Ruchita’s initiative to Nurture Motherhood : The First Mom’s Club

Ruchita Dar Shah got married to banker husband which had her moving geographies every few years. “I had a career in advertising, but 2 kids and constant moving was not easy to do,” says the founder. She started The First Mom’s Club, as a way for her friends reach out and stay connected regarding their motherhood journeys. It was only a matter of  time when this passion turned into a full-fledged venture.

Entrepreneurship happened to me partly by accident!

Ruchita says that it was fortunate for the venture being an entirely digital one. “It meant a lot more control over schedules that I could plan around children,” she adds. Also, it gave her the luxury of setting the pace, which could be relaxed at certain times. She starts her day by first sending her kids to school, “And while they are away, I give my complete time and attention to First Mom’s Club” says the doting mother.

Her work starts with checking what the 35,000 odd moms in the group are up to followed by what the specific focus for that day / week is. “Monday’s are Blog hop, helping mommy bloggers share their work, Wednesdays we have MOJO or moms in jobs that help members look at career opportunities, Fridays are Bazaars where mompreneurs can sell their merchandise the other members,” she adds delightfully.

We still have families and husbands asking women why they need to work when there is enough money in the house!

Ruchita is a strong believer that families play an important role in getting moms back to work. “Husband, I would say has the biggest part to handle. He needs to know that there would be several moments where he would have to go for a school meeting instead of you when work doesn’t allow it,” says Ruchita. Women living in joint families have the opportunity to work where the in laws/other family members could help in, but not all women get such support. “It’s essential for the family, including the kids to understand that the work is an integral part of the mom/wife/daughter in law’s life,” she adds.

For the longest time I was the content head, CEO, marketing exec all rolled into one!

While the support from the family and friends has kept Ruchita pumped up, like any other womenpreneur, she has faced her set of challenges. “Stepping up from a friends and family kind of platform to a larger community without a lot of resources is tough to do,” says the founder.

I think the greatest challenge is to ensure that regardless of any commercial pulls and tugs, the community always remains focused on being a great platform for Indian moms all over the world to connect.

Ruchita believes that she has not sacrificed as much as other womenpreneurs. “I work from home and don’t have to travel often. So it’s not very stressful and I am always there for my family,” she says. Though there are several occasions where she misses out on catching up, be it for a cup of coffee with old friends or son’s football matches.

I continuously trade off one thing for the other, I guess I’m no different from any man or woman focused on building something

FMC is coming up with offline events which collaborate with other like-minded mompreneurs from all over the country. For Ruchita, FMC has been a fabulous 5 year learning journey. “When I see moms in New York and Jaipur connecting over the platform helping each other with queries, it’s a hugely enriching feeling. Throughout the journey, I’ve learnt to become far less judgemental and appreciate the struggles and achievements of everyday women like myself,” she says happily.

As a message for future womenpreneurs, Shah says, “Get your family on board. Do make sure they understand that it’s one for the long haul and they need to be your allies in this.” For those women who are starting up after their first innings, she says, “Make sure you choose something you love doing. Having fun is an important part of work, especially if you are starting up!”

Website Link: www.firstmomsclub.in