mompreneur interview: shadonna richards

Mompreneur: shadonna richards
Author: A Gift of Hope: 52 Ways to Live a Better Life
Website: www.myspace.com/shadonnarichards

I’m an inspirational author, speaker, and registered nurse. My new book “A Gift of Hope: 52 Ways to Live a Better Life” is now available on Amazon.com and other bookstores. It’s been called “The perfect book to start off the new year!” by one reviewer. A Gift of Hope is actually a compilation of 52 inspirational essays–one for each week of the year–which offers a variety of tips on living well including how to stay mentally fit during these troubling times. So much emphasize is placed on staying physically fit, which is of course very important, but more insight has to be given on how to take better care of the one asset we can’t afford to lose–our minds.

What inspired you start your business?
To be truthful, my writing is a gift from God to which I am very thankful. According to my mother, I’ve been writing stories since I could first hold a crayon. I remember at seven years old, I would create these stories and inspirational poems. That’s where it all began for me. My inspiration stems from my desire to educate and inspire others through the power of the written word. My other “passion” is my nursing work. I was inspired by my grandmothers and my great-grandmother who were all nurses to provide compassionate care to those who are ill.

How long has your business been in business?
I’ve been writing inspirational stories since the early 1990s for various newspapers and other publications.

What have been some of your major successes?
Where my work is concerned, I consider my greatest success is when a reader writes in to tell me that their life has changed for the better as a result of reading one of my inspirational stories.

What have been some of your major challenges?
Some of my major challenges have been to juggle and balance my number one priority which is the joy of raising my lovely toddler with my work as a registered nurse and my work as an author. They each demand my full attention, energy and time. I love being Mom to my little bundle of joy, a wife, author and nurse. It’s a blessing and my love for what I do keeps me motivated.

On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?
On those impossible days, what motivates me to keep going is my love for my young son, my passion to help others and my desire to make a difference.

Do you have a motivational quote?
I have many motivational quotes. One that stands out at the moment is “While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us” by Benjamin Franklin.

If there was one piece of advice you could give to your children about running a successful business, what would it be?
Believe in yourself, never give up on yourself and remember that you are the most important person in your life–if you don’t respect and honor who you are–who will? As I mentioned in “A Gift of Hope: 52 Ways to Live a Better Life” successful achievers don’t necessarily follow a path, they make one. Don’t be afraid to be the first. Let’s all be inspired by Barack Obama’s historical example.

Do you have a favorite business tool and/or resource?
My favorite business tool is definitely my personal computer and my blackberry.

What is next for your business?
I plan to do a lot of speaking engagements in the New Year in addition to working on my next inspirational self-help book. I want to continue to encourage others.

Your two cents sales pitch?
A Gift of Hope: 52 Ways to Live a Better Life is now available on Amazon.com and in select bookstores. It’s designed as a weekly inspirational guide and workbook with fill-in-the-blank sections. Start off the new year with “hope” and inspiring tips to organize, manage and enjoy every aspect of your life.

Are you a bizzie mompreneur? Would you like to be featured and show of 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.