JULIE TREVOR-ROBERTS didn't set out to be part of a national trend when she started her own business nearly two years ago. She was just looking for a way to supplement her husband's income and still stay home with their kids.
But when she launched Julie Art Studios in 2003, Julie became one of an increasing number of American "mompreneurs"—stay-at-home mothers who have turned personal interest into profession. The allure of such work is understandable: a flexible schedule, a sense of fulfillment beyond the family circle, and sometimes a tidy profit.
For Julie, the profit part was really key. "Our family definitely needed more money just to pay the monthly bills," she explains. "But I didn't know where it was going to come from."
