ML Interest Tag: make-money

This Genius Teen Basically Paid for a Year of College in 4 Days—by Clearing Snow

by Erica Loop

When it comes to clever ways for teens to make money, David Holston wins. The 18-year-old from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho came up with a genius idea during a trip to Seattle and it literally paid off—in a pretty big way!

When visiting his mother in a Seattle-area hospital, the landscaper and snow plow driver got a call from a friend. During the phone call, Holston’s bud suggested that he bring his snow plow to Seattle. And that’s exactly what the teen did.

photo: Skentophyte via Pixabay 

Holston listed his snow plow services on Craigslist and waited. The ad worked—because the teen got a job offer for $1,000! After driving his snow plow truck from Idaho to Washington, he got to work. (It probably didn’t hurt Holston’s budding snow plow-driving career that Seattle has been hit with record snowfall this February.)

So how much money did Holston net during his time in Seattle? During his four-day driving stint, the enterprising teen made a whopping $35,000! While some teens might party the money away, Holston plans to donate 20 percent of the profits to his church, buy lawn equipment and use the remainder to take a step into adulthood and buy his own house!

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: Filip Mroz via Unsplash

 

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15 Lucrative Career Paths for Parents Who Want to Work From Home

By Robin Williams

Raising children nowadays is tough! With the rising costs of raising a child the traditional “stay at home parent” role is becoming increasingly difficult to pull off financially. So, what do you do if you want to raise your kids at home and bring home the bacon?

It can be particularly tough for people who want to find a work from home job that actually pays, but a career… that’s another story!

More people are working from home these days than you may realize. There are a ton of rewarding careers out there that you can work from home but more importantly following your passion and earning income from things that make you happy are easier than ever with the internet, social media and online advertising…and quite frequently, they pay great!

It may be time to explore the exciting concept of life as a stay at home mom or stay at home dad check out these rewarding and gainful work from home careers below.

1. Freelance Writing

Freelance writing can be a great option for people who have strong imaginations. It doesn’t take a big financial commitment, either. If you have a laptop or desktop computer, you can be on your merry way. Consider blogging, too.

2. Graphic Design

Artistic talent can feel like a rare gem. It can also come in handy for people who want to work from the comfort of their own homes. Consider setting up a portfolio online with some examples of your graphic design work.

3. Life Coaching

Becoming a life coach can be a thrilling career path for people who know how to motivate others to take action. If you have insight to share about relationships, career, finance, spirituality and more, being a life coach may be right up your alley.

4. Dog Walking

Animal lovers may want to consider setting up dog walking businesses in their communities. If you have kids who adore dogs, then they may want to join in on the fun any time they’re around. Dog walking jobs can be excellent for people who are responsible, loving and committed to helping others and finding dogs to walk is simple!

5. Childcare

There are many lucrative careers out there for people who love being in the company of children. If you’re a responsible and hard-working individual who has a background working with kids, then you may want to think about starting a daycare or even just a babysitting business in the neighborhood. Parents can drop their children off at your home prior to going to work for the day.

6. Digital Marketing

If you have extensive SEO (Search Engine Optimization), content marketing and branding knowledge, then you should think about pursuing a career in the fast-paced digital marketing realm. You may even want to start a digital marketing consulting firm from home. You can give clients insight regarding website traffic, blogging, social media use, online reputation management and more.

7. Nutrition Specialist

People who have backgrounds in dietary matters may want to pursue vocations as nutrition specialists. If you’ve worked as a dietitian or as nutritionist in the past, you may be able to start a company that runs out of your own home. You can ask your clients to visit you for appointments in your home office.

8. Photography

Did you major in photography in college? Do you have an eye for beauty and for making your subjects look their best? If you do, it may be time to start a photography studio in your home. You can take nature photographs. You can even set up family portrait sessions if you wish.

9. Tutoring

It doesn’t matter if you’re a math genius. It doesn’t matter if you know a lot about science, either. You may be able to help youngsters by offering them tutoring sessions. You can spread the word about your tutoring services through social media as well. It can even help to set up a designated tutoring website.

