The Alumni Spotlight is a periodic feature of the Mom’s Choice Awards® blog. It is part of our ongoing effort to “shine the spotlight” on our honorees and their contributions to promoting excellence in family-friendly media, products, and services. We share their stories not only to celebrate their accomplishments, but to give you an opportunity to see the benefits of being part of the Mom’s Choice Awards family of programs.
When Heather Ledeboer was growing up, her world was (literally) her backyard. She lived in a log cabin and her family reached the outside world via CB radio and later by phone. Now, Heather’s world knows no boundaries. Thanks to the Internet and her own entrepreneurial spirit, she can connect with people all around the world. As you’ll see in this interview, she especially loves the opportunity to build the Mom community.
MCA: Hi Heather. Thanks for joining us today. Before we begin, can you help me with the pronunciation of your last name?
Heather: Sure. It is a tough one … lay-du-b-or.
MCA: Thanks. That is a big help! Okay, let’s talk about Mom4Life.com, your award-winning website. What was your inspiration for the project?
Heather: After our first child was born, I was challenged to find a way to help out finically from home. My husband encouraged me to explore options on the Internet. I began small: I had $100 for start-up costs and an eBay listing. The more I explored, the more I discovered my passion for helping moms. As we grew, my vision sharpened and I began to focus exclusively on mom-invented products. God was gracious and took that small beginning and allowed it to grow to something that was truly able to make an impact in the lives of hundreds of women whose products are now sold on our site, as well as the crisis pregnancy centers we support.
MCA: What are your goals for your website in the next year? Heather: We plan to expand our already extensive mom-invented product base. We are also looking into moving to a new shopping cart to better suit our expanding needs. I pray the future involves growing opportunity to bless and be blessed by moms in what we do.
MCA: If someone gave you air time for a 15-second commercial, how would you entice people to use your website for their purchases? Heather: I would start out with a brief shot of me talking directly to the camera, outlining what makes Mom 4 Life unique: we have more than 900 unique, 100% mom-invented products; free shipping; and authentically great customer service. Then, I would fade to show a fast progression of photos featuring the 100s of mom inventors and their products on our site. At the end, the camera would scan back showing all of the moms standing together providing the viewer with a feel for how many moms are encompassed and supported by Mom 4 Life.com.
MCA: You started with an idea and now have a successful, award-winning marketplace for moms. Looking back on your journey, what was the easiest part? The hardest? What surprised you the most? Heather: The process of my journey that has been the easiest would have to be creative marketing. I love the challenge of thinking outside of the box. My mind often wanders and I find myself daydreaming about the next creative way I can reach out to my customers. This doesn’t mean I act on them all, or even that they all work, but to me it is always fun.
The most difficult part was when our family experienced the death of our third child through a stillborn birth at 37 weeks. This journey has taken our family down a road that has taught us many new lessons and given us greater insight to not only the blessing of life, but the gift of supporting others in their grief. It was difficult to be surrounded by excited, pregnant mothers and fun new baby products while I was mourning the loss of our son. However, I found an unexpected support group among the readers of my blog,as I began journaling about our loss. Being able to openly share my journey and to receive their support and prayers in return has been a most amazing and unexpected gift. I will always be grateful for their willingness to walk beside me during this difficult time in my life.
We have an incredible community of shoppers. I am continually amazed by how supportive and kind our customers are. We have women who are willing to wait for us to get our next shipment or who will check with us to see if we can add something to our site so that they can order for us. In our instant gratification society, who does that? Apparently Mom 4 Life customers do!
MCA: Since launching the Moms4 Life marketplace, what has been your most rewarding experience in promoting or sharing it with the public? Do you have a favorite memory? Heather: We have amazingly loyal customers. Two years ago we were honored to win the Pregnancy & Newborn Reader’s Choice award for “best online baby store” – in a category where we were up against Babies R Us! When I began Mom 4 Life in 2003 someone asked me for a five-year business goal. I said I wanted to give Babies R Us some competition. It gave me a fantastic feeling to know that in a small way I had achieved that goal. Even better was the fact that it was only realized because of the support of the loyal moms that stand behind what we do. This year we were once again honored to win this award.
MCA: Could you please tell us why you chose the Mom’s Choice Awards® program in seeking recognition for Mom4Life.com? Heather: Actually, I didn’t choose the Mom’s Choice Awards®. Y’all found me because someone nominated me.
MCA: What does it mean to you to be a Mom’s Choice Awards® alumnus? Heather: It is a great honor to have a panel of judges who are distinguished in their field of expertise see what we are doing and find it to be worthy of special recognition. I am humbled that my business was chosen as I know there are SO many deserving businesses out there.
MCA: What did you learn about yourself in the process of creating your award-winning ? Heather: I learned that the constant swirl of ideas swimming in my head can have a productive and useful place in the world and that when I am using my God-given gifts, everyone can benefit from it.
MCA: Would you recommend the Mom’s Choice Awards® to other entrepreneurs? If so, why? Heather: Absolutely, the process of having your product or service evaluated by others a is a positive thing regardless of the outcome of the award. It also helps you self-evaluate your product.
MCA: How have you/your company benefited by being a Mom’s Choice Awards® honoree? Do you have any tangible examples?
Heather: I am sorry, I don’t have any tangible examples.
