Mompreneurs - Stay at Home Powerhouses for Change

Mothers have always had the solutions and the know how to change the world and lately the business and philonthropic communities are taking notice. The term mompreneur, coined ten years ago by the founders of www.mompreneursonline.com, has come to mean more than a mother making money while staying at home to raise her children.

It can now be used to describe a woman whose invented a product that solves a health or safety issue for other mothers or a woman who heads a charitable organization. Cynthia Drasler, of Phoenix, Ariz., invented Organic Excellence hair and skin-care products because her daughter's skin was too sensitive for most products already on the market, thus helping other frustrated mothers and sensitive toddlers.

Mama Afrika offers gorgeous fair trade gift baskets, handmade basketry, traditional African clothing, jewlery, carvings, pottery, music, books as well as coffees, teas and chocolates. She provides income for African women by purchasing their products at fair prices and donates a portion of her profits to African relief efforts.

Women are providing services such as tutoring and coaching to other mothers. And some, like Laurie Zerga, teach our children culinary skills in a fun camp-like environment. There are doulas to help with the birth process and women who've invented products to make life as a stay-at-home mom easier. Take Julie Steele, for example, the inventor of the No Squeeze Juice Box. Anyone who's ever handed a child a juice box or packet knows what happens next...Squirt! Granted it's just a small inconvience in a world of gigantic problems but...it's one less frustration and one woman's effort to make life a little better for others.

I personally know a mother of six, who saw the need for a local writer's group that nutured new writers. Now she is the president of a non-profit group of sixty local writers, heads a successful, nationally known, yearly writer's conference and runs her own small press; all in an effort to help other people who share her love of the written word.

We all have inventions or helpful ideas floating around our frazzled mommy brains. Mompreneursonline and other sites like it give mothers the consolidated information and resources to make their ideas a reality. Mothers spend their days giving to and caring for the little people of the world. They problem solve, money manage, and delegate everyday...very much like a CEO or director of a small firm.

It's life affirming to see people taking notice of the efforts of mothers around the world. We have the abilty to successfully contribute to the finances our families, to bring people together in ways that support all involved, and a unique prespective of nurturance and resolve that can only make for a better more peaceful world.

Write down those ideas and sparks of inspiration and pursue the one that touches you the most! You never know how important they can become and what problem they might solve for another human being.