Entrepreneurs to Watch: Danielle Connelly and Heather McGrath of Mother of a Deal

Photo credit: Tracey Ayton

Mother of a Deal, from Danielle Connelly and Heather McGrath, is your deal-hunting best friend to help you stay in-the-know on the best deals around the Lower Mainland, Canada and online – without all the running around.

What inspired you to start your company?

Danielle’s friends didn’t so much inspire as demand. She has a knack for deal hunting and saving money, and too many friends and family members to call individually. Mother of a Deal first started as a little blog in 2008 to keep her friends in the know. Word got out and things grew from there. Heather was one of those early subscribers and grew to love the concept so much that she asked Danielle to join forces in April 2010. With Heather’s public relations and marketing background, the partnership is looking forward to taking Mother of a Deal to the next level.

We were also both looking for a way to work from home, so it’s nice to turn something we’re both so passionate about into a business.

What is your company all about?

We are all about great deals, especially when it comes to moms! Most moms barely have enough time to grab a coffee in the morning, never mind hunt for deals.

Still, everyone wants to save money and tell their friends about the stellar deal they just nabbed. In just a few short minutes, moms can visit MotherofaDeal.com and get a quick update on all the best deals, coupons, freebies, exclusive give-aways and sample sales in town and online.

What’s your vision for your company?

To see more moms across the country find out about, and use Mother of a Deal as their daily resource before they head out to shop for their families. Keys – check, coat – check, purse – check, Mother of a Deal info – check!

What excites you about what you’re doing?

The feedback we receive gets us pretty excited. Moms from St. John’s to Victoria are letting us know they appreciate our free service. Plus, there’s always the rush of finding a great deal, and sharing it with others makes it even better. Helping moms save money and promoting other Canadian run businesses is the icing on the cake.

What are some early examples of success?

Probably the number of subscribers we’ve had from the get-go. Deal hunting excites people. It’s like that IKEA commercial where the lady gets a great deal and thinks there’s been an error on the bill and takes off in a panic. We all feel that way.

What about challenges?

Making time for everything … kids, husband, friends, and business. There never seems to be enough hours in the day.

We’re both new to the entrepreneurial world as well, so we’ve faced a fairly steep learning curve. On the plus side, there has been so much support from people who are just excited about what we’re doing. That has certainly helped us jump the various hurdles we’ve faced and it’s helped us avoid some of them too.