Summer is nearly here for DC Metro area kids and parents will be looking to fill their days with fun activities. One local resource for such information is Kid Up And Go. I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Jen Spatz-Martin to learn more about her all-encompassing parenting resource web site.

M: What is your business origin story? Or, in other words, how did you come up with the idea for Kid Up And Go? 
 
JEN: Whether you move across town or to an outlying suburb, the reality is that everything changes for you and your family and I found there isn't one parenting resource site that covers all of the DC metro area. When we moved across the bridge from DC to Alexandria, I realized that this need was not fulfilled and found that there weren't any reliable resources to search for new doctors or dentists for my kids, nor did I have an established neighborhood "tribe" to turn to for these questions. Most of my friends were still in DC proper or other states so I had no one to ask for recommendations for the things I needed most.
 
Since the DC area is very transient for a lot of families, I figured I wasn't alone. I held focus groups to see if my hunch was right and it turns out that there wasn't one source that parents, including ones that had lived in the area for years, were turning to, especially in the medical area. I worked with area website designers to build the model that would cover all parenting needs: a site that has searchable databases for kid/family-related items where a user can read reviews from others as well as the option to make it more tailored to the user's profile. I was originally going to release the sections in the site in different phases, but decided to put them out all at once.

M: That's incredible. I love how you set about to provide a solution for a problem that existed not only for you, but for many in our area. So, how is your web site different from other kid-focused activity websites here?

JEN: There are a lot of great activity and event resources in the area and I have them listed under the resource section of the site, but there isn't one that encompasses all of the areas that parents might need assistance with. Kid Up and Go allows users the ability to search large online databases including reviews, calendar of events, plus parenting tips and products to help make parenting a breeze.
 
M: That's great! I know a few sites I visit to see what activities are happening on any given day, but they don't always incorporate reviews or physician recommendations or general parenting advice. I love that you're a one-stop shop! Do you have plans to expand your services in the future?

JEN: Yes, the goal is to expand to different places throughout the US. Starting with the DC metro area was a no-brainer, not just because I've lived in the area for 14 years, but all that the area has to offer from things to do, three teaching hospitals, two hospital systems specifically for treating children and numerous community resources.
 
M: Nationwide expansion... a lofty goal! I'm sure that process will be fun since you'll get to know other metro areas like you know DC. What do you hope your web site provides for DC-area parents?

JEN: My hope is that parents use it as their "go to" resource tool. The site can also be used by grandparents, aunt/uncles and people that have friends visiting with kids.

M: I know you’re celebrating your 1-year anniversary and that’s a huge milestone! What are some things you’ve learned about being a business owner that you wish you knew before your launched your business?

JEN: Thanks! I was very proud to hit the 1-year mark since there are a lot of businesses that don't and hopefully the site will still be around at the 5-year mark. There are lots of things that I learned and am still learning.
 
I've been very lucky in my career to be on both the startup and Venture Capital side. Having some of that insight definitely helped prepare me for my own venture. However, just like having your first kid, you can never be fully prepared. I wrote a post about it for the anniversary and it's definitely worth a read to anyone considering a startup. One of the things that I wish I would have known before I launched is how much hustle it takes to get the social media numbers up as well as trying to stay on top of the ever changing FB algorithms.

M: Congratulations, again, Jen! I'm sure there are many DC-area parents who are grateful to you and the site you've created to help in their parenting adventures. And thank you so much for your willingness to be interviewed for my blog.

If you want to check out all the incredible information Jen's Kid Up And Go web site has to offer, click here.

This quote has me thinking a lot about how easy it is to fall into the trap of competing with those around us… even if it’s not an outright, out loud competition, you might be silently comparing yourself to other humans in similar situations and compiling a huge list of “should’s” which, ultimately, become detrimental to your own growth and happiness.
 
I’m a member in a stellar business support group full of outstanding female entrepreneurs and I often find myself getting swept up in the idea that my business “should be” doing, growing and shining similar to them. When I travel that path of “should’s” & comparisons, I get overwhelmed, go into hibernation mode and get stuck, not knowing how to move forward.
 
It’s incredibly important to remember that every person is unique and has special gifts to share with the world and their own curvy path to shining their light. Some people are natural-born hustlers, go-getters, spotlight-lovers and that’s wonderful. But for those of us who are more introverted, it’s important to know & truly believe that it’s perfectly fine to grow our businesses at a turtle’s pace, to quietly go about our days serving others in the only way we know how.
 
If you find yourself stuck in a comparison mud puddle, remember to stay true to yourself and only move forward with business growth activities that feel authentic to YOU. Feel confident in letting your unique flower bloom & shine in your own way. 

