Introducing Start Up Princess Stephanie Peterson

By startupprincess | Published November 1, 2006

Meet Today’s Mama Co-Founder and CFO, Stephanie Peterson. Stephanie and Rachael Herrscher, Co-Founder were walking down the mall one day discussing how to find a good swimming class when it dawned on them that there should be more resources for mamas…hence, they developed their now nationally booming business and have since landed angel funding and are working on many innovative ways to reach Today’s Mamas.

I had the opportunity recently to ask Stephanie some questions about how she manages to run a growing business while being a young mom.


What’s your typical day like?

What’s nice is that I have my hand in a little bit of everything. It’s nice to be able to work on skills that I haven’t necessarily done in the past but get to learn as we go.
I typically try to fit work in whenever I can. 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there. The big stuff like accounting (QuickBooks) which takes up most of my time I save until I have a stretch of time without kids, usually at nap time or late at night.
I contact retail stores about carrying books and work with the fulfillment house on getting orders shipped. It’s exciting to start on new things like contacting contractors and realtors about buying the book as housewarming gifts. I research new mom owned companies that we can approach about being on our site as well as potential writers. Work can also be making sure we are up to date on expirations for Business licenses and working with lawyers on trademarking. Obviously everyday is different, these are some of the things I do on a weekly basis. Owning a business and being a mom is the hardest and most rewarding experience. I have learned things about myself I never would have imagined. It’s amazing how you can continue to push yourself when you believe in what you are doing and even when you are dog tired.

How do you stay healthy and get enough rest?

Honestly, that’s my biggest challenge. I know I can’t stay up till 12 or 1 every night, but try and do it as much as I can. I mean I still have to be coherent for my boys and be able to be patient!! I think that we have to listen to our bodies and as bad as we want to get things done we have to be able to step back and relax especially when we have been burning the candles at both ends. I also feel like getting a little bit of exercise helps me stay on my toes. We did an interview with a magazine this week and I was telling him that I try to be a well rounded person, but when you own your own business something has to give. I used to run marathons before kids and have been so anxious to get back to running, but it’s not the right time for me.
So instead of training for a marathon I run 2-5 miles when I can and that gets my endorphins going. Yoga has been a huge stress reliever for me mentally but also physically. I have a bad back so I need to keep it stretched out especially chasing two active boys under 3. I use to think that exercise was just another thing I had to do, but I have now realized it’s important to get a little bit in even if it’s only 20 minutes. It helps me be a better business women, mom and wife. Plus it actually gives me more energy during the day. I’m still working on the eating thing…I have had a giant size Caramello every day this week. Not so good, but they taste amazing!!

Read more about Stephanie and her advice to other Start Up Princesses on her profile page.

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  Startup Princess is an international network committed to empowering Women Entrepreneurs by offering resources for women in business to support, mentor, collaborate, learn from, and inspire one another. In 2006, after struggling to raise funding for an initial startup business venture, Kelly King Anderson recognized an important market niche existed for reliable resources educating women desiring to start and grow successful businesses, thus Startup Princess was developed.

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