Welcome to the FamilyPreneur podcast! In this introductory episode, you will learn about me – and how this Podcast came to be!
I was entrepreneurial long before I was a mama. As a kid, I (along with my sister and the neighborhood kids) did the normal Lemonade stands and sold our old toys at garage sales.
I was raised in the entrepreneurial shadow of my dad. Growing up, he managed a movie theater in my hometown of Greece (a suburb of Rochester, NY) – but, I’ll be honest in that I thought he owned it! I saw the love and the passion he held for that theater and was practically raised within its walls. Both of my parents worked, and to keep expenses down, my sister and I would tag along with my father to work during school vacations.
We spent hours in his tiny office coloring on the printer paper that came in one big ream folded accordion style upon itself, with those perforated edges with holes down each side. We spent equally as much time watching movies from the back of the theaters or even from the projection room upstairs. When the theater was not open we’d run up and down the empty halls acting out scenes from our favorite movies and eating more popcorn in a week than most people would eat in a lifetime.
Over the course of his career with the theater, he had collected hundreds – if not thousands – of movie posters. After he lost his job, he monetized that passion and rented a store at the local mall selling those movie posters with 2 of his friends. And just like when he worked at the theater, I would head into the mall with him to man the shop and sell those movie posters to support our family.
My dad died, 2 days before I turned 12… so, these memories are all that remains of his entrepreneurial impact on my life, and it wasn’t until recently that I began exploring entrepreneurship with my children, which caused me to reflect on my upbringing and I realized the impact that my dad’s entrepreneurship had on me.
I took a traditional path in school. I graduated high school with above-average grades and went on to college as was expected. One area that always brought me frustration was trying to identify what I wanted to pursue in college – I always had a difficult time identifying what I was good at. Unlike some of the other kids at school – I wasnt REALLY good at art, or sports, or music. I wasn’t terrible at any of those things either. I’ve always been multi-passionate and “good enough” at just about anything I put my mind to. And because of that, I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do when I grew up.
It was in college that I launched my first business alongside a full time job. From that point on, I’d always hold some sort of “side hustle” alongside traditional employment.
Then, after the birth of my 3rd child (and a traumatic pregnancy that nearly took my life), I decided enough was enough and I was done punching a clock. This is when I really jumped with both feet into the world of entrepreneurship.
So, over the past 10+ years, I have dabbled in a wide range of entrepreneurial experiences including direct sales, affiliate marketing, and e-commerce. I had an ETSY shop and made crafts I sold at local craft shows. I sold on eBay and Craigslist. I bought into a franchise. I created service-based businesses. I tried all the things, some failed harder than others, but in every failure was a lesson and a pivot that led me to where I am today.
I took a brief return to traditional employment when I got a job at Facebook. It was there that I immersed myself in social media marketing – with a focus on Facebook of course – and that was the foundation for launching my marketing agency: EIEIO Marketing. I left Facebook in 2017, to better serve my family’s needs and to reignite the entrepreneurial spark inside of me.
EIEIO Marketing is currently the primary source of our household income, and I am also a blogger and editor for the national parenting resource, KidsOutAndAbout.com. My kids now range from 2-10 years old and they are very aware of how hard I work from the comfort of my home office, and they are personally very involved in my responsibilities with KidsOutAndAbout. They pose for photos and offer their input when I review products and services for the website. Then, last year, my eldest daughter expressed an interest in launching her own business
In an interview with Kailyn, we discuss:
- Why she decided to start a business
- How she decided what her business would be
- The role she plays in business operations
- The ways that she makes money
- How starting a business has impacted her at home AND at school
- Plus, her advice for anyone thinking of starting a business!
It was my daughter's desire to launch a business that made me really think about how my entrepreneurship is impacting her – and then, how my dad’s entrepreneurship impacted me.
This Podcast is the product of all of those things. It’s entrepreneurship meets family meets kid entrepreneurs – and the unique ways that those things all tie in together! Every week I interview a different guest who has light to shed on one of those topics. Through this Podcast, you will hear inspirational stories, learn actionable tips and tricks, and discover new people and businesses to help you grow your business and find better balance while strengthening your family.
I can already tell you that I have conducted some really great interviews with fantastic mamas (and I have a couple of dads and kids on deck as well!). It’s been a very valuable process for me, and I know that these interviews will provide you with a ton of value as well. I encourage you to subscribe to the Podcast, join the mailing list, and follow us across social media (so you don’t ever miss an interview).