“What I built was something I loved, benefited from and really used as a consumer.” --Jill Smokler (Handout photo)

Getting ‘Scary’ turned out to be fortuitous for Jill Smokler.

Jill Smokler, a NewYork Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and social influencer, always knewshe wanted to be her own boss.

What she didn’t know was that her once-small mommy blog would become her golden ticket. As the founder of Scary Mommy, one of the country’s most influential parenting websites, Smokler spent a decade sharing with the world the highs and lows of parenting.

“When I started writing the blog, people weren’t entirelyhonest about how difficult motherhood could be,” says Smokler, 41, ofPikesville. “In general, parenting is difficult and we want to have a villageof people we can feel support from. People were hungry for someone to be realabout what it was like, and I filled that void.”

While Scary Mommy ultimately became a website with afollowing of millions of parents, Smokler started the blog in 2008 when heryoungest son was just 3 months old as a way to chronicle her days as astay-at-home mother and post photos for her family and friends.

“I began the blog as a hobby,” says Smokler, whose threechildren are now 15, 13 and 11. “It was before Facebook and Instagram, so itwas a place for me to post cute pictures of my daughter and two sons. I startedthe blog not really understanding what blogging was or that anyone not relatedto me would be interested in it, but within the first year I realized I couldreally expand.”

A graphic designer by trade but an entrepreneur at heart, Smokler quickly created herself a website, brought on contributors to write about experiences foreign to her, and with the help of her middle son, coined the name Scary Mommy.

“I didn’t come up with the name in a calculated way,” says Smokler,who graduated from Washington University with a degree in graphic design. “Atthe time, my middle son who was 2 was scared of a Disney movie and startedreferring to everything around him as scary — including me — who he called ‘ScaryMommy.’”

Shortly after Scary Mommy took off, Smokler partnered with Target for an online makeover project and was asked by a literary agent to write a book.

“I don’t consider myself a writer, so I initially said no.But the agent told me writing a book was like writing blog posts on paper, sowe put together a proposal,” says Smokler, of her bestseller, “Confessions of aScary Mommy,” which was published by Simon and Schuster in 2012. “That firstbook was such a high. I got to do talk shows, interviews and a book tour. Itwas an exciting and magical time.”

It was also around that time that Smokler started anonprofit, which helped families afford meals for Thanksgiving and birthdayparties for kids.

“Someone had confessed on the site they couldn’t affordThanksgiving dinner,” Smokler says. “The community rallied together in what Ithought would be sponsoring a handful of meals, but we ended up sponsoring morethan 150 meals. It was magical to see people come together and do nice thingsfor others.

In 2015, Smokler, who has since written two other books,sold Scary Mommy to Some Spider Studio, where she worked as chief content officeruntil 2018. Now, she’s looking towards the future as her professional andpersonal life shift gears.

“I have an interesting story on how my career evolved,” saysSmokler, who was named by Forbes magazinein 2017 as one of the top-10 parenting influencers. “There are things I woulddo over and things I would change. That, coinciding with my husband coming outof the closet and the ramifications of that, mean the last few years of my lifehave been a bit of a whirlwind. It’s entertaining and could make for a goodmemoir or pilot. I also plan to start a podcast in the next few months.”

Smokler says she has a lot of ideas for what’s next and willbe just as passionate about her new venture as she was about Scary Mommy.

“What I built was something I loved, benefited from andreally used as a consumer,” says Smokler. “You have to make sure you attachyourself to a business you really love and are committed to because it’s a lotof work. For me, Scary Mommy was my sanity when my kids were little. It’s whereI went if something funny happened or I needed to vent. It was my lifeline.”

Aliza Friedlander is a Baltimore-based freelance writer.

Join Jmore for our 2nd annual celebration of Baltimore’s Jewish Entrepreneurs — JBiz Entrepreneur — on June 4 at the Maryland Historical Society.

You May Also Like
Family-Owned Alex Cooper Auctioneers Celebrates Centennial Anniversary
Paul and Matt Cooper

Throughout 2024, the Towson-based company, now in its fourth generation of family ownership, will celebrate 100 years of success with a series of special events.

Evexia’s Kerryann Gross Works with Patients for Long-term Success
Kerryann Gross

If weight loss and wellness are on your list of New Year's resolutions, Kerryann Gross, owner of Evexia Weight Loss and Wellness Clinic, may have the answer.

Speakers Discuss Health Care Trends at Annual Jmore Event
Jmore Innovation in Health Care 2023

Jmore held its fifth annual "Innovation in Health Care" panel discussion Oct. 24.

‘Lost Lennon Piano’ to be Sold by Towson-Based Alex Cooper Auctioneers
Lost Lennon Piano

The live auction of an iconic piano associated with John Lennon and Andy Warhol will take place on Saturday morning, Sept. 30, at Alex Cooper Auctioneers.