Ottawa: Calling All Mompreneurs

Mompreneur™.
It’s a word that’s entered our lexicon, and none too soon. After all, when women are starting up small businesses at twice the rate as men (and one-third of them have kids under 12!), you know it’s not just a passing fad.

Not that that’s news to us at SavvyMom (a mom-run media company). Since we launched almost two years ago, we’ve been constantly impressed by the number of Canadian mompreneurs whose great products and services we’ve enjoyed uncovering and promoting. And today, in celebration of all those moms who dared to dream big, we’re announcing the SavvyMom Mompreneur of the Year Award, (with an $18,000 prize no less!)

We’ll start with just one of these companies for today—Ottawa’s Kaleidoscope Kids’ Books.

This successful independent bookstore is a dream come true for three Ottawa moms who met when their children were in senior kindergarten together at Hopewell Avenue Public School. Karin Fuller, Kelly Harrison and Kim Ferguson crammed many late-night planning sessions into their already jam-packed work and home schedules to get their vision airborne. The store opened in February 2006 in Fifth Avenue Court in the Glebe.

Between the three of them, Karin, Kelly and Kim have six busy kids who now range in age from five to 12. When they’re not busy with gymnastics, hockey, snowboarding, dance, ringette, piano, Sparks or Guides, these Kaleidoscope kids love to recommend their favorite books to friends who come into the store.