Mommy moguls – how do they do it?

Words of wisdom from 10 highly effective business power-moms

Powerful entrepreneurs? The world is full of ‘em. Powerful mothers? If you grew up with a mom or have become one yourself, you are no doubt familiar with the special brand of power wielded from the womb (hello Tiger Mom!). Mix those personalities together and you’ll find a group of especially gifted women who manage to successfully combine child birthing and rearing with the launch and management of their own businesses – that’s right - the mompreneurs, as they are so commonly called.

Yes, for as long as there have been school bake sales, soccer team fundraising drives and Tupperware parties, moms have been naturally entrepreneurial in spirit. Perhaps it’s all those desperate late-night problem solving sessions required to stop a baby’s cries, the creative challenge of inventing Halloween costumes on the fly, or the intellectual agility required to simultaneously drive, meal plan and negotiate a shared custody agreement between four-year olds over a Buzz Lightyear doll that gives moms an edge in the start-up business world.

For many moms, a home-based business gives them the freedom to be closer to their kids and better able to juggle the often-conflicting demands of a career and family. For others, there are no boundaries as to how big their companies will grow. Indeed, many, many mommy moguls have become self-made millionaires – even billionaires.

In no particular order (except putting our Canadian mamas first, of course!), here are just a few examples of some of the most powerful – and financially successful - mompreneurs and mommy moguls on the planet, along with a small bit of “I hear ya!” wisdom from each.

1. Susan Niczowski, #2 Profit W100 Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs

   • Company revenue: $50-75 million
   • Industry: Retail Food
   • Title: President, Summer Fresh Salads
   • Kids: 1
   • Wisdom: “I have a great support team and am not afraid to ask for help when I need it…a happy mom has a happy family, and a happy business leader has a happy organization!”

2. Ann Kaplan, #13 Profit W100 Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs and National Post’s Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women

   • Company revenue: $15-25 million
   • Industry: Consumer Finance
   • Title: President & CEO, Medicard
   • Kids: 6 (yes, 6!)
   • Wisdom: “I believe sometimes we need to wear more than one hat. My children would say I am a mother; however, when I am at work, I am a business woman. It is not so much that I would like to be branded as one over the other; however, in business I would like to be thought of for what I have contributed to my field, rather than being able to juggle six children and a career.”

3. Sally Daub - #15 Profit W100 Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs and National Post’s Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women

   • Company revenue: $58 million
   • Industry: Technology – Semiconductors
   • Title: President and CEO, ViXS Systems
   • Kids: 2
   • Wisdom: “We started up in 2001, when the tech bubble burst, and I was trying to do a lot of the fundraising after 9/11, so we’ve always been very conservative and have had to swim against the flow…we don’t really try to look at what’s going on in the economy. We just try to focus on what’s going on with our customers and our products, and keep our heads down.”

4. Eveline Charles - #76 Profit W100 Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs

   • Revenue: $15-25 million
   • Industry: Salon and Spa
   • Title: President and CEO, Eveline Charles Salons and Spas
   • Kids: 2
   • Wisdom: “I hear lots of people that are talkers and dreamers out there. You know my biggest problem? I think I had way more to give when I was younger. I would say to that girl, ‘Dream bigger and make sure you walk your talk.’ The other thing that kept me on track was that I verbalize my goals. So if I’m going to do something, I’m going to tell you. And, trust me, because I am a person of my word, I will make it happen.”

5. Lakshmi Raj - #10 Profit W100 Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs and National Post’s Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women

   • Revenue: $15-25 million
   • Industry: Time and Expense Management Software
   • Title: Co-CEO, Replicon, Inc.
   • Kids: 2
   • Wisdom: “Don’t give up. When we were struggling to make ends meet at the start, it seemed very hard to just keep going. But keep at it, follow your vision and your heart. Even if you have short-term failure, surround yourself with people who provide encouragement and support. There are different paths to get to that bigger vision. If one has failed, try a different path.”

6. Tina Brown - #81 on Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Powerful Women

   • Company revenue: $159 million
   • Industry: Media/Publishing
   • Title: Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Beast and Newsweek
   • Kids: 2
   • Wisdom: “My kids are now at college…in some ways, I think it really took Newsweek and The Daily Beast to fill up that space that they left behind. When you’re just used to working incredibly hard with kids, once they leave, you suddenly realize that you have even more time to spend…I am a bit of workaholic, but I’ve always just loved my work. I love journalism, I love stories, I love working with writers and so, you know, it really is kind of 24/7 and I don’t resent it.”

7. J.K. Rowling - #61 on Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Powerful Women and #1140 on Forbes’ Billionaires list (pictured)

   • Net worth: over $1 billion
   • Industry: Young Adult Fiction
   • Title: Author
   • Kids: 3
   • Wisdom: “Some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”

8. Diane von Furstenberg - #91 on Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Powerful Women

   • Company revenue: $200 million
   • Industry: Retail Fashion
   • Title: CEO of Diane von Furstenberg Studio
   • Kids: 2
   • Wisdom: “All women are strong…It’s just that sometimes, because of a father or brother, or religion or an environment, they’re afraid to bring it out.”

9. Cher Wang - #20 Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Powerful Women

   • Company revenue: $9 billion
   • Industry: Smartphone Manufacturing
   • Title: Cofounder and Chair, HTC and VIA Technologies
   • Kids: 2
   • Wisdom: “I always have this imagination, something I want to use…I don’t understand the idea of leisure time.”

10. Zhang Xin, #48 on Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Powerful Women and #393 on Forbes Billionaires list

    • Net worth: $2.9 billion (and only 46 years old!)
    • Industry: Real Estate Development
    • Title: Cofounder and CEO, SOHO China
    • Kids: 2
    • Wisdom: “I don’t do evening business dinners and I don’t do weekends…On the weekends I do the usual parental things, going to the boys’ football tournaments or getting out for a hike along the Great Wall.”

Guts and glory

Whether your business is a one-woman show or a multi-national conglomerate, it takes an endless amount of energy, determination and guts to manage a business and a family. These mommy moguls have proven that even if everyday doesn’t go perfectly, they must be doing something right. Ladies, we salute you!

 

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