A Look into the Lives of Moms who homeschool and run a business

Madison, Alabama is home to a vibrant homeschooling community, and within that community, there are mothers who have successfully combined their entrepreneurial endeavors with educating their children. In this blog post, we will delve into the experiences and insights of local homeschooling moms, exploring how they navigate the challenges of homeschooling while running their businesses.

The Homeschooling Journey

Homeschooling requires careful planning and consideration of various factors. Jennifer Wolverton, the founder of Log Cabin Schoolhouse LLC, shares her experience of creating classes around her children’s interests when she first started with the business, but now she’s developing new classes as her children get older to cater to her interests, such as artificial intelligence. This personalized approach to education allows for both academic growth and entrepreneurial exploration.

Jenni McCarthy, who has over 10 years of homeschooling experience, has found ways to involve her children in her businesses, Five Oaks Farm and Jenni M Photography, allowing them to learn and grow alongside her. Jenni’s commitment to continuous learning and her “figure it out” approach, developed through her homeschooling background, have been vital in her entrepreneurial journey. Her dedication to her family, businesses, and personal growth is truly admirable.

Amanda Newman, owner of Newman Massage and Wellness LLC, shares that her homeschooling journey has fueled her desire to create a space within her business that accommodates busy moms, allowing them to find a balance between motherhood and their careers. Her motivation to start her business stemmed from a desire to contribute to her household financially, pursue her passion for massage therapy, and empower her girls to believe in their ability to achieve it all.

Homeschool Moms Share Their Top 3 Tips for Balancing Business and Homeschooling

Finding a balance between homeschooling and running a business is undoubtedly challenging, but these moms have discovered strategies that work for them. By incorporating lists, leveraging technology, and embracing compromise, they have successfully pursued their entrepreneurial dreams while providing quality education for their children;

1. Lists: Making lists and working off of them allows moms to efficiently manage their tasks. Even when away from their workstations, having access to everything through their phones enables them to take care of small tasks on the go, ensuring that nothing gets overlooked.
2. Compromise: Balancing multiple businesses, homeschooling, and family life requires compromise. Moms understand that they can’t have a perfectly clean house while pursuing their goals. By prioritizing and letting go of certain tasks, they create more time to focus on what truly matters.
3. Leveraging Technology: Embracing technology has been a game-changer for homeschooling moms. With a reliable homeschool planner, a supportive spouse, and a self-sufficient website and course design, moms have been able to navigate the challenges of managing their businesses while also advocating for children and education. Taking advantage of “travel tech,” they can even teach virtual classes while on the go, making learning a unique and exciting experience for their students.

According to Jenni McCarthy, keeping up with multiple responsibilities would be impossible without her phone to help her remember everything.

Jennifer Wolverton, on the other hand, emphasizes the importance of her planner, which she carries with her everywhere and relies on to stay organized throughout the day.

Amanda attributes her ability to keep up with both her business and homeschooling to effective time management, the energizing power of coffee, and the involvement of her whole family.

Are you a Homeschool mom trying to start a business?

Our local entrepreneurial homeschool moms have some words of advice:

Jennifer Wolverton says: “One day at a time. Homeschooling is a one- or two-decade adventure and so is a homeschool business. It actually doesn’t have to be a get rich fast scheme. It can be a slow simmer. It’s such a wonderful labor of love that no matter what comes of it, as long as the family is enjoying its fruits, it’s worth all the time spent.”

Jenni McCarthy offers encouragement: “You can absolutely do it, although choosing a curriculum format that allows for you to not have to teach all of the information is super helpful. I am here to make sure the work gets done, and available for any questions or sticking spots if needed. It allows me to work on my work while the kids are working on theirs.”

Amanda Newman provides some inspiration; “I would say make sure you can align your time and priorities and go for it. You are capable of so much more than you think. The beauty of homeschooling is how flexible it is. It’s truly ok to do math while cooking dinner, recite verbs in the car, and all the things in between. It’s a lot of hard work but very rewarding.”

Get inspired by How Jennifer Wolverton started her business

”I had been teaching my kids’ friends algebra and then I wrote an algebra curriculum. Then when the pandemic hit and we moved to Alabama from Pennsylvania I incorporated, and we went online like everyone else at the time. All of a sudden, I had students in every time zone. The next summer I had an Australian cohort in my Algebra Club! It truly was like dominoes. I didn’t plan it. It just happened.”

