Mom Entrepreneurs Have New Secret to Success: Portland Mamas Inc.

Portland, OR (PRWEB) May 18, 2006

Have you ever had to take a conference call with a screaming toddler in your arms because your sitter canceled at the last minute? How do you create a functional home office when your daughter claims half of the room with her art supplies and barges in without knocking? These are just two of the many unique challenges business owners who are also mothers face from time to time. Running a business and running a household are each full-time jobs, and now women who dare to take them on at the same time have a local support organization to help them succeed in both work and play: Portland Mamas Inc. (PMI, http://www.portlandmamasinc.org).

Founded by Portland, Ore. mom Marlynn Jayme Schotland, owner of Event Bliss and SchotlandPR, PMI will serve as a resource and networking organization for moms who own businesses or are thinking of launching a new business. The goal is to assist local mom entrepreneurs in achieving success in both building their businesses and balancing their home and personal life. PMI activities include an active blog community featuring insight from nine local mom entrepreneurs; an online community forum where members can post questions and receive feedback on business ideas, family life issues, share resources, and more; monthly meetings which will focus on topics that touch both business and family life in each meeting, networking opportunities, and resource sharing; plus social events and business events throughout the year.

According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, one in 11 adult women is an entrepreneur, and Oregon ranks sixth in growth in the number of privately-held, majority women-owned firms between 1997 and 2004. In building her businesses, Schotland found that many of these women entrepreneurs are also mothers facing similar issues. “Many mothers are creating new pathways to success for themselves and their families by starting their own companies,” Schotland says. “We are redefining what it means to achieve “balance” and doing it on our own terms. We are not “opting out” -- we are opting for more and we are achieving it in sometimes unconventional ways. With Portland Mamas Inc., we aim to create an open, respectful atmosphere of support and knowledge of those who understand the unique challenges we go through both as moms and as business owners.”

Membership to PMI costs $35 annually, and includes the following benefits: access to the PMI Forum, free admission to monthly meetings, discounted admission to special PMI networking/social events, subscription to the bi-monthly PMI newsletter, link listing exchange on the PMI Web site, discounted advertising rates on the PMI Web site, discounts to other member businesses, from retail to health and business solutions, and more.

Currently, PMI has eight local mom entrepreneurs in addition to Schotland serving as contributing writers to the blog: Kathi O’Neil, publisher of Portland Picks and owner of Westover Media; Robyn Taylor Barbon, owner of Folklore Media and producer of Portland at Play; Jackie Weissman, founder/producer/director of Rock Mama Films, LLC; Andrea Frost, owner of Baby Wit; Michelle Ghilotti Mandel, owner of Ghilotti Ink; Tamara Nonamaker, owner of Blue Eye Boy; Erica Rochelau, accounting and tax writer; and Patti DeBlasis, legal writer. More contributors are scheduled to join the roster within the following month.

About Founder Marlynn Jayme Schotland

Marlynn Jayme Schotland has ten years of award-winning experience in the communications field, including experience as a television reporter, anchor and producer, and as a director of public relations. In September of 2005, she launched Event Bliss (http://www.eventbliss.com), a custom stationery design studio, as well as SchotlandPR (http://www.schotlandpr.com), a boutique public relations firm. In the eight months since she has been in business for herself, her work has been featured in Child magazine, Parents magazine, Portland Picks, The Daily Stroll, Mommies with Style, Blogging Baby, and more; her clientele list includes customers in more than 25 different states, and has caught the eye of producers for The Oprah Winfrey Show, who have placed repeat orders. Schotland lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, 23-month-old son, and Lab Retriever.

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