We talk a lot about mompreneurs and the work they’re doing, but what about the dads? They are working hard to raise kids and a business, too!
Like many women running home-based businesses, Houle wanted to keep working while his children were young, and to be able to control when, where and how much.
Around the time his eldest was born, Houle was laid off from his position in high-tech sales. After her maternity leave, his wife returned to her demanding job as a financial planner, and Houle opted to stay home rather than look for another job. He soon began to research potential business opportunities on the Internet during his son’s naptimes and evenings.
The first few years of business were slow as he soon had a second son to care for. But the business soon turned a profit and now gains 100 to 200 new clients a year. In 2010, Memories2dvd was voted small business of the year by Kanata Chamber of Commerce.
Houle loves his dual roles but wishes he knew more men in similar situations. That’s one reason he wrote the Canadian magazine Mompreneur a letter three years ago, introducing himself as a “dadpreneur†and asking if he could join the community.
“I may be a male, but I’m a ‘mompreneur’ in every sense,†he wrote, describing how he balances school pickups, cooking, cleaning and a small business.