A Home Business that Helps Busy Moms
Juggle
 Business experts say the key to creating a
successful business is to find a need you can fill. That's
exactly what Stephanie Vozza did when a tough day as a mom
opened her eyes to a lucrative, underserved market.
The idea for The Organized Parent started with a peanut butter
sandwich. Vozza got a call from her son’s teacher asking her to
bring a sack lunch to school pronto because his class was going
on a field trip and they would not be in the cafeteria at
lunchtime. After a frantic trip to the store for bread and
assembling a sandwich in the car, Vozza ran the lunch up to the
school just as his class was boarding the bus.
"As I watched them pull away, I wondered:
how did I juggle dozens of clients and deadlines when I worked
for a large public relations firm, but now that I was home with
two small boys, and life should be “simpler” I couldn’t
remember to pack a lunch?" Vozza recalls.
"Like me, many mothers are waiting until their late 20s and 30s
to have children. We’ve been in the workplace where there are
tools and standard practices to structure a workday. But when
it comes to organizing your family life, it’s every mom for
herself!"
The Organized Parent, a Michigan based company, sells "Smart
Products for Busy Moms.' This home business takes techniques
and tools used in the workplace and applies them to your home.
Started in 2005 with just 12 products, The Organized Parent
offers more than 200 products today and has a growing team of
sales consultants. The company sells its products from its
website, and
through home shows, a division launched just last year.
"The Organized Parent is not my first business," says Vozza. "I
launched my first business when I was seven! I made clay
animals called “Steffi’s Stuff” and sold them at local craft
stores. I have been a freelance writer and editor for years. I
guess being an entrepreneur is in my blood."
The company strives to find products that are not only
functional, but also fashionable and stylish -- products moms
feel good carrying. Many products made for Moms feature covers
bearing cartoonish, frazzled-looking characters, Vozza
says.
 "Many of my mom friends said they would never
be comfortable carrying these products out in the world,
to a doctor's appointment, or to work," she said. "I made
a commitment to find products that would never speak down
to mothers."
How This Home Business Mom Markets The Organized Parent?
With a background in PR and writing, Vozza regularly sends out
press releases to writers with story ideas. In addition to
press releases, the company uses Google Adwords and advertises
on Catalogs.com.
A lot of our customers are from word of mouth, Vozza says,
adding that she also writes a monthly column called "Secrets of
The Organized Parent," which is syndicated in parenting
publications across the country. The column is a good source of
referrals.
Customers receive a monthly newsletter filled with tips and
ideas on streamlining their home life, along with coupons codes
promoting products. The Organized Parent's team of sales
consultants offer to speak to moms groups on the topic of
organization. The company also works to partner its marketing
efforts with other companies that serve its same niche.
The result has been a company that is growing at a sustainable
pace, although Vozza expects the next two years are going to be
aggressive growth years.
Vozza's Marketing Suggestions for Other
Small Businesses
"I subscribe to PR Leads and have found this to be very
valuable tool in connecting with the media as well as learning
what topics are hot right now," Vozza says. "I also believe in
networking with other business owners. I participate in several
online message boards that are geared toward women
entrepreneurs.
"I also am a member of Ladies Who Launch (opens in new window)
and have met a group of amazing women here," she continued.
"We motivate and support each other. And when I feel like
venting or throwing in the towel, I call one of them and
they turn me around in minutes!"
For any business trying to establish an online presence for the
first time, Vozza recommends patience and persistence. "It took
me six months to start getting picked up by search engines,"
she says.
While the Internet is a necessary component of any business
these days, Vozza says her company's most successful strategy
has been getting in front of moms groups. As a company, we are
forming a network of mothers who share ideas and tips. "We are
proud to be at the steering wheel of such a helpful
community."
by Marcia Ming -
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