From wire reports

At 26, Maisie Knowles has gained more experience and learned more about the challenges a businesswoman encounters than many female entrepreneurs who are a generation older. When most of her friends were starting college, the Colorado Springs native was traveling the world and organizing mission trips for a humanitarian aid organization. When many of her peers were still in their first professional job, Knowles was in a management position at an advertising agency.

Now, the new mom can give other Generation Y professional woman how to juggle motherhood with serving as an entrepreneur of a home-based business.

With her husband Luke, Knowles co-founded, in 2007, FreeShipping.org, a one-stop destination for consumers to find online retailers that offer free shipping deals. Before launching the site, the couple started Kinoli, an interactive design company. Knowles left a full-time office job to help get the company off the ground, and Luke joined her fulltime a year later.

"I felt under appreciated working for someone else, and Luke and I rarely saw each other, so we were excited to start our own company," says Knowles, who earned a communications degree from the University of Colorado. "At the same time, it was an uneasy feeling. We knew we had enough work to keep us busy and pay the bills for a couple months, but after that it was uncertain.

"There is a risk you have to take because if you don't take the leap and devote the time to build your business, you're not going to succeed for the long term," she adds. "It's all about building relationships, and through those relationships you hope that your business grows through referrals."

The Knowles' lives changed even more when Maisie became pregnant with their first child, Isabelle, who was born in January 2008. She found that working from a home office with her husband proved helpful as the delivery date neared.

"I have a friend who worked up to the day she gave birth. Fortunately, I had more time to prepare," Maisie says. "I stopped working for three weeks before Isabelle was due, and I took a 10-week maternity leave. I would not have had that flexibility if I worked a traditional office job. I was able keep up with e-mails and general administrative tasks, and also get the rest I needed to be physically and mentally ready for Isabelle's birth."

Working together from a home office saves the Knowleses time, money (since they do not have a commute) and the aggravation of being stuck in traffic. They also do not need to pay for child care and have more family time.

"Typically, one spouse remains at home with the child while the other works long hours and doesn't spend as much time with the family as he or she would like," Knowles says. "I am able to continue working while caring for Isabelle, and Luke is able to spend more time with us.

"I belong to moms groups, and they tell me I'm lucky because I'm able to help with the business and give Isabelle the attention and care she needs," she adds. "Most mothers who go back to work after having a baby don't get to see their newborn as much."

Becoming a mom has sparked Knowles' entrepreneurial spirit anew. She recently created a Web site, bestbabystuff.com, that reviews baby-related products. Since Isabelle is getting close to her first birthday, Knowles is also able to spend more time with FreeShipping.org again. The only difference is her schedule.

"Now, I work when she is napping. It's hard to work when she is awake. To maintain productivity, I get as much done as possible in nap times and after she is in bed," Maisie said. "It's a rewarding feeling because I feel like a productive part of our business, and at the same time I feel content knowing that I am there for Isabelle."

Evolving into a 'hybrid mom'

Amid an economic recession that may have left employers needing part-time staff, HR/benefit managers may want to consider incorporating at-home entrepreneurs like Knowles into their employment strategy.

In September 2006, EBN reported on several startup firms that serve as a matchmaking service between employers looking to recruit top talent and former full-time professionals turned stay-at-home mothers. One such company was Moms-for-Profit, launched by Stacey Smith, who opted out of the workforce after her first child was born, but wanted to maintain ties to the working world she'd left behind.

"We wanted to help companies and help moms," she says. "We know that we're offering something that's wanted and needed, because even with work-life benefits, a lot of employers still expect that 9-5, which isn't always practical for moms."

Since our original report, Moms-for-Profit has grown significantly, even launching a magazine, Hybrid Mom, fashioned for entrepreneurial moms in the mold of Smith and Knowles.

According to the magazine's Web site, a hybrid mom is:

(hy' brid mom, n): A woman who is guided by an entrepreneurial yearning because she knows that being the type of mom she wants demands it. She has found a way to blend her personal aspirations - as an entrepreneur, consultant, business owner or volunteer - with motherhood in a way that does not compromise her family.

A hybrid mom knows that having it all means creating your dream and making it happen. She is known for her strength, flexibility, dedication, resourcefulness and sense of humor. She uses her skills to create a fusion of roles that satisfy her as an individual and as a mom.

She works. She plays. She lives. She decides.

Allison O'Kelly, CEO of Atlanta-based Mom Corps, says employers hiring hybrid moms could benefit employers, working moms and at-home moms alike. "So many stay-at-home moms stay home because they don't see alternatives that will allow them to work and be with their children," she told EBN. Emerging companies targeting the mom market, she affirms, "will help stay-at-home moms stay in the game, and employers that are working with us will help working moms see that more companies are open to flexible work."