Business Women Who Went From Moms to Millionaires

Mothers have one of the most demanding jobs of all times. We are moms, wives, housekeepers, psychologists, and the list goes on. Many moms are fortunate enough to stay home with their children to raise them and often resign from a good paying job to do so. So what if you're a mom and could be not only the bread winners of the family, but millionaires? Well read on to find out how many mommas have transposed their every day experiences into million dollar ideas.

Jibbitz: Sherri Schmelzer, a stay-at-home mother, has three kids who love their Crocs shoes. In fact, Sherri's kids had so many Crocs that Sherri got the idea to decorate them with her children. Those decorations, made of clay and rhinestones, fit perfectly in the Crocs' holes and allowed children to personalize their Crocs. After seeing that this idea was such a hit with her children's' friends, Sherri took out a small home equity loan and started a small assembly line in her basement. Sherri sold her creations and gave numerous ones to friends. Soon the word got out and one day, one of Sherri's daughters was at the local pool when she was approached by a man, named Duke Hanson, who ironically was the founder of Crocs. As fate would have it, Duke got in touch with Sherri's family and offered to buy her idea for $10 million! For Sherri, her time, idea, and financial resources paid off and is now one of those lucky moms who are now rich. For you Jibbitz fans, there are over 1,100 types of Jibbitz available!

Converting Trash to Cash: Marsha Serlin, another stay-at-home mom, found herself divorced with two children and no way to support her family. Her car was repossessed and her home was in foreclosure. Out of sheer desperation she decided to look into converting scrap metal into cash after seeing a scrap metal truck at a gas station one day. In 1978, Marsha was so desperate and determined that she visited several junk yards to gather her scrap metal, despite being mocked and laughed at. She thought, 'if a man can do this, I can do this.' Her attitude is what made her prosper today, for Marsha now is the owner of United Scrap Metal. Her Illinois business makes a whopping $140 million dollars annually. It took Marsha 29 years of hard work and determination, but in the end she went from a mother to multimillionaire.

Down Home Cooking: Now famous, adorable Paula Dean tells of her journey to success in her autobiography 'It Ain't All About The Cookin'. Her story, like that of many mothers, reflects on good and bad times. Paula says that her rise to fame was not all that easy and that she often would put in 20 hours a day standing over her hot stove, coming up with recipes, and brown bagging lunches for people to sell. With only $200 and the help of her two sons, Paula began a catering business and was rather successful, though she realized that her meals were not aesthetically appealing. After years of hard work, Paula now has her own cooking show, two successful restaurants, and several books. Paula's cooking empire started at $200 and is now worth $20 million dollars!

These are just three mothers who took their ideas and passions and turned it into cash for their families. Now, not all you mothers out there will make millions from your ideas, but if you have one, how can you capitalize on it? Here are a few suggestions!

Make Your Idea Your Passion: If you look at the three women featured in this article, they all took an idea they were passionate about and capitalized on it through hard work and dedication to their families. Even Marsha, who knew little about the scrap metal business, put 29 years of herself into that business to make United Scrap Metal. Have fun while marketing your idea.

Money Should Be A Side Product: Yes, of course, money is our goal, but really that should be a by-product of our motivations. You never know what will sell today, so if you truly enjoy developing your idea, you will be much better off with a more positive mindset to go forward.

Patent Your Idea: If you feel strongly about selling your invention the you should seriously consider patenting your product. Patents protect your inventions from others profiting on them. Your ideas are yours, protect them accordingly.

Be Flexible: While we mommas may have a vision for our ideas, we have to understand that there are different directions and venues we have to take to put your idea out there to the public. After you patent your product, you may want to try internet sites like ebay or similar sites, go to flea markets, or create your own product hosting party. All of these options will allow to see if there is a potential market out there for you.

Test your marketplace: You never know if your idea will sell until you put it out there. Your friends, neighbors, family, even your children's friends can be a great indicator at how popular your invention or idea will be! You may have to give some merchandise away to see how prolific your potential sales will be. I found a wonderful website for all you mom inventors to check out.
http://www.mominventors.com/millionairemoms.htm
This website is a great resource as it allows us mothers to check out how to market our product and read testimonials of other successful moms.

The important thing to remember is that if you have an idea, whether you are a mom or not, do not be afraid to develop and expand on it. Enjoy your idea and have fun with it. You never know what will be the next big thing!