Boss Moms: songs for seeds Co-Founders Alison Qualter Berna and Allison Schlanger Dish on Their Journey to Success

That may be why their business, children’s music enrichment franchise songs for seeds, is so successful. Qualter Berna and Schlanger, along with their respective husbands, Bobby Berna and Craig Schlanger, co-founded songs for seeds in 2009 in New York City, two years after they co-founded the play-space brand apple seeds.

Today, songs for seeds has 24 locations across the United States and is still expanding. The four co-founders are committed to the success of their brand, which has proven a particularly attractive franchising opportunity for women seeking an improved work-life balance.

1851 Franchise: Can you remember the moment you decided to open your own business?

Alison Qualter Berna: We met while waiting for the freight elevator to take our respective sets of twins to a music class. Alison’s twins were six months old and mine were five months old. The double strollers wouldn’t fit in the normal elevator, so we had to wait for the freight elevator. Back then, New York City’s Flatiron District wasn’t as family-friendly as it is today. When we entered the music class, the room had low windows and no outlet coverage. It was not kid-friendly or clean or modern, and we wanted something better for our kids.

There were also developments in our personal lives. At the time, Allison had a successful career as a producer for MTV Networks and I worked for UNICEF and did a lot of intense global traveling. We both loved our jobs, but we felt this incredible pull when we each had our twins. We really wanted to come up with a way in which we could work and use our minds in a career that had trajectory and still be parents. That was the genesis for apple seeds.

**Allison Schlanger: Alison and I were both really fortunate. We were in a unique position that a lot of new moms are not in, which is that our bosses allowed us to take extended maternity leaves. Alison had a two-year leave of absence from UNICEF and I was able to take 11 months off from MTV, some of which was unpaid, but I still knew I had a job to go back to at the end of that period.

The minute I got back to work, I just felt this longing of wanting to be home with my kids. I also longed to have a career outside of the home. We both wanted a different balance in our lives and wondered about what kind of business we could open that would provide us with more control over our schedules.

1851: What were some of the biggest learning moments when you became your own boss?

Schlanger: We both worked for these really big companies and we worked really hard at our jobs, but ultimately, the bottom line wasn’t our responsibility. When you own your own business, you are responsible for your employees and clients. You take on everything and you’re responsible for the big stuff. Making the transition from working for someone else to working for ourselves and having that responsibility was completely new for both of us.

Qualter Berna: Managing people takes time, and a customer-centric business requires you to be very hands-on. If you want to work remotely, don’t go into a customer-centric business that requires you to be physically present. Analyze the ways in which you need flexibility in your life, and think about what you’re good at. From there, you can determine what kind of business is right for you.

1851: Before coming up with apple seeds, did you ever imagine owning your own business?

Qualter Berna: When I was younger, I always had this dream of owning a bookstore with a coffee shop — a coffee shop that also sold flowers — next to it. I always wanted to be my own boss but I was so happy at UNICEF that I never thought it would happen. I also never thought I’d find someone I loved working with as much as I love working with Alison. I don’t think I would have done something like songs for seeds alone.

Schlanger: I totally agree. There’s no way I would have done this alone. When I was younger, my dream was to work in television and with kids. I majored in communications in college. I never thought this would lead me to own my own business, but it turned out to be a very natural progression.

1851: What advice do you have for other women looking to become independent business owners?

Schlanger: Having the right business partner is crucial. Whenever I read articles about people I admire, they use the word “we.” No one is running a huge business alone. Also, don’t be afraid to start small and grow organically. You can have big and lofty ideas, but keep in mind that those ideas can have very big bills. You might even need to go the fundraising route for your business, which no one ever really imagines. If you start big, you have to grow into the business, whereas if you start small, you can just grow.

Qualter Berna: That said, it’s okay to dream big and not be afraid. Just make sure you back that dream up with financial resources and hard work. I do business coaching outside of work, and I emphasize starting on the Why **and the purpose of your business.

Without that, the rest won’t happen. Then there’s the matter of money. Women often go into business with the idea that money is secondary.

If you are starting a business, be unafraid and unabashed about making the bottom line the be-all, end-all. This is not a volunteer job. Lastly, you have to realize that failure is always a possibility and perfectionism is impossible.

We all have this drive to make everything perfect, and almost nothing is perfect when you’re starting a business. You must be resilient and ready to pivot when the game changes and things get tough.

Schlanger: When it comes to starting small and growing organically, we’re definitely speaking from experience. With apple seeds, we started really big with a lot of expenses and we had to grow into the business. That’s why we opted to franchise songs for seeds. A songs for seeds franchise has barely any fixed costs. The majority of your expenses come from rent and teachers salaries -- and you only incur those expenses when classes are in session. In your off class hours your expenses are at a minimum.

**Qualter Berna: We’re not, and it’s not because we don’t support them. It’s more that we just don’t have the time. Plus, association memberships cost money and we have six kids between us.

That said, we’re big supporters of women’s organizations and have participated in many panels and want to do more. I have a life coaching business called** Soul Inversion **.We do monthly virtual calls and rely on one another for accountability and networking.

At the end of the year, we have an in-person retreat. It’s an incredible group filled with successful women who are already established in their careers and are looking to find that work-life balance and lead even more authentic lives.

Schlanger: We count our women friends as the village that make our lives possible. From the women we’ve been friends with since childhood to the women we’ve met through our kids and our businesses, they are all part of our circle and help us make our lives better.

Qualter Berna: Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. I’m blown away by Oprah and how she was such a trailblazer in the television industry. She’s just so exceptional. Michelle Obama is out of this world and classy and smart. She’s someone who redefined the First Lady position.

My mom is also a huge inspiration to me. I’m one of three girls and we’ve all started our own businesses, and this really came down to our mother. She set a very high bar for us and led by example. For instance, it wasn’t enough for her to be on the PTA. She had to be the president. She always went for the top no matter what.

Schlanger: My mom. She had a really strong work ethic and always advocated for social justice. I saw her consistently put in the hard work while always finding the time to support equality based issues. As a person and a business owner I learned so much from her example. Of course, there’s Alison. So much of my growth as a person in this stage of my life has been influenced by her. And Michelle Obama...