Mompreneurs

Mothers finding ways to stay at home, make money

By ROY WAGGONER | Odessa America Online

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Cassandra Rhoudes has the best of both worlds: making money and spending time with her children.

She’s one of the "mompreneurs," women who start their own businesses to allow them more time at home.

"When I’m home, I’m taking care of the kids and husband, but when I go to a show, I get to be independent and feel good. It’s worth it," she said.

Rhoudes had always been a stay-at-home mother, but she had to find some way to help when her husband was injured more than a year-and-a-half ago. That’s when she started her own business making bows, her way of bringing in much-needed funding to the family.

"I started out wanting something my daughter would wear because everything was so expensive," she said. "It just kind of took off after that."

She typically travels to trade shows to sell her bows, but when she started she went to Wal-Mart and sold at least 100 bows in just three hours.

Her business background has now expanded to include selling Scentsy products, some clothing and Pampered Chef items.

She likes the Scentsy plug-in candle products because they are a turnkey system and seem to sell quickly, particularly with her own testimonial.

"I typically get migraines with smells, but this didn’t bother me at all. It’s great since you just plug them in anywhere," Rhoudes said.

More than 80 scents are in the Scentsy lineup, with a new one coming out every month.

"When I put a display out, I just can’t believe how fast it goes," she said.

But, the main benefit to working her businesses is how she can be with her kids at home.

"I enjoy being able to be at home while making things people can use. It’s nice not having a boss telling me what to do," she said.

Statistics from the Center for Women’s Business Research indicate that women are starting their own businesses at rates twice that of men, and 7.2 million companies as of 2008 were majority-owned by women.

Ruth Nieto has a 1-year-old daughter and sells Tupperware to help make ends meet. She recently put in her two weeks notice at a restaurant job to do the gig full-time.

"I really want to be with her right now. It’s better for me to spend time with her instead of taking her to grandma while I’m working," she said.

She said many people tell her they didn’t know Tupperware still existed.

"It slowly started selling and so many have told me they haven’t even heard of Tupperware in 30 years," Nieto said. "It’s great."

Internet sites like www.wahm.com abound, all with the intent of helping stay-at-home mothers learn how to start their own businesses just like Nieto and Rhoudes.

Husband Joe Rhoudes said he’s glad Cassandra found something she likes to do.

"It makes her happy, so I’m happy. It does help financially, but it’s rewarding for her also," he said.

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