As a mother of six, I know all too well the feeling of stretching myself too thin. Between caring for my kids and shuttling them to and from school, sports and play dates not to mention my other countless everyday personal tasks, I am constantly in desperate need of a few more hours in the day.

Having kids means having more of everything – more mouths to feed, more schedules to manage, more laundry to do. For our large family, bath time in particular causes a lot of havoc, requiring an endless number of towels and washcloths. In fact, my youngest child used to demand three towels, one for her head, one for her shoulders and one to wrap around her legs. Kids are funny like that.

But for me, it wasn’t all that funny because it added even more laundry to my already hectic schedule. What I needed was one, full coverage towel that would keep my daughter warm and dry, while also saving save me an extra load or two of laundry. I scoured the internet to find a towel that would fit this bill, but nothing was quite right.

After talking it over with my husband, I decided to take matters into my own hands and began designing a prototype for a towel that was capable of providing a solution to my family’s needs. My idea quickly became a real product, and with the help of a manufacturer, the My Buddy Towel was launched. The My Buddy Towel is made of absorbent cotton and zips up around the child, providing total body coverage and warmth while allowing kids to play and get ready for bed. It is our hope that the My Buddy Towel will help relieve parents’ stress, even if it’s just one small task taken off of a busy nighttime routine.

Today, I am a proud mom and small business owner. Sure, running my own business with six children is tough and creates an even busier schedule for me, but like all other parents with full-time jobs or career goals, I figure out a way to get it done. Here are a few things I have learned along the way:

1. It is okay to ask for help! When I launched My Buddy Towel, I turned to SCORE, a free resource that pairs small business owners and entrepreneurs with local business executives for guidance and support on building their companies. My SCORE mentor helped me develop my business plan and get My Buddy Towel off the ground. In fact, I was recently named a Grand Champion in their national American Small Business Championship.
2. Get creative! If your family is facing a particular challenge, don’t be afraid to come up with a new and unique solution. When I couldn’t find a product to fit all of my needs, I knew I would have to create one for myself. Let yourself think out of the box to solve whatever you and your family are facing.
3. Prioritize your time. It is okay to push chores to the next day or even the day after that. Don’t compare yourself to other parents or families. Get in a routine that works best for you.