Each suburban town in Fairfield county is like living in a movie. The towns are beautiful with lots of parks, open fields, beautiful beaches and spacious homes with white picket fences. However, what all of these picturesque suburbs were missing was a centralized place to learn about what each unique town specifically had to offer, especially to new moms who were navigating motherhood on top of not knowing what to do with their children as the hours/minutes ticked by.
As a native Greenwich girl, Layla Lisiewski moved back to her hometown from NYC once she had children and came up with the idea to create hyper-local websites where busy moms would be able to find everything they could possibly need in one place. And so with the genius concept, Layla founded GreenwichMoms.com in September of 2015. The website was an immediate success and she decided to expand into additional towns. Layla sought out strong, entrepreneurial women in New Canaan and Darien and both of those websites launched in the Summer of 2016.
With the success of those two towns Layla knew she should keep expanding and so she found the perfect dynamic duo to represent Westport. Melissa Post and Megan Rutstein were good friends who had the passion and ambition to make Westportmoms.com a true success. They launched in January of 2017 and within just two short months they have made a big impact in town. As young(ish) moms they knew exactly what every mom in town would need and greatly appreciate and they jumped in head first and have not looked back.
“The sites were created with the simple goal of giving moms the gift of time! We provide a comprehensive collection of resources about our local communities, and opportunities to connect and engage with families nearby, to learn from… and support one another!” (Layla)
The websites include a calendar of events, a guide to local doctors, fitness classes, camps, sports teams, neighborhood stores and restaurants, an introduction to the local school system—and also general information. “The schools find our sites so helpful that they refer new parents to them!”
The moms who run the sites regularly update two exciting and informative blogs—one of which spotlights a kid friendly event every day, and the other which covers everything else having to do with parenting in our towns (and beyond). The moms also find new and unique ways to connect with their readers. Melissa and Megan running WestportMoms.com have a popular category called M&M Picks, things in town that they especially like and recommend.
Local moms are featured regularly. What better way to create a sense of community than to introduce ourselves to one another? Our communities thrive because people help one another, and they want to preserve that culture!
In addition to Facebook and Instagram, an extremely popular monthly newsletter is sent out and lays out the notable, kid-friendly events for the month ahead. With thousands of regular readers and a recently introduced our app, Burb Blurb, these women are always looking for ways to keep up with moms on the go, go, go!
Layla emphasizes, “Community building is, and always will be, the foundation of our venture. The feedback and enthusiasm is amazing. It makes us happy that we have found a purpose where we feel like we can give back. We have found success in writing frequently, sharing helpful information, and building partnerships with those who share our vision and appreciate our audience.” The moms running this fleet of successful websites agree on maintaining a symbiotic relationship with their readers, “we hope local families grow with us as much as we grow with them.”
VentureMom Tip
Create a service that fills a need not being met in your town.
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