When Victoria Oldridge isn’t running after her two tots, changing diapers and going a bit mad, she’s running her startup MoxTree, a social networking site just for the mommas.
The company was born out of the desire (bordering on desperation) to connect, relate and vent about the trials and tribulations of motherhood. And, like other successful mom-inspired companies, MoxTree will have its devout followers.
Victoria joins the new domain of “mompreneurs,” bootstrapping, play-dating, and hawk-eyeing her company to startup success.
Momma’s Muse
Victoria’s inspiration naturally comes from her two little babes. And her supportive and encouraging husband who helps her keep the kids, and life, in check.
But, it was her frustration with disparities in moms’ groups that really kicked off the MoxTree idea. When she discovered the vast age, location and lifestyle differences in the mothers, she thought, “there’s got to be a better way to connect these women more efficiently.” The classic entrepreneur tale of discovering a gap and bridging it with a startup.
Welcome to the World
So, Baby MoxTree was born into the startup world. Victoria describes it as a network that, “uniquely connects moms based on common interests and stages of motherhood,” and it also allows you to form groups. According to Victoria, MoxTree is giving moms the, “tools to find moms near them with many compatibilities, and giving them options and the autonomy to put their mom-friends and interests in one convenient place.”
And, so far, Victoria is bootstrapping the project. She said the decision came from wanting to take personal risk, get moving on the project and have control over the rate of development rather than get involved in an accelerator program with the hopes of possible VC support. For her, bootstrapping is a middle ground for the work/life/family balance she wants to obtain.
Eye On the Prize
Victoria believes keeping a constant eye on the goal of your business is one of the most important growth tactics. She ensures she’s on top of this by having the MoxTree splash page on her computer so she is literally keeping here eye on the goal every day. She also thinks business plans should be tweaked every week to keep up with the constantly changing startup and entrepreneur landscape. She says when she slacks on this the company can get sidetracked.
Her motto: “Quickly adapting and staying ahead of what’s current is important in running a sustainable business.”
Leaving the Nest
The site is still in the development and planning phase, but once Victoria leaves her small office, she is looking forward to kicking off a more assertive marketing launch for Baby MoxTree, and creating valuable connections amongst a community of multi-tasking mommas.
Her warning to rivals: “The last person you want to mess with is a Mom!”
These mompreneurs are really banking on their baby ideas. Maybe I should get on this train so I can be mom-startup inspired. Though, it’s probably not the healthiest reason to start a family. I’ll hold off for now.
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