Finding the Mamalode!
At FlyGirls, we’re all about telling the story, sharing the lives and work of people from vastly different walks of life, and finding that common thread of living passionately about something. Similarly, Elke Govertsen, founder and CEO of parenting magazine Mamalode, wanted to debunk the media’s uninformed portrayal of parenthood, and share authentic stories about what it’s truly like to raise a family.
“Parenthood is a series of mixed emotions. I’ve never felt anything more amazing or more hard, and I was looking for a place to talk about that. It started initially because I felt pretty lonely in the motherhood gig. I didn’t have friends who had kids when I had my first son, but when I met other parents, we could talk about all its components, and it kind of diffused the power of the negative.”
Govertsen, mother of two, felt that the story of motherhood wasn’t being told in a cohesive way. “I wanted to showcase opportunities for moms to be seen as funny, cool, all of the things real parents are. I wanted to change how we talk about parenting–the good, bad and ugly,” she comments.
As the popularity of the blogger movement rose in 2009, Govertsen saw the opportunity to create something accessible for parents.
With $400 and a passion to create a new community, Mamalode was founded. Mamalode–a spinoff from the word motherload, was explained:
“you strike riches but have to do some digging to get there, much like parenthood. I’m nerdy so it was something I could trademark and get a domain for. It isn’t a word we use already, yet it translates across most cultures.”
Like most high aspiring entrepreneurs who are also mamas, Elke admits, “It’s always hard to do the shuffle. In having to balance family and work, the hardest part is solely focusing in one direction. I can be at work and get a call to go help my kids, vice versa. So, I’ve built a business that aligns with my life. The two aren’t in direct opposition unlike some businesses.”
Govertsen says she was never afraid to take on a challenge. “Some of the greatest advice I can give is to say yes to opportunities that may require you to learn something. Don’t ever say you aren’t capable of something. If you get good at asking for things, whether it’s help, advice, feedback, etc., it shows that you know what you want.”
Like most, she’s still figuring out the perfect tools to help her find success. “There are so many things we’re figuring out in our business, trying to capture new markets and revenue streams, and a we us a lot of different apps for analytics and planning. In this day and age I can basically publish my magazine from my phone, but I’m an analog person. I’m a big believer in white boards and post-it notes, and I need to map it out. Nobody understands but it really works for me.”
Elke has an innate knack for nurturing her magazine and family all at once. “I don’t call it balance because there isn’t a still point you can stay at. It’s more like a swinging pendulum.”
Her motivation to do such good work sparks from her supportive family. “They want what I’m doing to work. When you’re starting a business you may not know if it’s going to be successful, but I’m motivated to have it work because I want my kids to think that they can see something or know something and make it special enough so that it becomes apart of the world.”
The success story of Mamalode is an inspiration for the print industry; it now has subscribers from across the globe and contributing writers throughout the US.
She admits, “sometimes I thought, can I really pull this off? But I challenged myself. I think that any of us starting a business would say there’s a bit of ego involved somewhere.”
Elke’s commitment to the publication is as undying as day one, “I started it, and I’m going to finish it.”
Check out Elke’s Tedx Whitefish – Self Esteem, perspective and storytelling all come together.