OWNER OF SAN LUIS TRADING CO
“This can’t be it; there’s something more I can do.”
People start businesses for many different reasons. For parents, the flexibility that entrepreneurship provides can be a particularly strong motivator: a 2018 survey of business owners found that flexible working hours was a top reason for starting a business for 62% of moms.
However, there is often a mismatch between the motivations of parent entrepreneurs and the expectations of the broader society. The success of business owners is typically measured in terms of profit and growth, but that narrow definition can discount the many other goals entrepreneurs with children have for their businesses, themselves, and their families.
At RMMFI, we place a strong emphasis on entrepreneur-defined success. For the 49% of entrepreneurs we support who are parents, success may include a balance of financial stability and more time with their families, and those two outcomes are equally valued.
Ginger Antuna is one example of a parent entrepreneur who has found that the impact of business ownership can be measured in much more than dollars. Ginger is the owner of the San Luis Trading Co and a current participant in Business Launch Boot Camp. Her business sells new and upcycled clothing, shoes, and health and beauty products at discounts of up to 60%, with the mission of reducing consumer waste by extending the life of pre-owned goods.
One reason Ginger launched her business was that she knew she had more to offer than the work she was doing at her previous job. She recalls thinking, “This can’t be it; there’s something more I can do.” Ginger has 5 kids, and she quickly came to appreciate the way that owning a business allows her to spend more quality time with her family. She still has to supplement her income with some additional work on nights and weekends while her business grows, but it’s worth it to get to be there for her kids.
Ginger’s children have been supportive and helpful throughout her journey, and she’s already seeing the ways they are benefiting from her being an entrepreneur. Ginger started her business by selling a single hamster cage and using the money to buy more products to upcycle from the thrift store. Through her process, she’s showing her children that you can start something successful with very little, but it doesn’t happen randomly; you have to build structure and pay attention to all aspects of the business. One of Ginger’s sons has started modeling her, selling his own upcycled goods to save for a car.
Ginger also believes her children are learning important financial lessons through her pursuit of business ownership. Ginger grew up in poverty and had her first child at a young age, and it took her a long time to gain financial stability. From her own experience, she recognizes the impact parents can have on their children’s relationship to money: “If you’re a parent that’s constantly struggling, you’re teaching your kids not to like money. Money’s always the problem.” Ginger is proud that, as a business owner, she can show her children that money can be positive if you learn how to manage and grow it in the right way.
RMMFI believes the choice to define one’s own vision for the future is a value in and of itself. Grounded in that philosophy, we create the space for parent entrepreneurs like Ginger to activate their potential in the way that is most meaningful to them and their families.