10. Online Sales

There are so many online platforms that can empower people who wish to make money from home. You can easily establish an account with eBay, Etsy or a host of other options. You can sell anything your heart desires, too. If you’re crafty, you can try your hand at selling homemade jewelry pieces on Etsy. If you have a massive vintage record collection, you can try selling ones you no longer want on eBay as well.

11. Social Media Management

Are you savvy regarding Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn? If you are, a career as a social media manager may be right up your alley. You can help people take charge of Facebook postings, Twitter images and so much more.

12. Data Entry

Data entry positions can be excellent for people who are detail-oriented and who have meticulous typing skills. If you have an organized mind, you may want to get a full time or part time day entry job. There is a ton of data entry work this is easy money!

13. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants can aid companies with all sorts of basic daily tasks. Examples include data entry, answering phone calls and making appointments. Virtual assistants are another potential career with endless possibilities there is a ton of VA work available and dependable VA’s can be hard to come by so this leaves a great opening for people who are punctual and detail oriented to make a killing.

14. Bookkeeping

If you’re good with numbers and with keeping track of little details, you should look into work as a bookkeeper. This is a cut and dry career that has been paying great money forever and has excellent job security the only difference is now you can do it in your PJs.

15. Makeup Artist

People who know a lot about aesthetic matters may want to establish careers as makeup artists. If you know how to apply foundation like a champion, you can set up a beauty atelier in your bedroom, living room or residential office. Depending on who you work with and how good you are you can make a very comfortable living!

Working from Home as a Busy & Modern Parent

If you want to be a parent who is always there for your youngsters, then it may be time to look more seriously into working from home. Lucrative careers for stay at home moms and dads exist and there are all sorts of amazing pathways for people who want to work at home to try.

Design, writing, animal care, marketing and beyond: the sky is the limit! Now is your time to seize the day and being your new career from home journey. Raise your kids, earn income, be happy and live an extraordinary life.

Robin is a freelance writer and blogger for health, education, entertainment, home, and family niches. Robin lives in Los Angeles, CA and is the proud Father of one beautiful girl and husband to a wonderful Wife.

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Williams-Sonoma Is Hiring 3,500 Work-from-Home Jobs & Here’s How to Apply

by Erica Loop

Work-at-home jobs seem like the unicorn of job prospects, especially for parents. These jobs provide a degree of freedom that is awesomely appealing to moms and dads alike. So if you’re in the market for a new way to make money, you’re going to want to know about these work-from-home jobs at Williams-Sonoma.

According to FlexJobs, Williams-Sonoma is hiring 3,500 employees to work from home this fall. The beloved home decor brand is hiring short-term employees who will work from now through mid-November.

Photo: Clotee Pridgen Allochuku via Flickr

Along with earning extra cash while your kids are busy at school, you’ll also get another much-needed perk. Williams-Sonoma employees get a very generous 40 percent off merchandise discount. That means you’ll be totally set for holiday shopping—at least when it comes to all your home decor needs.

For what types of jobs is Williams-Sonoma hiring? The current round of work-from-home jobs up for grabs are customer service associates. Remote positions include a 30- to 50-hour work week, in addition to one weekend day, typically. The going rate? Williams-Sonoma customer service associates can make $12 per hour.

Photo: Bruno Cervera via Unsplash

Does this sound like a dream job? There is a catch: employees must live within 1.5 hours of a Williams-Sonoma Customer Care Center. You’ll also need a computer with a high-speed internet connection and a web camera, as live virtual interaction is required for the job.

Head on over to the Williams-Sonoma website for more information on applying.

—Erica Loop

 

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5 Fun Ways To Teach Your Kids about Entrepreneurship

By Michelle Laurey

Not all kids will be naturally curious or brave to start talking about business ideas. It’s something that a parent should teach and encourage.

Business can be fun like any game they play. And if they learn the rules of the business game, they’re that much closer to winning—and their venture will be all the more rewarding.

