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Sarah Thacker Adoption Coaching & Consulting Services

October 27, 2010 by

Sarah Thacker and Family

I’m very pleased to introduce the first Featured Business “mompreneur,” Sarah Thacker, founder of Sarah Thacker Adoption Coaching and Consulting Services,  www.sarahthacker.com.

I recently had the privilege of participating with Sarah in a coaching program.  Though we’ve yet to meet each other in person, I can confidently say that the world could use more people like Sarah.  She’s smart, generous, dedicated to family, and passionate about her business.

Sarah is uniquely situated to help prospective adoptive parents because she has been through the process twice: she adopted from the US foster system, and later, from abroad.  Both avenues are filled with challenges that don’t necessarily mirror one another.  Sarah knows the ropes, and is ready to assist other parents on their journey.

Q.  What brought you and your family to adoption—twice?

A.  A lot of things, really! One of the biggest factors was when our oldest son was in first grade, there was a boy, Kaden, in his class whose dad was already in jail and his mom was headed for jail. Through a series of events, we agreed to have him live with us for several months. Kaden helped us realize that we could love a child that was not born to us. After a trip to El Salvador and Honduras doing relief work, we realized that there were so many children needing homes; we just needed to go for it. The first time we adopted from the US foster system and the second time from Haiti.

Q.  What was the inspiration behind starting Sarah Thacker Adoption Coaching and Consulting Services?

A.  There is a misconception in the world that once a child is placed in a loving family that there is a fairytale ending, that love is enough. That isn’t true. Adopting is hard work, especially when the children aren’t babies. I read on various blogs and saw first hand in my circle of adoptive friends that many parents were struggling with attaching with their new child, and were confused about how to help their child heal. I’m not a therapist, but a coach: someone to cheer parents on, help them examine their feelings, find the resources they need, and push for a better future.

Q.  According to your clients—and your experience, of course—what is the greatest challenge in the adoption journey?

A.  There are two main things: People who haven’t adopted yet say their biggest challenge is finances. I agree that there needs to be some reform in adoption regarding finances. I also believe that when there is a will, there is a way. It also costs near nothing to adopt from foster care! Also, people who have already brought their children home, state that helping their child heal from their past is a very real challenge.

Q.  Tell us about your upcoming Adoption Discovery Class.  Who did you have in mind when you designed the course?

A. I have a fantastic mentor, Jen Powter (www.jenpowter.com)  who helped me get my business going with a blast! She taught me so much about launching my business, all in six weeks time. I’ve put the information to use and I feel really good about where things are headed. She mentioned in her class that she was teaching us in six weeks what it took her one and a half years to learn. We were on the fast track.

I took that to heart and realized that I wanted to teach people in a few weeks, everything I had learned about adoption. There are over 144 million orphans in this world, and the numbers aren’t going down. I wanted to be able to offer a fast-track to adoption class. I want to get people the information they need to make an informed decision and to inspire them about the possibilities.

Q.  You have five kids ages 11-3…I don’t even need to ask how busy you are!  What’s your strategy for balancing work and home?  Specifically, how do you create the time to grow your business amid all the other demands on your time?

A.   Balancing work and home is something that I am constantly working on! I think one of the keys for me is to be fully present in whatever I’m doing at the time. If my kids are home and I’m spending time with them, I really try to listen to them, to be attentive, to meet their needs. If I’m working on my business, I really try to shut out the outside world and give my business my full attention. That is easier said than done! Since I have a limited time to work on my business, I try to be very intentional about what I work on, trying to focus on things that will really grow my business. I’d love to have an entire full day to work on my business, but the reality is that I sneak pieces here and there, usually in the early morning hours, during naptime, and late at night. And while I’d like to work on my business more, because I love what I do, my kids will only be 11, 10, 9, 7, and 3 this year, and I don’t want to miss a thing. I wouldn’t have had so many kids if I didn’t absolutely love being a mom!

Didn’t I mention that Sarah is awesome? This is an entrepreneur with heart.  Her Adoption Discovery Class starts Nov. 3, and I want to help spread the word.  How about it? Please retweet and share this post, and if you know anyone who has even hinted about adopting, let them know about Sarah Thacker Adoption Coaching and Consulting Services.  www.sarahthacker.com

Filed Under: Entrepreneur, Featured Business, Working from Home Tagged With: ,

Littleweird

October 6, 2010 by

John Pedigo, Founder of Littleweird

I’m super excited to introduce Timeline Organizing Consultants’ first Featured Business profile….John Pedigo and his homegrown business, Littleweird. 

John is a San Francisco artist with a Haight Street address (how’s that for urban art cred?) He produces and sells screen printed t shirts featuring his original art.  He has a shop on etsy.com, http://www.etsy.com/shop/Littleweird, where you’ll find tees for men, women, and onesies for the kiddos.  Fond of classic cars?  You may as well stop reading now and click on his site—you’re going to love what you find. 

