A Home Business that Helps Busy Moms Juggle
 Business experts say the key to creating a successful business is to find a
need you can fill. That's exactly what Stephanie Vozza did when a tough day as a mom opened her eyes to a
lucrative, underserved market.
The idea for The Organized Parent started with a peanut butter sandwich. Vozza got a call from her son’s teacher
asking her to bring a sack lunch to school pronto because his class was going on a field trip and they would not be
in the cafeteria at lunchtime. After a frantic trip to the store for bread and assembling a sandwich in the car,
Vozza ran the lunch up to the school just as his class was boarding the bus.
"As I watched them pull away, I wondered: how did I juggle dozens of clients and deadlines
when I worked for a large public relations firm, but now that I was home with two small boys, and life should be
“simpler” I couldn’t remember to pack a lunch?" Vozza recalls.
"Like me, many mothers are waiting until their late 20s and 30s to have children. We’ve been in the workplace where
there are tools and standard practices to structure a workday. But when it comes to organizing your family life,
it’s every mom for herself!"
The Organized Parent, a Michigan based company, sells "Smart Products for Busy Moms.' This home business takes
techniques and tools used in the workplace and applies them to your home. Started in 2005 with just 12 products,
The Organized Parent offers more than 200 products today and has a growing team of sales consultants. The company
sells its products from its website, and through home shows, a division launched just last
year.
"The Organized Parent is not my first business," says Vozza. "I launched my first business when I was seven! I made
clay animals called “Steffi’s Stuff” and sold them at local craft stores. I have been a freelance writer and editor
for years. I guess being an entrepreneur is in my blood."
The company strives to find products that are not only functional, but also fashionable and stylish -- products
moms feel good carrying. Many products made for Moms feature covers bearing cartoonish, frazzled-looking
characters, Vozza says.
 "Many of my mom friends said they would never be comfortable carrying
these products out in the world, to a doctor's appointment, or to work," she said. "I made a commitment to
find products that would never speak down to mothers."
How This Home Business Mom Markets The Organized Parent?
With a background in PR and writing, Vozza regularly sends out press releases to writers with story ideas. In
addition to press releases, the company uses Google Adwords and advertises on Catalogs.com.
A lot of our customers are from word of mouth, Vozza says, adding that she also writes a monthly column called
"Secrets of The Organized Parent," which is syndicated in parenting publications across the country. The column is
a good source of referrals.
Customers receive a monthly newsletter filled with tips and ideas on streamlining their home life, along with
coupons codes promoting products. The Organized Parent's team of sales consultants offer to speak to moms groups on
the topic of organization. The company also works to partner its marketing efforts with other companies that serve
its same niche.
The result has been a company that is growing at a sustainable pace, although Vozza expects the next two years are
going to be aggressive growth years.
Vozza's Marketing Suggestions for Other Small Businesses
"I subscribe to PR Leads and have found this to be very valuable tool in connecting with the media as well as
learning what topics are hot right now," Vozza says. "I also believe in networking with other business owners. I
participate in several online message boards that are geared toward women entrepreneurs.
"I also am a member of Ladies Who Launch (opens in new window) and have met a group of amazing women here," she
continued. "We motivate and support each other. And when I feel like venting or throwing in the towel, I call
one of them and they turn me around in minutes!"
For any business trying to establish an online presence for the first time, Vozza recommends patience and
persistence. "It took me six months to start getting picked up by search engines," she says.
While the Internet is a necessary component of any business these days, Vozza says her company's most successful
strategy has been getting in front of moms groups. As a company, we are forming a network of mothers who share
ideas and tips. "We are proud to be at the steering wheel of such a helpful community."
by Marcia Ming -
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