Article from The Ottawa Citizen

They're savvy, often former high-tech professionals who've left the rat race to raise their children. Hungry for a creative outlet, looking to make some extra cash, or just plain bored, these stay-at-home Type As are ditching their designer suits and starting online businesses from the comfort of home.

They call themselves mompreneurs and they're staking out new territory on the web.

Not too long ago, mothers used to get advice and swap tips the old-fashioned way -- over a cup of coffee or a playdate at the park. Today's multitasking moms need only turn on their computer and head to the Internet to trade information, exchange recipes and shop online.

But social-networking on the web -- check out sites such as Savvymom.ca and Mommyclub.ca -- has done more than bring women together to give each other tips and support. Women have realized they have valuable services they can sell -- directly to each other and around the world online.

"Mompreneurs is a made-up word, but we are mothers who are inspired by our experience and recognize there is a gap in the marketplace for a certain product or service that needs to be filled for moms or their children. Technology is driving this trend," says Minnow Hamilton, co-founder of SavvyMom Media and online publisher of savvymom.ca, which has 22,000 subscribers across Canada and four city-specific editions, including one for Ottawa.

"Moms are spending more and more time online," says Hamilton, who is based in Toronto. "A lot of mompreneurs agree they are spending as much time working at home as they used to in the office. But there is more flexibility with online businesses, and the women feel good and are more motivated about what they are doing."

In Ottawa, dozens of moms have thriving online businesses, and in some cases have been so successful, they've had to expand into retail space. We highlight five of them.

LILOU ORGANICS
www.lilou-organics.com

Mompreneur Lisa Schmidt was motivated to start her online business while reading the labels on skin-care products for children shortly after the birth of her daughter.

Alarmed by the number of suspected harmful chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulfate and parabens found in name-brand products, she spent countless hours sourcing companies that met her standards for natural and organic ingredients.

"With personal-care products, the label doesn't mean anything," says Schmidt. "'Natural' doesn't mean there are no chemicals. It's scary what people are putting on their faces."

Schmidt, who now has two daughters aged one and two, studied the Ottawa-area marketplace and felt there was a need for what she had to offer. In August 2006, she founded Lilou Organics, a primarily online business that offers chic, non-toxic organic products for everyone in the family.

The 34-year-old is on leave from her teaching job at Woodroffe High School, where her husband Brian is also a teacher.

Last August, the couple moved to Richmond and opened a showroom in the commercial space attached to their home, where their products are on display with testers and samples for people to try.

"I don't have day care, so I work every single night and around nap times," says Schmidt. "I'm in more of a rhythm now, but it was very challenging juggling a newborn and a new business at the same time."

A self-confessed material girl, Schmidt spent years working in retail while a student and knows the value of good customer service. She offers free gift wrapping and personal greeting cards with the purchase of prepackaged gift items.

"Online shopping is so convenient for moms with small children. Who wants the hassle of bundling up everyone to go shopping?"

Lilou offers 16 different lines from all over the world, including Aubrey Organics for men, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Juice Beauty, Peacekeeper cosmetics and TweenBeauty.

Janet Wilson is a Citizen writer and editor.

Featured in Savvy Mom

When it comes to our largest organ (you know, your skin), we're developing a bit of a dependency on Lilou Organics, Canada's most diverse selection of quality organic personal care products, the creation of Lisa Schmidt, savvy mom to 2 girls (2 years and 5 months). Inspired after the birth of her first daughter to find organic skin care products free of chemicals and carcinogens, she created a one stop shop for quality organic products with varying price points when she found there was nothing like that available to her.

We're loving the Juice Beauty line (all of it), Dr. Haushcka's Rose Day Crème, the Earth Mama Angel Baby Shampoo and Wash and the Waleda Children's Tooth Gel. There's something for everyone in the family, and with their lightning fast shipping, great packaging and commitment to customer satisfaction, shopping at www.lilou-organics.com beats your local department store or health food store hands down when it comes to your beauty treatment choices.

Online shopping and a greener kind of life that's better for our planet and our families-now that's a convenient truth.

P.S. Have you opened up your Big Green Purse yet? This women-focused movement is based on the premise that since women control 85% of every dollar spent in the marketplace, shifting their spending to environmentally-safe, socially responsible products and services is the fastest, easiest, most direct route to a clean and healthy environment for ourselves and our kids. They say that if a MILLION women shift at least $1,000 of money they already spend to green products and services, that's a $1 billion impact that can't be ignored.

