Interviews

YourOnRamp had a chance to speak with Michelle Jeong, Founder of Zooni.  Here's how she does it!

1.    What’s the best part about being a Mompreneur?

There are several huge upsides - FLEXIBILITY, ABILITY TO CONTROL YOUR OWN DESTINY, POTENTIAL REWARD, DOING SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND FEEL PASSIONATE BY, WORKING WITH THOSE YOU ENJOY AND RESPECT, ETC.

Lisa Orrel, Chief Chick, Chickonomics and author of Millennials Incorporated asked me to join her in an interview on her cool Chickopnomics podcast (see below).  I was of course flattered.   Lisa also attended our Launch event on 11/5/07.  Read her blog here.

Taking Control of Your Career: The Ins & Outs of On-Ramping & Off-Ramping
November 09, 2007 01:33PM

Andrea recently OnRamped to Lehman Brothers after taking 2 years off to spend with her baby.  Here's her story.

What made you decide to go back?
I had invested a lot in my education and career prior to having
children.  As time went by, and as my son developed from a baby to a
toddler, I had increasing anxiety about having stalled out
professionally.  I had several professional licenses that would expire
after 2 years of being out of the industry.  The thought of taking

Thinking about a new career direction? Not sure if you are ready to take the leap into a new industry? Meet Louisa Shields, Public School Administrator (former Management Consultant) and Bay Area mother of 3 young children.

Describe your career when you became a mom.
After my son was born, I returned to the same company,
Deloitte Consulting, and continued to pursue a partner
path in strategic management consulting. However, I
had also negotiated a three-day, no travel work

For those of you who missed hearing Sylvia in person, we asked Sylvia to respond to some of your key on-ramping questions.  Here are her answers.  We hope they inspire you!

Why are companies interested in hiring on-rampers, women in particular?

With Baby Boomers retiring, the war for talent is heating up. Women who are looking to return to the workplace are a key employee pool for employers.  They have the skills, drive and desire to be back working.

Boston-area based Colleen Peterson’s Etcetera Holiday Show kicks-off on Sept 25 and ends of Oct 7th. If women want to book an appointment all they need to do is send a note to myconsultant@etcetera.com or call 972-733-6503.  For women interested in exploring career opportunities with Etcetera please contact Director of Recruiting, Edie Dance at 850-484-8120 or edance@etcnyc.com


Colleen, how did you join ETCETERA?

Kristin's business evolved from freelance work.  Here's her story.

What’s the best part about being a Mompreneur? The best part is flexibility.  When the daycare is on vacation or he’s sick, I don’t need to ask for time off from work to stay home with my son.  Or when I was breastfeeding, I could work from home and have the caretaker bring him to me to feed and then go back to work.

We had the chance to speak with Emma Gilbey Keller, Author, The Comeback. Here's her story:

I had the opportunity to catch-up with Emily He and Shazia Makhdumi, Co-founders of ColorfulStories. They just launched their fabulous new site for creating personalized children's books.  Here's their story.

1.    What’s the best part about being an Entrepreneur/Mompreneur?  What’s the dark side?

We had a chance to check-in with Jamie and ask her about her career and family.  Here's her story.

How did you get started in fashion?
My family was more conventional in their style sense and I was "dragged" on monthly shopping trips to Saks Fifth Avenue. This proved frustrating at times, as I was not permitted to buy clothes considered “trendy.” So, I decided to make my own! I was inspired by my grandmother to learn to sew by hand, and later on a sewing machine that I received for my 13th birthday.