Des Moines Mom Movers & Shakers is an annual series celebrating local moms who are thinking outside the box and making a difference in the community through the businesses they own, organizations they are involved in, and the work they do. Check out the rest of the series and read profiles from previous years here.
Megan Schmelzer is a teacher who saw a need for tutoring services and started The Little White Schoolhouse in Ankeny in 2021.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
My name is Megan Schmelzer. I have been married to my husband, Bryan, for 13 years. We are both from Iowa. We have two children who we adopted. Brooklyn is 10 years old, and Aiden is 6 years old. They are full biological siblings, and they are our entire worlds. We also have two dogs that we adore: Gus Gus and Dakota.
What do you consider the biggest challenge of motherhood to be? Biggest joy?
Our biggest challenge was starting our family. We struggled with infertility and miscarriage for many years. We always dreamed about adopting children, so we started that process during our infertility struggles. That is how we got the phone calls for both Brooklyn and Aiden. I fully believe we got the exact babies we were always meant to have.
The biggest joy of motherhood is watching your children enjoying life and experience new things. My favorite activity to do as a mom is to introduce my kids to new things and just watch them take in everything. My kids are always learning and changing. I feel like I am learning and changing right along with them.
When did you start The Little White Schoolhouse? What was your inspiration?
I started The Little White Schoolhouse on October 1, 2021. We will be three years old this year. My inspiration came after I had an accident at school. I was walking through the parking lot, slipped on the ice, and hit my head. The fall resulted in a severe traumatic brain injury. It became clear I wouldn’t be able to teach in a typical classroom setting ever again. But, I knew I wanted to keep teaching somehow. Being a teacher is a huge part in what makes me who I am. I decided to start tutoring. I thought it would just be me and a couple of kids for the rest of my teaching career. Within a month, we had 10 kids. Since our opening, we have helped over 500 kids and employed over 80 licensed teachers.
What’s the best part about being your own boss?
I love being able to make the right choices for our kids. We are constantly coming up with new programming or curriculums we wished we had when teaching in the classrooms. School districts have started to reach out to us for professional development and teaching supports as well. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that The Little White Schoolhouse is helping fill the gaps of education for kids, parents, and schools.
What’s the hardest part about running your own business?
The hardest part about running my owner business is that I never get to turn the work part of me off. As a single business owner, I am always on call. I may have a day off planned, but if a teacher gets sick, then I am the first one in. The Little White Schoolhouse is always on my mind, so it is hard to focus on anything but the business.
What advice do you have for moms who want to start a business?
My advice for moms thinking about starting a business is to really examine the time in your life. Being a business owner is not a 40-hour a week job. It is a constant, at-all hours, job. I have to be very diligent about carving out set time for my kids and my family. They are my entire world. That means the business sometimes has to wait.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
I wish a knew more about the financials of running a business. I have had to learn this part of the business world very quickly. I made many mistakes, and some of them were really costly. I now have a financial advisor and accountant who I trust. They have been wonderful in helping me know more about the financial side of my business.
What do you love about raising a family in Des Moines?
Des Moines is home to me. This is were my entire family still lives. I love being able to raise my kids right alongside my brother and sister. We do lots of cousin activities and dinners. This lets all our kids have really strong relationships with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.
Quick Takes:
Favorite local restaurant: Leaning Tower Pizza in Ankeny
Best place to take kids: Grinnell Splash Park, Kirkendall Library
Favorite summer activity: Renting a pontoon for the day at Big Creek State Park
How/where do you relax? Reading anywhere! I especially love reading by the pool, lake, or ocean.
If your life had a hashtag, what would it be? Never-the-less, she taught.
Know a Des Moines mom we should feature? Let us know! Email [email protected] with details and we will be in touch.