If your kids learn how can to think like little entrepreneurs and manage money at the early age, you will both benefit from that knowledge in the future.

First, explain entrepreneurship’s basics & benefits.

Doing business means making money. Having a few extra dollars that allow your child to buy toys or have money for school field trips is something they will find appealing. Teach your kids to think proactively and to ask themselves: “How can I afford it?” when they want to buy something. The question is formed to put your brain to creative work and finding applicable solutions.

Equally important to making money is a lesson on how to keep that money. There are various methods to save money that you can explore and pass onto your kids. Money management is one of the most valuable life’s lessons.

When asked where he learned about money, Warren Buffet said, “My dad was my greatest inspiration. He was my hero when I was 6 and he is still my hero now. He is an inspiration to me in every way. What I learned at an early age from him was to have the right habits early. Savings was an important lesson he taught.”

Even if your children seem uninterested in their own side hustles, there are a few fun ways you can use to plant a seed and provide them with basic financial and entrepreneurial education.

1. Cartoons

Many kids love TV time, so the opportunity for education is just a click away. There are quite a few money lessons they can learn while watching cartoons. For example, Elmo teaches money management and the importance of saving with his three jars. Give three jars to your child to do the same. Later, when they want to buy a toy, you can tell them to take the money out of their saving jar and let them personally pay for it at the store.

Warren Buffet’s Secret Millionaires Club is another cartoon that is aimed at teaching kids about money. Add a few cartoons like these into your child’s watching mix and talk about what the message is.

2. Games

Using games as educational methods is nothing new, as kids learn best when they are playing. No matter what type of the game is, you can leverage playtime to teach your little ones something about money, its value and running a business.

It may be a basic coin game, where you can use real coins, or draw values on the cardboard. Coin games teach the value of money and basic mathematics.

Another idea is to playing family board games like Monopoly or Payday, where you can monitor your child’s behavior and teach along. For more sophisticated methods, there are business simulation online games, where your child can play pretend and experience the perks and pitfalls of owning a business, like owning a Coffee Shop or running a Lemonade stand.

3. Books

When your child is old enough to read, you can add books to your teaching. There are plenty of books suitable for every age, that can make perfect gifts. Encourage your kid to read by setting an example or making reading your together time.

Books instill creativity, ideas,and a can-do attitude that may lead to a self-sufficient individual. If your child is a preschooler, try Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money. If you have teens, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens or The Coolest Startups in America might be a good fit.

4. Commission-based Allowance

Instead of giving your kids money just for breathing, you may teach them the value of money and how money needs to be earned by letting them work for their allowance. Like Santa’s little helpers, they get to assist you with the house chores, take care of their own living areas and make money out of it.

Consider giving them a basic allowance (like a basic salary) based on their age, and then add commission based on performance. Define the basic chores, then put commissioned ones and the amount they will earn from each chore on the chart.

Like in business, you may even give them a special bonus, if they do something extra or find something that needs to be fixed around the house. Letting your kids control their allowance like this should plant a seed for good habits, teach them responsibility and how they are not entitled to free money.

5. First Business Ventures

Earning their allowance may be the groundwork for your child’s entrepreneurial journey. When they realize they control the amount of money they make, maybe they will start to think of their own ways to make money.

In order to avoid the mistake that financial book author Robert Kiyosaki did when he literally went to make money by melting lead and producing coins, brainstorm ideas with your kids. Explore the options, as you know your child best: does it have artistic skills? Is it capable of assisting other kids in school? Having a sidewalk lemonade stand can be only one of their business ventures.

Here are some other ideas to consider:

  1. Tutor other kids for a fee.
  2. Resell candy, gum or soda: they can buy cheap with coupons and resell with a small profit margin.
  3. Sell their original art online, i.e., personalized greeting cards or photographs.
  4. Become a pet or baby sitter.
  5. Deliver newspapers.
  6. Sell their old things. They can sell their toys or clothes online or at a yard sale. They’ll make money and declutter their room!
  7. Design and sell their own jewelry.
  8. Help neighbors (fill-a-need).

