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August 2008
Meet Kathie Papera, Manhattan Beach, CA
MOTHER, WIFE, FRIEND, BUSINESS OWNER, AND REAL PERSON.
Here is her story ...
Eight years ago, after spending a small fortune on baby shower gifts I had a light bulb moment. I wanted to create an internet business that I could do from home to allow me to be here for the children I hoped to one day have. My background is in advertising and online marketing, so I wanted to find something that would allow me to utilize my experience and my creativity. I spent countless hours making and testing my first product (reversible baby bibs) at my kitchen table using a 25 year old sewing machine. I sold the first prototypes to friends and soon had a dozen orders. Within a few months, I could not keep up with the demand -- and didn't particularly like working until 3 am every night. After much prodding from friends and family, I quit my advertising job and pressed ahead with a business of my own -- and Lilypad Baby was born. I still do everything with my mom and we've recently sold to our 400th store and surpassed the 15,000th online order mark.
"I believe that every mom needs to put time in for themselves. You can't be good for everyone else if you're not good to yourself. "
Having a family and a desire to learn and share information, I launched a content-based family friendly website LilypadPlace.com. This allows me to offer great information about other moms (and dads) and helpful articles, new products, news, recipes, unique projects and more. I recently started a consulting business to help other "mompreneurs" launch their successful businesses -- but maybe more importantly -- learn from my mistakes!
Today, I still work from home and spend as much time as I can with my husband, two children, and our dog (the "Lily" of Lilypad Baby). I have been able to juggle all the roles with help from my family and a solid infrastructure within the business. Because I work from home, I make an effort every week to socialize and network. I have been with the same group of women in a dinner club for over nine years and for the past seven years I've been a part of a local philanthropy group raising funds for the needs of our community. I believe that every mom needs to put time in for themselves. You can't be good for everyone else if you're not good to yourself.
