Five Mompreneurs Share Their Secrets

Mom Owned Business

Five Mompreneurs Share Their Secrets

Written by James Kicinski-McCoy

Photography by Photographed by Maria Del Rio

Apr 20, 2016

Do you ever take a look at those women who have started their own businesses and notice that they just so happen to be mothers and wonder, “How do they do it?” We sure have, and with the mompreneur movement that has been growing strong over the past decade, it seems that more and more mamas are moonlighting, bringing up baby and building empires all at the same time. The truth is, there’s a lot that comes with being a successful entrepreneur, as these hard-working mamas will tell you. We asked five successful mom-bosses who have built their own companies, under very different circumstances, just how they do it. Their answers are both motivating and encouraging, so grab your morning cup, pull up a chair, and get ready to be inspired.

: Brooke is founder of Nomad Collective, a Nashville-based marketplace that features an amazing selection of globally curated items, from textiles and art to clothing and home decor. Brooke is also mother to her 8-month-old son August James.

: DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK.
"Well, I wear many hats as an artist, an educator, and an entrepreneur. But, all of my work can be characterized by one guiding principle—moving others forward. My purpose, I believe, is to be a source of light and love in the world. So, whether capturing a person’s essence through the lens, leading a social issues discussion with students, or creating a market for artists and artisans through Nomad Collective, I strive to see and affirm the light in others."

: HOW DO YOU BALANCE MOTHERHOOD AND WORK?
"Let’s just say I lose my balance—a lot. But seriously, I just try my best like I believe all mothers do. I try to be present wherever I am—singing the bath time song to my son, counseling a student, or collaborating with a Nomad artist. There is a constant, quiet tension between motherhood and working outside of that role. In fact, I still get teary sometimes when I leave August in the morning because I truly believe he needs me right now. But at the same time, I want him to understand that I contribute to the world outside of him and that others, besides his father and I, can love and care for him. Hopefully, one day he’ll come to know and appreciate that. So far, he seems happy, safe, and healthy, and that’s all that matters."

: WHAT'S YOUR SECRET TO PRODUCTIVITY?
"Not to be cliché, but having a strong sense of purpose at the core of my work does wonders for productivity. Plus, I’m a pretty efficient taskmaster—a trait I attribute to my Swiss grandmother. I generally work very quickly and seize moments of opportunity, a.k.a. naptime and after August’s bedtime, to get things done. I’m also okay with alone time and staying home on a Saturday night. I’ve learned that I can’t force inspiration, so if I’m in the flow, I keep on going until the job’s done."
HOW DO YOU UNPLUG?
"Time with my family and Mother Nature—going on walks in the park with my husband and my son is the best therapy ever. And sometimes we just get in the car and drive. I try to take moments of solitude and serenity, to look out the window, pray, and embrace silence as much as possible. And if I can ever carve the time and space to get back into it, I love hot yoga, too."

: WHY DID GOING SOLO MAKE SENSE FOR YOU?
"I’m not sure that it was a conscious decision, but rather something that just happened—a byproduct of life experiences and passions. I had an idea and it wasn’t going away, so I did something about it. Though it can feel quite solitary at times, I’m far from solo. I have been surrounded by a legion of supporters from the beginning, and the Nomad community is far bigger than I—they’re the true heroes and the ones that keep me going each and every day. I simply put all of the pieces together."
LOOKING BACK, WHAT'S THE GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN STARTING OUT?
"Don’t look right and left too much. Establish your purpose and point of view at the beginning and stick to it. Evolution happens slowly, over time. So, be true, be you, and nobody else."

: Bee is founder of Ellis Brooklyn, a luxurious, natural body care and fragrance company from Brooklyn that creates artisanal, non-toxic products with sustainable practices. Bee is also mother to (almost) 2-year-old daughter Ellis.

: DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK.
"Right now I have two different jobs, but they intersect and fuel each other quite a bit. I write about beauty, celebrity, and lifestyle for the New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, Vogue.com, and more—that's been going on about 8 years now. I recently founded Ellis Brooklyn, a sustainable and naturals-focused fragrance and body care company. The lovely part is when they intersect; such as, when I can review and test all the new beauty products out there and it informs my product development for Ellis Brooklyn."
HOW DO YOU BALANCE MOTHERHOOD AND WORK?
"You tell me! I'm still trying to figure it out. A lot of it is pure survival instincts. There are so many more unexpected things that can happen with kids and it definitely keeps me on my toes, so being flexible is key. Also, I work with a terrific nanny so that I can actually be a working mom. Otherwise, all of this wouldn't be possible."

: WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST STRUGGLE WORKING FROM HOME?
"It's tough to create separation from work and life (which is also the benefit, by the way, of working from home), especially now that my baby girl is much more conscious and crafty about getting my attention."
WHAT'S YOUR SECRET TO PRODUCTIVITY?
"Google calendar is my friend. I list all my deadlines and items to work on in the calendar, not just my meetings."