It’s never too early to adopt useful habits and valuable life lessons. Whatever ways you go or tools you use, you can instill so much knowledge in your children and make them believe in themselves.

Encourage your little ones to try their best. No matter what happens with their business, even if it doesn’t turn out as planned, tell your young ones to consider that experience as an investment in themselves.

Michelle is a freelance writer at Assignyourwriter. She loves to learn new stuff and share life's experiences with others. Besides being in love with her keyboard, she also loves reading self-improvement books. When at home, she enjoys her tea collection and cuddles with her cat Momo.

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These Kids Are Making 6-Figure Salaries in Their Own Backyards (Literally)

by Erica Loop

photo: Pexels

A teenager having an after-school job? Umm, that’s not exactly breaking news. But a teenager having an after-school job that lands them a six-figure (yes, six-figure) salary kind of is. High school students RJ Duarte and Owen Johnson are making the type of money that many adults never see — and they’re having fun while doing it.

Duarte, who is now 17-years-old, started his career years ago. At age six or seven, the now-high school senior started mowing lawns with his big brother. Little did he know that a decade later he’d be running his own super-successful landscaping company. Green Worx, Duarte and Johnson’s brainchild, does what just about every other landscape company does. They cut grass, plant flowers, clean-up yards and remove snow (in the winter, of course).

The two boys started working together in middle school, when Duarte’s burgeoning lawn care company really started taking off. After realizing that he had more clients than he could handle by himself, the then-middle schooler started working with his friend and classmate Owen Johnson.

Green Worx has gone well beyond two kids, a mower and a few kindly neighbors who pay them in quarters to clean up their yards. The company is set to rake in over $100,000 this year. Not only are they bringing in the big bucks, but these high schoolers are now giving other kids a chance to make money. They’ve hired fellow students, paying them $10 an hour. This is more than the $9.30 minimum wage in Duarte and Johnson’s home state of Colorado.

With clients such as a golf course and a water park, the boys sometimes need to wake up at 2:30 a.m., just to work and go to school. It looks like the hard work is paying off. Along with the profits-a-plenty that they’re seeing, Duarte also won $1,000, for being a young entrepreneur, from Young Americans Bank.

Does your child have his or her own business plan? Tell us in the comments below.

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Teen-preneurs! These Sisters Are Making Their Own Fizzy Bath Bombs

by Erica Loop

Once upon a time kids set up roadside lemonade stands and had paper routes (back when the news was in print and not online) to make money. But now, the possibilities seem limitless. And two sisters are taking advantage of the fact that even kids can create their own destinies — and their own businesses! Isabel and Caroline Bercaw are teenage sisters who are taking the bath bomb business by storm. Check out the sister’s superstar story.

photo: Target.com

When the Bercaw sisters were 10 and 11 they started making bath bombs in their Minneapolis basement. With the ginormous amount of DIY info out there, it’s no wonder that girls like these two got to work and made their own bath and beauty products. Well, the sisters didn’t stop there.

They saw a problem with most of the bath bombs they’d tried. And they wanted to solve it. While most of the supposedly fizzy bombs stopped working too soon, Isabel and Caroline devised a way to keep their bath products working for a much longer time (even after the bath ended). Oh, and they added a themed surprise inside.

Naming their line Da Bomb Bath Fizzers, the sisters launched their products at mega-retailer Target. Whoa! Not only are the girls enjoying major product growth with increasing sales, but they’re also giving back. Sales from the “Earth Bomb” fizzer are going to eco-organizations that help the planet.

What do you think about these teen-preneneurs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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They Grow So Fast: What To Do With Baby’s Outgrown Clothing

by Sarah Blight

One minute she’s wearing 3-6 months and the next, she’s already outgrown 9-12 months. Keeping up with your babies’ seemingly never-ending growth spurts in an organized way, figuring out what to do with all of babies’ outgrown clothes, can feel overwhelming. Here, we’ve compiled some ideas on how you can effectively and easily deal with all those clothes while positively impacting those around you.

