton are often approached by corporate companies that want to hire them full-time. But they enjoy their freedom and being in control of their hours. They currently handle about 20 projects a year and are always booked three months in advance.

“I made the choice to stay home and raise my family, but I am also retaining my own personal identity and contributing to our family income,” says Murphy, who has a three-year-old son and a 20-month-old daughter.

Kempton, the mother of twin boys, has moved three times within Canada since working with Murphy. She says there is no way she’d trade this kind of flexibility.

“Even though Janet and I hardly ever see each other, we have an incredible working relationship. As long as you have a computer, you can run your online business from anywhere,” says Kempton.