Meet Mom Entrepreneur Catherine Merritt of MUMZY (2014) crowdfunding platform.
“Be brave and believe you are greater than you ever could have imagined. To be an entrepreneur is hard but if you believe in yourself, your ideas, you can do amazing things. It may sound cliche but I believe that 100%.”
What does your business offer?
MUMZY is an all-encompassing site for moms to launch or grow their ideas. We provide a crowdfunding platform as well as resources in both raising capital and how to apply capital towards bringing a product to market. We are also building out an e-commerce component where moms can sell their goods to fellow moms.
Moms are our main target and we’re engaging with them through social media, through PR, digital ads, search, hosting events in local markets and speaking at mom and blogger conferences.
What was your AHA moment?
Had the idea and just went for it
How has PR and Marketing helped your business?
We did a blogger program that resulted in 27 million (all positive!) impressions of MUMZY, we were a trending hashtag on Twitter (#MUMZYMoms) and we even have a celebrity who is interested in being a co-founder with me!
What’s your greatest success to date?
Each time we speak with a mom who is unsure of her ideas and needs a little support and encouragement, that makes everything so worth it. Providing her with the confidence and tools to move forward with her ideas is why we built MUMZY and for each project we support and each mom we see take a leap towards bravery, we know we are on the right track.
What’s been challenging and how did you overcome it?
Launching a startup is not for the faint of heart. There are constantly hurdles, challenges and barriers, but I also think those are what make us stronger in the end. Launching and growing MUMZY while raising two little boys takes a lot of work, but I am learning more than ever and that keeps me going.
At the end of the day, I fully believe in what our mission is at MUMZY and to help and inspire other moms keeps me and our team moving forward. Knowing we can help make a difference in the lives of moms is what drives us every day!
What steps are you taking to achieve your goals?
We are live, working to raise investment, looking to grow the site, scale it, finding brands to partner with, finding mom entrepreneurs to feature on our blog and spreading the work on MUMZY every day!
What are your best tips on managing family and business?
It’s not easy but for me, it’s worth it. Less of a balance, more of a juggle. I work full time, but instead of just working hard, I work smart, so when I’m with my two boys, Teddy (6) and Archie (3), I’m present and fully with them.
What are your favorite tools and resources?
Wunderlist. If you don’t know it, now you do. You’re welcome! And I also love me some bad TV (hellooooo Real Housewives!) and a glass of wine when the kids go to bed!
If you could wave a magic wand right now, what would you wish for?
Well, we’re raising investment, so that would help! But to also have MUMZY known by moms all over the world would be amazing! If a mom was thinking about a Kickstarter or other site, we would love to have them post a campaign on MUMZY instead so we can share it with our awesome community of moms.
Where can readers go to learn more about you and your business?
www.mumzy.com