Photo: Andres Rodriguez via Flickr

Hand Them Down

The first thing that comes to mind is giving your clothes to another sibling or family member. Recipients of hand-me-downs are usually super excited and grateful to be given such an amazing gift. It saves lots of money and it’s also fun to see favorite outfits on your other kids or nieces and nephews.

A couple tips for hand-me-downs:

1. Save only the clothes that are in great condition. Check out each piece and figure out if it’s worth saving. Is it stained beyond repair? Does it have holes in it? If so, then put them in a separate pile to recycle (which we’ll cover next).

2. Wash everything you decide to keep. You want to make sure any odor or stains don’t attract bugs or other creepy crawlies while they’re being stored.

3. Stay organized with your storage. Whether you choose plastic bins, or the oversize ziplock bags that you can suck the air out of, keep like items and same sizes together and then label them.

4. Keep your clothes smelling fresh. Before you pack the clothes away, stick a few dryer sheets in to keep all those sweet baby outfits smelling fresh and clean.

Photo: Wastebusters via Flickr

Recycle

It can be tempting to just throw clothes away that no longer have a usable life. But experts estimate that the average American throws away 65 pounds of clothing per year, most of which end up in landfills. So what can be done with all those clothes? Recycle them!

There are many for profit and non-profit clothes recycling companies in existence. One of the easiest options is to simply stop by your local H&M clothing store (usually found in malls) and drop off your used, any condition, any style or brand clothing to their “No Garment Goes to Waste Collection.”  Those items will find new life as cleaning cloths, insulation or textile fibers.

Photo: Mark Pilgrim via Flickr

Donate Them

It can be downright exhausting to manage all the clothing that our littles outgrow so quickly, and if you don’t have the time, or desire to sort, wash and store all of them, donating is another great option with several different avenues you can explore.

Freecycle: Similar to recycling, freecycling involves finding people who would really love what you have to give away. The website freecycle.org matches people in your area with free stuff. A great option when you have baby clothes that you’d like to pass on to others for free and don’t mind a little bit of work to connect to others who would directly benefit from your items.

Schoola: You can now donate your gently used items while raising money for your favorite school! It’s called Schoola. All you have to do is log on to their website, request a pre-paid bag, fill it up with your clothes, drop it in the mail and start raising cash for the school of your choice.

Local Thrift Store: If you’re into donating clothes, your local thrift stores are also a great option. Most of them have easy drop off locations where you can leave your items and even get a tax write-off in return, if you so desire.

Photo: Jonathan Rolande via Flickr

Sell Them

We all have our favorite outfits that are just plain hard to give away or donate. It’s nice to make money on all those clothes that we swooned over when we first had our baby. If this is your predicament, and you don’t mind a little extra work to make back your hard-earned money, then selling them is right down your alley and you have a few options.

Resale: Stores like Once Upon a Child are resale stores which means you bring in all your stuff (washed) and they pick out the items they’d like to buy from you. The nice part about resale is that they give you cash on the spot. The downside is that they can be quite picky about what they’ll accept. To find a resale shop near you, simply Google “children’s resale store.”

Consignment: This idea is similar to resale, except the store doesn’t pay you until they sell the item. There are children’s consignment stores all over the place in brick and mortar locations as well as online consignment stores like threadup.com. It pays to have your items in pristine condition as well as keep track of when they expire at the store so you can go and pick them up. It takes a bit of extra work, but it could pay off!

Tag sale. The good ole tag sale is the final way you can sell your baby’s outgrown clothes. Washing the items and organizing them is necessary and pricing them to sell (or being negotiable) will help you get rid of them all, while making some cash. It’s also a great time to throw in other baby items you no longer use. A helpful tip is to post your garage sale on craigslist.com with a picture of some of the items you will be selling. This is sure to whet the appetite of shoppers who are specifically looking for baby items.

Now that you have lots of ideas to get you started, what will you decide to do with your baby’s outgrown clothes? Please share your ideas below.