Finding Support and Resources for Homeschooling in Alabama

Homeschooling moms often face challenges when seeking entrepreneurial support specifically tailored to homeschooling. However, determined to find the help they need, some moms have taken matters into their own hands. For instance, Jenni McCarthy established the Rocket City Homeschooling info Facebook Group, a valuable platform where moms can ask questions, seek support, and discover educational resources in the North Alabama area.

Jennifer Wolverton found support from the Homeschool Trade Association, which played a crucial role in expanding her network and overcoming various business challenges. Additionally, the FPEA, the Florida homeschool convention, was highlighted as an excellent resource for networking with other entrepreneurial homeschooling moms. Jennifer Wolverton expresses her hope that Alabama will host its own homeschool convention in the future, as her experience in three different states leads her to believe it is the best state for homeschooling.

Overcoming Challenges and Celebrating Milestones

Starting a business as a homeschooling mom comes with its own set of challenges. From maintaining a steady income to accommodating different schedules, these moms have encountered obstacles along the way.

Jenni McCarty reports that “The other piece that I feel like I miss out on is focused time. I don’t get a block of time to “go to work” and focus on work, and then come home and “focus on the kids” because I have been gone all day. My day, morning till night, is a lot of multitasking. I have to be really intentional about putting work messages away, and being present.”

Jenni continues “you can easily write a blog post in the amount of time it takes to match all of the socks in the laundry. The kids may have clean mismatched socks on, but the blog post will be there forever. lol. You have to find the areas you can let go of that won’t make you crazy, but will give you a bit more time to move the needle towards your goals.”

Homeschooling has influenced their entrepreneurial journey and helped shape their business in many ways. Jennifer Wolverton reports “ I find that once I found homeschooling was a part of my life, that was the first time I realized what “freedom” truly was. I don’t know if I ever would’ve started my own business if it weren’t for being a homeschool mom first. It transformed how I looked at the world I lived in. I own my day and my kids’ lives in a way I didn’t before we homeschooled. I didn’t even question the idea that you should go to school, then to college, then to work for someone else. But now I love that I’m so independent and I decide what I do each day and who I get to help. Having an LLC is an amazing thing.” and Jennifer adds “I think growing up as a homeschooler, and then also homeschooling my own kids, has forced the “figure it out” approach to everything.”

Every day holds a challenge honestly. My biggest one is setting boundaries with my time. Devoting a certain amount to my family and school and then a certain amount to the business. Amanda Newman

Nurturing Self-Care and Personal Growth

While juggling homeschooling and running a business, they have learned to carve out time for themselves. Whether it’s through diligent time management, embracing learning opportunities, or seeking moments of relaxation, these moms try and make it all work. Jennifer reports “Every morning I get up and go through the same routine and that helps.”

Amanda Newman “I’m not always the best at this but I just try to remember that I can’t care for others if I’m not taken care of. Sometimes it’s going without the extra hour of sleep so I can workout, or skipping out on a movie to make sure I get my devotion in. It’s just finding little ways to sneak it in through the day.”

Learn more about some of our local homeschooling entrepreneurial moms

You can learn more about Jennifer Wolverton on the Log Cabin Schoolhouse website. I also keep a page on FB for my advocacy work “Alabama School Choice”. I also work with the “K12 Policy Alliance and Jamie Buckland” in West Virginia – working towards education freedom.

You can visit Jenni McCarty, Five Oaks Farm website (website: Five Oaks Farm) to learn more, or book her photography sessions at, Jenni M Photography (website: Jenni M Photography). Additionally, she is involved in Five Oaks Restorations, a home renovation business that she started in 2021.

Amanda Newman, the owner of Newman Massage and Wellness LLC can be found on Facebook. Inspired by her own homeschooling journey, Amanda empowers her girls to believe in their ability to achieve both personal and professional success.

Are you a homeschooling mom in Madison with dreams of running your own business? The stories and insights shared by these remarkable moms serve as inspiration and guidance. Remember, with determination, adaptability, and a supportive community, you can successfully navigate the beautiful journey of homeschooling while running a business.

Homeschooling Mompreneur Support

For homeschooling moms in the Madison area, Madison Mompreneur offers an opportunity to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. While attending coworking sessions may not always be feasible, the networking and marketing efforts of Madison Mompreneur can still benefit these moms. Madison Mompreneur aims to create a supportive community for homeschooling mom entrepreneurs.

If you want to learn more about these extraordinary homeschooling mom entrepreneurs or join Madison Mompreneur, visit our website here.