'Mompreneurs' Find Best of Both Worlds

For many women, being a stay-at-home mom is a choice that has been disappearing over the last 25 years.

Now more than ever, moms are choosing a hybrid option, venturing into the world of a "mompreneur," launching their own businesses and being around for their kids while working full-time. To many, this provides a schedule that allows some flexibility while also making a contribution to the family's financial support. 

If you take a minute and look around, you'll see that mompreneurs are everywhere, from selling products and hosting home parties to consulting and working on various projects. The common denominator is that these moms saw a need and filled it with a new business. Not surprisingly, there are many amazing mompreneurs right here in the Syosset area. 

Antoinette Troia worked for almost 10 years in the children's wholesale industry before she got married and moved to Long Island, the dream of owning her own boutique constantly in the back of her mind. While researching her initial plans of opening a children's boutique, she found a huge void in maternity fashions and moved her focus from the kids to the moms-to-be.

Aiming to provide fashionable and edgy maternity clothes, impeccable quality, moderate prices and personalized service, Antoinette and her mother opened Honey Due (7949 Jericho Tpke., Woodbury) in August 2005.  Servicing moms during the most exciting time of their lives and helping them feel beautiful is extremely rewarding. And with the flexibility that mompreneur-ship offers, Antoinette is able to bring her 2-year-old daughter to work with her every day.

Shilpa Motwani started looking at toys from a different perspective after the birth of her son in 2007 and was disappointed to find only a small number of popular toys that met her standards. When toy recalls starting becoming a fixture on newscasts, she knew that there had to be companies somewhere that focused on making quality products for kids, and she wanted to make these toys readily available to Long Island parents.

In November 2009, after spending countless hours on research, she opened Kush Kush Toys & Books (7959 Jericho Tpke., Woodbury), a toy store focusing on quality brands that will power a child's imagination. She handpicks every single item sold in her store as if she were choosing it for her own child and looks carefully at the manufacturer and how the toy is made before she will sell it.  Opening Kush Kush in the Syosset area was a no-brainer--Motwani is able to work in a wonderful community while having the flexibility to be with her son at a moment's notice.   

Selena Fass majored in math in college, bringing her knowledge into the insurance industry for 14 years. But she realized that in order to move forward in her career she would need to relocate often, and she decided that was not the life she wanted for herself, her husband or her two young daughters.

When the opportunity to open an Absolute Best Care franchise (40 Underhill Blvd.) on Long Island arose, Fass jumped on it with the knowledge that she could have both--happiness in her career and roots in a community. She started down her path of mompreneur-ship, helping families find quality childcare in June 2006. Being a working mom enables her to truly understand the obstacles and stress involved in finding quality care for children. 

For Fass, it isn't always easy--she is on call 24 hours a day to make the decisions necessary to run a business that caters to families and deals with an issue as sensitive as childcare. Hiring reliable staff has allowed Fass to close in on achieving a good work/life balance. She tries to be a role model for her kids, not missing anything important. 

Fass chose Syosset for her office location because of the solid community roots, as well as its central location and ease of access by public transportation for her clients.

Amy Platt is a Syosset resident, a mom of two kids and a mompreneur herself, having launched LIParentSource.com, an online resource for local families, in October 2006.