Business

MOMpreneur®, Where Two Passions Meet... Business Articles Regardless of the size of your company, your courage, your finesse and your situation will determine how effectively you implement the ideas you garner here.  You know your business best; you know where your business needs help and where the opportunities are.  You also know how quickly you want to grow.   We're here to make sure that between the information and the contextural situations we provide that you have a number of parameters and perspectives to help you make the appropriate decision at the right time.  The future is, indeed, bright for Mompreneurs!

Surviving Life, Family and Self-Employment

Family Business – Property Guys

Surviving Life, Family
and Self-Employment

Motherhood times three and finding a work/life balance

by Tracy Stretch

It was no surprise to family and friends when Tracey Singleton took the leap from a secure job to start her own business. Born and raised in Prince Edward Island by successful entrepreneurs, Tracey is no stranger to a little hard work. Her dad owned a gas station and her mom operated a daycare. For the last five years, Tracey, along with husband Kenny, has been the co-owner of the Prince Edward Island franchise for PropertyGuys.com, North America's largest, most respected and fastest growing private sale network.

Creating opportunity

“Kenny was self-employed and I was jealous of his flexibility,” Tracey shares. “Plus, we were ready to start a family. We wanted to be in control of our career and family. PropertyGuys.com couldn’t support salaries for us both this early in the business, so I created an opportunity to be self-employed while staying involved with PropertyGuys.com.”

In 2008, Tracey started Versatile Management Group (VMG). VMG specializes in marketing, communications, event management and overall project management.

“We're action people; experienced project managers who work seamlessly with an organization to get a job done,” says Tracey.

Pioneers for PropertyGuys.com, Tracey and Kenny were among the first franchise owners. Their territory is the entire province of PEI and they surprised everyone (including themselves) when their business doubled in their first year. Kenny manages the day-to-day operations for their franchise and Tracey handles all the marketing and communications through VMG. The two companies share overhead.

Good things come in threes

Tracey was in the midst of her new business when she learned she was expecting her first child. No wait . . . make that three!

“Finding out I was expecting triplets was the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced,” says Tracey. “I had just left a secure job to start my own entrepreneurial adventure, plus my husband was self-employed. What will we do? What if we fail? There are three little ones depending on us.”

Six months after the babies were born, Tracey was back to work.

“It wasn’t easy at first,,” she says. “But the trade-off is worth it. I’m able to be there for every needle, every play date and as a family we can take our own long weekends.”

Tracey and Kenny have a great partnership – they are a real team whether at work, at home or at play. Their busy family life and work life is supported by one other key player, their full-time, live-in nanny.

“After I got over the shock of knowing I was having triplets, I started looking into hiring a nanny,” Tracey says. “I assumed it would be too expensive. But my research led me to International Nannies, an agency that does all the work for you. The cost of a live-in nanny was equal to daycare for three kids. Six months before the babies were due, we hired Epi!” Tracey smiles as she shares, “It was such a relief. Epi loves our kids and has made our lives so much easier.”

Celebrating successes

VMG has been very fortunate since its opening. Tracey hasn’t had to look for work – the jobs find her.

“The challenge has been choosing the right type of contracts and deciding when to say yes to work but also ensuring I don’t take too much on,” She says. “I love the flexibly of owning my own company. The greatest rewards are being with my husband and the ability to be there for my kids when they need me.”

At VMG, Tracey’s focus is on working with larger clients to provide fewer highs and lows. As for PropertyGuys.com, it’s all about growth, market-share and expanding the sales team. Combined, PropertyGuys.com and VMG have annual revenue of close to $400K. With their shared 2.5 staff, they have created great momentum for both businesses.

Tracey is passionate about both of her businesses but she makes sure she also leaves time to be involved in her community and with family and friends. A positive outlook and ability to multitask are two strengths that have helped her to get to where she is today.

Take her advice…

…Don’t try to be Supermom! You can’t to do it all on your own.

“Our nanny has given us freedom and has helped us to create balance,” says Tracey. “I spend more time with my kids than many people plus I have a very fulfilling career.” Glancing at Kenny and the kids, Tracey adds, “I now believe it’s possible to have it all. My instant family is a blessing. Many people look at us with sympathy when they hear we have triplets. We’re the only ones who know how fortunate we really are.”

---

 

Pull quote and photocaptions:

“Kenny was self-employed and I was jealous of his flexibility
….so I created an opportunity to be self-employed.”

— Tracey Singleton

“Finding out I was expecting triplets was the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced.” 
                - Tracey Singleton, PEI Mompreneur

Teamwork, a good support system and knowing when to say ‘no’ help Tracey and Kenny Singleton manage a busy home and work life.

 

 Return to Business Articles


Don't have our magazine yet?
The MOMpreneur® magazine is a Canadian magazine for women who are balancing the role of motherhood with being an entrepreneur. We create an environment of sharing, support and encouragement to our members through our magazine, our seminars and webinars, and our online forums. Purchase our 6 issues per year to get connected with this exciting women's network!

Click here to order your MOMpreneur® Magazine NOW.