In this day & age, there are a plethora of excellent photographers making a name for themselves with family sessions, newborn session, senior sessions, etc. But never before have I met a photographer mainly focused on capturing a woman's inner power & beauty, showing them through her lens what they often can not see for themselves. I recently sat down with fellow Lake Ridge portrait artist, Mina Habibi, to learn more about her business and what makes her vision unique.

Alex Beadon threw out a tough challenge for Day 6 of her #FeelGoodBlogging challenge. We were asked to be vulnerable and share something about ourselves that might push us out of our comfort zones, but would ultimately allow our readers to learn even more about us. So let's dive in!

I was always a hard-working, dedicated student. Pretty much all straight A's from the get-go and by high school, was on a path towards all Honors and AP courses. That is, until my sophomore year. I was placed in the Honors English class and after turning in one of our first writing assignments our teacher announced to us that only a handful of us were "A" students, a few more were "B's" and the majority of us would be "C" & "D" students, according to her [highly subjective] opinion. At least that's my recollection of her speech. And you can imagine, for a girl who always strived for A's, this terrified me. But here's the thing about me, most definitely as a teenager, and even sometimes to this day: that rather than rising to her challenge, and BELIEVING IN MYSELF that I could get an A in her class, I shrunk in fear that I would get my first C or D. This had me in a state of panic, so much so that I arranged a meeting with her, my guidance counselor and my parents. The outcome of which was the decision to drop out of her class and return back to the non-Honors English class. That switch began a snowball effect that eroded my self-confidence, the belief in my intelligence and my academic abilities and by the time I graduated from high school, I was in NO Honors classes. I didn't even want to go to college, but wanted to pursue dance full-time.

Thankfully, my parents wouldn't hear of it and I did head off to James Madison University in August of 1990. It was there that I first encountered the notion that maybe my sophomore year Honors English teacher only had one opinion about my writing skills, not a hard fact. After turning in an essay about "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," my college English professor called me to his office. I was terrified. I thought I was in for a lecture on my poor writing skills. Instead, he said to me, matter-of-factly, "Megan, this is the most well-written Freshman essay I've ever read." Can you guess my reply? "That can't be true. My high school English teacher told me I couldn't write well." I was shocked to say the least. And thankfully, he was very encouraging. But it has literally taken me decades to erase the doubt that ONE teacher planted in my mind and in which I so readily believed. I would give anything to go back to my carefree days as a young girl, when the world was my oyster and I hadn't given anyone else the power to erode my confidence.

Two things have occurred since then that have helped me start believing in my writing abilities again... first, in starting my own business and associated blog, I am regularly amazed at my own posts, how easily the words flow out of me and in a clear and coherent manner, no less. Second, I found out this year that my high school English teacher had passed away and I thought, a la Elsa, "OK. It's time to LET IT GO." I've allowed her opinion to eat away at my confidence for far too long. It's time to release her hold on me and move forward with the knowledge that I can, in fact, not only write, but write well.

We all have negative self-talk that erodes our confidence, instills guilt and makes us generally feel lousy. So today, try a dose of self-love. Try BELIEVING IN YOURSELF. Because the only opinion of you that truly matters in the end, is your own.

Those of you who know me personally know there are many reasons I dislike living in the DC Metro area; however, today, I’m focusing on one very important reason I am THANKFUL to be living here; namely, a newly developed networking group called Femworking founded by the beautiful Kelley Sanabria. In just THREE months, she and her BBF, Nicole Dash of Connecting Authentically, organized what was one of THE BEST conferences I’ve ever attended. They brought together 130 female small business owners and bloggers into one room for a jam-packed day full of amazing insights and advice. #femcon13 was a smashing success!

Femworking was founded on the principal of giving and from the awareness that we are better advocates for each other’s businesses than our own. It is a warm and fuzzy group with no judgement, no condescension and no competition. We’re all in this together, so let’s help each other out. One of my favorite quotes of the day came from Katie Morton of The Monarch Company, who said, “If you wore one of those sucker-upper thingies, go in the bathroom on the next break and take it off. We don’t care!” Truer words have never been spoken.

Truthfully, I’ve always had more male than female friends, for many reasons I won’t bore you with now, but Saturday was one of the first days I felt 100% comfortable amongst a room full of women. The amount of awesomeness in that room was unbelievable. As Nicole said, “It was magical.” I got to meet Jill Smokler, AKA Scary Mommy, who was perfectly lovely and not scary at all. I heard an amazing presentation by the entrepreneurial master, Holly Hamann of TapInfluence. Each and every presenter, panelist and attendee was so down-to-earth, easy to approach and easy to talk to. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

For all you bloggers and small business owners in the DC area, consider joining this stellar group of women as you grow your blog and/or small biz. other areas of the country, fingers crossed for Kelley having larger plans to expand nationwide!