Sheri Simson has balanced her home and work life as a mompreneur.
The mother of three has been nominated for the Mompreneur Award of Excellence which recognizes “the hard work and talent of busy female entrepreneurs who are making advances in today’s Canadian entrepreneurial business environment,” according to a press release.
“We help to stand as a role model for other female entrepreneurs, mothers, young women too of course, who are motivated to be entrepreneurs,” said Simson. “If we moms can be entrepreneurs, then anybody can be entrepreneurs really if you want because we have challenges on the home front along with the challenges of business.”
More than 1,200 women were nominated or registered online and 205 entrants advanced. The winner takes home $30,000, gets professional assistance with their business and publicity through various TV shows and articles.
Simson is the owner of KeenFit The Pole Walking Co., but has worked in a number of fields while living in Kelowna for more than 40 years.
“I’ve been my own boss since I was 15 years old,” she said, with designing and wallpapering her family friend’s houses.
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Simon also had a window dressing business, was a financial planner and worked for 13 years as a design/build general contractor with her own construction business, Simson Construction, which gradually expanded.
“I had my children, by the way, during my construction phase. I remember our nanny used to come and I would be breastfeeding on a pile of lumber in the corner and the inspector would show up and I’d have to run and hand the baby to the nanny,” she said.
“I would go through my inspection on the job and get my baby after that.”
But, she loved owning her own business; creating her own hours to balance work with family.
“I don’t think there was a time I couldn’t be with my kids because they were sick,” she said. “I don’t think I missed a field trip and very few games.”
Her three sons, Cooper, 21, Parker 19, and Hunter 15, also carry the entrepreneurial spark.
“I was a role model for working hard and committing yourself and staying focused… those kinds of things are important,” said Simson.
Her husband, Jesper and her parents have also provided support for Simson to succeed.
The winners of the Mompreneur awards will be announced at the sixth annual National Mompreneurs Conference taking place on March 2 and 3 at the Toronto Congress Centre.
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