-Sarah Blight

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It’s Raining Power Moms in Portland

by Gabby Cullen

Portland is home to a very rainy season, extremely green flora and down-to-earth women who are rockin’ the business world on all fronts. We’re giving major props to moms who are kicking booty and taking names, whether it be in all-man’s-land of technical innovation, the world of words, film, party planning and much more. Join us in throwing up the confetti in honor of these mamas who are pushing the envelope, bringing their brainstorms to life in one hand and raising families in the other.

Asha Dornfest    

Author and Founder of Parent Hacks     

This longtime writer became a hack once her son was born. What’s a hack you ask? Sort of an expert, which, in becoming a parent, we moms become almost by accident. Her award-winning site, Parent Hacks, shares “forehead-smackingly smart” parenting tips. She is also the co-author of Minimalist Parenting: Enjoy Modern Family Life More by Doing Less with Christine Koh, to be published by Bibliomotion in March, 2013. She believes in big ideas and that being silly is totally okay. Asha lives in Portland with her husband and two kids.

Krista Colvin

Lifestyle Expert and The Shebang! Creator


This chica has got her ducks in a row! She’s the Organized Lifestyle Expert for AM Northwest, Portland’s one and only morning show, and the creator of The Shebang! [the smart woman’s pocket guide to doing it all], an idea brought to light by her seeing clients overwhelmed and her serious attempts at beating the pile of laundry in her own home.  She’s a self described social media nerd and all around too much coffee drinkin’ sassy mama. Krista recently went to battle with breast cancer and won, having, as she states “put on her big girl panties.”

Marlynn Schotland

Founder, Urban Bliss


This Power Mom means business and by business meaning her own, Urban Bliss, a communications strategy and graphic design firm based in Portland. She is also an original mompreneur supporter, having  founded over one of the earliest mom entrepreneur networks in the Pacific NW, The Power MOB (Mom-Owned Businesses), a go-to source  for local mom-owned businesses. She started the new year off with a bang and launched 365 Days of Social Media a 12 part series of ebooks in January 2013.  Living is creative life out loud is one of her mantras and she could quite possibly be one of the Beastie Boys biggest fans.

Karen Beninati

Founder, WeVillage


Try being a single parent, working full time in the realm of production with no family support and see how challenging every day can be. Well Karen was doing all of the above when she founded WeVillage, an interactive but super-certified Drop In daycare for busy parents and playful kiddies. Her hope was to create a nurturing community and by working with other local businesses, she’s managed to bring her visions to reality. Find Karen behind the scenes at either WeVillage locations, one in The Pearl and the other in Orenco, she’ll give you the lowdown and a big welcome.

Irene Taylor Brodsky

Writer, Director, Producer


This story-telling mama has many of her own. She is the writer, director and producer of the award-winning documentary, Hear and Now, a shout-out to the love and determination of her parents, both born deaf. Recent film, Saving Pelican 895, follows the story of one lucky bird trying to survive the BP oil spill. Irene cut her chops in the darkrooms of still photography before moving into the realm of movie making and after her husband was offered a job in Portland, they left the concrete jungle of New York for the west coast. She loves hiking in the Oregon woods near her fantastically restored Victorian-era home.

Jenelle Isaacson

Owner, Living Room Realtors


Looking to purchase a home, sell a home, get advice on greening up the home or installing renewable energy sources? You’re gonna want to go see Jenelle. With a first love of textiles and architecture, she’s taken her firm, Living Room Realtors to the next level of cool when dealing with property. Major props include being a recipient of Portland Business Journal’s 2012 Forty under 40 awards. When she’s not plugging away at work, find her swimming, skiing, and creating the perfect playlist.

Mindee Doney

Author and Founder of Juicebox Consulting


One of the original The Boogie Moms®, Mindee spent years in marketing before her brainchild, those handy-dandy boogie wipes for little runny noses, hit the market. Mindee left the company after the sale in 2010 and started her own consulting firm, Juicebox Consulting.  Her book, Get your Own Juicebox – Confident Moms raising Capable Kids, hit the shelves in May, 2012. She lives in Beaverton, Oregon with her husband, John, and three children, Aidan, Avree, and Austin.

