Redding Record Searchlight:
Today’s women wear many hats, constantly juggling home, work and relationship.
There’s a growing trend adding to this complicated mix – well-educated moms with young children starting their own companies.
What makes this challenging journey work? A few women in Shasta and Siskiyou counties shared their stories and insights.
“A lot of women wait till their kids are grown before starting businesses,” said Joni Gibbs, owner of Claws nail salon in Redding’s historic Trinity House. “I got through the hard part when they were tiny so I could focus on them when they really needed me.”
A graduate of Medford, Ore.’s Creative Institute of Design and in business for 18 years, Gibbs started her business when her first child was 3 years old.
“You can work this type of business around your kids pretty well,” she said.
Diane Strachen, owner of Positive Futures Coaching for Leaders in Mount Shasta, noted that mothers need to make their kids their priority. “Work business needs around them, not the other way around.”
Photo by Randy Son Of Robert