:: Mompreneur Spotlight ::
Jill Starishevsky
New York, New York
# of children: 2
Ages: 5 and 3
Favorite Business Book: Donny Deutsch’s “The Big Idea, How to Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True From the Aha Moment to Your First Million”. I am a little biased of course as he mentions HowsMyNanny.com in the section of the book titled “Why Didn’t I Think of That?”
Favorite Family Book: “My Body Belongs to Me” by Jill Starishevsky. Again, a little biased here, but it truly is a book that can help keep children safe from child sexual abuse.
Favorite Quote: If you don’t shoot, you can’t score.
1. Which came first: the biz or the kid? My children came first and were likely the catalyst for starting my businesses. I created HowsMyNanny.com to enable parents to receive feedback on the care their children receive. I wrote “My Body Belongs to Me” when I discovered a scarcity of tools to aid parents in discussing good touch/bad touch with children.
2. What is your biggest productivity secret- the thing that helps you accomplish the most in your day? I have to create imaginary deadlines for myself because I work best under pressure. Give me a month to do something and it will never get done. Give me ten minutes and I’ll knock your socks off.
3. How well do you feel you are balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship? Any tips? I like to think I am balancing them well. My advice is to remind yourself that your children are priority one. Always. You don’t want to look back and say “If only..”
4. What was the tipping point for you when you realized you were truly an entrepreneur? After appearing on Good Morning America the day after we launched HowsMyNanny.com and soon after appearing on Donny Deutsch’s The Big Idea, I realized maybe I had something here.
5. What one word describes your purpose in your family, your biz and your life? Safety. I created a publishing company called Safety Star Media that seeks to provide materials that empower the safety star in all children. HowsMyNanny.com emanated from the desire to keep children safe when in the care of others. Moreover, in my home I am constantly utilizing teachable moments to impart the importance of safety to my own children.
6. Where do you find your greatest source of support for your goals in your family, business and life? Within myself. I have a true desire to succeed and nothing stops me. I picture my business and my book being successful and my family being happy and work hard to make those things happen.
7. What do you do to recharge your spiritual batteries? I laugh with my children. Sometimes when the work I deal with becomes too heavy to bear, I seek solace in the poems I write for baby showers and bridal showers. I get to share in the joy of those happy occasions and I turned it into a business called The Poem Lady. It is the perfect outlet for my creative side.
8. One thing you can’t live without: My date/life book. It keeps me organized and on track. With so much on my plate, it helps to have step-by-step instructions sometimes.
9. iPhone or Blackberry? Blackberry
10. Chocolate or Vanilla? I am swirl girl.
11. PC or Mac? Mac
12. Which do you do most often: Eat out, Order In or Cook it yourself? Cook it myself.
13. Who is your biggest supporter? My husband and my family without a doubt. They are behind me 100% and cheer me on along the way. With support like that, one can move mountains.
14. Who is your greatest inspiration? My greatest inspiration is Oprah Winfrey. Not only is she an example of grace under pressure, but she is someone who can take an important message and not just have it reach millions, but have it touch them in a way that changes them forever. To this I aspire.
15. What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?
Perhaps taking over for Chris Hansen on “To Catch a Predator” or hosting a television show of my own where I can work to keep children safe. In 2011, there will be some rather large shoes looking to be filled. Mine are a size 10 so I could be a contender.
Name of Business/es: Safety Star Media, HowsMyNanny.com and The Poem Lady
URL/s: http://www.MyBodyBelongstoMe.com, http://www.HowsMyNanny.com, http://www.thepoemlady.com
Twitter Name @SafetyStar
Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=my+body+belongs+to+me&init=quick#/page
s/My-Body-Belongs-to-Me/121318191793?ref=search&sid=1477283506.373957798
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