A Mom Who Made It Happen
Meryl Neiman
HomeTown: I grew up in New York but have lived in Pittsburgh, PA since 1992.
Tell Us about your business and why you created it.
"My oldest friend and I were frustrated with the hassles involved in scheduling playdates so we created Playdate Planet, an online site that offers busy parents a quick and easy way to post and accept playdates online. In the course of researching play to write blogs for the site, I discovered to my dismay that unstructured play is even more important than I had thought, yet has declined at an alarming rate. So now, in addition to heading up Playdate Planet, I'm working on a handbook for parents tentatively titled : Play is Serious Stuff . . . are your children playing enough now to find success later?"
Tell us about your family.
I'm married to a child psychiatrist who specializes in mood disorder research and we're the proud parents of two school aged children.
Tell us about your background/ education
"I graduated from Brown University with a degree in English and then went on to get my law degree at Duke University. I litigated with a large Pittsburgh law firm for almost a decade before I left the law to raise my kids and write. In the end, however, I ended up trading one form of advocacy for another because I became heavily involved in education and children's issues."
What Advice do you have for other moms looking to make it happen at home? Looking to have it all!?
"I think my best advice would be to research your business idea and come up with a solid plan. If you are employed elsewhere, try to keep that job as long as possible to assure an income flow while you are getting started. And, finally, don't be afraid to ask for help -- either from your spouse, a friend, or a relative!
What do you love about having your own business?
"I love the freedom and challenge of being responsible for my own fate. I'm also passionate about both the website and being an advocate for play. I hope that more moms will have the opportunity to become entrepreneurs."
When did you know it was going to WORK!?
"Do you ever know it's going to work? :) When you own your own business, I think you can never become complacent. There's always a new challenge around the corner. But that makes life exciting!When you're a mom, you are never off-duty. I think of myself as in constant triage mode, spending each day prioritizing action items whether it's speaking with our website developers about a modification for the site, outlining my book, taking my daughter to her gymnastics team banquet, or scheduling haircuts. Because I work out of my home, I also have to juggle work with child interruptions. Fortunately, I have a very supportive husband."
Did you ever want to quit, throw in the towel!? What kept you going?
Did you ever want to quit, throw in the towel!? What kept you going?
"I've been frustrated, but I've never wanted to quit. Frankly, I have too much time and a fair bit of money invested in this venture to ever throw in the towel. Plus, we are constantly hearing from parents what a great idea Playdate Planet is and that helps keep us motivated."
"Any other information you' d like to share. Is there a part of your story we missed? Tell it here!
"Any other information you' d like to share. Is there a part of your story we missed? Tell it here!
http://www.playdateplanet.com - It's free to join so give us a try. We promise it will make your life easier!
@PlaydatePlanet- twitter
Meryl Neiman reached out to us this year with her vision and idea for Playdate Planet. We immediately hopped on board because we love the concept of saving Mom's time but we also love the concept of supporting a local Mom run business. The fact that Meryl is a Burgh Mom-- makes it all the better! We love newly thought out businesses that take hold of current mainstream ideas and run with them! We're proud to recognize this company and Meryl Neiman as well!
Debby P Editor, Macaroni Kid of Pittsburgh LLC
Meryl Neiman reached out to us this year with her vision and idea for Playdate Planet. We immediately hopped on board because we love the concept of saving Mom's time but we also love the concept of supporting a local Mom run business. The fact that Meryl is a Burgh Mom-- makes it all the better! We love newly thought out businesses that take hold of current mainstream ideas and run with them! We're proud to recognize this company and Meryl Neiman as well!
Debby P Editor, Macaroni Kid of Pittsburgh LLC
