This month, Startup Nation announced the winners of its “Leading Moms in Business” competition. The competition is in its second year, and it aims to recognize the outstanding entrepreneurial efforts of women who are raising a family and running a business at the same time. Congratulations to all of the winners – it is amazing what a diverse array of businesses they have created. What is also amazing (but not at all surprising) is how popular these Moms in Business are within their communities. The winners were selected by popular vote, and a total of 709,000 votes were received.
Who are these Leading Moms, and what do they do? The winner of the competition, Nina Rodecker, founded a very popular cotton candy company in Los Angeles. Yes, you heard me correctly, cotton candy. Nina’s entrepreneurial idea came to her in the form of a pregnancy craving for freshly made cotton candy. The rest is history. In three weeks, she had purchased a cotton candy cart and had gotten her business up and running. Her company, “Tasty Clouds Cotton Candy”, is now highly sought after for bookings in the Los Angeles area. I love cotton candy, and I think that it is wonderful that Nina has made a business out of something that is so much fun.
Some of the other Leading Moms were also inspired by their children when they started their businesses. Erin Krex started a nanny placement service when she was looking for a nanny and realized that all of the placement services in her area were no good. Other Leading Moms were motivated by a desire to contribute to social good, whether through designing gift bags for celebrity charity events or helping others work through issues of self-esteem via books and online classes. The environment is another big motivator for Leading Moms in Business, prompting some to develop eco-friendly products like Martha Van Inwegen’s Life Elements collection.
Whether you are thinking of starting a home-based business and are in need of some inspiration, or you just want to read some interesting success stories from moms who have made owning a business work for them, you should head over to Startup Nation and check out the 2010 Leading Moms in Business.