MMIA Magazine - Million Moms In Action Magazine October/November 2014 | Page 10

exclusive
interview

THE

Superwoman
coach
“Many people grow up
thinking a 9-5 is the only
option you have and that is
not the case. Kids who grow up
seeing their parents running
their own business learn early
on that there are options and
possibilities outside of what
society says.”

Vicki Irvin
Founder of Superwoman Lifestyle
Washington, DC
Twitter & IG:
@vickiirvin

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After building her first company into a
million dollar business in 12 months,
Vicki Irvin started her next venture
mentoring business owners which has
quickly become a successful coaching
practice for entrepreneurs. She focuses
on teaching women how to have it all in
Business, Beauty & Balance.
MMIA What’s the one thing you wish
you knew when you started out?
VICKI I wish someone had told me how
many hours I would have to put in! When
you think about entrepreneurship, you
have this fantasy where you think you
will wake up and check your emails every
morning, make a couple of phone calls
and then have the day to yourself. The
reality is that when you are in charge of
your own company and destiny you have
to work ten times as hard. Nobody will be
there on Friday handing you a paycheck,
you have to grind to earn it. Successful
entrepreneurship requires going above
and beyond and doing things that most
other people will not.
MMIA How do you balance the roles of
entrepreneur and mom?
VICKI One day at a time. I learned early on that it would be a tough juggling
act. I have witnessed my son looking
for attention from me and I didn’t have
the time. I never want to see the look
of disappointment on his face again.
So I have to create boundaries. I don’t
allow outside negative forces into my
space and I don’t talk on the phone or
engage in long text message conversations with people. I took inventory
of where I was wasting time for one
week and made the decision to use
that extra time for the things in my life
that matter the most, like my family. I
learned that you can make money and

lose money, but once you waste time
you can never get that back.
MMIA How do your children feel about
mommy being an entrepreneur?
VICKI My son thinks it’s cool when
he sees me doing fun stuff. He likes to
see me on magazine covers or in stories
or on TV. He has brought my books to
school to show his teachers because he
is proud of me. He has grown up in a
family of entrepreneurs so he knows
and understands marketing. He helped
me to create my SWL Cosmetics
Collection which is a line I have with
R&B Diva Chante Moore. My son gave
me input and ideas on pricing and
even attends events with me when we
go on tour. At the age of nine, he sells
the products, talks to customers and
his favorite part...swiping credit card
payments! So all in all, he likes the
concept of being an entrepreneur and
is focused on being rich; Bill Gates is
his personal bench mark.
MMIA What are your views on moms
becoming entrepreneurs?
VICKI For the right person, it can be
the best thing. You have an opportunity
to make a living while establishing your
own parameters and boundaries. You
also have the ability to be a role model to your children. Many people grow
up thinking a 9-5 is the only option you
have and that is not the case. Kids who
grow up seeing their parents running
their own business learn early on that
there are options and possibilities outside of what society says. Moms are often concerned with leading by example
and being an entrepreneur is one they
are able to accomplish that. So I will always be a champion for moms who want
to run their own business.
October/November 2014