We recently connected with Lauren Golden and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I wish I would have started my business earlier; of course, life doesn’t work that way! I often look at my childless female peers with envy about how fast they’re able to move, how hard they’re able to push, and the time and energy they are able to put into their marketing and offer creation. Then, I snap back to reality and remind myself that motherhood is what turned me into an entrepreneur in the first place!

Without the birth of my first daughter in 2012, I don’t know if I ever would have gotten the courage and desire to find a way to be self-employed and have more control over my financial future and time freedom. While building my company from home with 3 young kids was never easy, and definitely required more pause for balance, I wouldn’t be here helping other moms do the same if it weren’t for my kiddos.

While I sometimes wonder if I would be further ahead if I had gotten a head start before motherhood, I also can find so much gratitude that my kids probably saved me from burnout and act as constant reminders of my values and mission.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My company is called The Free Mama, and we create tools and support programs to help moms start, run and grow their own virtual businesses so they don’t ever feel like they have to choose between family and financial stability.

When my first two children were born, I worked outside the house and it was exhausting. I always felt so much pressure to be in the places I wasn’t, and I always felt like I was failing and letting people down. I started looking for legitimate ways to make money from home so I could earn without being away from my kids for 10 hours a day, and was met with a lot of networking marketing and scams.

I started freelancing in 2014 and quickly quit my job and replaced my salary while working half the hours of my previous employment. I realized this was information more women needed available to them because it changed the way I was able to work and be the mom I wanted to be.

The Free Mama was launched in 2017 as an online course to teach moms how to start their own freelancing business. I help clients develop the skills to implement work as a virtual assistant, copywriter, social media manager, bookkeeper, etc. but also how to properly set up a business, how to market and sell, how to manage clients, and how to develop a healthy mindset and habits to support business growth.

Today, we have books, retreats, and a membership program to help moms build the life they want to be living. Lauren also hosts and speaks at events all over the country. What really makes The Free Mama special is the incredible community of women who have found solidarity, friendship, referrals, and support along the way. As of our 2022 Impact Report, we had nearly 8,000 students earning more than $22M a year and serving thousands of clients from across 5 continents.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Many small businesses, especially online companies, have a churn-and-burn approach. There’s always more people to sell to, right?

The Free Mama is quite different. I treat everyone who comes into my world like they matter. I use my landing pages, webinars, speaking engagements, books, and social media marketing to enroll people in my mission (that no mother should have to choose between family and financial stability) and vision (to model and help others live a totally awesome life), and everyone who believes what we believe gets a seat at the table – not just paying customers.

This has been huge because people will follow me for years and then decide to buy, refer business, or purchase from an affiliate partner, simply because they always felt seen and welcome in our world. The lifespan and lifetime value of building a community rather than an audience is vastly more significant to me.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I’ve consumed a lot of entrepreneurial and self-help books in the last decade. Usually, there’s a key takeaway right in the title that sticks with me, such as the “80/20 Principle”, “Start with Why” or “The Values Factor”.

There are two books, however, that I could read annually and still pick up on different nuances based on where my business is at the time.

“The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann is a quick and easy-to-read business parable that will make you really think about the contributions you want to make in the world, and what will be required of you to truly be successful.

“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni likewise is a compact book oozing with lessons told in the form of a story. This book should be required reading for any leader in any organization.

Contact Info:

• Website: thefreemama.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurengoldenfreemama/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenmartygolden/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurengoldenfreemama/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LaurenGoldenfreemama

Image Credits
Amber Deery