mamas rock: madeleine shaw & suzanne siemens
Filed Under Mamas Rock | March 8, 2010
In honour of International Women’s Day today we thought it only fitting to run a Mamas Rock article and even more fitting to profile Madeline Shaw and Suzanne Siemens of Lunapads whose business is all about helping women have healthier and happier periods.
Lunapads began when Shaw, at 25, developed an allergy to tampons. Using her love of textiles and sewing, she designed her own disposable pads and specialized underwear. Excited by her idea and encouraged by family and friends, Shaw attended an entrepreneurial training program in 1994 and went on to win a BCIT Venture Program award for the first Lunapads business plan.
Siemens, feeling uninspired after ten years in the corporate world, met Shaw in 1999 as participants in Leadership Vancouver. Their meeting was “the catalyst to making the bold leap” into the entrepreneurial world for Siemens.
Between them, Shaw and Siemens have three children. In the early days of Lunapads they set up their office so that their kids could come to work with them. Now that their children are older and in school or day care, it’s a “welcome treat” when they do make a guest appearance. Shaw and Siemens have excellent staff to allow them to better balance family and work life, although they admit that sometimes it can be difficult “figuring out how to grow the business profitably and in a manner consistent with our values.”
Working on their own terms and creatively integrating family and work has been a huge benefit for both women. All their hard work becomes worth it when they see their thriving business and happy families. “There are a lot of similarities to running a business and raising a family. It is hard work but seeing the benefits of your efforts (a thriving business and a happy family) are rewarding.”
Find out more about lunapads at www.lunapads.com
Entrepreneurial Tip:
“As an entrepreneur, two things can happen quickly: your financial situation can get taxed (i.e: you might run out of money!) and your workload can get out of hand. If things go south (and inevitably, something will!) you need a good support system to help you weather out the storms and provide you with a reality check about how well you are balancing your work/life situation.”
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