Meet Meagan Clanahan | Co-owner Houston Moms, Parenting Website

We had the good fortune of connecting with Meagan Clanahan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Meagan, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Without a doubt, it is our Houston Moms team. We are not your typical “mommy influencer” blog or social channel. I count on a team of 35+ contributing writers plus a staff of 5 to not only provide amazing content 7 days a week to our greater Houston area audience, but also to connect sponsors with our followers in a genuine and authentic way.

Our team pours hours upon hours into their contributions to the website; whether that be inspirational, encouragement, or just fabulous resources for parents to help make this journey just a tad easier, a whole lot more fun, and to know they are not alone in this big city of ours.

As the leader of our team, it’s incredibly important for me to stay invested in my contributors and my staff. I dedicate specific time blocks each week for check-ins, both personally and professionally, host fun giveaways for them, little moments of recognition, and more. Since the majority of our team is on an unpaid basis, it’s critical that they feel I am there to support them and lift them up. We are all, after all, very busy moms. Our team often says that our contributing group feels like family, and I have to agree. They give me endless inspiration to keep at this on the daily.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Houston Moms is widely regarded as the number one parenting site in Houston. We are hyper local and our mission, written and run BY Houston moms, FOR Houston moms. Our central goal is to connect and come alongside parents in their everyday lives, providing a positive voice in our community. We also work to connect those same parents with businesses they need to know about and we regularly partner with nationally known brands, including Houston-based Reliant among others. Houston Moms is regularly featured on all major news channels here in Houston, including Fox 26, KHOU-11, KPRC, and ABC-13.

I never set out to be a business owner, if I’m honest. I started my working career as an investment rep and personal banker at the ripe age of 23. After a handful of years in the corporate world and then an upending from Louisiana to Houston thanks to Katrina, I slowly grew tired of that pace and no real sense of personal fulfillment. On a whim, I quit that job and began working for a large church in the Katy area as an assistant to a Pastor, which then led to working in a full-time capacity for a church plant in the Richmond area, handling everything from administration to marketing and more. It was during this time that I started up my personal blog and rediscovered my joy of writing.

In doing so, I connected with the blog world in Houston and found out about Houston Moms Blog {as it was known at the time}. I applied and became a contributing writer, then quickly moved into Project Coordination and Sales. Our former owner decided to move out of the city four years ago and put Houston Moms up for sale. Myself, along with my co-owner, Jarred King, a dad and business owner in Houston, purchased it and we haven’t looked back since.

That first year was HARD. My children were at school the majority of the day but I was still working 12-15 hour days to really grasp how to run a business. I knew just a couple of things; that I was passionate about moms and I was passionate about words but there is so much more that goes behind our business. Learning to reconcile all that as well as learning to delegate more tasks was my biggest struggle then.

I feel like we run like a pretty well-oiled machine now. Of course COVID-19 brought a huge season of change for us as advertisers changed courses and events were canceled. But we also learned how to pivot and still finished 2020 in the black with much unchanged revenue-wise from 2019, so we are extremely proud of that.

I’ve definitely learned that I cannot do it all, not at the same time. I got into this business FOR my kids and sometimes I can get too wrapped up and I never want them to suffer. While working from home may be relatively new for some in this time of pandemic, it has been my norm for the better part of 13 years. It’s incredibly flexible most of the time, which is amazing, but it’s also hard to shut it down and go back to regular life. Scheduling and calendaring with time blocks are my tips for that, along with making sure you force yourself out of the house, even if it’s just to go to the gym or grab a Diet Coke from Sonic. We all need that unplug time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh gosh! Houston is such a mega city that it’s hard to narrow everything down. I would say we definitely have to hit an Astros game. If the Houston Rodeo is in town, we are GOING! Rodeo is my jam. Of course, Tex Mex has to happen. I love El Tiempo off Navigation personally and there is a great place in the Richmond/Katy area called Pablos with the best enchiladas anywhere.

I have to say I spend 90% of my personal time in the Katy area “bubble” if you will. One thing I love about living here is how much Katy has expanded what fun there is to be had, along with fabulous places to eat. I love trying new restaurants here and we have top notch food that rivals inside the loop. Pearl & Vine is a most notable new spot that’s a must try, and if you are looking for a relaxing drive to the country at a restaurant that serves 5 star food, Anthonies in Simonton is the place for you. We’ve also had so much fun discovering new finds in Katy’s Asian Town. Phat Eatery is incredible!

For additional things to do, I don’t think you can go wrong with our many museums, both the Children’s and HMNS amongst others. Bayou Bend is a really neat place to visit as well. And if the weather is right, Buffalo Bayou is a must see, along with Houston Botanic Gardens, The Arboretum, Discovery Green, and so much more. Our Houston Moms event calendar is packed with tons of ideas and events happening daily as well!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Houston Moms is part of a larger umbrella called City Mom Collective with 80+ sister sites, spanning East Coast to West Coast. When I first became a part of Houston Moms, prior to ownership, so many in leadership took me under their wings. Specifically our CMC Founder, Steph Flies – she inspired me in so many ways with her passion for moms, doing all things with excellence, and pouring into those around her. I am forever grateful for her and for all of the other sister site owners who continue to mentor and give me great examples of what a business owner looks like.

Website: https://houston.momcollective.com/

Instagram: @realhoustonmoms (business) @meaghtx (personal) *both are fine to share

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meagan-clanahan-7164102b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/realhoustonmoms

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealHoustonMoms/

Image Credits
Headshot & contributor image: Lifetime of Clicks Photography