Mother’s Day is a day to recognize the importance of moms; it became an official holiday in 1914. It’s also a good time to note that a number of highly successful businesses were started by mothers. I’m guessing that they figured out how to run a company while maintain a work-life balance. Here’s a roundup of some of these moms who are also wonderful entrepreneurs as well as my tips on work-life balance.
Major companies founded by moms
Moms have been running businesses—from the family farm to local bakeries, boutiques, and other Main Street businesses—for a long time. Some moms have founded business empires. Here are some contemporary successful moms who are or were CEOs of major companies.
- Sara Blakely, mother of 4 and founder of Spanx.
- Jessica Alba, mother of 3 and co-founder of The Honest Company.
- Ree Drummond, mother of 4 and creator of The Pioneer Woman.
- Whitney Wolfe Herd, mother of 2 and founder of Bumble.
- Ariana Huffington, mother of 2 and found of The Huffington Post
- Julia Hartz, mother of 3 and co-founder of Everbrite.
- Anne Wojcicki, mother of 2 and co-founder of 23andMe.
- Adi Tatarko, mother of 2 and co-founder of Houzz.
You don’t have to run a Fortune 500 company to be a success. Having a business that supports or helps to support a family while raising children is certainly a success story.
Work-life balance
Early on in my career I was forced to confront the challenge of having a work-life balance. I was an attorney with two young daughters. What to do? I built a professional office on my house so I could work and see clients without leaving home. My daughters had strict instructions not to enter the office if the door was closed unless there was blood (my way of explaining to them that they’d need an emergency to open the door). I was able to arrange my schedule so I could do after-school activities and other “mom” things. It worked out great for my family and me (and my daughters are working moms with their own businesses). Of course, not every business owner is in a position to work from home. Still, it’s possible to achieve a balance. In my opinion, it means recognizing that things can’t be 100% on all fronts and that compromises have to be made.
Here are some ideas to help create a work-life balance.
- Create routines. In my experience, this is helpful to moms and children. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every day; everyone knows (or learns to know) what to do. Routines are helpful in starting the day, seeing to meals and activities, and homework and bedtime.
- Get help. Whether it’s carpooling, hiring babysitters, or using virtual assistants for work, it’s essential to have other people who can take some of the load.
- Have support. Moms need to have a network of people who are supportive of both the CEO and mom roles. These can be friends, family (the other parent; grandparents; aunts and uncles), and work associates.
- Just say no. No one can do everything all the time. Learn to prioritize what needs to be done and say “no” to other offers or demands.
- Ditch the guilt. It’s easy to feel bad about missing a child’s milestones or not being able to attend a school performance or athletic event. It can’t be helped and guilt doesn’t change the outcome.
- Practice self-care. Moms have to take care of themselves so they can be fit to run their business and take care of their children. A previous blog suggests 5 ways business owners can focus on themselves.
Final thought
“Once you sign on to be a mom, 24/7 is the only shift they offer.” ~ Jodi Picoult
If you add “running a business” to your day, week; you really need a 48-hour day to do it all. Bottom line: do the best you can; what else can you do?
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers!
You can find more to read concerning moms and work-life balance here.
