By 
Erin Condren was a new mother of twins when she decided to ditch her career in apparel manufacturing. She had spent years in the industry, working 12-hour days in a sewing factory, before launching a line with her brother: a venture that went south with the rest of the economy in the aftermath of 9/11.
I can't do this anymore, she thought. I don't want to travel. I don't want to know what's hot and cool for 10 apparel markets each year.
She while she wanted to shift, the couple realized that living on her husband's take-home pay alone in expensive southern California wasn't a sustainable option for the young family of four. Their tight budget left little room for things like birthday and holiday cards, so Condren began printing them at home. It wasn't long before friends noticed her eye for design and wanted their own cards.
"If [a friend] ordered 400 holiday cards, I'd give them 450, because I knew this person was going to put a stamp on them and mail them out. The customer is thrilled, and I'm thrilled because she's doubling the awareness," Condren says.
Acting on the advice of a business coach who later became her business partner, she took out a home equity loan to hire the publicist who's still with her today. They sent boxes of press kits to various outlets and snagged a spot on The Ellen DeGeneres Show's 12 Days of Giveaways that Christmas.
That was the beginning of Erin Condren Design, now in its 10th year and doing millions in sales annually.
The fact that she's built an empire on paper products at a time when most people prefer Outlook and iCal isn't lost on Condren. She debuted her signature product, the LifePlanner, in 2007, the same year the first iPhone launched. Unsure of how it would do, her business partner insisted they print the books on demand; keeping inventory would "bury" them, he said.
They sold a thousand LifePlanners that first year. This year, Condren says, they'll sell 500,000.
Keeping a physical planner resonates with people like Condren: Even with an iPhone, iPad and Mac, she still loves to write things down. The spark for her planner came from a Franklin Covey agenda a previous job had gifted her — she loved writing in it but says it lacked that "inspirational, colorful and cute" factor.
Today, Erin Condren planners, with their bright, customizable covers and coordinating accessories, have found an audience with teachers, lifestyle bloggers and students, among others. Starting at $50 a pop, they aren't cheap, but her fans are loyal. The brand has over 174,000 Instagram followers and 39,700 on Twitter.
Condren's own daughter, now 14, uses the planner. "She's more empowered, more responsible, more independent and I'm not on the phone going, you have to be at your tutor or basketball practice," Condren says. "I can't be a helicopter mom nor do I want to be."
At a recent planner-signing event to launch the brand's partnership with Staples, Condren found herself holding back tears as young fans shared how they used the planner to better their lives. Some say the book helped them get into the college of their dreams; others say it allowed them to care for a sick parent, keeping track of chemo treatments and doctors' appointments.
"This brand is really powerful for hundreds of thousands of women who are sharing their struggles, sharing their wins, and sharing their ways of managing it all," Condren says.
Here's what Condren has learned about running a business while being a mom:
Script life.
"I literally write a daily script and sometimes if I've included the car wash it and I go to the car wash, I cross if off just to feel like I did it."
Go presidential.
She schedules each hour of her day, something she learned from a friend who worked at the White House.
Find the time.
"You can do amazing things during nap time, on the weekends, and by relying on friends and family. That's how I started, really. We didn't have daycare and my mom would come over on Fridays."
Accept help.
"Maybe my husband wouldn't pack the best lunch or wrap the best gift but I would let him do it because you've got to give up some control. That can help you find the time to then do things that build your business."
Be patient.
"It's OK to be a mom and be a really good mom and try to juggle whatever job you're in. Maybe your dream career is later: there's a whole new world out there when your kids are grown up and you have more time to yourself."
Embrace your age.
"I love being in my 40s. My 20s were about finding who I was going to spend the rest of my life with and what I was going to do to support myself. Then it's 30s, and you're having children and trying to juggle it all. Forties? You're finally figuring it all out."
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