Kelly Stumpe: Mom of Two, Car Saleswoman, and CPST
Credit: Kelly Stumpe
Inspiring Momkind was born from a desire to give our readers a peek inside the lives of powerhouse women who make it happen at work and home. To spotlight moms in all different industries, with the goal to uplift, inspire, and normalize our everyday realities. Simple, straightforward honesty from women who have seen and done it all. We've found that it is truly remarkable what seasoned moms will share and how they champion one another. With this series, we hope to make some of their tips, tricks, and soundbites visible to all of you who may be searching for similar encouragement.
You likely know Kelly Stumpe as 'The Car Mom' from Instagram, but her title alone may be deceiving. The oldest in a family of five kids, Kelly is indeed the third generation of her family to enter the car business. However, she is also a confident, driven mother of two who's recently struck Instagram gold with her genuine approach to helping other moms along the way. Professionally, Kelly provides advice and reviews on some of the best car options for families, how to negotiate at the dealership, and the best way to prepare for the car-buying process. But personally, she's not holding back her struggles or secrets to making it through motherhood either. Whether you're in the market to buy a car or just looking for a mom who's not afraid to be relatable in today's world of highlight reels, Kelly Stumpe is someone you're going to want to keep an eye on.
WM: You started The Car Mom in June of 2020, just four years after graduating college, and it's turned out to be wildly successful in its first year. What was life like before then?
KS: My family currently has five different car dealerships in the St. Louis area. When I graduated college, I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do, and my dad suggested I try selling cars. I was skeptical because growing up, I hadn't pictured myself 'in the business,' but gave it a go and started selling at our BMW store. After just three months, I was awarded salesperson of the month! I quickly realized I was good at selling and that I'm also my father's daughter - obsessed with this business and selling cars ever since.
WM: Where did the idea for The Car Mom come from?
KS: When the pandemic hit, I was 20 weeks pregnant with my daughter, Hattie (I also had my son George at home), and car dealerships were deemed essential businesses, so we never closed. We had to stay open but with less access to cleaning and medical supplies due to shortages. I was no longer comfortable going to work, so I stayed home from March to May 2020.
It's a hard feeling to explain, but when I did return, I felt like everything had kept happening without me. No one noticed I wasn't there, and the work I was now doing was basic operations, all behind the scenes. I think many moms, particularly those who are very career-driven, can relate to this feeling of inadequacy or sadness after returning from maternity leave or an absence, only to find that the wheels kept spinning without them.
After a lot of thought, I knew I didn't want to stay home. I liked working and love the car business, but I didn't like the specific work (Operations) that I was doing anymore. While it was giving me flexible hours, I wasn't selling cars. That's when my husband Tyler suggested I focus on "selling cars to moms" because that's something I knew and could focus on. I can only describe that moment as being hit by a ton of bricks. I immediately had a lot of confidence in the idea of reviewing cars for moms because I knew it was good, and no one else was doing it. So, I just started.
WM: Your Instagram content currently reaches 195K followers – and that doesn't even include your YouTube channel audience! What has it been like to become an influencer on such widely used platforms?
KS: I call myself an "accidental influencer" sometimes. I've always believed in the idea of The Car Mom and knew people would enjoy it, but I don't know if I realized what it would be like to become an influencer. To be honest, I still really struggle with a lot of feelings around imposter syndrome. I look at other people's pages and see them recommending something like a cute top that's a $40 purchase. If someone ends up hating it, it's not great, but it will probably be fine. Then I think about the people watching my reviews to make the second-largest purchase of their lives and ultimately select a vehicle that will keep their family safe. And I think – what am I doing?! I sometimes struggle with the success of The Car Mom and how much people have believed in me and take my reviews to heart. It can be a lot of pressure.
But as bizarre as it can be, it's different every day and a lot of fun! It's interesting what people like about you or what resonates. I once shared my mom's broccoli recipe, and it's been one of the biggest things I've ever shared. Now moms all over the country are making this recipe I grew up with.
WM: You put yourself out there with your career advice, but also with your honesty about parenting. How do you draw boundaries or deal with the negative feedback when sharing your personal life?
KS: Some days, it doesn't bother me, and some days it just shuts me down. It can be especially hard when someone comments negatively on your mothering, but overall, I've found my IG community to be very uplifting. The percentage of positive comments I receive is much greater than the negative, so I try not to let it affect me. But it can be scary to put yourself and your family out there, especially in a climate of cancel-culture. You wonder if someone is going to take something you said the wrong way.