: HOW DO YOU UNPLUG?
"I'm pretty good at putting the phone away, which is also why my Instagram account is not as full as it should be. It's a catch-22, because if you want your social media profile to be glorious (and you're not hiring out that work), then you have to commit yourself to constantly being aware of your phone. I haven't been able to bring myself to do that. I cherish my unplugged moments too much. I answer emails furiously for about an hour and then I have no problem not checking my phone for the next hour. Though I get the social media voyeur aspect very much—I work in media after all—life should be lived."
WHY DID GOING SOLO MAKE SENSE FOR YOU?
"At the time, I was pregnant with Ellis and from balancing my writing work to handling my first pregnancy, it seemed like the easiest thing to do. That way, I could make decisions pronto. I didn't have to report to anybody, which also meant I could execute my vision exactly how I liked it."

: LOOKING BACK, WHAT'S THE GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN STARTING OUT?
"There's so much glorification of entrepreneurship right now and the truth is, not everyone is cut out for it and neither is it very glorious most of the time. Don't get me wrong, there are incredible glory moments, but there are also many, many times when I ask myself, 'What did I get myself into?' Being a solo entrepreneur, in my case, also means I have to do a ton of annoying work, like making sure I have all my inventory parts or dealing with accounting, which is totally not what I want to do during my Sunday free-time. So, perhaps in my case, I wish people had counseled me on the amount of time and dedication it takes to make it work, not to frighten me, but in a realistic way, and told me that you can't do it all by yourself. Even if you are extremely capable, you probably are not good at everything. Somebody else can probably do it better than and more efficiently than you at your weak points. So, you need amazing people—my sister has since joined the company and works on all our operations—and partners to work with that you trust."

: Susan is founder and CEO of Freshly Picked, a baby moccasin brand that started as an experiment to create better shoes for her son’s feet, which blossomed into a successful company that now produces the most soft, durable, well-fitting, mocs for littles. Susan is also mother to 9-year-old Hattie and 7-year-old Gus.

: DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK.
"I am the founder and CEO of Freshly Picked, which is a baby lifestyle company. I run day-to-day operations, lead culture, and am an all around badass bee."
HOW DO YOU BALANCE MOTHERHOOD AND WORK?
"I don't. I'm a firm believer that balance as a working mother is elusive. Instead, I try to focus on priorities and compartmentalizing my time. When I'm at work, I'm working. If I'm home, I'm with my family."

: WHAT'S YOUR SECRET TO PRODUCTIVITY?
"I have a great team, a supportive husband, and understanding children. This one goes hand-in-hand with compartmentalizing my time. Sometimes emergencies come up for either home or work, but if you have people to cover for you on both ends, you're winning!"
HOW DO YOU UNPLUG?
"I stay off my phone and email between dinner and bedtime and weekends are for family."

: WHY DID GOING SOLO MAKE SENSE FOR YOU?
"I initially started Freshly Picked to 'make money by selling things online', no joke. My aspirations were somewhere between not having to order off the dollar menu at Taco Bell and being able to buy anything I wanted at Target. As the sales grew, so did my aspirations for the company, the brand, and what job security meant—not only for me, but also for my team."
LOOKING BACK, WHAT'S THE GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN STARTING OUT?
"I wish that I would have started doing hard things sooner. Hard conversations, hard decisions, and hard work. The more you do hard things, the more courageous you become and it takes a lot of courage to be an entrepreneur."

: Temi is owner of Pembroke PR, a San Francisco-based firm that specializes in high-profile client relations. Temi is also mother to 2 1/2-year-old Rayo.

: DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK.
"I own Pembroke PR, which specializes in the luxury lifestyle sector. We work with a range of clients in interior design, jewelry design, a caviar company, a champagne company, and projects with high-profile chefs. No two days are the same, which I love! It can be anything from meetings with clients or editors, coordinating or being on set for a shoot, pitching journalists, or doing a lot of research to stay informed."

: HOW DO YOU BALANCE MOTHERHOOD AND WORK?
"It’s an ongoing process trying to figure out that sweet spot of balance. The best I can do is make choices and make peace with them. Some days are better than others but like Jay-Z famously said, 'Focus man!' I focus on work when I'm at work, and on Rayo when I'm with Rayo. Flexibility is key, but having a schedule and sticking to it is important. It’s pretty much impossible to get work done with an energetic two-and-a-half year old wanting to play, so I have designated times to get my work done that I have to stick to. I've learned that it's important that my company and our style of work is a good fit for each client, and vise versa. That's when you get enjoyable, fantastic working relationships that lead to success. It’s also been important to build client relationships with people that understand family life. They don’t expect me to respond to middle of the night emails or call them on weekends. I have a supportive husband and network of mum friends, some who coincidentally had children and set up businesses around the same time, so it's been amazing to share this path together. I’ve built a lot of strong friendships that have gone from babes on blankets in the park to high energy toddler dance parties, all while supporting each other professionally. There’s something very powerful about a friendship bond formed when your children are at the same stage in life, and even more so when we’ve all built our businesses around the same time, too."

