Semonna Matz, Founder of Strong Like a Mother
Name: Semonna Matz
Founder: Strong Like a Mother
What's your elevator pitch? (Ie. In one sentence, what do you do?)
I am a labor and delivery nurse who left U of M to create my business to help provide education and care to new families.
What's your story? Share how you got to where you are and WHY it is you do what you do.
I worked at U Of M for over 10 years and after seeing a lot of issues that were happening both in the hospital system and once patients were discharged—and after having my own children—I felt like there was an area that we could improve on. We used to have visiting nurses that would come visit patients after they were discharged from the hospital to make sure both Mom and Baby were adjusting to the fourth trimester appropriately. Unfortunately, after Covid, they went away with that service and I was noticing not only mom‘s bleeding and having issues postpartum after discharge, but Baby is having feeding and newborn care concerns that needed to be addressed so I started my company when a friend reached out because their baby had an unexpected NICU stay and the rest is history. I do this because I’m very passionate about women’s care as well as as newborn care and I feel that everybody should be given the proper tools for success.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
Being a foundHer means being an advocate and a leader for the community. I think it’s important to be able to have a voice as a woman and a mother to speak up and help provide education to the populations that need them.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I currently support other female founders and women business owners by supporting their causes. As my business continues to grow, I hope to be able to do more education and teaching, etc. but for now I have been helping by sitting on panels, providing education through classes and just overall support of other women.
What podcasts do you listen to that have helped you with your business?
Doulas going digital
How I built this
Who is a female entrepreneur you look up to and why?
Allison Robinson and you (Lindsay)! You both are strong women who have been able to create an amazing network of women and moms that all support or try and support one another. Having women entrepreneurs that stand for women and families is very important as well as always being an advocate and being true to yourself.
What are the first things that you did when you were starting your business?
I created a website
Networking
Some advertising
Continuing education
Who is someone who has helped change or shape your business for the better and what did they do to help you?
My husband. He has always been behind me 100% and supported me and my decision to leave the hospital to create this business. He has always been a great mentor having created a successful business on his own also. He has always made me feel empowered to push myself farther and be better.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
About 2.5 years ago. I wasn’t happy at the hospital and felt like I was missing out on my kids and family life. So I took a leap and started strong like a mother. Best decision ever.
What lesson or skill did you take with you from a prior job to help you succeed in your role today?
Everything. I wouldn’t be who I am professionally if it wasn’t for everything I learned there and everyone I encountered along the way. I would say above all being an advocate is always the best lesson.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
Just me. This is somewhere that I need a lot of work. I’m not good with social media and need help learning about how to use it to my advantage.
How did you land your first client?
Word of mouth.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
I am me and that’s really it. I am not like the other night “nurses” or doulas. I not only have a caring and supportive personality but I am able to provide care from my education and experience that is really unlike what many others do. I also try and help the family as much as I can when working overnights. Such as laundry, light house work, etc.
What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?
More advertising. But it hasn’t hurt me. I have been busy since opening.
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today? Please share the story behind it.
My pricing. I charge more due to my education and not everyone is able to afford my services.
What are three actionable tips you would give with other women who want to start a business or are just getting started?
I really don’t think I’m in a place to answer this. But I feel like making sure you have a firm plan is huge as well as realistic expectations of what happens during the first years of starting a business.
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