Tracy Petrucci is a Hera Hub member and owner of Tracy Petrucci Marketing. She wrote this post about what it is like working with her mother in honor of this week’s “Bring In Your Parents Day.”
With everyone buzzing about “Bring Your Parents to Work Day” I thought it would only be right to highlight my own mom (Marie Kinnaman) on this most interesting of holidays. I never imagined I’d be bringing my mom into my business, because it has always been the other way around.
My mother was quite the entrepreneur herself. Once I started kindergarten, she went back to school and launched into a career of interior design. She quickly found her niche in the now popular field of “redesign” and did some pretty impressive things in the industry. She started nation wide organizations, she led high paid week long trainings, and landed a decade long gig on HGTV. The woman is TALENTED.
While I was studying global business marketing, she started a retail store and employed me as a buyer, merchandiser, sales clerk, accountant, and of course, advertiser and online marketer. This is when I first learned how much work it was to be a small business owner.
This is where I really absorbed the notion “wears many hats”. And this is where I really got to know my mom for the first time. We discovered we laughed the same, got mad the same, and even made the same sounds when we were tired. My brother worked there, his wife worked there, my dad would pop in and work there…this is where I learned what family business really means.
It’s been 12 years since my mom opened her store. After the recession hit hard she decided to close that part of her business and continue in her design field. Fast forward even more years and she tries to claim she is officially “retired”. Buuuuut as fate would have it, we have a large Italian family filled with cousins and filled with friends, and everyone keeps finding a way to include her in a wedding design plan, a baby shower, a fancy party…because well all know she’s simply the best. In fact I’ve now recruited her many a time because let’s face it, NOBODY can replace my mom.
In my business I often have workshops and events, and sometimes I just like to kick them up a notch, even though they are free, even though I expect nothing in return. It’s just so FUN if my mom is involved, it’s pretty much the only reason I would ever do a “fun” event (this is what I call it when I know I’m involving my mom). I’ll want to do a giveaway, food, drinks, and a cohesive yet subtle theme to tie it all together.
Enter, my mom.
Me: “Mom I’m having an event and I want to do something fun, but it’s going to be really early in the morning.” –Silence– “Sooooo I was wondering if you want to help.”
Mom: –Pause– “Well you can do something about waking up… “WAKE UP Your Marketing” and we can have coffee beans spilled out across the table with mini pumpkins and succulents, I have all those little succulent pots…”
Me: –RELIEF– “Ok but it has to be GOOD mom, important people might be at this event.”
Mom: “Oh don’t worry it always turns out fabulous doesn’t it? We’ll have big bowls for the berries and granola for parfaits, coffee, and pumpkin tea.”
And then she starts with the list. This woman is so organized. I may have my Gmail filters and color-coded folders, my project management tools, and my online time trackers. But that list I swear I will NEVER master. She’s so clever she is always adding to it and noting things on it and crossing things off of it. And then she starts with the gathering of “things” and she starts with the prepping and the packing up and the putting together… I just don’t have the vision. I have no idea what she’s going to do, but I just let her do it…and she never disappoints.
I am SO grateful I have this amazing and talented lady in my life! She’s a sounding board, a proof-reader, OH, and an office designer! That’s right I forgot to mention…when I got my office in Hera Hub Mission Valley, I went out of town for two weeks and let my mom do the ENTIRE thing with pretty much no direction. I said, “Well…I love coffee. Can you do something with that?” Was it perfect when I came home and saw it? Yep. I didn’t change a thing. And to have this keep happening over and over at every event? It’s nothing short of a miracle. Wait no… it’s my mom, and it’s pure talent.
Thank you mom for all you do!!!
Tracy Petrucci is an online marketing educator focused on social media, Facebook ads, and email marketing. She teaches at MiraCosta College, across various adult school programs in San Diego, and speaks as a Constant Contact Local Expert. Tracy also runs a small boutique agency for marketing management and consultation. Connect with Tracy on Twitter @TracyPetrucci.
