Startup Jump-Starters
How did all these women learn to open up these businesses? Some are regulars at networking Web sites or have gained insights from new information sources, again, mostly started by moms. Lesley Spencer founded Home-Based Working Moms (www.hbwm.com) in 1995, which provides help on how to set up and succeed, as well as message boards where members can seek help, and exchange ideas and experiences.
Victoria Colligan, a mother of two children under three, started www.ladieswholaunch.com in 2002. It runs workshops for entrepreneurs in 11 locations around the country for its 25,000 members.
And with the aim of getting information into working mothers' hands, in 1998 Nancy Cleary created a book publisher for "mom writers" called Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing (www.wymacpublishing.com), named for her two sons, Wyatt and Mackenzie.