After years of changing lanes and testing many different income streams, I realized that what I’m meant to do is help moms figure out how they’re meant to make money and, even more specifically, replace the income that comes from working for someone else.
This brings me to the launch of my new app (which I don’t think I could be more excited to announce today).
Looking back, there were four epiphanies that led me here.
Epiphany 1: There is no “one size fits all” path.
The first epiphany is that many times in my journey, I followed a path that I thought was the “correct” path - in other words, I did what I thought I was supposed to do. This started very early in my career and much of this mindset was passed down from my parents. The path I was told was really the only option for me was graduate a 4 year college > get a corporate job > climb the ladder until I got married and had kids.
That was pretty much the exact path I took until I had my son and realized I didn’t want to stop making money and abandon my career. So, even though I got some push back from some members of my family, I decided to forge my own path and become an entrepreneur once I had my son.
Even as I was designing my new path, I still often paved it with actions I saw other entrepreneurs take - even if it wasn’t the right action for me. For example, I worked at several start-ups in the early 00’s. What I saw in those start-ups was a path of create a pitch deck > raise money from VC’s > exit. I didn’t fully understand all the things that went into that but I followed the path until I hit too many dead ends as far as raising money.
A big issue for me was that I didn’t understand that bootstrapping was an option until it became the only option for me. It wasn’t until I was several years into my business that I realized bootstrapping was the best option for me. I also didn’t understand the benefits of a “lifestyle business”. (The phrase “lifestyle business” was said to me by VCs and advisors with a tone of what I would call disdain. So, I didn’t think I wanted a lifestyle business - when, in fact, I did.)
Epiphany 2: More money does not mean it’s the right fit. One thing about me is that I do know how to make money. I’m not saying that to brag, I’m just saying if I need money, I know how to make it. However, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t made money that didn’t come with a massive invisible tax. For example, this year I was approached with a number of consulting opportunities. Since Gugu Guru is pretty much run by my team now, I thought, “Ok, I will make some money from these consulting gigs.” And, yes, I made a lot of money in a short time but I hated every single second of it. I don’t like zoom calls where I have to prove my worth. I don’t like being ordered around like a lackey or disrespected just because I am being paid a good rate. I also hate any kind of drama or office politics and sometimes consulting gigs involve those. So I quit pretty much all of my consulting gigs.
Epiphany 3: If you listen to the gurus or go on LinkedIn and read what accomplished entrepreneurs suggest, you’ll see that many people recommend you become THE expert at something. In other words - find a topic and you learn every single thing about it so you become the go-to for that topic.
For a long time, people just thought I am an expert at “mom influencer marketing”. However, that never really felt quite right for me. It’s kind of like when I started a baby products recommendation platform and people thought I was a baby gear expert. Do I know more about baby products than the average person? Probably. Am I a gear expert - absolutely not. So I struggled and asked myself “What am I am expert in?” All the while, I was taking courses like crazy. Hiring coaches. Teaching myself a bunch of different income streams and having success with them. Then it dawned on me in the last couple months.
I am an expert at different ways moms can monetize but even more than that, I can help moms figure out which is the best monetization path for them.
Epiphany 4: Moms don’t know all the possibilities. This is something I am reminded of almost every single day. Moms will come to me and say things like, “I want to build something for myself but I don’t want to be an influencer. “ or “I want to go to your workshop but I just don’t want to be on camera.” To every mom reading this right now: there are SO many ways for you to make money and build a business for yourself. You don’t have to have a following. You don’t need to be on camera. Influencer is an income path I’d likely only recommend to a select few. It’s the exception, not the norm.
Introducing Monetization DNA
After all of those realizations, I kept asking myself one question: "How do I take everything I've learned over the past sixteen years and make it useful for more moms?" So, I hopped on Lovable and created an app called Monetization DNA.
Answer 8 questions. Mom Monetization DNA matches you to the business model built for your real #momlife schedule, not someone else's highlight reel, so you can stop starting over and build something that lasts.
Receive:
A summary of your income DNA
Top 3 income paths based on your DNA, rated by:
Interest fit
Lifestyle fit
Personality fit
Time Commitment
Income Goal Fit
Long Term Interest
You’ll also receive a realistic income timeline as well as your first 7 days to kickoff your 90 day roadmap.
It also will advise you on what to avoid based on your DNA.
Once you use it once and get your DNA results, you can continue to tweak your answers and generate more results. The app is a $27 one-time investment.
Side note: It’s kind of funny as I type this I realize that I started my company, Gugu Guru, originally as a personalized product recommendation site for moms. As things have evolved for me and Mom Creators, I realize I am now doing the same thing but instead of things you put on your registry, it’s monetization paths.
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