Although Being a Mompreneur Isn’t Easy, You Can Do It! with Nicole Henderson

Although Being a Mompreneur Isn’t Easy, You Can Do It! with Nicole Henderson

Welcome to this episode of The Determined Mom Show. I have the lovely Nicole Henderson from Cel Enterprises with me today, and she will share how it may not be easy to be a mom entrepreneur, but how you can do it. So welcome Nicole.

I’m very excited for you to be here. I would love for you, you are a mom entrepreneur obviously, and you also work with Mom per, so I would love for you to share with the audience what you do in your company and how you got into what you’re doing. 

I have a marketing and PR boutique. And I say boutique because I purposely keep it the size that it is so that I can manage all the things and I don’t wanna outpace growth, but we do everything from. Social media, content creation to communication strategy to media training. 

I worked for a Stinton corporation,  I spent my time there and cut my teeth there. And I did some time at an advertising agency, which was some of the best training that you could ever get, but ultimately opted to go out on my own. 

And I have enjoyed the ups and downs of doing that. There are ebbs and flows and have enjoyed that. But so I do that. I do that work for nonprofits, social justice organizations, and female entrepreneurs around the globe. 

That is awesome. I love how you said that you did some time in those two places because that’s literally what it feels like when you’re working there. I did some time and I finally got out and now I’m here. I’m free.

Yeah. I think that I will always tell somebody that wants to go into the world of marketing and PR that they should go into an agency. Especially one that’s a teaching agency.

I was fortunate enough to be in one that was willing to pour into all of us, everything they knew. I think that made for a great foundation. And corporate’s nice because the budgets are usually nice, so you get to. Learn on somebody else’s dime. 

Yeah, and it’s usually, yeah, like you said, a larger budget. So it’s not like you’re working with $200 for ad spend or something. You’re working with 8,000 or 20,000 or a hundred thousand.

Awesome. I love that, and I would love for you to talk to us about your mom, entrepreneur, part of that. Like how old are your kids, how? Old were they when you started that transition, from corporate into your business?

I have three kiddos. They are 21, 20, and eight. So we had a surprise, but I have always worked on some sort of project on the side, but officially stepped out on my own in 2012.

I was pregnant with my last one and decided to make the transition and kind of step out on faith with one main client.

And luckily it was a decent size client. It was supposed to last for one year, but it lasted for three, and it allowed me to get the foundation I needed to get things set up. I’m thankful for that. It could have ended in a year, which, still we would’ve made it work, but it was nice to have that consistent income to still utilize while bringing in other clients.

And that allows you to have that as you said, that base level and then you can worry about the new clients and nurturing in sales and all those things without having that sweating bullets feeling of Oh my goodness, what’s gonna happen? Like I just quit my job, All that stuff.

I love that. Awesome. What advice do you have for the moms out there that are kind of toying with the idea of either leaving corporate or maybe they wanna start their own business on the side, or, there are just so many challenges that do come with Mom pre so tell us what you’ve experienced, what your advice is, and all of those things? I would love to hear that.

I would definitely stay, start with the plan and be very specific about the numbers. Don’t shy away from these goals. This is the budget you have, but know that it’s not typically gonna work out like you plan, and don’t wait for perfection after you think through the initial plan.

I think the key is to just go for it because. You just, you’re, you look back and everybody I’ve talked to has looked back and been like, Why didn’t I start this sooner? I wasted so much time working in an environment that I wasn’t the happiest with making somebody else very wealthy, and so I plan, but then do it, right? 

That’s the thing, One of the things that we miss, because you can plan, like while your kids are playing and while you’re half distracted, you can get those thoughts out on paper, but then the implementation takes that focus and time that you actually have to sit down and do it.

And I find at least myself with kids, I have three kids as well. They’re always in and out and up and down and need something. So that’s where the implementation, I think, is the hardest part of that equation.

Yeah, and I think it would, it’s beneficial to phase it out. If I looked back on it, I might would’ve said, part one of the plan is going to happen during this time period and part two of the plan. And, it doesn’t have to be perfect, but at least it gives you some guideposts to save. Okay, I’m falling off. I’m not gonna meet this deadline.

What do I need to do to self-correct? And so at least it gives you some kind of parameters that it’s not just hanging out there in the wind. Because one of the things that entrepreneurs do is have to hold themselves accountable if they’re gonna get anything done. And so we have to be very insistent on trying to reach our own goals.

