Who would you say have been the most influential people in your life? In what way?
Jesus Christ. I became a Christian at the age of 18 out of boredom, loneliness and jet lag. One day my mom threw the Bible in my suitcase and I opened it to Matthew and started reading out of boredom. I'd been to church before but never really liked it. It was noisy and seemed like a scary place, but the Bible is really about Jesus, and it's amazing. Many of the stories in the bible are about being a woman in a world that's completely dominated by men, but they demonstrate just how much Jesus loved women, broke down barriers for them and gave them courage. Knowing Jesus has taught me I don't have to compromise – no matter what happens, I'll still have my best friend who will love me unconditionally.
My husband, my children and my parents have also been very influential in my life. And my business family – I've never had a family business, just a business family. If you treat your business family the way you would treat your family, there's no limt to what you can accomplish.
What would you say was the biggest mistake of your business life? What did you learn from that experience that you'll always carry with you that other entrepreneurs might learn from?
I look at failure as an education, and I admit I'm very well educated (laughing). Not researching partners carefully enough has caused problems. I learned that if someone says, "No", you need to ask, "Why?" If they say, "Yes", you need to ask "How?" You really need to do your homework, get to know the people in your life and who you're working with.
I had lunch with the dean of the Law School at USC. He said, "A genius learns quickly, but doesn't sleep much." Most busy moms don't get enough sleep – I like to sleep and I don't get as much sleep as I'd like. I work in my office, when I'm on the road and when I'm at home. You need to have self-discipline and set boundaries.
Having boundaries means it's OK to say "No". You need to put boundaries in place to protect yourself and your family. Turn off the phone, turn off the computer, put your voice mail on. Unless it's a real emergency you just need to get back to people on your own timetable.
What advice can you offer working moms about realizing their dreams, nurturing their families and balancing work and life?
Discover your passion. You can't truly commit to anything without passion. Every dream needs its own strategy – you must put a plan in place. Examine your dreams, set goals – what you want to accomplish – and then look at the obstacles and try to remove them one by one.
Look at everything in your life – where can you cut back on expenses so you can realize your dream? Look at the available resources that are out there – get to know the bankers, be friendly and be available. My business started with a loan that was funded on a business plan. You need to let the banker feel your passion and the enthusiasm you have for your dream.
Don't let fear get in your way. Use fear to ignite your passion rahter than let it paralyze you.
What inspired you to write your book, Powerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons That Will Change Your Life, and who do you think would benefit most from reading it?
The inspiration behind each lesson came from God. The book was written to answer questions women had asked me. I've heard from men and surprisingly, even many teenagers who tell me the book has been very helpful to them.
I've also written three children's Story Reader books that are part of "Mona's Favorite Words". Actions Have Consequences, What Do Mommy's Do? and An Angel Called Hope. I narrated them all at a slow pace, to accomodate children, especially for those who don't have English as their native language. I've found Story Reader books really come in handy for keeping kids occupied. With my own books my kids can hear my own voice reading to them while I'm helping one of the others with homework.
