Crib Sheet #56: r3 multimedia group & SpiffyMoms.com’s Brooke Randazzo Eggert.

Multimedia maven Brooke Randazzo Eggert does everything in two’s:  raising two boys, building two companies, speaking at two upcoming Momtrepreneur Exchanges.  Like any double agent, Brooke aims to maintain her creative lifestyle while driving her businesses forward–and doing it with her sanity.  That’s 4 stars and 1 high-five for your family business, Brooke.

What business did you start up?

SpiffyMoms.com and r3 multimedia group.

What motivated you to do it?

For Spiffy, my best friend and I worked at another parenting site and were dissatisfied with the atmosphere and the management.  That inspired us to create our own.  It has grown from being just a forum-based site to having a full information-based site with the forums as the add-ons.

For r3, I was working in my family business when we decided to create a third company which would utilize the talents of my cousin (photographer) and myself (designer) while also teaching my brother how to do both of those jobs.

How many children do you have, and how old are they?

I have two sons.  Alexander is 8 years old and Kyle is 5 years old.

How long have you been running your family business?

SpiffyMoms has been around since February of 2007.  r3 was started in July of 2009.  I have over 10 years of experience in the design field and have done freelance work that whole time.

How long did it take you to start becoming profitable and/or successful, however you choose to measure success?

All of that depends on your motivation, your attitude and how much overhead you have when you first start.  We were lucky that for Spiffy we don’t have much overhead since it’s an online company.  For r3, we were fortunate to use our family’s business’ offices and just needed some equipment and marketing collateral.

I feel that Spiffy is successful and has been running well on its own since about the Fall of 2008 when we launched our redesign and added the content.

r3 is on its way up the ladder of success.  After putting in months of long hours and hard work, we are succeeding in building our family business.

How did your family react to you starting your own family business?

My family was very supportive!

Easiest part of your job?

The actual designing part.  I love it.

Hardest part of your job?

Seeking out new clients.

What skill would you most like to improve?

I have so many things that I want to learn more about in the design world.  They are things that I’ll see on a billboard or in a magazine or on a website and it inspires me to learn how to do it if I don’t already know.  There really is not one skill, the design world is constantly evolving and that means I do, also.

What tools or advice do you wish you knew then that you know now?

I wish I knew that, for us, print advertising doesn’t work well and I wouldn’t have spent the time on it that we did.

What is the accomplishment you are most proud of?

I would have to say just opening this business.  We opened it in the middle of an economic downturn and have worked hard to get ourselves going and overcome that.

Can you recommend 3 essential websites for moms in, or going into, business?

Your state’s business registration/info websites are a big help.

We were able to use the resources we had from our other family business, which means we didn’t have to do a lot of general research on things.  But the other place that I think is great are the meetups where you can talk to other moms who are doing what you do – like the Momtrepreneur Exchange.  I’ve found a lot of support at these functions.

And a few more questions, considering that American Express should be featuring more momtrepreneurs…

Favorite part of a typical day? In the morning when everything is hopeful and I attach my to-do list.  It feels energizing.

Childhood ambition? To be a bag-lady (and sell bags like my dad does!)

Time of day you get the most work done? Late morning to mid-afternoon and then very late at night.

Last purchase? Supplies for wedding invitations that I’m making.

Favorite book or magazine? Layers Magazine and The Lord of the Rings.

Inspiration? My father.

Least likely to…..want to leave my desk in the middle of a creative inspiration.

My life…..can be crazy at times and the house is usually messy but I’m doing what I love.