Have you ever dreamed of starting a business to address a personal need? Jinelle Reynolds, founder of For the Love of Children Consulting, did just that. Inspired by her own experiences in a co-parenting situation, Jinelle recognized a lack of available resources for families struggling to navigate this complexity. In this blog post, Jinelle shares the story behind her business, the challenges she's overcome as a diverse entrepreneur, and her vision for a more supportive future for families.
Meet Jinelle and For the Love of Children Consulting! We're thrilled to feature them as our April Diverse Hampton Roads Featured Member for the Diverse Hampton Roads Featured Member Spotlight Series – a monthly showcase highlighting our valued subscribed members!
For the Love of Children Consulting
Business Owner: Jinelle Reynolds
Type of Business: Educational Consultant and Parental Coaching
Location: Hampton Virginia, and Virtual
Website: https://www.fortheloveofchildrenconsulting.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortheloveofchildrenconsulting
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fortheloveofchildrenconsulting
What inspired you to start your business? Share your unique vision or motivation.
I began For the Love of Children Consulting after years of my family experiencing an extremely high conflict coparenting situation. There was nowhere to turn to for assistance, and every class or person, simply advised both parents should get along. However, in many cases where there is conflict, this information was not helpful.
As parents, we typically know if we got along things would be better, but at times, this is just not a possibility. Especially if there is ongoing conflict within the courts. I really wanted to create somewhere that not only provides support for those experiencing these situations, but also prepares parents and family members, and provides information that is truly helpful when getting along may not be a possibility.
How does your cultural background or personal experiences influence your business approach?
As a disabled stepparent and parent, I’ve seen and had my family experience very high conflict moments. We’ve been through thousands of dollars worth of court, false allegations, parental alienation, and especially high conflict parenting. When parents think they’re doing the best thing for their kids, and you have two separate family units, conflicts will arise. This really encouraged me to find to educate myself, and other parents on, not necessarily how to parent, but how to parent when there is conflict and an unwillingness to compromise, which traditional family units may not face.
In my business approach compassion and empathy are huge, many businesses and organizations we are told to turn to, don’t have first hand experience, or the education on trauma, coparenting or psychology to lead families in the right direction.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced as a diverse business owner and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges with my business has been the controversial subject matter and being a younger female who isn’t an attorney. Many people don’t want to speak about coparenting, unless it’s about going to court. We are all about going to court and this isn’t a feasible option for families. Although in some cases, it is necessary. Court involves such an exponential amount of funds for attorneys, therapists, guardian ad litem fees, etc. Additionally, the time required to take off of work adds to the stress for both the parents, children and family members is not beneficial. Court is all about the fight and making sure the other parent looks worse, but we needed another option for families, as in the long term this doesn’t help coparenting relationships. So getting families out of the mindset that court and attorneys are not the only option has been challenging.
Another challenge has been acceptance, this is a new idea and I’m a younger Hispanic and native american female. When we are sent to these coparenting classes, we realize, “Okay, I know we need to get along, but how do we do that? I know it’s beneficial for the kids to get along, but what if we just absolutely cannot?”. So, what makes this any different? I wanted to create a place where I just don’t tell families, “Well, you should get along.”, but rather, “It’s okay if you don’t get along, and here’s what you can do if you don’t get along to make situations a little bit easier and less stressful.” Many people judge me for the way I look and I have had to prove myself more than others, but I know when I get there, I’m taking strides for others to not be so judgemental, which in turn helps with combating the controversial subject matter and building acceptance for not only coparenting, but understanding maybe I’ve actually been judging people for the way they look and not based on what they can do for me, the community, and spreading the knowledge they have.
Additionally, being a disabled business owner certainly has its limitations. Unfortunately, I’m not as reliable with events as I would like to be, but at the end of the day, I’m there and I’m persistent, and I’m trying the best I can to provide what I can for the community. I’ve been able to show others, you can be disabled and still make your dreams come true and help others.
Describe your products or services in a way that showcases your unique perspective or offering.
One of the main offerings we have are coparenting consultations, in these consults, we find solutions to ongoing problems that are feasible and affordable. At times we work with only one parent, and other times we work with both parents. In each case, we gather solutions that will work with their specific situations. During these consultations, we also help parents with documentation and communicating with providers, if court is a necessity.
