Looking around the baby play group listening to the other moms talk about people like Kim Kardashian, she realized she was the oldest mom there by about 15 years. That’s when Robin Gorman Newman realized she needed a new play group. She thought there must be other women who have chosen or been given motherhood later so she searched the web for a group to connect with and didn’t find much.
Putting out a call to older mothers in local press and with flyers in her neighborhood where moms went, the responses flowed in. Robin gathered a group of those who became a mom over age 35, meeting for discussions and sharing once a week and sometimes bringing in experts to offer parenting insight. From there, the get-togethers morphed into activities at different locations, and the group grew. Robin had hit a nerve and was filling a need that wasn’t being met. She decided to start a website to share ideas and to build a community for all the moms who had become mothers later in life. She called her new venture Motherhood Later…
Than Sooner.
Robin had spent her life as an author, speaker, coach and in PR, and had written several books on dating. Appearing at the Learning Annex in New York, and Canyon Ranch among other venues, she would share her tips and suggestions on dating. Using her own advice and getting married at age 32, she then turned her attention to the pursuit of motherhood. Experiencing fertility challenges, Robin and her husband ultimately adopted their son when she was 42.
The first chapter of MotherhoodLater.com was Robin’s New York group. But these moms had friends who were older mothers in other cities and so chapters of MotherhoodLater.com sprung up across the country and later worldwide. “The goal of the organization is to empower, support and inform. You shouldn’t be alone having a baby later in life,” says Robin. “If you create it, they will come,” she says and they did.
Creativity through theatre is her other passion. She blogs both on parenting and theatre for MotherhoodLater.com, and is the Associate Producer of a new Off Broadway play called Motherhood Out Loud.
So how is she monetizing her site? Through advertisers, Robin has created a successful venture out of a need to connect that so many women have. With a blog, interviews, and advice, the site is a resource for moms who have kids later in life. Conferences and teleclasses may be next, she’s formulating a plan, but the one thing she knows is that she has an audience. Robin says, “When I get a letter from a mom who is grateful she found others like her, that is the most gratifying moment of what I do.”
Contact: www.motherhoodlater.com, [email protected]
VentureMom Tip:
When you find a large group of people who are looking for an outlet, take it to the web and see what evolves.
