Self-employment

Today's moms renew pioneer entrepreneurial spirit

Back to the future

Mompreneurism may seem like a growing phenomenon, but the queen of mompreneurs, Kathryn Bechthold, doesn't necessarily agree.

P.J. HARSTON
[ 2007-08-02 ]

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P.J. HARSTON

Mompreneurs are defined as women who go into business for themselves after the birth of a child. Bechthold is a mother of a young girl and the creator of The Mompreneur Networking Group Inc. and The Mompreneur Magazine -- two intertwined businesses based in her Calgary home.

"I'm not sure it's a phenomenon," she says. "I think it's something that used to happen and then began a resurgence recently as technology and available resources made it easier for small- and medium-sized businesses to be started from home.

GRANDPARENTS


"I mean, think about it. When our grandparents first came to Canada, after having children they started home-based businesses. But it certainly wasn't something that happened a lot 20 or 30 years ago."

Statistics show that more women than ever are joining the ranks of the self-employed. During the past decade the number has climbed 18% to 876,600 in 2006, from 744,800 in 1996, according to Statistics Canada. And it's mostly women between the ages of 25 and 54.


For Bechthold, who has seen her business grow exponentially over the last two years and who previously ran a charity business for five years, being a mompreneur is about being a successful businessperson, being a better mom and helping others succeed in their businesses of choice.

NETWORKING


"It takes a lot of work to run your own business and it makes a big difference when you have 20,0000 women across North America learning from each other and learning from professionals," she says, referring to her hugely popular networking site www.themompreneur.com, where you can also subscribe to her online magazine.

Bechthold's networking group and magazine deal with everything from search engine optimization to marketing, sales and accounting -- and any other support and information you may need to help a business grow and succeed.

"I felt that if I could have afforded professional advice and resources available for my charity business, it would have done better," she says.

Now she offers that advice for free through her website and magazine, which make money through advertising.

And dadpreneurs can join the network, too. "Everybody's welcome," says Bechthold.



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