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.

Downsides – FINANCIAL INSTABILITY/UNCERTAINTY; LONG ,LONG, LONG HOURS; WORK NEVER ENDS AND/OR IT DOESN’T GET DONE UNLESS YOU DO IT.
 
2.    Tell me about your business.

Launched in 2007, Zooni is a San Francisco-based socially responsible children's accessories company. Zooni celebrates childhood with its hip, hand-crafted, luxurious hat designs that are guaranteed to turn heads!

We believe in fair trade, fair labor and audit our suppliers continuously. Furthermore, as a not-just-for-profit company, we donate a portion of our sales directly to local and international children’s charities.

3. Did you become an entrepreneur before or after you had kids?  What was the primary reason you started your own business and did being a mom play into your decision?

After over ten years in technology and prior to having children, I left to start my own consultancy focused on new venture launches.  It turns out that I LOVED working with entrepreneurs in helping bring the dream to successful reality! While being a mom didn’t play necessarily a role in becoming an entrepreneur, the launch of Zooni as a business was inspired by my children and niece/nephews.

 4. How important is networking to you?  Do you network more online or offline?

Networking is and will always be extremely valuable. Women tend to shy away from networking and admittedly, it is an area that I still can improve on. Also, women tend to network differently than men – less in your face and more supportive.  When it happens though, the impact is immensely powerful and empowering.

With 2 kids, I can’t leave the house enough to do a lot of “cocktail” networking. However, I do rely on email, phone conversations, and even “playground” meetings to network and keep in touch.

 5. Do you have a mentor and if so what value have they provided?

I have definitely had mentors in the past and continue to keep in touch with several of them. They have helped in many ways – as sounding boards, cheerleaders, challengers, and networkers. 

I am currently building my board of advisors and seek those that can mentor me on certain business aspects to help me grow my business.

 6. Are there any entrepreneur tools you wish you had better access to?

Like many, funding my working capital is always a big issue that I’d love to improve on. Also, as a women, I wish there were a directory of women-owned businesses in my sector that I can tap into to both support other women-led enterprises as well as to access for potential business deals.

 7. What has been your biggest challenge since launching your business? If your  best (mom) friend was going to take the dive and start her own business, what 3 tips would you give her?

Biggest Challenges:

1. Creating the right team with the right people;
2. Production – getting it right and on-time;
3. Sales/Marketing – expanding the Company’s reach, winning accounts and building a brand on a shoe-string budget

3 tips:

1. KNOW WHY YOU ARE STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS! Is it to make millions of dollars or is it spend more time with your kids. Knowing why you’re launching a business heavily dictates your future strategy and operations.
2. RUN THE NUMBERS BECAUSE IT’S ALL ABOUT CASH FLOW!!! Don’t just think of your $$$ sales but you must develop a 3-5 year forecast to map out expenses, capital investments, etc. 
3. Expect not to be paid and/or make a profit in the first 2 years AND expect to work harder than you ever have. Being an entrepreneur is all about risks, rewards, and LOTS of work.

8. Anything else you want to share?

I’m a big believer in sharing the “knowledge wealth”. Having launched several companies in technology, wellness, beauty and fashion, I’m happy to share what I know and exchange ideas. If any reader is interested, please email me at: michelle@zooniwear.com. If enough people are interested, I can organize a session or two on START-UPS 101.