It's Time to Say Farewell and Hello

I can still remember the day in 2007 when I told my mother about my idea for this site.She and I were chatting on the phone, and I said, "I get so many emails from moms who are looking for advice about bringing a product to market. I think I'm going to start a website, and call it 'The Mogul Mom'.""The Mobile Mom?", she asked? (which was maybe a little foreshadowing...)"No, The Mogul Mom", I said.So it began...six years ago.The site that I lovingly created to show mom entrepreneurs that they CAN run a business, raise a family, and rock both turned into a magical, wonderful, fulfilling part of my life's work.Over the years, I've had the honor of playing hostess to thousands of amazing mompreneurs from all over the world, and have been blessed to become friends with so many of you.And then I read a book called App Empire, and felt that old, familiar entrepreneurial itch to start something new, a new business as an iOS app developer. As an entrepreneur to the core, I felt a strong pull to go in that new direction.I realized that sometimes, you have to say farewell to something, to say hello to something else.So, I began thinking of selling The Mogul Mom, and last summer, put it on the market with a friend of mine from college who is a business broker. I worked very closely with him to make sure we found just the right buyer.After all, I couldn't hand her over to just anyone.

It's Time to Say Farewell and Hello

I'm pleased to say that I found the perfect new owner for The Mogul Mom, and today, I'd like to introduce you to her.Her name is Megan Barnes, and she has a beautiful vision for The Mogul Mom's future. Her energy, enthusiasm, and fresh perspective are exactly what I was looking for in my successor, and I am so thrilled for her...and The Mogul Mom.Before turning things over to Megan, I'd like to finish by saying thank you to all of you who have made this site what it is today. Each and every one of you has played an important role in the success of The Mogul Mom. Readers, customers, members, contributors, guest writers, family, friends, and service and support folks.I never could have accomplished any of this without you. I am so grateful for you. 

Introducing...Megan!

First, a huge thank you to Heather, for all of her support in this transition, for entrusting The Mogul Mom to my charge, and for the lovely and generous introduction.I will be working closely with Heather in the coming months, and as the visionary and founder of The Mogul Mom, hers will remain an enduring presence on the site.  I know we all look forward to seeing where her journey takes her.When I was trying to think what to share with you all in this introduction I remembered a greeting card I saw some time ago with a quote from a third-grader that said,

"When I grow up I want to be a heart surgeon. Or Elmo."

And the Elmo part just killed me.  I guess because I, like most grown-ups, tend to think that heart surgeons are very important people, and that Elmo….well, Elmo is just silly.You see, I was on my way to being a heart surgeon, or some similarly qualified medical professional, when my life took an unexpected turn.My four years in university were fraught with challenges (I got married, spent six months living in Africa, miscarried three pregnancies, and came down with spinal meningitis, five bouts of shingles, and countless other undiagnosed ailments), but I finished.And then about one week after graduation and three days into my chemistry internship, I collapsed in the lab.  I didn't know it then, but that was the end of a season, the end of a cherished vision that I had held for my life.  That was two years ago.  I have been leading a much slower, smaller, nesting sort of life in a lovely home in Jackson, MS.  My days have been spent snuggling puppies, cooking healing foods, and engaging in a fearsome war with self, that sometimes took the form of introspection, other times despair, and finally a fragile acceptance of what is.And the really cool part is, as I grew in acceptance I started to understand that this was going to be my best season yet.  This was a chance to choose my life's work, not based on its importance but on my passion.This was my Elmo season.

Elmo and The Mogul Mom

I understand now that Elmo isn't silly.  Elmo is all about being happy, connected, fulfilled, laughing.Elmo gives hope.  I think that Elmo is meant to touch that place in each of us, that place that was capable of such intensity of feeling about our lives when we were small, that place that seems to dull in the storms of life.Remember those afternoon daydreams?  The ones where you were gonna grow up and do the most important thing you could think of?  Where you were gonna remember the excitement of a sleepover with friends even when you were old (like 30!)?  When you were gonna make the world a better place through your singular contribution?I've been remembering those daydreams a lot lately, and I've made a series of decisions that I think would be kid-me approved. The first is to quit with all the excuses and face my fears of writing fiction.  A desire to write creatively was one of the unexpected discoveries of this new season of my life, and it's been the scariest thing I've ever tried to do.The other, was The Mogul Mom.For me, The Mogul Mom represents an opportunity to become the architect of my own future, after a long season of wondering if I would ever even have one.  It presents an opportunity to grow and challenge myself, to help support my family, to cast a career vision and execute it--all within the flexible comfort of my own home, in spite of the limitations two chronic illnesses put upon me.What's more  I get to be part of a process of empowering moms to cast and execute visions in their own lives…visions that have felt out of reach, visions that felt obscured by the busyness of motherhood and running a household.  I get to stand with moms in the pursuit of a life where they can be a mom, run a business, and rock both!My business, the business Heather dreamed and birthed and grew for six years, the business which has just been put in my charge, is a business of empowering, providing support, and bringing hope.  I think Elmo would be proud.So it is with great humility and gratitude (and a great big lap o' puppy - my dog Gus, who has been severely ill with an ear infection for two days, has taken up a seemingly permanent residence on my lap, and Fergi is here too, supporting her big brother), that I take the reigns from Heather and join this circle of strong and amazing women, moms, entrepreneurs, and visionaries.If you are reading this post, it means you are on your way or have taken steps to live your dreams, and for that I applaud you. It is my honor to be here and take part in The Mogul Mom community. I look forward to getting to know all of you and working alongside you.Finally,  I'd like to introduce my husband, Terrence, who is my rock and without whose support I could not possibly do something as big as this.  T and I will be working closely together on The Mogul Mom, and he has a wealth of passion, entrepreneurial experience, technological knowledge, and vision to bring to the table.We are both so eager to meet all of you and to go on this entrepreneurial journey together.

It's your turn to say farewell and hello. We'd love to hear from you in the comments.