Our newest press releases and articles…

Look for us in the Parker Tid Bits paper, the end of February 2008…..

As seen in The Alaska Journal of Commerce

MOMS LEAVE THE WORKFORCE IN DROVES TO RAISE CHILDREN; Businesses Struggle to Keep Them

Inc Moms Press Release

As seen in Valley News
May 4,2007

IncMoms.com offers support for stay-at-home mothers

By Patty McCormac - Managing Editor

Sonja Stewart and Lori Kerrigan have come up with a way to make sure women can have it all, if they want it. If they don’t want it all, they can have as much as they want on their own terms.

The two women, best friends since junior high, have founded Incorporated Moms, a free and nonprofit Web site that is a one-stop shop for stay-at-home moms who want to live balanced lives between home and work.

The Web site’s mission is to empower women by providing them with resources, education and support through a network of other women and business professionals. For women who have the desire or need to provide financially for their families, the site can provide them with options to do so from home with stay-at-home jobs so they can be close to their little ones. Need a recipe, babysitter, craft idea, time management tips, a book recommendation? Moms will find all the information they need at IncMoms.com.

Steward and Kerrigan said the thing that spurred them to action was the fact that last year 1.4 million women left the workforce to raise their families. They understood the need to recognize these women and their decision to avoid the stress of fighting freeway traffic, maneuvering through the land of daycare, trying to jam too many things into the course of each day and being separated from their families for too many hours.

They also recognize that the decision can make a big difference in a woman’s life. Stewart knows. She said she and her husband, Jeff, were surprised when she became pregnant, but she made a decision.

“I decided, if I’m going to do it, I’m going to go full force. I wanted to stay at home and do it right,” she said.

To this end, the couple decided to become a single-income family – his, which meant making a few sacrifices, such as selling one of their cars, having their cable disconnected, losing their $10-a-day Starbuck’s habit, cooking meals at home and eating out less, cutting way back on the number of bottles of “good wine” they consumed and buying in bulk.

Stewart, a writer, was able to continue a career at home after little Josephine was born.

Kerrigan, who is a professor for a couple of online universities, is looking forward to having a family with her husband, Michael. When that day comes, she says, she wants to be able to continue her work at home and care for her family.

While talking one day, Stewart and Kerrigan realized how grateful they are to have the skills and the savvy to be able to work from home, so they decided to share their knowledge with others.

The women make no money from their Web site. “Our intentions are pure,” said Temecula resident Kerrigan. “We honestly want to help moms. We want to help them live a well-balanced life.”

IncMoms.com went online in January. Since then, Kerrigan and Stewart have been reaching out to moms on a number of levels.

If a woman wants to stay at home and add a few dollars to the family budget, for example, Incorporated Moms can usually fix her up with a stay-at-home job because of a relatively new concept called “homesourcing.” Jet Blue already employs stay-at-home moms for its call center and many other companies are beginning to understand the advantages of keeping jobs at home in the US.

Anyone who has had issues with certain credit card companies can attest to the frustration of trying to make someone in India, who speaks nearly perfect English, really understand and react appropriately to a problem. Using stay-at-home moms guarantees that the person who answers the telephone understands not only the language of the country but the culture, which cuts the overhead for participating companies, Stewart said.

“That makes me want to support [the companies] more,” she added.

Stewart and Kerrigan are reaching out to as many mothers as they can to take part in the Web site, whether to register as a babysitter, share a recipe, write an article, land a job or teach a skill. One woman who has experience in resumes helps women punch up their own.

“Everyone who wants to stay at home has a right to,” Stewart said.

To learn more about Incorporated Moms, contact Kerrigan at Lori @ incmoms.com or Stewart at Sonja @ incmoms.com or visit www.IncMoms.com.