Two women who found their way to entrepreneurship following very different paths

Entrepreneurship was something Camilla Havlik-Patten was lucky enough to have been born into. Her father started a gearing and machine tool manufacturing company years ago and she was introduced to the business – and everything from book-keeping to marketing – at a young age.

Carmen Roberts Watkins, on the other hand, had no family figure to guide her way into entrepreneurship. She had the security of a cushy, corporate job, and a background in financial services and business, but no experience starting an entrepreneurial venture.

Despite the differences between these two women, both followed their passions and took that bold, courageous leap of faith from what was safe and known to what was in their heart.

Camilla's story: from tools to murals

For Camilla, that meant leaving the safety of her father’s business to start her own custom do-it-yourself wall art, stencil and mural company for moms.

“I enjoyed working in an entrepreneurial environment,” says Camilla, “and I enjoyed all the learning, but I wasn’t passionate about gearing and machine tools.”

Camilla wanted to do something on her own that would allow her to apply her entrepreneurial experience, use her creativity (she’s a trained illustrator and graphic design artist) and better balance her time with her two kids, aged 5 and 9.

As a hobby, Camilla had been making wall murals for friends and family for 15 years, but never thought about turning it into a business until an unexpected time crunch helped her see its potential.

“When I was working on a friend’s mural a few years ago, I ran out of time to complete it,” says Camilla. “So I gave my friend all the instructions and tools she would need to complete it herself.”

When her friend told her how much satisfaction she had received from doing it, Camilla knew she was on to a new business and Mural Mom was born.

Carmen's story: from bank to retail

For Carmen, who had the employment safety of a big banking corporation behind her, buying her own business was a big step.

“I always wanted my own business,” says Carmen, “so when I started to feel claustrophobic and unmotivated at work, I looked online. I researched the trends and two that jumped out at me were retail and technology.”

With a soft spot for the feminine and the frilly, and a strong creative streak, Carmen decided to go the retail route.

“I started talking to existing business owners on my lunch break,” says Carmen. “I wanted to learn from those who had already done it.”

Carmen hit it off with one retailer in particular, the owner of a home furnishings store in Toronto’s downtown core. A few months later when that owner wanted to sell her business, she called Carmen and the deal was done.

“Buying Heavenly Daze gave me some peace of mind,” explains Carmen. “Coming from a corporate background I knew how to run a business but I didn’t know how to start one.”

There is so much to figure out in retail, from how to organize a store and buy inventory to deciding which selling strategies to use and learning about customer relations. Carmen liked having a system already in place that she could follow from the start.

As Carmen gained confidence, she began testing her own ideas, and over the last five years slowly turned Heavenly Daze into the type of store she wanted. One of the ideas Carmen tested was her own line of jewelry called 'Link and Locks.' She now runs two businesses (Heavenly Daze and Links and Locks), has a 3-year-old son, and a daughter on the way.

Needless to say, Camilla and Carmen are busy, but both find creative ways to help balance the demands of work and family. Camilla uses detailed schedules and often works evenings after her kids are asleep, while Carmen’s store follows the typical downtown work-week of Monday through Friday, closing at 6 pm.

Top 4 Things a Mompreneur Should Never Do – From two moms who’ve done it!

Don't…

1. Start a business thinking you will have more time for kids and family. You may have more flexibility to schedule your work and family activities but you won’t have more time!

2. Work on your business and raise your kids at the same time! Don’t expect your kids to sit by patiently while you work on your business. Set aside some kid-free time each day when you can work on your business. Set up schedules and make sure to turn off the computer and blackberries when the kids are around.

3. Start a business with the hare mentality. Be a turtle, instead. Spend time to research your business, start small, test your ideas and use baby steps to slowly build it up.

4. Try to do it all yourself (in typical mom-fashion!). Instead, use professionals like accountants and commercial lawyers to get you set up properly. The fees you pay up front can save you thousands and lots of heartache later on.