Hybrid Mom, a company launched in 2005 by New York Working Mom, Stacey Smith, arose from the recognition that working mothers wear many different hats and have many different roles that all blend together, including professional, entrepreneur, and -- to put it in a word -- "mom."
One unique aspect of the Hybrid Mom mission is the desire to help mom-owned businesses find resources to go from concept to reality. Hybrid Mom's on-line Marketplace is a forum in which mom-owned businesses can list for FREE.
In this interview, Hybrid Mom founder, Stacey Smith, explains how her concept evolved into a consulting business, and ultimately a magazine resource as well. Smith also discloses how she tries to "juggle it all" and gives the inside scoop on some special surprises scheduled for Hybrid Mom in October 2009.
What was the impetus for starting Hybrid Mom magazine? I had always been an entrepreneurial spirit, starting a handful of unsuccessful companies. I was never able to take those companies to a point where they would be successful, profitable or where they would make a true difference in the world. After my second business - Swap-its! – the handmade, stylish business card for kids, teens and moms (take a guess as to why that wasn’t successful!?) folded, I recognized that although Swap-its! was a good idea, I still was lacking many skill sets to make my company a success. I didn’t qualify myself as a salesperson. I certainly wasn’t good at pushing my concept and product into the market – and I saw that most, if not all, entrepreneurs were in the same boat. They had a great product or service but they lacked experience, in some capacity, to make the company a success. I looked to my circle of friends, many of whom were professional moms, turned stay-at-home moms. I had an ‘ex’ sales director, VP of marketing, creative director, PR consultant and TV producer. This amazing talent was in my own reach. Imagine what would happen if we could compile one central place for these experienced, educated, talented and willing moms to find projects that fit their abilities, enable them to stay connected and engaged to the ‘work’ world, make money from consulting, contribute financially to their household, support mom entrepreneurs and ultimately, the flexibility to accomplish all of this while caring for their children! The magazine came in 2007 to support the mission and provide an opportunity for increased exposure for our mom community.
You ask readers to log onto HybridMom.com and "declare" themselves a Hybrid Mom. When they do so, they have a number of opportunities to express themselves, including sharing their story. Have you been surprised by the stories? The stories have been amazing. Surprised? No. It’s unbelievable how inspiring all of our moms are. Their stories are all so similar regardless of their company, product or service.
Any stories that stand out for you? I wouldn’t feel comfortable speaking of one in particular, honestly. The majority of our mom members are all wonderful, have conquered through so much, perhaps at different scales or combated different/more obstacles – but they are all inspiring and deserve so much.
Tell me about Hybrid Mom's Marketplace. Is it correct that there is no fee to list one's company there? The marketplace is an opportunity for us to give more exposure to our mom members. There is no fee to put your company or product up there. A mom would simply need to ‘declare herself’ a Hybrid Mom and be a mom-owned business to post.
What about Hybrid Mom Consulting - when did that evolve and can you tell me more about it? The consulting division was the first division of Hybrid Mom. It came about because of the immense need for business owners to receive support and financially feasible services. Who better to provide the services to those moms, than their counterpart professional moms turned stay at home moms? Currently we support our mom entrepreneurs when they are looking for a business service. They describe their needs and we go to our database of over 2500 mom consultants to see who has the expertise and time to fulfill her needs. We also manage that project to make sure it is completed – on time and on budget.
Who came up with the great idea for the Hybrid Mom Holiday Gift Guide featuring products by Momtrepreneurs? When will that issue hit newstands? That would be Beth Smith, our remarkable Editor-in-Chief. The winter/holiday issue comes out 11/1.
You are yourself a "New York Working Mom"; what do you say when people ask how you juggle it all? I don’t know that I do. Luckily my husband is home with the kids so that helps immensely –as opposed to counting on a nanny or babysitter. He is now a very involved caretaker in all sense of the word. Cooking, cleaning and caring for the kids the majority of the time. I am extremely lucky that my office is 2 minutes from my home and the kids’ camp and school. So I pick up and/or drop off and try and get home for dinner most nights. It’s a challenge, but isn’t it for everyone? If I had to say one extremely important trait is, is to prioritize. This is a hard one. With managing a family and a business, time is the hardest commodity. Do not dedicate 100% of your time to your business each and every day. In the long run, it won’t work. Dedicate at least one FULL day a week for family – with limited access to your Blackberry or iPhone.
What’s new/next for Hybrid Mom? How long do you have?! We are constantly adding and enhancing the site in order to give more to our moms. We are extremely excited about our consulting and entrepreneur web-platform that is scheduled to launch in October ’09. Without giving too much away…it’s a community for moms to share knowledge and receive services! It’s going to rock!
For more information about how to submit a product for consideration in the Holiday Gift Guide, click here. Hurry - the dealine for submissions is September 21.
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