Skip to main content

Mompreneur? Mumpreneur?

Anyone out there using this phrase?

Truly not trying to step on toes here, but I'm not feeling the love with this coinage. Can't help but think of manure every time I hear it, and also hating the idea that this is a trend.

Moms more than anyone get that we are always entrepreneur-ing - - every time we literally start a new baby & me class, figure out a new situation to get some work crammed into a truncated day, or get "Laid Off" after our leaving the office at 5 pm to see a new child doesn't sit well with the powers that be — and yet refashion ourselves anyway.

We've been doing the "mompreneur" thing for decades. So why now do we need our own class of entreprenuer-ship? Why place ourselves in the "special" area along with female CEOs and single women who buy their own homes?

My opinion? We're just entrepreneurs. Phenomenal ones. Who happen to have a focus group that work for fruit snacks.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I agree with you 200%! I'm self-employed and don't consider myself any different than anyone else who goes into business for him or herself. I'm just a dedicated, driven, determined person who's sick and tired of being in a J.O.B. that doesn't reward me based on my personal skills and performance.
Manhattan Mama said…
Thank you Shelly!!! Anyone else?
Anonymous said…
Working Moms. They have been around for ever, whether for necessity or choice. Mompreneur - ugly word and mildly disparaging. Bin it!
Anonymous said…
Lauren, you make a great point. Somehow it seems belittling to create the female form of a title... and like you say, for doing something that isn't even new. Do you think sometimes these terms are created for ease of reference? But why do we feel the need to make reference to a person's gender -- unless, of course, you're identifying a new trend. People do grab onto these terms, though... maybe it's for a sense of belonging to a community?

Hmmm. Great food for thought. Thanks!
Teresa said…
I say, what's the harm in coining yourself a mompreneur, mommypreneur, fitpreneur, or entrepreneur? I believe there is a dynamic in "mompreneurs" that doesn't necessarily fit in any other entrepreneurial title. Women, moms, have more obstacles today than ever before...if they (myself included) want to call themselves mom or mommypreneurs, let them...us women entrepreneurs need to stick together and support each other in our efforts.

Popular posts from this blog

The Grim Reaper

Firstborn is obsessed with death. It started with the odd comment, such as; "Mummy, what happens when you die?" OK, I thought, I was expecting this at some point, what a cute little curious brain she has. So I trotted out all the cosy Heaven stuff and left out all the things that could worry her, such as worms and bones and holes in the ground. This went down pretty well, although somehow Firstborn made the jump from my view of Heaven (filled with love, joy, always warm, never rains, has a huge discount designer shoe outlet and I never have to pay my Visa bill) to her own view of Heaven; a wonderous place where small girls don't have to eat their vegetables before they're allowed pudding, and where Barbie dolls grow on trees. Anyway, I digress. Last week Firstborn started shouting "Kill! Kill!" in a bloodthirsty tone while bashing her hithero-beloved teddy against the wall. This was topped by her purposely flushing her favourite My Little Pony down the loo. ...

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

A friend recently emailed me to say that her big memory of her stay with us last year is that she had a great birthday, one of the few where she didn't 'act like a spoiled grumpy princess'. She tried to give me all the credit but as I explained to her, it was all down to having a fellow female organising the birthday fun rather than leaving it to her partner. Her email got me thinking about birthdays and how very different men and women are in their attitudes to celebrating special occasions. It also had me thinking about my birthday two years ago when I threw a major tantrum in the Carrefour car-park after being told that we were off to do the weekly shop, kids in tow, which was simply the final straw at the end of a very uninspiring day. In contrast, my birthday last year was rather lovely (a morning on my own in a spa with no mobile coverage, pure selfish bliss). This year - in a few short months, eek! - I'll be hitting the grand old age of 38. This will be my las...