Jennifer Fuentes

Founder, Milagros Boutique


This mama of two opened Milagros Boutique in the Concordia hood of Portland in 2004. Wanting to create a shop where she herself would like to be, Jennifer stocks the items with  every eco-friendly product a family could need . From breastfeeding supplies to cloth diapers and baby carriers, you can look and find the very thing to help your mama journey get much smoother. Milagros, meaning miracle in Spanish, serves the community not only through their product selections, but also by providing a community events center that draws parents and children for classes and playdates. Coolest aspect of the boutique? There is a play area equipped with toys, books, and a rocking chair. Jennifer lives with Tony, son Gael and daughter Mila in Portland.

Kimberley Graham-Nye

Founder, gDiapers


This mama from down under was on her own search for an alternative to disposable or cloth diapers when she discovered an itty, bitty company making a flushable, disposable diaper. She knew she probably wasn’t the only mom looking for a green, eco-friendly diaper and gDiapers was born! Kimberley and her husband Jason brought the concept and the start up company to the United States from Australia and it’s been catching the eyes of other green mamas and covering the bums of little babies ever since. She loves adventure and chatting it up is one of her best attributes, which most definitely comes in handy when being a mompreneur! Kim, Jason and their two boys now live in Portland.

Amy Childs

Owner, One Divine Party


Describing herself as a dreamer and in love with details of all things pretty, One Divine Party owner Amy Child is your go-to gal for all things fabulous. Her company will make any event that much sweeter, with the finest details from triple chocolate cake bites to delightful table arrangements. Although her specialty is in dessert tables Amy will bring her unique vision to other events as well. Before starting One Divine Party Amy was a freelancer for makeup guru Bobbi Brown. She loves fashion and loves her two fantastic, boys, Jalen and Jonah.

Lisa Komer

Founder, Fancy That


This power mom knows how to party! Or at least, get your party started in the right way. With her super cool line of party announcements, party decorating packages like the princess collection or the cowboy collection, cool cupcake toppers and more, there isn’t much missing from Fancy That. Lisa founded the company after spending years helping friends with party invites. Lucky for us moms on the go, we can look like a hostess with the mostest, just by selecting a few items from her first one-stop shop, which opened in 2012.  Mom to Jack and Samantha, Lisa and her family live in Portland.

Cheryl Strayed

Author


This mama proves to the rest of us gals we can do just about anything!  Her #1 New York Times best-selling novel, WILD recounts her amazing 1100 mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to Washington state. She is the author of not only WILD but also, TORCH and TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS which is a collection of her time spent as the author of the Dear Sugar online advice column on TheRumpus. Her memoirs caught the eye of media giant and super-power Oprah Winfrey, and was the first book selected for Oprah’s 2.0 Book Club. Super-fab Hollywood star and mom of three, Reese Witherspoon, optioned the book before it hit the bookstands and plans on playing the title role on the big screen.  Cheryl can be found writing and living life in Portland with her husband and two kids.

Kara Goucher

Olympic Runner


Catch her if you can!! This Queens, New York born and Duluth, Minnesota raised long-distance running athletic star tied up her running shoes and moved to Portland to run with Nike’s Oregon Project, following a super impressive NCAA career at the University of Colorado. She was a competitor at both the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the London Olympics in 2012.  Kara is a proud mama to Colt and wife to fellow distance runner Adam.

Monica Enand

Founder & CEO, Zapproved


This mom means business and we mean serious computer business. Monica is the founder and CEO of Zapproved, which offers software for companies needing a hand with all the crazy compliance and regulations increasing on a yearly basis. Monica is one smart cookie, with an M.B.A. from University of Portland and a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. As a mama in a man’s world of tech, Monica has raised the bar for women to rock the start-up business model. She was awarded major props from the Portland Business Journal in 2010 for women in business.

