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Some mothers find a sense of well-being at the intersection of caring for their children and orchestrating a home-based business.  A Google search on the words: mompreneur, work at home mom and home-based business generates millions of hits, but this subset of working moms is no longer limited to selling Tupperware and cosmetics to neighbors.  The three Pittsburgh area women profiled below demonstrate success in constructing a lifestyle that allows them to maintain or expand the companies they own while they keep their families front and center.  Yes, feel that flood of envy. Or maybe that's inspiration washing over you. Read on as you may be surprised you have the perfect idea to make you the next successful mompreneur on the block.

Suzanne and Mike Komaniak - Oakmont
Tom (23) Nina (10) Michael (9) Isabel (8)
Izzy Yum Yums - Incredible Delectables for Pets

If you're surfing the web and accidentally stumble upon the Sushi Snack Deluxe on izzyyumyums.com you might think you've discovered the latest chic sushi joint. And, if you have four legs and a tail, you'd be right. How could someone possibly dream up something as scrumptious as sushi for pets? Well, Suzanne Komaniak will tell you there was a pinch of chance, loads of experimentation and a bunch of creativity involved.

In 2001 Suzanne Komaniak was busy: wife, pregnant with her fourth child and a substitute school-nurse. But, Suzanne apparently wasn't busy enough. Her dormant creative side came to life when a friend asked her to make dog cookies for his store. "I never saw myself as artistic because I couldn't draw. It was then I realized I had a creative side as well."

Not willing to make ordinary doggy bones, Suzanne and her mother Louise used an experience with the eldest Komaniak son to get them started. "When Tom was little he entered a cooking contest for kids and someone made sushi. I thought the same principle could be applied to making dog treats more interesting."

So Suzanne checked Nina and Michael's diapers for leaks then went to work. "I wanted the treats to be healthy - what I'd want my dog to eat. That led to using human-grade ingredients and binding agents. I think that makes the difference in the company's success." That and Suzanne's use of elegant packaging - real sushi trays and decorative checkered paper add flourish to Crusty Loaves, Puppy Santa Claws, Fishie Wishies and Kitty Kabuki.

Though Izzy Yum Yums sold well at her friend's shop, the business exploded when Suzanne sent Louise with the boutique owner (Suzanne was at home with newborn Isabel) to New York for a trade show.  "My mom called me with order after order. It was wonderful and so surprising."
 
Though Suzanne has mostly relied on word of mouth to build Izzy Yum Yums, selling a strong, unique, product that satisfies discerning customers has earned her top-notch product placement any business owner would die for. Media features on the Today Show and in print sources like Dog Fancy, Newsweek, Everyday with Rachel Ray, Pittsburgh Business Times and international publications top the list of places her canine/feline treats have been seen.

Even in the midst of this commercial success, Suzanne's first priority remains her family. "I like contributing to our income without sacrificing our family goals. I'm not one to sit around. I enjoy part-time nursing and filling the pet treat orders - sometimes quite large ones - really fills a void." Though having a seemingly endless source of energy, Suzanne does have the same experience many mothers do when they work - being struck by the sensation that maybe the kids need something. But it's not hard to put her mind at ease because all she has to do is walk up the basement steps to make sure that all is well.

"The best part of the success of Izzy Yum Yums," Suzanne said, "is that I can put my work around everything else. It truly is the best of both worlds. The most thrilling part of the work has been media attention and most fulfilling is that I can balance my family priorities."

Stacy and Gene Alese - Plum
Dominic (9 1/2) Alec (4)
Oakmont Candle Company - Pure Soy Bliss

One step into the Oakmont Candle Company and you'll think you booked a vacation for your senses. Stacy Alese toils endlessly to achieve the delicate aromas that - despite scores of candles scenting the air - make you feel happy rather than overpowered.  She states on Oakmontcandlecompany.com that "Scents ground us to the present, remind us of times past and spark new memories to cherish." One comforting whiff of Warm Apple Pie, clean whisper of Basil Citrus or sweet odor of Jelly Bean will show you she's exactly right. The store's refined presentation of sight and scent - candles in simple glass jars - compliment the Victorian storefront and exemplifies the fine art of balance that Stacy achieves in her life.

But, Stacy's life wasn't always the picture of equilibrium. "I was a manager at Arhaus when my son Dominic was young. I had to take time off after an accident and it was then I realized how much I was away from home and I didn't want that. While I was laid-up, I read an article about soy candles - how much healthier they are because they don't contain the toxins that paraffin candles do. And since Gene and I were already candle fanatics, it clicked."   Deciding to start a soy candle business was the right way for Stacy to channel her creativity, replace her income and build her days around family.

Once inspiration hit, Stacy and Gene's kitchen was never the same. "I found a food manufacturer who sent me soy wax. From there I experimented with fragrances, but the wicks were the hardest. I tried 100 different wicks before I found one that didn't make the candle tunnel down the middle. It took six months to develop a candle that worked."

Stacy's first craft show fueled her excitement when she sold $500 of merchandise in one day. "People were interested in the soy concept and though my business grew steadily, that weekend was unusual."  Stacy opened a small store in Lawrenceville eventually settling in her current location in Oakmont where she has enough space for the factory and a storefront. "I'd always dreamed of a pretty place to showcase the candles and this house really gives me that."

Though the Oakmont Candle Company maintained solid expansion at the same time their family was growing, Stacy and Gene encountered difficult health issues that ended up changing their business for the better. "It was the year Alec was born. Dominic was five at the time and I was struggling with post-partum depression. Gene's job took him out of town three weeks out of the month and still in his 30's, he had a heart-attack. It was then we re-evaluated our life and decided we could make good use of Gene's skills with the candle business and reduce the family stress at the same time."

As though they are the poster family for the quote, "everything happens for a reason," once Gene was involved in the company, they were able to capitalize on his skills in marketing and wholesale business to entice more private label and wholesale accounts which bolsters their income.

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