MMIA Magazine - Million Moms In Action Magazine August/September 2014 | Page 53
20 mogul
moms
The Startup
strategist
“The first time I declared I’d be a successful business woman I was 10 years old. The spark was lit
after selling the most chocolate bars in my grade. I was clear that I wanted to run the show, I just
wasn’t sure what.”
MMIA: When did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
LANIER: The first time I declared I’d be a successful business woman I
was 10 years old. The spark was lit after selling the most chocolate bars in
my grade. I was clear that I wanted to run the show I just wasn’t sure what.
As an adult after throwing parties in NYC I decided event planning would
be the start of my entrepreneurial endeavors. Every job until I was 25yrs
old was for funding purposes only until I launched MCPR.
MMIA: How long did it take you to go from business idea to actually
seeing income?
LANIER: 3 months
MMIA: Do you ever regret your decision to become a full-time
entrepreneur?
LANIER: NO! Deciding to become an entrepreneur has been the best
decision of my life. Let’s be clear, it hasn’t been all roses. I‘ve experienced
some serious life challenges that have strengthened my character and
taught me to be resilient. I was homeless for 6 weeks with my then
18month old daughter; I’ve lost clients and countless opportunities during
my first year of being a new mom with minimal support to attend and
travel as much as the clients needed. My personal relationships have
been tested whether it was friends, family or boyfriends. Some made it
while others are currently experiencing life without me. You know what
though? It’s ok and so am I. Sacrifice is the name of the game, you have
to make the decision that no matter what comes your way you will keep
pushing. No matter how bad things have appeared to be I always felt like
it was too soon to quit. I’ve put in way too much work to stop now and my
future self is depending on me.
MMIA: How do you balance the roles of mommy and entrepreneur?
LANIER: Ha, I ‘m still waiting for the right answer. Balance will always
have a different look and meaning for everyone. It’s something I work
towards every day, some days are easier than others but the biggest thing
I can say that has worked thus far is planning. Ming is 4yrs old now, so
simple things like ironing her clothes for the week on a Sunday works
best for me. Waking up at 5:30am every morning preparing a to-do-list
and reviewing the day before to make sure I completed all task. Setting
realistic goals can also be very helpful because no one is more of a critic
of me than I am.
August /September 2014
MMIA: How do your children feel about mommy being an entrepreneur?
LANIER: Ming doesn’t quite understand fully what mommy does as of
yet, but she has no problems telling me mommy put your phone down or
mommy close your laptop. When that happens I know she needs her time
so I oblige her because her bedtime is 8pm even on weekends so I could
get back to work or just get some quiet time.
MMIA: Take us through a typical day in your life.
LANIER:
• 5:30am up reviewing & preparing my to do list
• 6:1
5am wake Ming up and breakfast