The Charlotte Observer [http://www.charlotteobserver.com] | Subscribe Weather Charlotte News Classifieds Coupons Home News Today's Buzz Pics Resources Giveaways Calendar Bloggers Plus digital subscription sign in JENNIE WONG Jennie Wong, Ph.D., is a nationally syndicated columnist and the creator of the product quiz website www.ABorC.com . • Email her . The next best thing to a friend with a boat is Cruzin This week’s “Ask the Mompreneur” features an interview with Jaclyn Baumgarten, CEO and founder of Cruzin, a new boater-to-boater rental service that’s basically Airbnb for boats. Cruzin is based in Florida, and their North Carolina and South Carolina options range from a 24’ powerboat at Lake Norman for $360 a day to a 40’ sailboat in Georgetown for $900 a day. Ask the Mompreneur What inspired you to st... More... Sep. 20, 2014 | Permalink Mompreneur tames child support payments This week’s “Ask the Mompreneur” features an interview with Sheri Atwood, founder of the new child support payment platform SupportPay. She recently raised $1.1 million dollars in venture capital funding from top angel investors including Draper Associates, Salesforce.com, Broadway Angels, and Aspect Ventures. Ask the Mompreneur How did your life story lead you to create SupportPay as a solution for managing child support p... More... Sep. 05, 2014 | Permalink Fixing teacher parent communications Mompreneur creates tool to stem the flood of school emails and flyers This week’s “Ask the Mompreneur” features an interview with Elena Krasnoperova, creator of an innovative new online tool for parent teacher communication , www.SchoolCircle.com. Ask the Mompreneur When did you realize that communication between teachers and parents was a problem that needed fixing? Elena Krasnoperova When my older son (now in 3rd grade) started kindergarten, I began receiving... More... Aug. 22, 2014 | Permalink 5 qualities of successful mompreneurs This week, we’re featuring a “Best of” Ask the Mompreneur. Question: I’ve been told that I would be “great at being my own boss." What attributes do you think make for a successful entrepreneur? Are women naturally better suited to be entrepreneurs because we're used to multitasking and moms even more so? Answer: The attributes of a successful entrepreneur are indeed similar to the... More... Aug. 09, 2014 | Permalink Making a community using Meetup This week’s “Ask the Mompreneur” features an interview with Jill Salzman, founder of The Founding Moms, a kid-friendly collective of monthly Meetups for mom entrepreneurs . Salzman is also a serial entrepreneur , podcaster , and TEDx speaker . Ask the Mompreneur I’m a big fan of Meetup.com and have used it to find existing events to help me learn and network. I’m fascinated by how you’ve used it t... More... Jul. 25, 2014 | Permalink Whats in a business name? This week’s “Ask the Mompreneur” features an interview with Cynthia Kellogg, gifting expert and the founder of the cash-gift registry GiftGather.com. (You can use GiftGather.com to set up a “fund” for your wedding/honeymoon, birthday, graduation, or other special event, or you can use it to collect funds from a group of people chipping in on a gift for someone.) Ask the Mompreneur Of the many challenges busines... More... Jul. 11, 2014 | Permalink 3 back-to-basics tools for your business This week’s “Ask the Mompreneur” features an interview with Gaye Esser, a life and business coach for moms and the founder of Redefine Balance . Ask the Mompreneur I’m a big believer in the power of fundamentals, versus anything fancy. I often see business owners get sucked into the latest trends or technologies and just generally making things too complicated. What advice do you have for a back-to-basics approa... More... Jun. 26, 2014 | Permalink 5 tips for marketing to moms This week’s “Ask the Mompreneur” features an interview with Samantha Kurtzman-Counter, President and co-founder of The Mother Company, which specializes in safety and social skills media for kids . Ask the Mompreneur A lot of companies would love to tap into the mom market, but your company really puts “by moms, for moms” at its very core, right down to the name. What advice do you have to folks like myself who ar... More... Jun. 13, 2014 | Permalink Master the 4 Ps of Branding This week's "Ask the Mompreneur" features an interview with Juan Garzón, a messaging strategist who helps creative entrepreneurs clarify their brand, communicate their value, and accelerate the growth of their business. He's also a startup mentor for both the Impact3 and RevTech Labs accelerator programs in Charlotte, NC. Ask the Mompreneur Whenever I hear about “branding,” it usually refers to some big company changing... More... May. 30, 2014 | Permalink But will it sell? Advice on product viability This week’s Ask the Mompreneur features an interview with Kwame Molden, who designs and sells unique wood watches for men. Molden is the co-founder of Springbreak Wood Watches . Ask the Mompreneur As the manufacturer and retailer of high-fashion wood watches, how did you determine if your unusual product would find buyers? What tactics did you use prior to making the investment in inventory and marketing? Kwam... More... May. 16, 2014 | Permalink Next Newsletter Sign up for our weekly Moms newsletter. Don't miss our great specials and deals on things to do, and places to go to. You can opt out at any time you wish. *Email: *Zip: *Gender Male Female Birthdate (MM/DD/YYYY) See A Sample Newsletter » Meet the Moms Admin Mandy Ravin is a mom of three who manages the MomsCharlotte site in between carpool drops-offs, soccer games, gymnastics meets, homework, laundry and trying to stay sane in the nutty world that is being a mom. Mandy can be reached at: mravin@charlotteobserver.com and welcomes your ideas, events, feedback, resources, and anything else that helps you be a happier mom. about us terms of service privacy policy about our ads copyright contact us