As Directors, we are all so proud to be part of “the dream team,” but being a “dream” comes with having a fabulous leader.  The President and Founder of Mommy Connections, Carol McBee, has been nominated for The Savvy Mom – Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award and we couldn’t be more proud!!  Congratulations on your nomination Carol!!

From http://momentrepreneur.savvymom.ca/

What inspired you to become a Mom Entrepreneur?

After graduating with her Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Texas at Arlington, Carol returned to her hometown of Edmonton with her husband and started her first business; Canadian Houses, a virtual tour and photography business working in the real estate sector. After running that business with her husband and working full time for the makers of COLD-fX as their Corporate Programs Manager, the McBee’s decided to start a family. After several years of struggling with infertility, the family FINALLY began with their daughter Madelyn. Experience in entrepreneurship, combined with desperation not to leave her daughter and return to the corporate world fueled the post-natal program idea. Originally it was supposed to be a small community program that would hopefully subsidize maternity leave benefits when they ended while also helping the family meet other local families. The Edmonton Journal heard about the program and conducted a series of short interviews in November 2008. Weeks went by without any contact from the journalists, nor any published articles, so on January 4, 2009, only a week before the first programs was supposed to begin, a full page story ran. The PR results were fantastic and in just a few short days, 67 moms and 68 babies (twins!) were in the basement of a community church eager to learn and connect. McBee suddenly realized then, that she had created something amazing that would enable her to be at home with her daughter as well as create an income. After such a long and agonizing process to finally have her miracle baby, McBee wasn’t about to sit in an office away from Madelyn for 60 hours a week. Inspiration often comes out of huge life changes and that is exactly how Mommy Connections was born long side Carol’s first daughter.

What will the $15,000 grand prize of cash and business advisory services allow your business to do?

We have two business priorities for the next 18 months – increase awareness about our programs, and therefore increase program registrations across all of our locations and expand to new territories across North America. We are hoping the prize would increase awareness and any monies awarded could go towards our PR budget.

Visit http://momentrepreneur.savvymom.ca to vote for Carol and Mommy Connections!!