mom entrepreneur interview: sid and marcy kroach

Mom Entrepreneur: Sid and Marcy Kroach
Business: Boomi’s Beads
Website: www.boomisbeads.com

Boomi’s Beads are interchangeable beaded medical bracelets. There are over 70 styles to suit all ages from toddlers, teens, adults to seniors. We have both medical and emergency information tags to suit your needs. All bracelets are made to order so both size and engraving are specific to each customer.

What inspired you to start your business?
I am Sid Kroach and together with my sister Marcy, we started Boomi’s Beads for a very special reason. The name Boomi’s Beads is to commemorate our mother Brenda “Boomi“ Kroach who represents courage, dedication, family, support and kindness. Our mother lost her struggle with breast cancer in February 2005.

During her illness, my son Griffin was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes at 18 months of age. Boomi overcame her fear of needles in honor of her grandson to be able to administer his insulin shots so that they could continue their special play dates without any extended aid.

Griffin was very ill for an extended period before his diagnosis. He lost all of his words and his strength to walk. Griffin is now on the Animas Pump and on the path to recovery.

We wanted a piece of jewelery that would notify an authority figure of his medical condition in an emergency situation. We were unable to find fun and fashionable medical i.d. that Griffin, an active toddler, would enjoy wearing. Hence Boomi’s Beads was born.

The loss of our mother has been devastating to us all. I hope Boomi’s Beads will help other families with their struggles, and aid a child with a medical need.

How long have you been in business?
We are entering our third year.

Describe your ideal workday.
My ideal workday…. there is no ideal. Being a mom entrepreneur means juggling both home and business life. This is both the struggle and the beauty of the job. I can’t imagine it any other way.

What have been some of your major successes?
There have been many customers that have shared. Shared their personal stories of hardship, successes and advice. There are customers that have shared our information with people they know need the product and could benefit from our identification.

The power of mom is what has helped our business grow. And this is perfectly fitting with who our mom, Boomi, was. She was a powerful, influential mom who touched so many, helped so many and inspired us to create this business. We hope she is proud that we are spreading her name and spirit.

What have been some of your major challenges?
Some of the major challenges have been the difficulty of starting a new business and being viewed as “just a mom”. It has taken time and effort to convince companies or contacts that a mom can have a great idea and bring it to fruition.

Money is also a large challenge. When you are a mom entrepreneur, chances are you are trying to balance a staying at home with your children and starting a new business.

This can often come with monetary limitations, and nowadays it is difficult to get anything for free. So, it is up to us to find ways to spread the word about our product without a huge investment.

On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?
What motivates us is belief. Belief that our product is worthy and useful. Belief that our mom would be proud. Belief that our product can help. Belief that our families have in us and our business.

What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?
Scheduling and little sleep. It is certainly a juggle to balance a family and business. Scheduling is mandatory, and working at odd hours is the best way fulfill the demands of a business.

If there was one piece of advice you could give to your children about running a successful business, what would it be?
Persevere. It is very difficult to start a new company, especially as a mom. You have to juggle your family and all the details of a business. Juggling is necessary; working at odd times is common. Often a mompreneur has the idea, but not necessarily the business background. But determination is the key. Hang in there. It may take hundreds of phone calls and emails, but if you persevere, you can accomplish your goal. If you want it, do it.

Do you have a favorite business tool and/or resource?
Google analytics is very helpful to follow how our site is being contacted.

What is next for your business?
Our new EMERGENCY INFORMATION tag is our newest product. We hope to expand our products to a wider range of identification. This tag allows kids without medical needs to wear identification as well. We hope one day to work with the school system since the prevalence of serious allergies is widespread. The need is there, we just need to get the word out about us….

Are you a bizzie mom entrepreneur? Would you like to be featured and show off your product or service. Fill out our mom entrepreneur questionnaire and email 411 at bizziemommy dot com any images you would like to use in your post. Interviews are posted every Tuesday.