When I was postpartum with Hattie, I once posted a story about how she had gone four days without a bath. My mom called and said that I may have overshared. But I was like, "Mom, you don't need to bathe a baby that often," then, of course, I started to wonder if I shouldn't have shared that or if people would think it was weird.
Ultimately, I try to be the mom and influencer that I want to follow. Instagram and influencing are all about perception and can lack reality – I just want to be honest. It often seems there are two kinds of perceptions – that "picture perfect" account or the "hot mess" account, and I'm just somewhere in the middle. I can put up with the comments, the stress, and sharing my family at the expense of helping thousands of other women feel better and more comfortable about their decisions. But more importantly, like any mom, I'm just doing the best I can. Some days I'm really proud of my motherhood and career, and some days I'm not killing it. But I enjoy showing both sides of that.
WM: What do you wish people more people knew about The Car Mom content?
KS: I think what many people may not know is I'm not here to tell you which car to get. I am a huge believer that you have to test drive a car for yourself and would never want my tours alone to be an end-all-be-all for someone. My goal with The Car Mom is to help take cars on or off your list. If I can save a mom ONE Thursday afternoon at a Honda dealership because she already knows that the Pilot isn't big enough for her family's needs - I just want to provide that service.
I've received a lot of feedback that I should make my reviews unbiased. But I don't want to do that - I have fun sharing my opinion. If I don't like the car, but the car is working for you – I'm genuinely happy for you. I'm not saying it's a bad car, just not my favorite. I struggle with not wanting to make people mad or feel bad about their car choice while also giving my personal opinion as a mom and what I've seen work for my family.
WM: What are your top tips to help families better advocate for themselves at the dealership?
KS: 1. PREP ahead of time! I can't stress this enough. Don't test drive without doing your research. Know if it's a good deal, what a fair price is for your trade-in, or what kind of financing you qualify for. That way, if you get to the dealership and the car works for you – you can confidently buy it!
2. Choose your salesperson ahead of time. People don't realize that without an appointment, you will end up with whoever is outside on their smoke break, and those are NOT the good salespeople. When I was selling cars, I was booked from the beginning of my day to its end because I had referrals and repeat customers. You can use resources like DealerRater, Google Reviews, or the dealership website bios, but be sure to choose a salesperson and schedule an appointment.
3. Get there early, and bring a coffee. Buying a car can be a frustrating experience because of the time it takes, but many factors go into finalizing your purchase. If you show up at 3:00pm, a dealership may already have seven other deals in the works, and there is only so much they can do at one time.
4. Make sure you install your car seats to see how they fit and know that you can always request to take the car home for an afternoon. They may not say yes, but it's not unheard of to ask.
WM: Tell us about your highlights reel, 'Company Meeting,' and the inspiration behind the humor and morale it provides to moms.
KS: I've always been very career-driven. Let's just say, words of affirmation are my love language. When I was first selling cars, we had a 'Monday Morning Meeting' where we would go around and call out the latest sales or achievements that were made. I LOVED getting a shoutout!
I decided to do my first Car Mom tour just 5 weeks postpartum with Hattie. My mom watched her for two hours while I got dressed in heels, figured out how to use my new camera, and toured a car - all by myself. When I finished the tour, I felt like I had crushed it! I was so excited but quickly realized no one cared. The effort it took to do the review felt WAY harder than any job I've ever done, and yet, I wasn't going to get any shoutouts for it.
The fact that mothers are out there doing mind-blowing things and that those don't get recognized, like closing a 'big deal' does – is just beyond me. The car business is tough, but it's still WAY EASIER than being a mom. This led me to create 'Company Meetings' for The Car Mom. I wanted to hear about 'Mom-Wins' and give other women the shoutouts they deserved and likely weren't getting.
WM: Where does The Car Mom go from here?
KS: When I think about growing The Car Mom even further, what keeps me driven is the goal of providing great, flexible, well-paid positions to other mothers. It still shocks me that Corporate America is not set up for mothers. We are truly the ultimate multitaskers and so many of us want to work but don't have that opportunity because there's no flexibility.
We just launched The Car Mom Preferred Dealerships program, where dealerships can now apply to be Car Mom preferred. I'm also writing an online course on how to buy a car. And I want to build an app. I feel incredibly fortunate to make money doing what I love and have a schedule that works for my family. There are a lot of ways I want to expand, and I have so many plans, but my biggest goal is to bring a bunch of moms along for the ride to do it!
To connect with Kelly Stumpe, you can find her on Instagram @the_car_mom.
