beginnings
how I got started | After a post college stint as an event
planner my husband and I decided it was time to start a family. I wanted
to keep working, but focus on something that would be flexible and
allow me to be a stay-at-home-mom so I started a gift basket business.
It worked well for a while, but a little over a year after my second
child was born I realized that I wanted to be working a bit more. Going
back to event planning was impractical with a young family, so I had to
look elsewhere.
One day, my good friend, Jacki, then a high-powered partner in a law
firm in Chicago, and I were chatting about how I was looking to increase
my workload while she was looking to lessen hers, when she presented a
possible solution to me. The owner of onegoodie.com, a friend of hers,
had decided that the company wasn't a good fit for him and that unless
Jacki was interested in taking over he was going to take the site down.
She was, but she couldn't do it alone. That conversation changed our
lives. We ended up taking the site down for 6 months and redeveloping it
into something more user-friendly, a place where we, ourselves, would
shop, and therefore, potential customers like us, might shop. It's been a
steep learning curve, but the rewards are well worth the hassles!
inspiration
why this job?| While this job has nothing to do with what I
studied or did before having kids, I find it very fulfilling and
challenging in a great way. We've had to learn a lot about web
developing, what we can do ourselves, what we can't. We've learned to
tolerate technical difficulties and glitches.
I love working with a partner who is also a friend. We lean on each
other! Her skills are definitely different than mine, but we complement
each other well. She's all about the details and I'm all about the big
picture.
This business works great for me. Most of the communicating I do is
online so no one can hear my children screaming at me when I'm
responding to an email. I can still be involved with my kids, I can
still be a stay-at-home-mom, and yet, I feel like I'm working and I like
that.
love
why I love this job!| There are many wonderful aspects to my job!
I love working closely with the manufacturers of our goodies. I love
that I can balance being a stay-at-home-mom and working. I'm the
Preschool PTA Chair and I'm involved in my community. I love discovering
new goodies to bring to our audience, and helping manufacturers build
their brand. It's a win, win situation!
work
my typical day| I try to do most of my work on the days the kids
are at preschool from 9-3. That way, I can be "mommy" when they are
home. I tend to check emails on my iPhone at stoplights, or spend most
of my time in the car on the phone with my partner so I can stay in the
loop.
I try to utilize email as much as possible, because it's so much easier.
And so many of our manufacturers, particularly on One Mommie Goodie,
are moms as well, so it works well for them too. Once in a while I
actually get a phone call on the work line, and if I can't get away, I
let it go to voicemail and call back as soon as I can, once I know the
kids are settled.
Jacki handles most questions by customers, which usually come by email. I
handle most of the product scheduling. Sometimes we realize we've been
dealing with the day-to-day details for too many days in a row and we
haven't stopped to talk "big picture." Then we schedule calls for those
"meetings" and we actually call each other on time, and buckle down to
business, discussing marketing, advertising, future plans. We definitely
juggle being partners and being friends, and have a good mix of both.
challenges
what they are | The hardest days are the ones when the kids are
sick or the site is suffering from technical issues. I do not like
things getting upset. I like my schedule to remain as is so I can get
everything done.
upside
all about growth | It's an exciting job with lots of potential for growth and personal development, and I get to do it while caring for my family!
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