Documentation can make or break your case, so finding a way to present that to the guardian ad litems, home workers, and attorneys, is important, and can reduce your costs with them significantly. As they are not shifting through mountains of paperwork to find something relevant.
Additionally, we offer consulting for businesses, which helps businesses handle coparenting in a way that helps not only the children, but also the parents. At times, in businesses, we are unsure of what to do when we have a parent come up to us, and say, “No, I didn’t agree to this program, or No I don’t want my coparent here.” Knowing how to handle situations like these without taking the opportunity away from the kids. or placing them directly in the middle, is an important part of being able to provide services to families.
How do you aim to make a positive impact on your community or industry?
One of the biggest things we provide right now are free support groups for parents and collaboration with organizations who provide resources to the community. We know at times you just need a place to vent or to bounce your ideas and thoughts off of other parents who have been there. We also know diverse families, especially disabled families and families that face disparities within the community, are less likely to be able to afford coparenting assistance.
What strategies have you found successful in reaching and engaging your target audience?
I’ve found that coparenting webinars that are free to access have been an incredibly valuable tools for families experiencing these situations. The webinars open communication to members of the community, and open the conversation.
I’ve also found that speaking events have helped immensely in normalizing coparenting. There aren’t many speakers who exclusively speak about coparenting, and I’m happy to be able to provide that information to organizations and families wanting to learn more.
What resources or support do you think would be most valuable for micro and small diverse businesses like yours?
Diverse Hampton Roads has been an incredible resource. Resources that are free to access for small businesses are incredibly useful, as many small businesses have limited funding, especially in the early years of beginning the business. Low cost, and free, networking opportunities have also been great, as they bring in people who may not be familiar with a specific topic or organization themselves, but they have friends and family members who can utilize the resources.
What are your goals and aspirations for your business in the coming years?
In the coming years, I would love to expand the business to include more events for blended families. For example, daddy daughter dances, and mother son dances are so easy to find. However, there is a standard of the exclusion of blended families and families that have more than 1 dad or mom.
What advice would you give to aspiring diverse entrepreneurs just starting out?
Be persistent. Persistence is key especially when you face so many limitations due to your cultural background or experiences. Many people will doubt your strengths, and will only come around once you're successful. That says more about them than it says about your business, you, or what you are doing.
I would also suggest opening up to the community, we have so many families in need, and organizations willing to collaborate. Even if it is just donating a gift basket or providing a one time free service, you can help someone, and get your organization out there and available for future partnerships that both your organization, others and the community can benefit from.
What message do you want to share with the audience about the significance of diverse small businesses?
Diverse communities are so important. Diverse businesses really understand the key differences that are in the world, and the limitations. You can provide a service or some up with an idea that maybe someone who has not had those limitations can provide. You can also inspire others with diverse backgrounds to create and pursue their businesses, which will, in time, make for a world where our younger generations will not have to deal with the adverse experiences and limitations we have experienced throughout our lives.
We bid farewell to Jinelle Reynolds, April's inspiring Featured Member and founder of For the Love of Children Consulting! Her story adds another powerful chapter to the Diverse Hampton Roads Featured Member series. Don't miss out next month when we introduce you to another remarkable member of our business community.
In the meantime, are you navigating the complexities of co-parenting? Jinelle and For the Love of Children Consulting are here to help! Explore their website and social media (links below the image) to discover how their services can support you.
Gain even more insights from Jinelle! Dive deeper into her expertise by reading her blog post, "Stressful Coparenting," right here on Diverse Hampton Roads: https://www.diversehamptonroads.com/blog/stressful-coparenting.
Inspired by this month's spotlight? Discover other inspiring entrepreneurs who call Hampton Roads home! Read their spotlights by visiting the links below:
1. Alodeuri - From Passion to Purpose: https://www.diversehamptonroads.com/blog/featured-member-series-alodeuri-from-passion-to-purpose.
2. Christine Passo, LLC - From Doubt to Fulfillment: https://www.diversehamptonroads.com/blog/featured-member-series-christine-passo-llc-from-doubt-to-fulfillment.
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