If you can be a Career Diva, then I can be an Mompreneur. Better yet, an Online WAH Mompreneur!

Regardless, Ms. Tahmincioglu posted the controversal and heated blog challenging the term Mompreneur - Mom Entrepreneurs Need To Get Over Themselves and as one of the original Work Online Mommies and now Mompreneur, I was "steamed up" for sure and wanted to share with you.

MY REPLY TO THE MOMPRENEUR BLOG:

It is acceptable to me. I know first hand what a process it was for some of us that came from combining 1998-99 "pay per programs" to becoming CEOs of women owned businesses, and it was as long of a process for many as it has been for the Internet to get to this web 2.0 / social networking stage.

The mompreneurs that market themselves as such were either the original online work at home moms or gained their inspirations from these mompreneurs.

Any business person should be accepting of any of these mom, dad, mommy or daddy type classifications & any good business man or woman should recognize that it is now the mompreneurs that influence a great portion of their market's success. None are of an inferior status to the other. We all work hard to balance family, networking and business.

Do you think because you have chosen NOT to market or credit yourself as such that you are any better than those who have? For some the word is actually a way of life. For some it is a marketing strategy to connect and work with other mothers. (It is a way of filtering stiff collar clients that are not accepting of the occasional interruption of a mompreneur's child.) For some it is a testimony to how they were able to become successful in their business goals so that they can share and help others ...

MEANWHILE, YOU HAVE A BLOG WHERE YOU CALL YOURSELF A "CAREER DIVA" (CareerDiva.net)???

Can we talk about how you deemed yourself worthy of that title?

Are you a Mompreneur or Entrepreneur? We would all like to know what you think of Ms. Tahmincioglu blog, as well as how you are making your business?

Here is my reply. Please be so kind as to tell us whether you are a Mompreneur or Entrepreneur in the comments area @ bottom of this page.

My name is Lea Charlton and I am a Mompreneur, Entrepreneur and Work At Home Mom. At this point in my career, I do not care which others refer to me as, but this was not always the case during my professional development. I began as a proud work at home mom (1998) and am now a proud Mompreneur. In between, I thought that I needed to retain the traditional "professionalism" by using the term Entrepreneur in order to establish relations within the corporate arenas. It took 5 years for me to understand that a great portion of my market were also Mompreneurs, Dadpreneurs and other talented Entrepreneurs. Some needed to transition out of the home office in order to protect their family structures and for business growth opportunities. On the other hand, I often communicate with them while in the home office ... So, what's the big deal? Whether we use Mompreneur or Entrepreneur is not just dependant upon our marketing strategy; for some, it is also how we identify ourselves. A progression, per say, and non-traditional contribution in this Web 2.0 era.

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Becoming a work at home mom has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. On the other hand, I have to admit that is was difficult becoming a Mompreneur opposed to working at home, though more beneficial for my children. As a Mompreneur, I am both accessible to my children, as well as building businesses that they can either assume or sell when I am no longer here for them. This is important to me. My boys have expressed that they would not want it any other way (especially my teenage son).

The picture above is of my oldest son and his best friend at Paint Ball (he is the boy on the right). He often reminds us that he remembers when I used to worked outside of the home. At that time, I did not drive nor did I have the quality work experience that I have now (the work experience that I basically developed while working from home opposed to some of the out of home jobs that I've had). It was sometimes the standard 9 to 5 grind schedule. There were also a few times when I could work a non-traditional job in order to accommodate my child. He often reminds my younger son "how much easier" he has it now that I work from home. Quite simply, we had a different way of life and he is somewhat angry about that. The change in daycare(s), schedules, finances and such, in comparison to the more laid back and consistent lifestyle that we now have, has contributed to sibling rivery and his passive aggressive manner towards his brother. All in all, the past 10 years have been a blessing for all of us and he is very happy to have me at home.

If you think about that for a second, you will understand my sentiment here: MY TEENAGE SON IS HAPPY TO HAVE ME HOME AND IN HIS LIFE - where some others cannot wait until they have more freedom.

If you would like to become a Mompreneur and / or work from home, please do not hesitate to email almcaffiliates@yahoo.com or call me at 412-567-7007, so that we can meet discuss options, tools and WAHM resources!