In celebration of Mother’s Day, crowdfunding portal Indiegogo sat down with various “mom entrepreneurs” to discuss how they juggle motherhood while continuing to make products and organizations.
The global platform declared:
“This Mother’s Day, we’re going to do something different. Besides showing you all of the of cool stuff you can get for your mom on Indiegogo, we also want to showcase some of the amazing moms who have used Indiegogo to bring their ideas to life. We know that being an entrepreneur is hard under any circumstance, but juggling entrepreneurship with motherhood is especially impressive. Not only have these moms pushed through the exhaustion and endless diapers to make their dreams come true, but they have drawn inspiration from their children and their roles as mothers to make a difference.”
Staci Hartman and Robin Hauser Reynolds of CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap stated:
“Having daughters motivated us to look into the core reasons for the gender gap and digital divide in the tech industry. Daily, we are inspired by our kids’ determination, perseverance, and grit as they navigate the complexities of our educational system and our workplace culture as young adults. It’s an honor to be social entrepreneurs and to help create change through visual storytelling – we hope to have a small part in making a better world for our kids.”
Mina Yoo of Lulabop (formerly Qliplet) noted:
“Motherhood creates the ultimate environment for coming up with inventions, and this is because as moms, we have so much to manage. Besides kids and family, we may have work outside the home, hobbies and housework. Juggling all of these things makes us come up with solutions to make life easier or more convenient. My product was the result of realizing — after having my first baby and climbing Mt Rainier soon afterwards — that some of the biggest adventures in life require lugging a lot of stuff. So, I invented something to reduce my load and make it more convenient to enjoy these adventures.”
Stephanie Nguyen, one of Modern Milk’s founders, revealed:
“Our journey is all about motherhood! Becoming a mom changed my whole world and outlook on motherhood, which inspired me to create Modern Milk, a unique community concept centered around moms! Our amazing community of moms continues to grow and support each other, which makes this journey so rewarding!”
Jennifer Woodgate of cuddle+kind shared:
“Almost nine years ago when our son was born, I instantly felt more connected to other babies, other moms and the world. As a mom of three little ones, I firmly believe that all children should have enough food to eat and the opportunity to thrive. So, when our family watched a documentary on the devastating impact of childhood hunger on millions of children around the world, it truly broke my heart for both the children and their mothers. We were motivated to start cuddle+kind, a social business whose purpose is to help improve the lives of children and to make a difference by providing meals.
“On that day, the concept of 1 doll = 10 meals was born. Being a mother fundamentally fuels my passion for our cause, but it also helps me understand our supporters and create products that resonate. As a mom, I was searching for a stylish toy my child could love and cuddle, but that also had meaning. So, we wanted our dolls to be adorable and soft, but also handcrafted with love and help to support the women artisans who make them with a sustainable fair trade income. Having a gift that could give back and inspire conversations with our children about how they can help others and make a positive difference in the world was important to me. Ultimately, being a mom is at the heart of why we started cuddle+kind; it inspires us every day, and it’s why we provide 10 meals to help children in need for every doll we sell.”
Indiegogo then added:
“Chances are that in some way your mom is an entrepreneur too, or she helped you become one. This Mother’s Day, don’t just celebrate all the amazing things your mom has done for you, but think about the other things she has managed to do amidst play dates, headlice infestations and piles of dirty diapers. Happy Mother’s Day to the moms that use Indiegogo to fund their projects, to the moms that drove us to the extracurriculars where we made our first films or built our first circuit boards, and the moms who are backing campaigns to make strangers’ dreams come true.”