Leap, Hustle, & Community: Three Founders on Finding Their Path
At FemFounder, we understand that every entrepreneurial journey begins with a bold step—and continues with the daily challenge of balancing ambition with life’s realities. Below, three women share their pivotal “permission to start,” the heart-tug of parenting versus business, and the power of peer support to overcome funding gaps. Read on for candid stories that illuminate how vision, resilience, and community fuel success.
Name: Ivy Boyter
Company: Full Throttle SEO
Website: https://fullthrottleseo.com/
Challenge & Lesson:
“My first challenge in my entrepreneurial journey was simply giving myself permission to take the leap. I’d built my website more than 2 years ago and let it sit collecting dust, telling myself I wasn’t ready to own and run a business. I knew I always wanted to, but I didn’t feel I knew enough about starting and running a business, so I kept waiting.
Towards the end of 2024, a series of events transpired at my place of employment that was the final reminder I needed—that no one ever really knows how to run a business. The constant reminders that every business owner had a beginning and the events that occurred changed my perspective on what I was capable of, which became my pivotal moment. I was no longer waiting for the right time or to know enough. Instead, I gave myself permission to learn as I go, just like so many have done before me, armed with ideas of how not to run my company coupled with ideas of how to run it so that it is fulfilling and empowering, not just for myself but also for the partnerships I make.
I took my website seriously in October, set up my LLC for January 1, 2025, and had signed my first 2 clients in March. I tend to believe the Universe knew I needed the events from September 2024 to carry with me and set me on my intended path!”
Name: Jessica Stephens
Company: Meliora Forever
Website: http://www.MelioraForever.com
Challenge & Lesson:
“I was an environmental scientist and technical writer until my first daughter was born, then I became a stay-at-home mom. After the birth of my second daughter and when I was ready to re-enter the workforce, my father was diagnosed with ALS, so I held off on job hunting to help take care of him. Immediately after he passed in March 2020, the pandemic hit, and we were in lockdown the day after his funeral. During lockdown, I started drinking Old Fashioneds. One day, I was looking at the ingredients and wondered if I could put them all into a sugar cube. One Old Fashioned led to another and I became an entrepreneur. At first, it was a side hustle, but the business quickly grew.
My biggest problem was and still is the challenge of juggling parenthood with the business world. Going from being a stay-at-home parent to hopping on flights across the country for trade shows/wholesale shows in just a few years’ time is quite the change. My children are 11 and 14, and they both are my world. These pre-teen to teenage years are especially difficult, and I find myself constantly letting them down. My youngest, Sally, is “graduating” from elementary school to middle school this year, and I won’t be there for her Moving Up ceremony because I’ll be in Dallas for a wholesale show that I’ve been preparing for since March. It breaks my heart, and she isn’t taking it very well, either. Situations like this keep popping up, and it is becoming more and more difficult to balance life and work.
We are slowly finding ways to love and appreciate every opportunity we have to spend time together and celebrate all of the “wins” along the way. I might miss Moving Up day, but we can do things that parents who work traditional hours cannot do—like stop at Starbucks on the way home from school when we had a bad day. And it’s because I’m working so hard that we are able to take family vacations that we might not have been able to take prior to Meliora Forever. Last year, for example, we whisked off to the Finger Lakes to visit the Women’s Rights National Historical Park and surrounding areas for a long weekend—just me and the girls.
I think at the end of the day, I’m giving my kids more than weekend vacations and Starbucks runs; I’m showing my children how to follow a dream, showing them that they can take their fate into their own hands and make things happen. I’m always going to have the problem of balancing work and parenting, but I’m learning how to be a role model to my children, and quite honestly—to myself, too.”
Name: Ana Xhomara
Company: Kiddo App
Website: https://www.kiddoapp.io
Challenge & Lesson:
“I launched my nanny-share app earlier this year to tackle the childcare cost crisis. The app helps match nearby families so they can share a nanny and split the cost in half.
I’m having incredible challenges with funding, and this is a known challenge among most women founders, since the majority of funding (98%) goes to male founders.
The way I’m overcoming this is by locating and attending women founders’ events. So far, I’ve met a lot of great and inspiring individuals. Once I get their contact info, I start a mini cohort (for free), and we communicate about all startup challenges to support each other and stay connected. For the women that have received funding, the insight is then shared directly with the group.”
These stories remind us that the leap is often the hardest part, that balancing dreams with daily demands takes relentless creativity, and that no one climbs alone. Whether you’re starting, crafting work-life balance, or forging peer networks to bridge funding gaps, the FemFounder community stands ready with shared wisdom—and unwavering support. Keep growing, keep hustling, and remember that your next breakthrough is already in motion.