Yes, definitely. I love that. So what words of encouragement do you have for those women or maybe some kind of crazy story that happened, there are lots of things like that. Usually in entrepreneurship Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I just lived through that kind of moment.

I know for me it would be breastfeeding my daughter while on the phone with people trying to sell them insurance, like crazy stuff like that. Like I have a baby in my lap while I’m trying to talk to people on the phone. Like that for me was like, Oh my God, I’m so glad that I got through that and I lived, and yeah.

And I still had my first main client and they knew, but there would be times that we would be on the phone with Internal clients that were, a VP of a certain level that you didn’t really want the baby squealing out, but, it worked out. 

Luckily, she was a good baby and it worked out. The timing worked out and made it work, but I think that’s what we do as moms. We just make it work. 

Yeah, that’s very true. That’s probably the biggest part of mom per, Do you feel like because of the pandemic, anything about that situation has changed? Do you feel like that VP would be more understanding now or do you feel like there’s still gonna be that, like a taboo about that.

Yeah. I feel like it’s more acceptable now that there are kids and pets in the background and we’ve learned and adjusted that is okay. It’s rare now that I run into somebody that you feel like you don’t want to have that situation occur. 

I work in PR and so there may be times that we are live on air with a news outlet and now that is a time when I still don’t want,  a child to run through the background or even one of my older kids to, to run through when we may be live on air, can’t change that. 

Yeah, there’s that one. I think it was like a British newscaster that had his kids come into the room while he was on a newscast or something, and he was like, Oh my gosh. That was like, yes. That was so funny.

I felt his pain because even though, as much as you say I’m going on air, or I’m getting ready to record it just. Sometimes it happens. 

Yes, it does. And I know even when I ask my husband, I’m like, Okay, I already told the kids, but I’m telling you as well, I need them to stay out. And then like immediately, my daughter will be here within five minutes and I’m. Did you not hear that? I can’t remember if I said Yep, I definitely said that.

Yeah yep, I can. Oh yeah. But it’s funny. So do you have anything else that you would love to share with the audience about being a mom, or entrepreneur, and about why they should be able to do it, Why they can do it, and why they should believe in themselves?

I think that what you said there in the last part of your question is believing in yourself. I think the confidence aspect of it is what I’m seeing is hurting a lot of us as women to move forward. Just when I even think about it.

Pricing and how you determine the prices for your services and what you’re gonna charge and what you’re willing to walk away from because somebody’s not paying that rate. I think that you have to go into it with, I have earned this, I know this skill set and I am not willing to accept less than for my skills. 

And then just. Being flexible, like it’s okay for it not to be perfect. It’s okay for the social media post not to show you all made up, or the phone call to have the little one crying in the background, or like mine may run in and say, How do I do this assignment?

The imperfections, that is life and so we have to be okay with that, but still have the confidence to know. We have the skills and ability to do what it is we’re saying we’re gonna do. 

Yeah. Ooh, I love that. I love that. I think that’s a great reminder because if we don’t have that and all of those little things, like those little tiny moments of the baby being in the bouncer or breastfeeding or any of those things, like just can derail you, if you don’t stay consistent and have that attitude of confidence.

Absolutely it can all, it can take you off your game if you let it, but, I am here to tell other moms not to let that happen. Just keep moving. 

I love it. I love that message and I’m very excited that you were able to be here and talk to us about this. Do you have anything that you could share with the audience? Like any contact information, Like where’s the best place for everyone to reach you?

I think Instagram right now is the best place to reach out. It’s just sels, Instagram. It’s S as in Sam, E as in elephant, L as in Larry, S as in Sam. I am in Igl, e n t. We’re pretty responsive as far as the messages go.

We have a mom entrepreneur mastermind that we are working on in a couple of places around the globe. Because I’ve had women reach out and say, You all always have stuff in the US but you never bring it to some places around the globe. 

That information will be coming out soon on the locations that will be selected first.So Instagram is really the best place to reach out and see what we have going on. 

All right. That’s awesome. That sounds like a great opportunity. I love that.

Yes, it’s gonna be fun. Hopefully it is, small group, a somewhat small group of us women. Strategize, figure out what we need to grow our business and then hopefully, come out with some plans.

Thank you so much for being here, Nicole. I appreciate it and I appreciate you and all of the help that you provide for moms around the world.

Thank you so much for having me today. It’s been a pleasure to have this discussion. 

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