Jennifer Jako                                                                                                                

HIV/AIDS Advocate + Designer

Talk about empowerment, who would embody the title better than this mama? After contracting the HIV virus in 1991 at the age of 18, Jennifer opted for survival, and yes, she is thriving. Using her experience as a young girl and one night which changed her life, she’s been helping spread the word for over 22 years. She is the co-director of film Blood Lines, a portrait of HIV positive youths and sits on the Board of Directors for the Cascade AIDS Project. If this wasn’t enough, she uses her keen eye as a designer and, with her husband, Christopher Bleiler, has contributed to the branding and interior design of favorite spots to chow down, including clarklewis, Nostrana, Ken’s Artisan Pizza & Bakery, and much more. Jennifer, Christopher and their daughter, who was born HIV free, live in Portland.

Laura Veirs

Musician


How does one go from living in China as a translator to being a successful folk singer-songwriter? Just ask mama Laura, who, during her years in China, wrote lyric after lyric. Her albums include Troubled by the Fire, Carbon Glacier, Year of Meteors, Saltbreakers and July Flame, all of which were produced by her hubby, Tucker Martine. Her first project for the kiddo’s, Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs For Children, won a Parent’s Choice award in 2012 and she is the one and only voice on the soundtrack of upcoming film, Hello I Must be Going. Laura and Tucker have one son, Tennessee, and are expecting baby #2 in April of this year.

Hannah Jones

Global Leader for Sustainability & Eco-Friendly Living


From Radio One and Five at BBC to being the super-green mama in charge Nike’s sustainability unit, Hannah Jones means eco business. Her actions have grabbed the spotlight, and the World Economic Forum recently named her a Young Global Leader. From finding a way to reuse materials in athletic shoes to requiring a level of responsibility in the Nike factories around the world, Hannah is working hard to make sure the largest maker of athletic gear is treating mother earth with proper respect. Coolest contribution to the fight? The game-changing sneaker, the FlyKnit Racer, made from knit threading rather than several layers of fabric, which eliminates the amount of waste created.

Emily Finch

Biking Mama Extraordinaire


Six kids, one bike, no car?? This is not a normal equation but for Emily Finch, it’s the one that works for her. Looking for a way to raise her spirits, she found the bakfiets cargo bike, got rid of her 9 person Suburban and pedaled her way into the sunset. Yes it can be hard, yes, one of the six kiddos strapped on might be throwing a tantrum, but for this power-house mama, it’s all worth the feeling of joy she gets when pumping the pedals down the streets of Portland. When you see Emily and the fam out on the street, give her a shout-out because this mama is simply doing things differently for the joy it brings.

Natali Marmion

Anchor at KATU

Turn the TV on to KATU and you’ll find this Power Mom reading the latest and greatest news. From the hot temps of Palm Desert to the balmy rains of Portland, she’s has a super-successful career a day anchor, then night anchor and now back to day anchor. After bringing the headlines to fellow Portlandians, she donates her time and attention to several causes, including Women for Children and the I Have a Dream Foundation. Her husband, Judd Girard, is the creator of ParentingToday.tv. They have two boys and when she isn’t at the station, she can be found snow or water skiing, at her kiddo’s school activities and playing at the beach.

Stacey Lynn Fisher

KBFF-Portland DJ


Once upon a time Stacey’s mother was told by a psychic her daughter would make money with her voice. Well you can imagine the shock to be told by a voice coach a musical career wasn’t gonna happen. Growing up and ever on the lookout for her destiny, Stacey first discovered the magic of radio as a college student. Now, for the last 16 years, she’s been coming in on the radio waves all over the Portland area, and her sassy side earned her the nickname, Sassy Lynn. Currently her voice can be heard on KBFF-PORTLAND(95.5), she is the host of Kindergarten Logic, which started when her first kid was beginning school and counts being a mom and wife to her four fellas, scrapbooking and making enchiladas as “stuff she’s good at.”

There are hundreds of power moms out there. In fact, we bet you’re one of them! Who else would you add to our list and why? 

–Gabrielle Cullen

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