Here she is - your number one Parentpreneur! Angela Lee, of A. Lee Straw Marquetry, is the winner of our Parent Power Contest. She has won $20,000 in advertising with Wee Welcome and a trip to Club Med! She deserves it!

A busy Mom, Angela is striking the careful balance
between motherhood and her thriving business, applying split and
flattened straw as a high-end finish on furniture. 

We had to ask - how does she do it?!

You have a son and a life - how do you find the balance?

Often I am able to work at any time of the day - while my son naps or at night while watching a movie with my husband. But by far the best way I have found to work is an arrangement I've made with another mother in my neighborhood. I take her son two days a week and she takes my son two days. It's like having two days of free daycare, and it's been great for the kids. It also allows for a great deal of flexibility versus a traditional daycare - we often switch days and drop off or pick up earlier or later according to our schedules.

In the past it seemed like there were only two choices - go to work or stay home. I'm hearing more and more about the creative ways moms are finding of breaking the mold. Just because you want to be with your children while they are young doesn't mean you can't work!

Describe that crazy moment when you first said, "Yes, I am going to do this. I am going to be a Parentpreneur!"

I have always wanted to have my own business and to work from home. I was always experimenting with new creative projects and I knew I would never be happy unless I could find a way to make a living with my hands. I anticipated that the year I was on maternity leave would finally be the time to set things in motion. Although being off work with a baby isn't exactly free time, it was at least an opportunity to focus on myself and my goals. From the moment I met my son, I knew I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

I think it's important for every parent to maintain that part of their identity that doesn't have anything to do with being a parent. It's easy to lose sight of your own interests. For me, I knew I had to have a creative outlet to stay sane.

How will this prize change your business?

Things have been tough starting this business. I simply don't have the capital right now to do the marketing required to educate designers and the public about my work. Marketing is probably the most important aspect of any business and I am so grateful for this opportunity for exposure. There is little known today about the technique of straw marquetry, even within the design community. I think there is a perception that straw art must fit into a 'country aesthetic'. This is simply not the case. Straw marquetry is a unique option for adding an additional texture to any environment.