At 40, ‘mompreneur’ discovers cyberspace

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They say heaven knows ... so why not see what stars have in store for you today?

Instead, I found myself uncontrollably driven to start this new venture. I felt an intense desire, like nothing I’d felt in a long time, to go out on a limb, take a personal risk, and be comfortable with success or failure.

So, leveraging technology I didn’t even know existed, I found myself creating a blog, then a website, while at the same time fueling my passion for writing. My coaches: professionals who were half my age. Even those a quarter of my age knew more than I did at first.

“Mom, aren’t you a little old for Facebook?” my 10-year-old asked. Little did he know that I would soon be ten steps ahead of him. If nothing else.

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At worst, I was keeping up with the technology that defined my children’s universe, and, and at best, I was embarking on a mission to help other mothers.

I felt my journalism skills kick into high gear: writing, researching, links, statistics tracking, subscriptions, animated headlines, graphics research — it started fitting together like pieces in a puzzle. Finally, my first website was complete — I couldn’t believe the functionality that we were able to build into it.

“You did a great job, and I really appreciate all you did to go outside the box and make this what it is,” I told the designer. “I hope this site is something you’ll be proud of, because I certainly am.”

“Yeah, uh, thanks…” the web designer muttered humbly over the phone.

“I have one final question, and I hope this won’t offend you in any way,” I started. “How old are you?” He sounded so young, and having never met in person, I honestly had no idea.

“I’m 19.”

“You’re 19!?” I was sure I’d heard something wrong, but he couldn’t have said 90. Suddenly, it all clicked. The lingo, the laid back attitude, and quite frankly, the key to technology he gave me.

He was half my age and young enough to be my son, and he was one of the best teachers I’d ever had.

So we built it. I built it. But would anyone come? I felt like I’d cooked my best meal, put on my favorite party dress, and was waiting for the doorbell to ring. And ring it did …

I remember the first time I went to the visitor map, an online traffic counter with a map of the world displaying flags in each country where an “eyeball” had visited my site.

I shrieked.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?” asked my son, running into my office.

I was staring at the computer screen, flags popping up on the world map, one by one as the page loaded, showing visitor traffic to the site. Pop, pop, pop.

“Nothing, sweetie, everything’s okay, but someone just looked at my site from China! And England! And Iraq!”

I hadn’t even started my press campaign yet. So apparently the announcement I had sent to 160 friends and family was actually making its way around the world. It reminded me of an old shampoo commercial, “And she told two friends … and she told two friends … and so on, and so on.” I was awed by the simplicity and the sheer power of word of mouth — thousands and thousands of visitors in the first few weeks alone. I had read about the power of these new marketing tools, but now I was experiencing them for myself firsthand. I realized I was part of the “older generation” now, but I was catching up and would not be left behind. Technology was going to transform my dream into reality. It was going to connect me with women around the world.

I’ll never forget my first interview on FOX News. I was used to putting clients on TV and convincing nervous interviewees that it was really simple, that they shouldn’t be nervous. Now that I would be the one in front of the camera, I felt my heart racing, my palms sweating, my teeth clenching. I woke up every two hours the night before, paranoid that the alarm wouldn’t go off.

But it did … and the lack of sleep probably slowed me down a bit on air, which was good. My message — how to save time and money for moms — flowed naturally. Other than an unknown, very errant strand of hair in my face (despite a very long session with assorted gels, sprays, and my hairdryer), I made it through, and skipped to my car like a school girl just asked to the big dance.

And what a dance it is! I’ve met Mompreneurs from around the world, online and in person. I have shared the thrill of new ventures and the power of collaborative marketing like I’ve never experienced before. From a former TV reporter turned blogger/fiction novelist in my own home town to a nutritionist from Sydney, Australia, my network expands daily.

I feel new self-confidence and comfort in the technology that truly petrified me a year ago. These tools are like building blocks in my hi-tech playroom. I’ve become enthralled with the endless options that are only a click away, adding form and function to my websites. I find myself urging others to pursue the Cyberpath that has given me such incredible fulfillment in such a short period of time. I feel like I am learning, growing and serving in a way that feels wonderfully energizing. I am struck by what a difference a year can make, and am now wondering what next year will bring. Maybe I’ll even finally make time for those family photo albums.

Amy Kossoff Smith (41) is married in Maryland with three boys under the age of 11. She founded BusinessofMotherhood.com, a site that presents motherhood as a legitimate and valuable job, and provides tips and tactics to help moms manage their busy lives. Her blog has regular posts about topics of interest to the business of motherhood. An internationally recognized Mompreneur, she is a McClatchy-Tribune Wire columnist, with weekly columns appearing in newspapers and online nationwide. She runs Write Ideas, Inc., a public relations and promotions firm she founded in 1992. When she’s not working, she relishes a sweaty “Body Pump” class where breathing is mandatory.

Excerpted from “Knowing Pains: Women on Love, Sex and Work in Our 40s” edited by Molly Tracy Rosen. Text copyright (c) 2009 by Margaret Tracy Rosen, reprinted with permission from WingSpan Press. For more on the book, click here.

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At 40, ‘mompreneur’ discovers cyberspace