John’s past work life was online—most recently, in the video game industry (yes, more cool cred,)  until he joined the ranks of the unemployed due to a mid-recession layoff.  Never missing a beat, he stepped into his next role: stay at home dad to his then-infant, now-toddler daughter, Sam—the fourth cutest kid on the planet (after my own three, of course.)      

Full-time parenting is a wonderful job.  But exhausting.  Nevertheless, John worked up some entrepreneurial mojo and decided.  He made the commitment to start Littleweird, and it’s been full steam ahead ever since.     

Q.  What was the inspiration for starting Little Weird?   Why now? 

A.  I’d gone to a local DIY fair, indie-mart.com, and saw some of the shirts being produced and I thought to myself, “I could do this.” I had thought about making my own shirts for a while, in fact, I had made shirts for friends in high school and had some experience screen printing.  Being unemployed, I had the time to put together a series of screen printed shirts and stationary, and showed up at the next fair with my own booth. I am doing this now to get some traction with some of my designs that will lead me to something good, I hope… 

Q.  As a home based business, where do you print your shirts? 

A.  Due to child safety requirements (the safety of my hardware, not the child) I do all of my screen printing in my laundry room with the help of my wife. We have a big tub for clean up and I store most of my materials in there. I attach my equipment to a table and spread out on top of the washer and dryer.  (Note: this organizer approves! Always strive to set up a system where you can store your materials out of site when not in use.)

Q.  As both an artist and dad to a busy toddler, how do you manage your creativity?  Do you set regular hours, or work when inspiration strikes?

A.  I do some of my creative work while my daughter takes a nap in the early afternoon, usually about 2 hours. The rest of my creative time comes late at night when everyone in the house is asleep. The printing happens when my daughter is asleep for the night but my wife hasn’t gone to bed yet…I need her help most of the time. (Note: John’s wife, Laura Vaudreuil Pedigo , is the Executive Director of Refugee Transitions and one awesome woman.  I had to give a shout out.)  

Q.  What’s been your greatest challenge as a start up business?

A.  Actually doing it…you can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? Cheesy, yes…true, yes. I think there are millions of people who would like to be doing their own thing, but think they don’t have what it takes to step out and do it. Once you take action, start buying supplies, thinking about products and buying that first booth rental, you realize it’s not that hard. All you need is a little push.  For me, it was a bunch of inspirational (cheesy, but true) messages that I saw on the web…”Take the shot, who cares if you make it or not”, and “You took the shot that a lot of others are afraid to…”  (Note: there’s nothing cheesy about that finding that “push.”) 

Q.  What, so far, has been most rewarding?

A.  Getting feedback from customers who love and buy your work.  A great day selling shirts comes in a really close second. 

If you’re in San Francisco (lucky you,) be sure to stop by the Littleweird booth at either Indie Mart, or SF Market.  For the rest of us, the etsy site will have to do (p.s. free shipping in the US!)  http://www.etsy.com/shop/Littleweird

Filed Under: Entrepreneur, Featured Business, Solopreneur Tagged With: ,

Introducing Featured Business Profiles

October 3, 2010 by

I’ve been busy lately, beyond organizing offices and the inevitable paper piles.  I’ve been on the hunt, networking like crazy, and turning to the connectors in my life. (Readers of Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point will recognize the term.)  My quarry? Small, primarily home-based business owners who have answered the entrepreneurial call.

 This week, I’ll be introducing Timeline Organizing Consultants’ first Featured Business.  This is my way of giving a brief shout-out to solopreneurs who are out there making things happen, sharing their expertise with the world, and building their future, one day at a time.

Twice a month, you’ll be meeting individuals from all walks of life: designers, artists, educators, coaches, foodies, and many more.  I’m starting locally, but thinking globally—my first few profiles will focus on people I personally know, however distantly.  Expect a heavy dose of “mompreneurs,” a demographic near and dear to me.  These individuals (or partners) will be at different stages in their entrepreneurial journey, from start-up, to gaining-momentum, to out-and-out unstoppable.  Each has a story to tell.  And though my profiles will be brief, you’ll definitely want to click through to their sites, to learn more about their work and their offerings. 

The Featured Business entrepreneurs are not affiliates of mine, meaning, I don’t profit on bringing them to your attention. I endorse their products and services, of course, but more than that, I’m inspired by their creativity, or passion, or chutzpah.  These are businesses with heart and ambition—the most winning of combinations, as far as I’m concerned.

I have about three months’ worth of Featured Business profiles lined up; beyond that, I’m open.  I’m excited about all the business owners— strangers, at the moment—that I’ll be connecting with in the near future.  I’ll be asking for your help, too.  So, start thinking of the inspiring people in your circle who have taken the entrepreneurial leap of faith, and let me know about them.

Filed Under: Entrepreneur, Featured Business, Solopreneur Tagged With: ,

Coming Soon…Featured Business!

September 29, 2010 by

Stay tuned for our first Featured Business profile, where we meet a small business owner who is making things happen in a big way!

Filed Under: Featured Business