As a writer and mom, I've watched one of the most amazing trends of the Millennium: women in huge numbers taking control over their work schedules by becoming business owners. On Tuesday, more than 300 South Florida mothers showed at a workshop sponsored by MomsMiami.com to learn how to be a successful entrepreneur.

     Moms, some recently downsized, are finding niches in all kinds of unique areas. I met Joan Alini, a laid-off school teacher who sells aprons packaged in pie boxes. Crazy? You may think so, but she's found her target audience in schoolteacher friends -- and she's making money. I also met Mary Pat Pankoke, a mom who has joined with her mom. They formed two businesses, one that conducts coupon classes and the other a website for used children's items.

     Of course, balancing a business and family isn't the cakewalk many mom entrepreneurs envisioned. If there is a message the audience walked away with Tuesday it's that the reality of managing a business comes with both the benefit of flexible schedule and a dose of harsh reality.

    Misha Kurlya-Gomez, founder of the popular Misha's Cupcakes, is a Miami success story. She started her business from her home kitchen after giving birth, when her husband nudged her to get a job. She told moms her company now sells more than 20,000 cupcakes and 50 cakes a week through its retail store and wholesale business.

   But Kurlya-Gomez's path to profitability came packaged with experiences such as her dragging daughter on customer calls, sparring with her spouse over whether to stick with the business, opening and closing mall kiosks, and learning some pretty ugly lessons about employee ethics.

     Being a mom entrepreneur also means questioning some of your business decisions and learning from mistakes. Marla Brock, a former lawyer, started PlanetZee.com, a family travel website. The idea came from her passion for travel and her experience staying in a hotel that wasn't geared for kids. But now, a year after her website is operating, and making money, she's wondering whether she should have targeted an even smaller niche - families traveling with kids between the ages of one and four. ``What I've learned is not to be afraid to be targeted and small. You can grow organically.''

     For me, one of the most eye-opening statements of the day came when Brock said anyone thinking of launching a business needs to start today, this minute, by taking out a piece of paper, writing down your business idea and identifying your target audience. ``You don't have to have a grand business plan.'' Isn't that what scares some moms and dads from moving forward?

     Of course, having the idea for a business or invention often is the easy part. Finding the money, devoting the manpower and growing the business are where the bigger challenges lies. Even in the recession, it appears moms haven't lost their entrepreneurial drive.

   I really enjoyed the section of the workshop on e-mail marketing presented by Lisa Sparks of Constant Contact. It seems moms are eager to take their businesses to the next level through e-mail marketing campaigns. I'm planning on writing an entire column on e-mail marketing with tips from Lisa's presentation. Stay tuned!