In a year the lives of all of us have completely turned upside down more than once. And all this continues. In such periods a person re-evaluates previous experiences and future possibilities, rediscovers new strengths in himself to inspire courage and hope. This is what motivated us to start the positive series of articles called “Super Mother Entrepreneur”. We will look for an answer to the question “What does it take for a mother to succeed in developing a successful business?”

Today we will introduce you Mihalache Sofia, mother of Alex, 8 years old.

1. Tell us a little about yourself. In what stage of your life did you decide to start your own business?

My name is Sofia, I am 33 years old, mother of a 8 years old boy. I am a clinical psychologist, owner of 4 SmartyKids centres in Romania and I own my private psychological office.
I didn’t decide to start my own business by thinking or planning too much. It just happened. My first SmartyKids Center and also the first one opened in Romania 2 years ago, was established after a 5 or 10 minutes phone call with the Franchise team. I received good vibes and a well-structured information and I felt that this partnership will be exactly what I was looking for.

And I said “Yes” immediately.

I wanted very much to make a difference in education and abacus classes is such a powerful activity with so many benefits in the cognitive and emotional development of a child that, for me, represented the best option. I think that everything happens for a reason and life puts us in different situations in order to evolve. Taking that instant decision 2 years ago was one of my most successful impulsive actions that I took in my life based just on a feeling. Sometimes you just need to meet the right people and to give trust to them but also to yourself.

2. From whom did you receive the greatest support in making the decision to be a mother-entrepreneur? What was your strongest motivation?

In that period of time I reached a certain level of inner power and felt that I was ready to embrace a new life, confident for this new path that I choose. My entire family gave me a lot of support. My strongest motivation was the image that I build in my own mind about myself. I had a very clear picture of what kind of woman, mother and wife I want to be. I knew that this decision will be challenging but this is exactly what I needed. To get out of my comfort zone, to explore, to experience situations that will help me grow…to evolve. I have a lot of gratitude for my husband and my son for the support. From the beginning until now, they were always beside me, cheering for me with eyes full of pride and confidence and this means the world to me.

3. How long (since signing the contract) did it take for the business to start operating and generate revenue?

The business started operating from the first opening month.

4. What do you think is the success of a mother-entrepreneur?

Most people believe that a successful part of a mother entrepreneur is given by the flexibility of your schedule that allows you to spend more time with your children. From my experience, a business comes with many responsibilities and doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a lot of free time. I think that this experience is a huge success for me because I have the opportunity to show my son that life is about building, step by step, with patience and perseverance, with ups and downs, that power comes with great responsibilities and the results are coming according to the effort that we put in. Children act based on their parents actions, not their words. So, I would define the success of a mother-entrepreneur through the lens of being a positive example in my child’s life.

5. What were the most difficult moments for you and how did you deal with them?

This question made me sigh and then smile because what I believed to be difficult in that certain period of time seems now to be “not so difficult” anymore or “not difficult” at all.

Of course, I had all kind of situations during this 2 years of entrepreneurship.

But if I were to pick the most difficult one, I would say that the beginning of the pandemic situation is the one.
It was very hard to maintain a positive and optimistic thinking while being surrounded by so many negative thoughts and so many fears. But I managed to control myself and I didn’t allow the gathered anxiety to destroy what I have built until that moment, but rather to make use of it and be more creative than ever. The fear of losing can either block you completely or become an opportunity to be the best version ever and to overcome the obstacles. Thankfully, I pulled all my inner resources and managed to get through all.

6. What are your next goals?

Providing quality education to children has been and will continue to be my number one priority and main goal.

7. What is your advice to anyone who is hesitant to start their own business in the current situation?

When you are scared to jump, just JUMP. Regardless of the current situation or any other situations that may occur, there isn’t a special moment. THAT “perfect” moment with 100% sense of security that can allow you to take action. We can’t control everything that life brings us, but we can control the way we think. Changing the mindset gets us the right feeling that pushes us to take action. Education is needed, and not just because of the current situation. Education WAS, IS and WILL be the most powerful tool for the human evolution. Think that the decision you make today will have a positive impact for many, many children. Don’t just listen to others stories, but create your own based on your needs and desires.

If you would like to learn more about our SmartyKids franchising program, leave a request here:

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Our team will contact you as soon as possible!

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