It takes a village to raise a child – so Lara Leontowich created one online. In 2006, Leontowich started Westcoastmoms.ca, a website offering services, information and social connections to expectant mothers across the Lower Mainland. Leontowich’s son, Ayden, was two at the time.

Now Westcoast Moms boasts over 4,000 visitors a month and connects moms from Vancouver to the Okanagan.

Not that Leontowich was satisfied. Along with running the website and raising her son, now five, she organizes the Bellies to Babies Celebration (www.belliestobabiescelebration.com), a semi-annual trade show in Vancouver for new and expecting moms. And, she runs Ellevate Women in Business (www.ellevatewomeninbusiness.ca), a women’s entrepreneurial conference.

Leontowich’s big thinking has paid off big-time. This year, Westcoast Moms won second place in the Small Business BC Business Plan Awards, Growth Category. This month, Make It Business and Leontowich discuss success, community, and the mompreneurial spirit.

Where did the idea come from for Westcoast Moms?

Back in 2006 when I was the mom of a toddler, I thought it would be a great idea to have a website that could connect local moms and provide much sought-after information. I felt there was a real void in the market for Internet-savvy moms like me. After coming up with the idea for a website catering to moms on Canada’s West Coast, I did extensive research. Shortly after the site was launched, moms from all over the Lower Mainland were getting connected. A short time later, moms from Vancouver were coming on board and our reach kept expanding. Now we reach the outskirts of the Okanagan and beyond.

What kind of traffic are you experiencing on the site?

When we started, we had around 125 visitors every day, which translated to 3,000-4,000 a month. Traffic has been growing continuously as more and more new moms become regular visitors to the site.

At the time you had a two-year-old son. Was he where the inspiration came from?

That’s right. I wanted work that would provide flexibility so I could be available to my son. Years ago, when I was completing my postsecondary education, the thought of some day having my own business appealed to me. So, when I began exploring business ideas, I was looking for ways to draw on my work experience and postsecondary education in business administration, marketing and new media design. Having your own business these days requires many skills.

What was your job before you started your business?

I was the marketing director for a shopping centre and held responsibilities for developing and organizing numerous events. Before that, I worked as a marketing supervisor for an international company and managed their marketing and website. My roles, though enjoyable, sometimes required out-of-town travel and some extra-long days. When I compared doing similar work and starting my own business, I was drawn to the idea that, by becoming a mompreneur, I could be more available to my son. Other mompreneurs can easily identify with this dilemma, especially when one considers the long commute and having the family meal served late into the evening. In that way entrepreneurship is very much a lifestyle choice.

Is there an entrepreneurial background in your family?

My mother started her own business when she was in her 40s. My parents and brother have always been business-minded, so the entrepreneurial streak was definitely there. You might say the opportunity fell into my lap after my son Ayden was born.

When my brother and I were young, we had an unusual incentive to think entrepreneurially. Our parents came up with an incentive savings plan. For every dollar we earned and saved, they would match it so we could buy our first car. Consequently I had several retail jobs during my high-school and postsecondary years and was always inquisitive about sales, marketing, public relations and event planning.

How is being an entrepreneur with a child different from being back in the workforce?

You have to be very organized to run a business. At times there can be extended multi-tasking. As an entrepreneur, your hours of work vary, and occasionally there are still some long days. It is not unusual for me to be up at 5 a.m. just to stay ahead of e-mails, and sometimes work late after my son goes to bed in the evening.

For those who haven’t yet been to Westcoast Moms, what exactly happens on the website?

One of our main goals was to connect moms in their local areas so they could easily access community information. The site also provides a list of events, local resources and the kind of details that are challenging to track down, such as, “What to do if you’re travelling with a baby,” and, “How to get a passport for your children.” Westcoastmoms.ca has evolved to be even more interactive with voting and polls, and is now more aligned with the big wave in social media.

And it’s being revamped right now? What will the new site offer?

The site will be cleaner. We will continue our popular Mom-of-the-Month feature, where we choose a mom in the community and create a story by asking her a couple of questions. Through this monthly feature our readers get a rare opportunity to relate to (and often learn from) a mom in the community who fully understands the “mom lifestyle.”

The website and the shows evolved together, or did the shows come first?

The westcoastmoms.ca website started first. Before long came the idea of hosting shows for other businesses wanting to promote their products and services. At first there were smaller shows throughout the Lower Mainland in 2008. Then, in 2009, it was time to look at the plan again. So, after careful research and conversing with our exhibitors, it was clear that there should be two intermediate-sized shows in the spring and fall.

What is the tradeshow called?

It’s called the Bellies to Babies Celebration – A Place for Moms to Be. The next celebration is on Sunday, September 27, at the Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver). To attend, new and expectant parents can register online at www.belliestobabiescelebration.com, or by phone, 604-908-8835.

