Entrepreneur: the owner or manager of a business enterprise who, by risk and initiative, attempts to make profit.

Parentpreneur: See above, and also juggles the day-to-day demands of parenting, provides income for one’s family and attempts to live out one’s dreams.

Parentpreneurs: How Do They Do It?

by: Jen Wainwright

He said to her, “These moms want help. You need to do this.”

And her hobby…became her business.

Going Green

Meet Bridgeport resident and Parentpreneur Laura Gobeyn, 29, owner of The Green Bean Candle Co. and Natural Skincare Products, wife, and mother to Harlen, 5, Luella, 3, and Kylin, 1.

With an associate’s degree in business, Gobeyn was taking classes toward a bachelor’s degree in nursing and also working as a nursing assistant when her son was born.

Harlen developed severe eczema, and Gobeyn and her husband jumped through multiple hoops of steroids and antibiotics with little success (and a list of side effects). She began looking toward more homeopathic solutions, teaching herself how to create soaps that wouldn’t disturb his skin, harmless laundry detergent and also butters, balms and lotions made with natural ingredients and essential oils that were soothing to his eczema.

Family members were already fans of the candles Gobeyn made as a hobby for her own home and as gifts, and they became interested in her new products, too. They began telling friends, who told other friends…

“Someone would call and say, ‘I have this skin problem,’ or ‘My child has this,’ or ‘What exactly do essential oils do, again?’,” Gobeyn says. “I would talk with them…see if I had something that could help them, or if I could create something that would.”

“I looked at it as a hobby, and it just kind of took off,” says Gobeyn.

Gobeyn says it was her husband Travis who planted the seed in her mind to actually start a business.

“He said, ‘These moms want help. You need to do this’,” Gobeyn says. “He was my drive.”

Gobeyn – who worked 12-hour shifts, at minimal pay, and often found herself crying in the bathroom at work after dropping her son off at daycare – began to consider the possibilities of operating a business…and being able to stay home with her child.

She had never planned to start a business: A career in nursing remained her ultimate goal. She also considered the contradictory natures of pursuing a path in traditional medicine through nursing while operating a business offering homeopathic solutions.

“I can’t control what people put into their bodies,” Gobeyn says, “I can only offer help.”

She decided to give Parentpreneurism a go as a side income to supplement her schooling, an opportunity to create income while staying home with her child and as a platform to reach and help people seeking her natural products.

Applying the concepts she had learned earning her business degree to her “hobbies” of making all natural candles and skincare products: The Green Bean Candle Company and Natural Skincare Products was born – offering aromatherapy through high-quality soy wax candles, each with cotton wicks and dyed with pigment powder derived naturally, and a “Love My…” line that includes butters and balms for lips, face, hands, feet, a tummy butter for stretch marks, a special Excema Butter in a “hands-free, mess-free” applicator, natural soaps and laundry soap, suntan lotion, bug repellant and more.

Just The Facts: How Does She Do It?

Fast forward to present day…

With three children (one with a severe, airborne nut allergy that prompted Gobeyn to homeschool him for safety reasons); a full-time school schedule (Gobeyn will be a Registered Nurse in December 2015); a husband who works full-time; a budding business (doubling its’ following this past year on FB and an e-store opening in the near future) – the question remains: How Does She Do It?

“My days begin at 5 a.m., and I work a lot,” Gobeyn says. “People ask me how I do it all, but other parents work outside of the home and attend school and take care of their families…I don’t know how they do it.”

• Gobeyn works toward “Green Bean” needs from her home in the morning, during naps and evenings to make items and fulfill orders. She attends nursing clinicals five days a week for two to four hours, and either her husband, mother-in-law or neighbor is with her children.
• Gobeyn’s husband currently works full-time with a company that offers full-time benefits. The income from Green Bean Candle Co and Natural Skincare Products is currently an additional income.
• Gobeyn sells “Green Bean” items through a shop on Etsy, at craft shows (about 2 to 5 per year) and she operates a business page on FB, paying between $10 – $30 monthly depending on how many posts she sponsors (allowing her to reach and gain more fans). She attributes the doubling of followers of her FB page in the last year (up to 550 +) to the time she invests into social media. “If I don’t post, I don’t sell.” Her posts include sales, product information, recipes and more.
• “Green Bean” products are for sale at multiple local locations including Grains & Greens in Saginaw and Bay City, Healthy Habits and Advanced Therapeutic Massage Center and multiple salons. She went directly to each location, introducing herself and her products, and either rents shelf space or gives a percentage of profits to the store for selling her items.
• Gobeyn also sells “Green Bean” products at home shows, both physically (in a home location, where attendees receive facials, demonstrations and discounts) and virtually or online through Facebook (where customers receive an invite and order directly through the “party” during the four to seven days the party is open). Gobeyn says online parties are beneficial as she can host multiple parties at one time.
• Gobeyn plans to open an e-store through Facebook in the near future.

“More than 90 percent of my customers are return and repeat customers,” Gobeyn says. “It’s building and maintaining relationships…that is the most important.”

Future Plans:

Similar to her hobby that evolved into a business, Gobeyn says her future plans are evolving too. She will be an R.N. in December 2015, and is considering the possibility of earning a master’s degree in homeopathic healthcare or possibly even continuing her education toward a license in homeopathy.

“Traditional medicine is integrating with homeopathic care,” Gobeyn says.”

She considers the possibility of opening a “Green Bean” store, and maybe even franchising the company at some point down the road. She plans to achieve her goal of becoming a nurse, but she has no plans to stop creating and selling products through The Green Bean Candle Co and Natural Skincare Products.

“It’s become my baby,” Gobeyn says.

What began as a hobby for her, and a way to help her son, has become a business that she feels allows her to help many.

Jen is a freelance writer, parent to three, and she’s been a stepparent for over 15 years. She is well-equipped to discuss and write about the great, and the not-so-great, details of all-things-parenting. Along with spending quality time with her family, Jen enjoys music, chocolate, camping and relaxing. And laughing!