Moms, Small Business and Time: How Side Businesses Can Stretch the Work Day

Local franchise owners to explain building travel businesses that adapt to careers and family life in a free webinar Oct. 28.

Cruise Planners and Entrepreneur are hosting a complimentary webinar where two women who run the same travel franchise will explain how starting a business can create more flexible work options for parents juggling jobs and family. The session, led by moderator Terry Rice, features franchise partners Summer Bowers and Tammy Overcash and is set for Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT). Registration is required to join the live conversation and to receive a free planning guide after the event.

About three in five mothers report that handling both work and family duties is a struggle, and a little more than half of working moms say they would choose to spend extra time with family if they could. Those pressures have pushed many to consider alternative career arrangements. For some, owning a business—especially within an established franchise system—offers a way to tailor hours, use built-in tools and keep income flowing without abandoning professional expertise. Franchises often package technology, marketing and training so owners can shape operations around caregiving and other commitments.

The two speakers arrive at entrepreneurship by very different roads. Bowers, who held degrees in mathematics and actuarial science and worked as a high school teacher, became a travel seller after postings with a military spouse made a traditional job hard to sustain. She began sharing trips online, grew a large audience and converted that visibility into clients she can serve from wherever her family is stationed. Overcash’s route began when her husband lost a long-term job; after months of research the couple picked a travel franchise, with him running it at first while she stayed in finance. When he returned to a corporate role, Overcash expanded her involvement and now balances travel business ownership alongside nearly 35 years in finance as she plans the next phase of her career.

Their customer-finding playbooks also differ. Bowers leans on social platforms and digital content to reach travelers and build new markets as she moves, while Overcash depends on referrals and repeat business—roughly 19 out of 20 of her bookings come through word-of-mouth, including a longtime client who helped send many new customers her way over the years. The contrast illustrates a broader point: one business model can support distinct approaches. Franchise infrastructure — from booking software to brand marketing and coaching — lets individual owners emphasize the tactics that match their skills and schedules.

Attendees will hear practical guidance on balancing a day job with a growing enterprise, setting up systems to protect family time, and recognizing signals that it’s sensible to shift to entrepreneurship full time. A local small-business counselor, Jenna Morales, notes that "starting on the side gives parents a low-risk way to test demand and build processes before making a leap." The webinar will also show how the same franchise resources can support owners whether they sell mainly via online presence or through established personal networks. Participants who register will receive a complimentary Cruise Planners guide on launching a travel business that fits around existing responsibilities.