Celebrating Mompreneurs: Why a Mom of 8 Children Became a Virtual Assistant
In this month’s blog series, we are celebrating mompreneurs. There was once a time when you wouldn’t dare mention you were a mom because you might not get hired. Or if your work performance was ever in question it could be blamed on being a mom. Moms just couldn’t seem to win or get ahead. Now being a mompreneur has become a bold statement and an ever bolder way of running a successful business!
In this week’s blog, we are featuring AVA CMO, Mimi Klosterman
Mimi Klosterman is a Certified Online Business Manager (OBM) and the owner of Your Virtual Services. She specializes in optimizing her clients’ business systems in the areas of operations, marketing, sales, metrics, and team management. Her goal is to have their businesses operating at the highest level of efficiency and productivity.
While working online, Mimi has been homeschooling her eight children (now five at home), cares for her elderly mother with dementia, and volunteers for the Civil Air Patrol where she trains cadets to be future leaders in their community, state, and nation.
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Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
We were homeschooling our children and I wanted to teach them how to run a business. Since I had never really done that before, I started researching how to have a business that I can do from home with children. After I found out about the virtual assistant industry, I thought I would give it a try. Eventually, I hired my children to work with my clients. They learned how to communicate with clients via email and invoice them for their work.
When did you first hear the term mompreneur? Did you immediately feel as though you were part of a like-minded community?
I don’t remember when I first heard the term mompreneur. Maybe 5 years ago? I didn’t think I was one because I thought you had to work full-time running a business from 9 to 5 while being a mom.
When was the first time you realized you were an entrepreneur/mompreneur?
I realized that being a mompreneur is running your business while trying to run your household which is not just working from 9 to 5. I would have to either wake up early to get work done before the kids got up or wait until they get to bed before I can work again.
What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about mompreneurs?
I think the biggest misconception is that mompreneurs are only into selling products like handmade crafts. Now with Amazon, Etsy, and other sites you can not only sell your own crafts, but you can create digital products, personalized gifts, and sell your services. There are a lot more opportunities to be a mompreneur.
A mom’s purse (handbag or backpack) is usually a treasure trove of whatever could possibly be needed. What are a few items you always keep stocked in your purse?
After having to carry backpacks/diaper bags for so many years, I currently don’t carry a purse. I just use my phone and the case that can only handle a few cards. When I do need to travel a little more than just around town, I bring my laptop bag which has accessories for my devices like USB cables, snacks, pens, and notepad.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. When did you hire your first virtual assistant?
I hired my first assistant about 4 years after I started my virtual assistant business. I actually shared a VA with two other colleagues of mine.
What advice would you give to someone who thinks they are not quite ready to hire a VA yet?
I would say to look at your business from all angles. There are different tasks a VA can help with, and maybe you’re not ready for a VA to be working with you all the time, and that’s okay. Perhaps you should start off with project work, and work with different VAs until you find one you like.
What’s the one thing that you could never go back to doing after hiring a VA?
Some of my marketing efforts like blog posts and social media.
What advice do you have for someone who is thinking about becoming a mompreneur? OR, if you could go back and tell yourself one thing when you first started your career, what would it be?
If you want to run a business with a newborn or young child, it’s going to be hard. But remember – when you run your own business, YOU call the shots. So if you need to adjust for your child, it’s really not a big deal. Usually, it’s a bigger deal in your head, than to your client. 🙂
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can connect with Mimi on:
Thank you so much for celebrating mompreneurs with us!
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