In the first of a series spotlighting some of the more admirable, interesting and unique residents of East County, Patch sat down with Yihung Mohs, owner of Dream Dinners and president of the Silver Spring chapter of Moms, Inc., a parent group for entrepreneurs.  

Patch: You are the sole proprietor of Dream Dinners in Cloverly. How did owning your own business come about?

Yihung Mohs: I worked at Discovery Communications for 14 years. I found that I was very, very busy at my day job, and as our family changed [Mohs is the mother of two children], it was becoming harder to balance work and family life. In 2005, I reached the point where it was ‘now or never’ and I knew I had to do something different. I searched for an opportunity to go into business for myself and it just so happened that was looking for someone to open a location in this area, so in 2006, I opened Dream Dinners in Cloverly.

Patch: So how does someone who spent a decade and a half in a cubicle go about running her own business?

Y.M: Well, it wasn’t easy, but the support of my husband was very important. It’s hard to take that risk of giving up a regular income, but he was very supportive. Also, I went to business school, taking management courses at Johns Hopkins Business School and classes at the Rockville Economic Development Center. As for the financial part of it, I was lucky enough to be able to take out a second mortgage on our house to fund it initially.

Patch: Did you talk to any other female entrepreneurs in the area?

Y.M: Actually, I joined Moms, Inc., a networking group focusing on business moms and first-time entrepreneurs. The home chapter was in Clarksville, and it was a great source of people and information for me. In fact, one of the women I first spoke with, Nancy Daniel, who now works for me.

I liked the concept of Moms. Inc. so much that I started the Silver Spring chapter. We meet once per month and talk about how we can help each out with cross-promotions, social networking, promotions and really the latest and greatest in marketing and sales.

Patch: How did you select Cloverly as the location for your business?

Y.M: My type of business is appointment-based, rather than relying on walk-in traffic, so I thought the suburbs would be a good choice. We wouldn’t have to compete with the downtown Silver Spring restaurants, and, in the city, rents are high and parking can be an issue.

I looked around the area and the Cloverly Street Shopping Center was new and had good infrastructure. I also found that there were lots of families in the area, and to be perfectly honest, Cloverly is closer to my home!

Patch: What advice would you have for other local women who would like to start their own business?

Y.M: My advice to moms out there: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It’s probably not a good idea for both you and your hubby to quit your jobs and invest everything in one business. Diversify: One of you should keep their regular job (and income).

Patch: But what if they are not in a financial position to be able to fully fund a new business?

Y.M: Some businesses do require a big initial investment, but a skill-based business may have lower start-up costs. Think about what skills you may have that other people need – publicity, or writing for instance. You could work part-time and spend the rest of your time on the business venture. Also, use your contacts – people you worked with, friends and family. Also, the Small Business Administration has a loan program, and I know that others have taken advantage of them.

Patch: Have you ever had second thoughts about running your own business?

Y.M:  Of course! I remember one night driving home at 11 p.m. after mopping the floor, and thinking ‘What did I do?’ I left a great and secure job, to do this?’

Now, I think it’s wonderful! It’s challenging, but I have figured out how to deal with balancing the business and my home life, and my stress level has gone down. I have more flexibility, more control over time and I can be more strategic about everything.

Patch: Tell us a bit about your family.

Y.M:  We live in Silver Spring, and have two children, a 9-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. We also have two cats, two rats and a dog. My husband and I are very active in the PTA and the community, and recently became scuba-certified! We are planning a trip to Florida to dive. Our kids aren’t into scuba yet, but we are working on them! 

We belong to FONZ (Friends of the Nation Zoo), the Maryland Science Museum and the National Aquarium. We love the outdoors--biking, hiking--and the kids are into basketball baseball, martial [arts] and music.