Monday Mumpreneur with Jenny Hicks

Every Monday we feature a mumpreneur just like you and me who’s ready and willing to open up their lives and their business to us. 

They share with us their motivation, their challenges and their proudest moments in business and they also tell us how they take time to nurture themselves.

If you’re looking for inspiration, then our featured business mums show you what’s possible.

This week's featured business started when two best friends couldn't bear the thought of being parted even though their lives were going in different directions. It just shows what we can achieve when love is our motivation.

Name:  Jenay “Jenny” Hicks

Website; www.tooscoopskids.com

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TooScoopsKids

Twitter: @tooscoopskids

Tell me about your children: 

Elijah, 9  - Straight A student, Loves Math and Basketball, very competitive, Great Big Brother - Kindest most compassionate kid I have ever met - my husband has nicknamed him “the greatest”

Nia, 3 - “the boss” very strong-minded and independent; loves everything girly. Adores everything about her big brother, the joy of our family - my husband has nicknamed her “boom” because of her very strong personality.

Where do you live? Atlanta, Georgia

PC or Mac?  Both! PC for my 9 to 5; Mac for TooScoopsKids

Tell us about your business:

TSK started with two best friends trying to find a way to incorporate their lives that understandably had moved in two separate directions. I (Jenny) am married with two children; Lysi is a single woman who loves to travel the world. Our goal was to infuse our love for each other, fashion, and our genuine desire to pursue our dreams into a fun business that would make us lots of money and help some people along the way.

Short Story: My best friend Lysi and I were having a rare lunch at Starbucks. We were catching up on our lives and discussing how unfortunate it is that we don’t get to see each other often because we love each other so much. This conversation of course segued into a discussion on cute clothes. Me being the mom that I am had to figure out how to make my kids the focal point of the conversation and so fittingly, we began to talk about how I can never get to the mall to get the kids clothes and then when I get there I can never find anything that I like. From that moment TooScoopsKids was born. We didn’t have the name yet but the idea of having a website that catered to the young, fashionable mom/woman was our objective. We wanted to provide innovative and relevant material that would enhance the quality of life of our audience and we have been successful in those efforts.

What motivated you to become a mumpreneur?

The thought of being able to chase our dreams, live a comfortable life, and pursue our passion has always been the motivation. Alysia and I are both fiercely independent. We love life and we love to explore new things. We enjoy meeting new people and embracing different perspectives. In our opinion the only job that will allow you the freedom to work towards goals is the one that you create yourself!!

What’s been your biggest challenge in business?

Time! I know most people would say money, but I think Alysia and I would disagree. Financial support would of course allow you us hire more people and implement more projects but Lysi and I would still have to have the time to manage and develop those people and projects. Our challenge is the time factor - who ever decided to only allow 24 hours in one day clearly was not a mumpreneur.

How have you overcome it?

Well I wouldn’t say that we have overcome it? We are managing it. I am a full time mom, wife, student and small business owner so clearly my plate is full. I just have to try to balance it all. My husband and I are always trying to figure out creative ways to make sure I have enough time to get TooScoops work done. Sometimes we are successful and sometimes we fail miserably! My partner Lysi quit her job a few months ago so that she can work for TooScoops Kids full time and that is probably the smartest decision we have made thus far. We have also been very successful in hiring young, talented additions to our team who are not focused on being paid handsomely just yet. They are more interested in growing with our company because they believe in our vision. We also have a phenomenal marketing coordinator that has been invaluable to our success---I must add that she is too my best friend of 10+ years!

What’s been your proudest business moment?

Honestly, I am not sure if I have had one “proudest moment” yet. We have had tons of “squealing at the top of our lungs moments,” such as when our first website launched, when our refreshed website launched, when we received our business cards, when we received our business license, when we received our first comment to one of our posts? I can go on and on for days!!

What’s your catchphrase or favourite quote?

What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail? ~ Dr. Robert H. Schuller

What do you do to relax or nurture yourself?

I love to just do nothing---lie on the bed, read a good book, watch a good movie with my son, let my little girl play in my hair or snuggle up under my husband. My family really calms me---they help to nurture and keep me focused. When I need to get a mommy break, I typically go and hang out with my besties! My best friends are like my sisters. They don’t judge and they love to have fun! We all especially love to eat which works for me!!

What was the last treat you bought for yourself?

The last treat I bought for myself was a bag of chips. I know most people would not consider that a treat, but I am like obsessed with chips!! What I have learned over the year is that my obsession with chips and my obsession with being a “Hott” mom does not mesh very well so I gave up chips!

Favourite colour:  Black

Favourite flowers

Rose---My grandmother lost her mother at a very young age and her mom’s name was Rose. She has roses all around her house so I kind of grew up loving roses.

What one piece of advice would you like to give to a new mumpreneur?

“If you want to be the best all you have to do is say it.” My husband tells me that all the time - I repeat it to myself during most of my challenging moments. When you have a dream you must pursue it with tenacity and determination. Failure is not an option.

Fancy sharing your story and becoming part of our wonderful supportive mumpreneur community? Drop me an email over on the contact page – and I’ll be in touch.   Or let me know in a comment below.