Judy Curry, 44, is my third interview with moms who are also entrepreneurs. Curry is in the middle of her child-rearing years with two children, Matthew, 15, and Jenna, 12. Jenna plays soccer. Matthew's sport is wrestling.

Judy Curry describes herself as "a soccer mom with two kids, a business degree and a dream." She is co-founder with her husband, Matt, of Curry's Auto Service, one of the largest and most successful independent automotive service and repair companies in the Washington, D.C., area. Curry's has five locations and gained $11 million in revenue in 2009.

Judy and Matt were dating when they first talked about opening an auto repair shop. They married in 1990 and incorporated Curry's Auto Service in 1997.

"We started with $25,000 in personal savings, a family loan of $35,000 and maxed out 13 credit cards to get our first facility off the ground," Curry says. "Every time we got another credit card offer, it went toward a new piece of equipment. We were young and felt we could take the risk."

Curry puts in a full day--which sometimes stretches into the night--in her job as vice president of marketing for Curry's Auto. Nevertheless, she is involved in all her children's activities, and she does her best to cook a family meal every evening.

"I've learned you've got to figure out what you can do best and try to grow that," she says. She started out managing the back office at the auto shop, doing the books and filing when her children were sleeping. She discovered, however, that she has a knack for marketing and, as the business grew, she emerged from the back office to take on a more visible role.

Thanks largely to Curry, the company became the first auto repair facility in Virginia to receive the AskPatty "female friendly" certification. As part of this program, Curry's customers have access to an online community providing impartial advice to women on auto purchases, repairs and maintenance. Curry also has been recruited to serve on the national AskPatty Board of Advisors, where she donates time providing car advice to women across the country.

She also participates in her community. Curry's Auto has donated more than $100,000 to more than 60 organizations, including churches, PTAs, athletic clubs, sports teams and charities. As a result of all these activities, Curry was recognized by the Washington Business Journal in 2009 as one of 25 Women Who Mean Business and recently was one of the 2010 honorees in Virginia Lawyers Weekly Influential Women of Virginia.

How does she do it all?

1. Curry uses a Daytimer to keep track of everything. She doesn't like electronic calendars. Her Daytimer is stuffed full of her ideas and drawings for fliers and other marketing materials. She takes at least five minutes at the beginning of every day to make a things-to-do list. She sorts that list into categories:
    
   • What do I have to do today?
   • What would I like to do today?
   • What do I have to do today that someone else can do for me? 
     
     
2. She chooses to be optimistic about everything. "God has provided me with everything that I need to do my job. I just don't worry about the things that I can't get to or the stuff that frustrates me. I know that I've got all the tools to get the job done. I've just got to figure out how to use them," she says.
    
3. She takes care of herself. She goes running before her family is up--rain or shine. "If you have the discipline to get up and do that, you can do anything."
    
4. She and Matt share the same child-rearing philosophy. They make sure that at least one parent is at every one of their children's activities. In 2007, Matt raised $209,000 to found Dulles South Youth Sports. Nearly 1,000 area children and teens participate in the DSYS youth leagues, which include football, cheerleading, lacrosse, track and cross country, volleyball and wrestling.
    
5. Matt is the disciplinarian. Curry is more laid back. "I tend to let the small things slide," she says. "Matt makes sure we're all accountable."
    
6. They take a family vacation every year. Last year they went to Egypt to learn about the pyramids and to see King Tut's mummy, something Curry and Jenna wanted to do.
    
7. The kids don't participate in organized activities during the summer. Instead, the family spends weekends hanging out at the Potomac River.
    
8. Curry doesn't try to be Super Mom. "Every day I feel overwhelmed. I just choose not to get stressed," she says.

She would not have done anything different, she says, then pauses: "I wish I'd had more kids when I was younger. You've got to have maturity at a young age to do that. And maybe I'd make more friends and try to touch the lives of more people."

Family and community are core values for the Currys. They give generously to both. Family members share in their success, with four members from both Judy's and Matt's families working at Curry's Auto Service. Judy and Matt are equal partners in marriage and in business. That's what makes them successful.