Small Business Builder: Mom Inc.

May 16 -- It's 2001; Do you know where your mom is?

Today it's a joke, but many conversations once began with this unfunny exchange:: "Do you work?" "No, I'm a housewife." Today, the adage "a woman's work is never done" has never been more true.

If you're a stay-at-home mom, or if you live with one, it's enlightening to view the job of "homemaker" as the equivalent of running a small business. And if you're thinking of starting your own business, try looking at Mom as an entrepreneur-in-training. You'll learn a lot.

Most women who are homemakers by choice see their job as a professional career, much as home-economics students did from the 1890s to the 1950s. Home economics (or "domestic science") schools served both full-time homemakers and aspiring professionals — dietitians, preschool teachers, food testers and retail buyers, as well as home-ec teachers and agricultural extension agents.

Make no mistake: Not all stay-at-home moms take the job seriously, and being a homemaker is no picnic. Moreover …

Some two million stay-at-home dads care for about 1.5 percent of America's children under 5.

Families in which both parents work outside the home can function beautifully and foster healthy, happy kids.

Being a stay-at-home mom isn't for everyone; there is and has always been a dark side. (See "Mother's Little Helpers.")

In a Businesslike Way

The best of today's parenting and homemaking professionals manage their homes and families in a remarkably businesslike way. Insurance companies and divorce lawyers argue about the dollar value of "women's work." Estimates range from minimum wage for 40 hours a week to $30,000, $50,000, even $200,000 annually, though many experts argue that the most important part of the job can't be measured.

Don't be fooled by the flippant "Mom's taxi" bumper stickers you see on minivans. Being a homemaker/parent is serious work that requires preparation and skills as diverse, yet specialized, as those of the most determined entrepreneur.