How many exhibitors and how many customers show up?

We have 46 exhibitors and five community tables for non-profit organizations. Our trade shows target new and expectant parents. At our spring trade show, we had a wonderful turnout of expectant moms and their guests. In lieu of an admission fee to attend our trade show, we accept donations to Vancouver Food Bank’s Basics for Babies Program. The goal with the Bellies to Babies Celebration trade show is to educate new and expectant parents at this exciting time in their lives while giving back to the community. At our spring show we collected over four boxes of baby supplies and raised over $1,000 in donations.

How has the business changed and evolved since you started it in 2006?

Back in 2006 we had a message forum on Westcoastmoms.ca which grew to be hugely popular. Moms from all over the Lower Mainland were connecting with each other and offering support. Then there was a significant shift on the Internet, with people turning to social media outlets. So, we now have Twitter feeds. Westcoastmoms.ca is now into its second redesign as a result of the recent changing landscape on the Internet. It’s about adapting social media applications into our website so tech-savvy moms can continue to have a strong voice.

And just because you’re not quite busy enough, you started another, complementary product called Ellevate Women in Business.

Ellevate Women in Business was created to help women entrepreneurs, including mompreneurs. Ellevate Women in Business is, again, about uniting. Instead of just branching out with the mompreneurs, we’re communicating more effectively with women who are in business. With Ellevate, we also relate to women who have older children.

Are many of the women who attend the conference mothers as well?

At our 2009 show we had a 50-50 split. Some of the women who attended had older children. We attracted new business owners who were hungry for helpful information. We also had those just starting out on their entrepreneurial ventures and soaking up all the resources.

Is there any information you can offer to others hoping to tap into the mompreneur market?

First of all, becoming a mompreneur takes a certain amount of patience. Secondly, it is an ongoing learning process. Thirdly, you need to notice where the trends are. Fourthly, you need to know that your product or service is viable.

Some mompreneurs get discouraged and stop halfway without giving their business a chance. That is where writing a good business plan comes in.

The mom-and-baby industry is somewhat recession-proof. People will always be having babies, and there will always be a need for resources and information, so this is an exciting time, even with the current outlook. Today’s young parents are highly inquisitive when it comes to making decisions for their newborn. Many of these parents are in their late 20s and 30s; well-established in life, and ready to invest in good quality. Making well-informed decisions is important to them.

If you’re a businessperson looking to market to that demographic of moms who have business, what are the characteristics of that group?

Time is of the essence to a mompreneur. You want to make sure that information is quick and easy to access.

The majority of mompreneurs now are very Internet-savvy and will look information up online. A high number of them are university-educated, so they are used to gleaning the important things from what they read. They don’t have to be walked through information; they want the facts quickly. But, they’re discerning, so we also want it to be high-quality. If you’re giving information to mompreneurs, don’t dumb it down. By contrast, make it substantial and of value.

What are mompreneurs’ particular needs?

Having flexible options is important. Business owners need to offer flexibility to suit a mother’s schedule. When it comes to payment options, once again flexibility is the key.

You had a career before, and then you made a decision to start a business instead of going back into the workforce. Is that typical?

I think so. As baby gets older, many new moms start thinking about ways to work from home so they can more easily care for their growing family. Sometimes a stay-at-home mom creates a product as a result of her own need and it mushrooms into something bigger because she captures a growing demand for something that other moms want.

When you look back over the generations, my boomer parents were like other boomers who spent substantial time at the office. They remember long days at the office and I remember what it was like to be a latch-key kid.

A lot of us saw our own mothers trying to juggle corporate careers while raising a family. We want a different lifestyle for our own children.

Daycare costs can also be pricey nowadays, which can make working out of the home challenging for many moms.

In terms of all your projects, where do you see yourself in five years?

My main focus now is to keep the momentum going for Westcoast Moms and the Bellies to Babies Celebration. During those first few years, it was all about figuring out what works and what doesn’t work.

Now I’ve reached a point where I have a good understanding of what works and would like to expand on that. As the next step, I want to take the same show concept throughout Western Canada.

Aside from charging for booth space, how do you generate revenue?

Additional revenue comes from our advertising sales on the website. I am also building several strategic partnerships so there are joint ventures with other businesses.

Who are some of your sponsors at this point?

Some of our sponsors are Seventh Generation, Energizer and Tide. Larger companies are realizing how effectively our services reach a select market through our website and trade shows.

Who’s on your hit list for becoming a sponsor?

I would love to have Babies “R” Us and Baby’s World, as they are a natural fit. We are also aware that auto manufacturers are now recognizing the benefits of reaching new parents before they have to upgrade their vehicle. I would love to work with such manufacturers/dealers who are trying to build up brand loyalty from young families.