The Big Green Purse offers a one-stop resource for green shopping and lifestyle tips (and coming later this summer will have even more Canadian-relevant content), so if you're on a green hunt, it can really save you time and help you shop for the world you want.

Featured in The Organic Beauty Expert

Often times, you can find some new and exciting products at niche online boutiques. Lilou Organics, based in Canada, is one such shop. Now you might ask why you'd shop at an online boutique instead of just shopping directly from the company site. Well, often times you'll find a wonderful selection of products from various companies and because they're "stores", you'll get some good deals and better customer service. I had an occasion to speak with Lilou Organic owner, Lisa Schmidt and she shared a little bit about her company, her mission and her life.

Q & A with Lilou Organics

Tell us about you and how you came to start your site.

After the birth of our first daughter, my husband and I started to pay more attention to what ingredients were in some of the things we were using on her. One day, we decided to Google the ingredients on the mainstream baby wash we had - and of course we were horrified by what we found out. This spurred hours and hours of research about ingredients and a search to find products we were comfortable using on our little one. Not being satisfied with most of the products we found in our local grocery/health food stores, we started to order products on-line from companies around the world. At some point we realized that if we were having trouble finding products we liked, then maybe other people were too… and it just somehow turned into a business!

How do you choose what products you sell in your store?

With great care! Choosing our product lines was a very long and tedious process. There were so many things that we wanted to consider. The first thing we look at are ingredients…they must be both organic, and non-toxic - we certainly don't want to carry anything that just says 'organic' or 'natural' on it and only has a tiny amount and the rest of the ingredients are awful; among many others, we don't carry anything with parabens or sodium lauryl sulfate.

Our second criteria is that the products must look appealing - if it's ugly, we don't want it; we want to have a certain image that appeals to people…I'm into organics and the whole bit, but I'm also into looking good and I think that people should be able to have both.

Just as important, we test each product to make sure it's effective - this step has eliminated a whole lot of products, and resulted in a house full of stuff! I would never carry something I hadn't tried myself, or wouldn't use myself.

We also try to make sure that we have a good variety of products; we really want to be a one-stop shop for the whole family. We want someone - usually the woman but doesn't have to be - to buy their own products, their husbands, and their kids, all in one place…because who has time to shop around for all that stuff? As well, we really wanted to offer a variety of price points, and so that definitely affects what lines we carry too.

When it comes to skin care, what's important to you personally?

Effectiveness and quality ingredients - because it's going on my skin. I've always had acne-prone skin and envied people who didn't…since I've started using these products (I love all the lines I carry, but I'm partial to Suki on my face), my skin is transformed! I haven't had a pimple in a couple years and my skin is beautiful….I still can't believe in when I look in the mirror sometimes.

What does your store offer to your customers that they can't find elsewhere?

Great customer service - great selection - free gift wrap and greeting cards with gift packages.

Are there any plans for a line of your own?

Not at this time; right now our priorities are our two babies (newborn and toddler) and our current business. Anything might happen in the future though.

As a new mother, what advice do you have for moms looking for baby and mom-to-be lines?

Learn about what's in the stuff you buy at the grocery store! It's probably awful. Learn about ingredients. Learn about why kids/babies are so much more susceptible to toxins in these products then adults are. If you don't have time to learn and research, then come to our website and read the summarized explanations that we provide.

What kind of customer service can customers expect to receive from you?

Excellent customer service!! I can't stand getting bad or even mediocre service from stores or businesses. We want our customers to be happy and satisfied with their purchases and with their experience when shopping with us, and we will do just about anything to get that.

Are there any lines that you're looking to carry in the future?

Yes, we definitely want to expand in the future. I have a huge list of companies that I'd like to carry, but must weigh many different things when deciding what to take on next. Our next addition will likely be another cosmetics company this coming summer.

Shipping, etc.

We ship to most places in the world - it's also free shipping on orders over $100 to Canadian destinations, and free shipping to American destinations on orders over $150. Payment is in Canadian dollars (which is good for Americans!), and we will gladly take orders on-line or over the phone; we take Visa, Mastercard, cheques, money orders, or PayPal.

Lilou has a great selection of products and is offering a "Just Because" gift set which includes:

• Suki Lemongrass Cleanser
• John Master's Organics Rosemary & Peppermint Detangler
• Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel in Try Me Size
• Aura Cacia Bath Salts in Calming Orange

Take a look at their organic beauty selections... just because!