Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Venable.
Hi Beth, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
One thing that I looked forward to in my earlier years was getting married and having children. All of a sudden, I found myself a mom with two littles under two years old, and the days seemed long. I was a teacher and administrator so I thought that parenting would be a breeze. The kids would do a variety of activities in the morning, and I would look at the clock only to realize that it was only like 8:00 a.m. I quickly learned that we needed to get out and find more things to do.
My friends would constantly tell me about places or events that I wasn’t aware of, and I would often say, “How did you know that?” At that time, there wasn’t one resource for moms to go to find everything. I decided to take matters into my own hands and make it happen. I threw together a Facebook group and called it Kid Fun Houston, and I added my twenty friends who had littles too. I started researching “things to do with kids in Houston” and posting the new ideas in the group.
Being a natural organizer, I immediately started planning play dates and outings to these various new finds, and I would post about them in the group. My friends were adding their friends who added their friends and so on. I started the group on May 4, 2013. Within 3 years, the group grew to over 44,000 followers.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In the beginning, I was doing a ton of work for free. I would research, spend time posting and plan a ton of outings and play dates. It was a blast, but it became a full-time job. Once I decided to monetize the business, I had to learn how to become a business owner overnight. Being an educator, I had no idea what this entailed. Back then, we didn’t have the resources available that we have now. I rolled up my sleeves and figured it out. I started doing lots of trades with businesses and offered a ton of giveaways to my followers. My first big-paying clients were Chick-fil-A and Kelsey Seybold. Kid Fun Houston really took off, but it was a challenge to be a full-time “stay-at-home” mom while running a business too. I would spend the day doing fun things and exploring the city, and I would work tirelessly at night cranking out posts and blog articles.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am so proud of what I did with Kid Fun Houston, especially because times were so different ten years ago. I had the joy of being on Deborah Duncan’s show Great Day Houston on KHOU11 several times, and Amy Davis would push out my content on Channel 2. When we went in public, people would know who I was, and I received so much positive feedback. I am an extrovert who loves working with people, and I felt so great being able to help others while enriching the lives of my own children too.
Three years into the business, I filed for a divorce. I needed to get a full-time job with insurance, and the business was held up in court, so I wasn’t able to do anything with it until our divorce was finalized. Not only was my family broken up, I was pulled away from something that completely consumed me for three years. It was incredibly hard to put Kid Fun Houston aside while I rebuilt my life.
Once the divorce was finalized, I was able to resume Kid Fun Houston. But it was a year and a half later. I was a busy single mom working as a school teacher. Before I even had time to figure out how to juggle teaching and the business, our home flooded in Hurricane Harvey. Needless to say, I decided that it was not the right time to take on another huge project.
I always knew that I wanted to get the business going again, but years had passed. Social media grew a ton, and there were so many resources out there for families. I took my time in deciding what and how I wanted to handle bringing Kid Fun Houston back. When Kid Fun Houston was thriving, most of my followers were families with children under five years old or elementary age. I knew that I needed to make some changes since my kids were older and so were the children of my huge following.
Kid Fun Houston was relaunched as Helping Houston Moms. It’s a resource that provides information to families; families with kids of all ages benefit from the group now. My goal is to give my followers helpful information about kids, places to go, home tips, self-care ideas, and tips that help moms and families as a whole. Families, even those outside of Houston, can benefit from the tips and ideas shared in the group.
In addition to the Helping Houston Moms group, I also own Side By Side Design Texas. My professional organization business allows me to use my strengths to help others in their lives, their homes, and their systems. I love using my organization and teaching skills to help busy moms who just need some new ideas and a few extra hands to tackle a space.
What matters most to you? Why?
The Clifton Strengths Finder Assessment identified my top 5 strengths as learner, achiever, focus, strategic, and responsibility. I am a go-getter, and I love helping others. I get my energy from people, and I love my opportunity to be a resource to moms and families just like me. When Kid Fun Houston was in business, I became close friends with many of my followers (some of my best friends). Aside from building community, I knew how much I was able to help others. In addition to helping moms and families, I was also able to help business owners (large and small) grow their business and spread the word about their events, discounts, etc. My biggest goal is to positively impact the lives of others while proudly managing my personal family as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.
sidebysidedesign.org/ - Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.
com/groups/155000788013864 - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/ sidebysidedesigntexas - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ sidebysidedesigntexas/
