We were lucky to catch up with Amy Mcconnell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Amy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Perhaps the writing was on the wall my entire childhood that I’d end up a small business owner: I was raised by two academics whose focus area was small business management and communications.

Growing up, it was a spoken rule we shopped small, supported the little guy, avoided big chains as much as possible. While it was embarassing at the time (Some of my biggest whining moments as a child: whyyyy can’t we go to Applebee’s instead of the neighborhood grill, or why we had to go to Sourdough Pizza instead of getting Papa John’s). For a suburban American kid in the ‘90’s, shopping small was ‘weird’ to me as a tween trying to fit in and be cool, whatever that meant.

Rooting for the underdog, the little guy, was just what my parents did. I saw it beyond restaurant selections, but which stores we bought lumber from (hint: not Home Depot), where I got my hair cut (not Great Clips), and where my birthday parties were hosted (not Peter Piper Pizza).

My parents didn’t really ever talk about their purchasing decisions and the power of where we spent our humble dollars–they taught me through actions. Through repetition. It was a million little errands and a childhood spent shopping small that left an impression. Not words. Just actions.

My parents never owned their own business, but they believed wholeheartedly in supporting our neighbors who did, and walked the walk of shopping small so much that it encouraged me, four months postpartum with a newborn in my arms, when I was called to open my own small business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I spent 10+ years in the corporate PR agency world before having my son and becoming owner + chief curator of East Valley Moms.

On this little slice of the Internet, I aim to create a more connected, joyful parenting experience by sharing hacks, resources and building a community of local moms living across Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe and Queen Creek.

East Valley Moms creates measurable impacts that drive warm leads to small businesses’ sales funnel by increasing brand awareness through our online presence to the demographic with the biggest purchasing power: moms.

With a local audience eager to learn about what products and services will make their lives as moms richer, we are committed to bringing them brands that we know they will love.

After all, moms go to other moms to find out where they should shop, who to see for a pediatrician, and what local attractions their kids will love.

We’re here to ensure local brands and services are top of mind for Arizona moms.

Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?

East Valley Moms is a hyperlocal, digital media platform to connect local parents with local resources and storytelling to inspire a more connected, joyful parenting journey across Mesa, Gilbert, Tempe, Chandler, Apache Junction and Queen Creek.

East Valley Moms was founded by two local moms way before I was even thinking of having a baby–7 years prior, to be exact.

For seven years, the founders grew the online community that we know today as East Valley Moms, and we are so grateful for their enterprising spirit! In summer 2020, the duo sold East Valley Moms to me and not only did I aquire a business (while being four months postpardum with my firstborn, in the midst of a pandemic), but the one staff member who I aquired was my best friend from high school who I had lost touch with over our 20’s.

Buying the business was quite straightforward, but the biggest blessing of the business purchase was reconnecting with my best friend, who has since become my business partner.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner is my junior high bestie, but we didn’t go into business together!

Crazy right?

That’s right: my junior high and high school best friend, Cara, and I drifted apart at different colleges and during our twenties. We hadn’t seen each other in years, until God brought us back together through my purchase of East Valley Moms.

Cara was the editor of the blog when I purchased the business, and the first thing she said to me after I bought the company was, ‘congrats–please don’t fire me!’ Of course I didn’t.

Over the last two years, we’ve grown into business partners, her role in the blog has grown significantly, and it’s the biggest blessing of the blog–it brought back a friendship that had gone dormant for a decade.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eastvalley.momcollective.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/eastvalley.moms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evmoms
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyjmcconnell/

Image Credits
Bailey Wilson Photography