: WHAT'S YOUR SECRET TO PRODUCTIVITY?
"Lists, front loading, planning, and regular exercise. My color coded google calendar helps me stay on top of my life. I make lists for everything (one for work, one for personal) that I keep on my phone (I like Wunderlist). Every evening, I map out what I need to do the next day. When I arrive in my office, I hand write a quick list of the things I need to get done that day. I start with the most important and time sensitive items and work my way through. The most important lesson I’ve learned is to focus. I've learned that when I'm multi-tasking with work, it’s like treading water, a lot of energy is expended but I’m not moving forward as quickly as if I focused on one thing."
HOW DO YOU UNPLUG?
"I walk a lot. That's always been my favorite way to completely zone out. A good long walk clears my mind like nothing else. I also read a lot. There are few things I love to do more in a pocket of free time than read. Deep diving into a whole new world—that's the ultimate form of escapism for me."

: WHY DID GOING SOLO MAKE SENSE FOR YOU?
"I read an interview with Rachel Pally once where she said unless it’s an emergency, she only works work hours—not on vacation, not on weekends. Once she stopped responding to odd hour emails, her team stopped sending them. I thought, that’s exactly how I want to live. Once I was pregnant, I wanted to have flexibility to manage my time to both be around my child and carve out my career path. I spoke to other women in PR who had branched out on their own for advice. I was very pregnant when I left my previous job, so I knew I had to have a plan in place before starting my own company.
LOOKING BACK, WHAT'S THE GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN STARTING OUT?
"Stay learning. I love reading interviews about women who have defined their own path, like Victoria Beckham, Annie Lawless, Jessica Alba, Kahlana Barfield Brown, Chioma Nnadi, PR power-house Alle Fister, and female-focused businesses like Drybar and SoulCycle. I regularly seek advice from SF-based PR mavens whose paths I really respect (Diana Haven and Lisa Nourse). Connecting with like-minded people in person was also a solid piece of advice I was given. I feel it’s so important to connect with people who know more than me and have more experience, that way I’m always learning."

: Catherine is owner of Catherine Kwong Design, a sophisticated, elite interior design company with a fresh approach located in San Francisco. Catherine is mother to 1-year-old son Miles.

: DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK.
"I'm an interior designer. My firm specializes in high-end residential and hospitality projects, with an emphasis on modern architecture and custom detailing."

: HOW DO YOU BALANCE MOTHERHOOD AND WORK?
"There's no end to how much you want to give your child and I've definitely had moments where I feel guilty about working and not being with Miles enough. I try to make up for it in other ways. I end up freaking out and trying to rush home in time to take him to a baby music class, or I'll be up at midnight, tired and grumpy, roasting a pan of vegetables for his lunch the next day. At the end of the day, all of those music classes and homemade meals are meaningless if you are exhausted and stressed out when you actually get to spend time with your child. Some of my favorite moments with Miles have been at home doing the most mundane things, but we're together, listening to music, and everyone's laughing and in a silly mood. Those are the moments that I treasure the most, and the same is probably true for him, as well. I try to remember that it's better for the whole family when mom is happy and present, even if that means that the biggest activity of the day is just going out to get a coffee together. We are also incredibly lucky to have a fantastic village of grandparents, caregivers, family, and friends—all of whom make the motherhood part of this equation much more manageable."

: WHAT'S YOUR SECRET TO PRODUCTIVITY?
"I have the best team. I'm pretty picky about hiring and all of the designers in my office are not only talented designers, but, even more importantly, they are whip-smart and very organized. They keep me in line and there is constant communication across teams. When you have good people around you, it's such a driving force. I am a firm believer that a happy, positive team is the key to being productive. Also: coffee."
HOW DO YOU UNPLUG?
"Honestly, it can be challenging. But, it's incredibly important for me as a designer to foster creativity and let my brain absorb inspiration from everywhere. I try to travel to new places. Even just a few days in a new place: going to museums, checking out new stores and hotels, and even just seeing what people in different cities are wearing. It really does influence my creative process."

WHY DID GOING SOLO MAKE SENSE FOR YOU?
"I'm a bit of a workaholic, so it was just sort of a natural progression in my career. When I first started my company, my husband said that he had never seen me so stressed out and so happy, all at the same time. He jokes that it was a very confusing time for him as a husband. Having your own business can be full of ups and downs, but when we complete a project and I take a step back and realize how proud I am of the finished product, that's a really gratifying feeling."

LOOKING BACK, WHAT'S THE GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN STARTING OUT?
"Tina Fey says, 'Do your thing and don't care if they like it.’ And what I think is that it’s not so much about not caring what people think; it’s more about doing your most beautiful work—the work that is most true to yourself—and waving that flag. In doing so, you will attract others who share that same vision, and that’s when the magic happens."

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