The Armory Building at 17 S. Second St. in downtown Grand Haven will be the new location for Home Office for Mom Entrepreneurs — H.O.M.E.

‘Mommy’s’ H.O.M.E. In Armory
Pete Daly

GRAND HAVEN — Years after launching a crafts business in her Grand Haven Township home that turned into a multi-million dollar enterprise, Kim Lavine now has an official business space for her latest venture.

A successful entrepreneur known as the “Mommy Millionaire,” Lavine is now leasing space in the historic Armory Building at 17 S. Second St. in downtown Grand Haven for her Home Office for Mom Entrepreneurs — H.O.M.E. for short.

“We are about to move in,” Lavine said last week. She described it as a big, beautiful space that will serve as the “flagship location” for H.O.M.E, which aims to help new entrepreneurs start a million new businesses across America.

H.O.M.E. will occupy a 1,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of the 105-year-old Armory, which was completely renovated in 2004 and also is home to Be Medical Spa & Salon.

In 2001, Lavine began making and selling a grain-filled therapy pillow she called the Wuvit that can be heated or chilled. It led to the formation of her first company, Green Daisy Inc., which has since enjoyed millions in sales. A few years later, she was inspired to write a book, “Mommy Millionaire,” which offers an insider’s guide to people who want to start a small business. The book was a hit, and soon Lavine had a second book out, “The Mommy Manifesto: How to Use Our Power to Think Big, Break Limitations and Achieve Success.”

The books led to appearances on “The Today Show,” “Rachel Ray,” “Good Morning America,” on NBC and ABC news, on CNN, CNBC, FOX, NPR, Oprah & Friends Radio Network and LifetimeTV.com. Articles about her have also appeared in USA Today, Country Living, Guideposts, Business Week, Entrepreneur, Inc, Women's World and American Baby.

In 2009, Lavine was a judge and the keynote speaker at the Grand Rapids Business Journal “Top Women Owned Businesses” event.

As a “serial entrepreneur,” today Lavine is the owner of Green Daisy and Mommy Millionaire Media, as well as majority stockholder and president/CEO of Mommy Millionaire Business Coaching Franchise. The franchise officers include Terry Cross, a founding member of Michigan Venture Capital Association and board member of Great Lakes Angels and Automation Alley’s Entrepreneurial Initiative of southeast Michigan; and Eva Winger, national franchise development manager for Mommy Millionaire Business Coaching in California.

Recently joining the team in Grand Haven as project manager at H.O.M.E. is Rebecca Klobucher, who was previously a designer for Herman Miller and BMW.

Although three Mommy Millionaire Business Coaching franchises are already in operation, Lavine said the move into the Armory signals the “hard launch” of the project.

“We’re going to be hiring staff to support H.O.M.E.,” she said. “I would imagine we’ll have as many as five support staff.”

“It was a challenge for anybody to survive these last two years,” said Lavine. “I’ve had to make really tough personal choices to save my businesses — many personal sacrifices.”

She noted that her venture into business consulting and coaching “can teach people how to start a business for $500.” “We sell practical classes,” she said, that are like “Weight Watchers for businesses,” in that participants meet regularly and work toward specific goals. The program includes a course on how to raise capital, too.

“The real business world is changing in historic ways; it’s almost like you have to rethink everything. What I’ve learned from the front lines of business is, you have to do more with less every day. We’re going to teach people practically how to do that.”

“This is how you launch a business nowadays — on a shoestring. There’s no bank financing out there,” said Lavine.

Men also are welcome to H.O.M.E., she noted.

Lavine said she made the decision to open the flagship H.O.M.E. office in Michigan precisely because of the economic problems the state is facing.

“It’s important for us to launch this revolution from Michigan, and to carry this empowering message to millions across the United States: Stop looking for a job and start running a business. People are scared and don’t know what to do, but the only way past fear is through it. Reduce the risk and reduce the fear,” said Lavine.

She and her supporters will celebrate the launch of H.O.M.E in its new home at an invitation-only event in January.

“Business is first and most importantly about relationships, and we’re focused on creating meaningful connections where business success is made. I can’t wait to get this new economy party started — starting in Grand Haven, Michigan,” said Lavine.

“Forget all the talk about doom and gloom. We’re in the midst of the biggest entrepreneurial revolution in history,” she said, adding that women are starting businesses at double the rate of men. According to Lavine, there are 11 million women entrepreneurs in this country, or 48 percent of all businesses, and the U.S. Census Bureau predicts women will own 55 percent of all businesses by 2015.

As Lavine knows firsthand, starting a business is no cinch. She said that research indicates that 80 percent of new businesses will fail in the first four years, with another 80 percent of the survivors failing in the next four years.

Lavine makes the point that the need has never been greater for a new model for business support.

“Even Donald Trump went bankrupt last year in his casino division,” says Lavine. “Being a start-up entrepreneur is hard work,” she adds. “These are courageous people who are assuming personal risks without a safety net to create economic opportunities for individuals and their communities.”

She said that 70 percent of all new jobs come from small business, so “we need to celebrate and support entrepreneurs in new ways with new tools and resources every day, not just because it’s good for them, but because it makes good business sense for us all.”

When the armory was built in 1905, it was the headquarters of a U.S. Army company based in Grand Haven, according to Integrated Architecture of Grand Rapids, which designed the renovation. Later the building was used as a theater, meeting hall, community gym, home of the local YMCA and a church meeting place.

In addition to Be Medical Spa & Salon and H.O.M.E. on the ground floor, there are three upscale condominiums on the second story of the 22,000-square-foot building.