A conversation with four Texas MOMpreneurs on parenting while running a successful business
A conversation with four Texas MOMpreneurs on parenting while running a successful business
Being a mom is a full-time job. Entrepreneurship is a long, demanding journey, and few are brave enough to take on both, especially at the same time. We talked to four MOMpreneurs proving that it is possible. The Sputnik team was curious to know more about the demands of their hectic schedules and daily balancing act during this time. Between answering emails, switching between life and work, managing their team, hopping onto a Zoom meeting, virtual classes with the kids, and “me time,” how do these women do it all?
Jennifer McEwan, Co-founder and CEO of Datum
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, what was your initial reaction as a mom who will now be WFH with kids?
A kid runs in the background and yells, “Mom!" but everybody that you work with is in the same boat, so it's just not as big a deal as you originally thought. Before, being interrupted might be embarrassing or considered unprofessional, but we’re all doing the best we can.
Could you describe one way you’ve busted the myth or stereotype of working moms?
There's a myth that working moms are fragile, burnt out, and at the end of the rope all the time. Certainly there are days that I feel like that, but it doesn't have to be that way. There's joy that I have in parenting and in being an entrepreneur. That joy spills from one to the other. So, rather than it being an either/or, I see them as complimentary.
What advice would you give to another mom who is only beginning her journey as an entrepreneur?
It's gonna take longer than you think, so drop those expectations. It's also going to be more rewarding than you think. The perseverance and hard work is deeper and harder than you would ever have thought, but then it pays off in ways that you didn't think of either so it's all worth it.
Any other thoughts you’d like to share about your experience tackling both motherhood and entrepreneurship?
Initially, I felt a little bit out of place as a mom and an entrepreneur because I thought of founders as young, twenty-somethings sleeping under their desks. It took time to find my own rhythm, and after getting through some preliminary doubts, I thought, ‘Wait a second, that's a stereotype that I had that's also not true.’ We can all be entrepreneurs. There's no age limit or status limit, whether you're single or married, mom or dad.
Sylvia Kampshoff, Co-founder and CEO of Kanthaka
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, what was your initial reaction as a mom who will now be WFH with kids?
At first, I thought it wouldn't be doable working with the kids from home. It turned out that working from home with kids is totally possible. I work on tasks I really have to concentrate on early in the day when they’re still asleep. Most CEO tasks are perfectly doable with kids. I also live on a ranch, and before COVID-19, I lost a lot of time travelling and commuting. I am way more productive now working from home.
What advice would you give to another mom who is only beginning her journey as an entrepreneur?
Be prepared for a long journey and to work harder than you ever did. Hustle, hustle hustle and don't give up and you will be successful.
Any other thoughts you’d like to share about your experience tackling both motherhood and entrepreneurship?
Integrate your kids in the journey. Tell them about what you are doing. I want them to start their first venture as young as possible and see how fulfilling it is to be an entrepreneur. I am also happy my daughter knows women are fully capable of achieving great things.
Kim Roxie, Co-founder and CEO of LAMIK Beauty
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, what was your initial reaction as a mom who will now be WFH with kids?
I took over my daughter's room as my office. Everybody makes jokes about it, you know, like your child being your co-worker, but my daughter was more like a supervisor because she saw I was taking over her room. My desk was in there as well as products. Now she thinks it's her business too. We work together and she always wants to help.
How do you achieve a healthy parent/entrepreneur life balance? In your head, you tell yourself that you're doing okay. There are no guidelines or standards to follow to achieve a perfect balance. There's nothing out there that I can compare myself to because everybody's situation is so different. So I just tell myself, “It’s okay. I’m doing good.”
What advice would you give to another mom who is beginning her journey as an entrepreneur?
Incorporate your child. Make them feel included.
My daughter found a tea set in her room, and she said, “Mom, I want a tea party.”
I told her, “We can’t do that. Nobody can come over right now,” and she said, “No, they can come on your phone.” Then I realized she was right! So, we hosted a virtual tea and it ended up making television news.
We've also done Zoom storytime, and the Houston Mayor's daughter came on and read a book to the girls.
Any other thoughts you’d like to share about your experience tackling both motherhood and entrepreneurship?
As moms, we try to finish everything at once. You won't finish everything in one day. If it doesn’t happen right away, it’s okay. The pressure to take on an abundance of roles isn’t fair to you. Give yourself the gift of grace.
Alex Porter, Co founder and CEO of Mod Tech Labs
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, what was your initial reaction as a mom who will now be WFH with kids?
I always wanted to homeschool, and with my background as a nanny I was not too worried, however it didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. We have a 5 year old who was attending Kindergarten and more recently began after school care, plus a 3 year old who was attending full-time preschool. Our first day of the WFH effort included a final in-person class at Sputnik in downtown Austin with our kids in tow. It was an adventure in what I call “distract-ification”. How do you entertain and enrich little people while being productive? Our answer is a mix of crafts, devices with wholesome Netflix content, and all the snacks. The reality of the juggling act became apparent immediately. I was overwhelmed with the simultaneous demands from work and kids. My next step was to ask my partner to do shifts so that we could each have productive work times. This was a great early hack.
How do you achieve a healthy parent/entrepreneur life balance? I think in our case it is work-life fusion. Not only am I the CEO of the company and the mom of two kids, but their father is my co-founder and CTO. We do have some boundaries we have put in place to maintain sanity. Our big kid has to do some kind of schoolwork before she can watch any shows and we break up the day with time outside, other school tasks, crafts, and free play. We also try to stop work in the afternoon for a family walk and a workout. Afterward, we usually have family playtime and then dinner followed by the bedtime routine. Then Tim and I typically work for another couple of hours.
Any other thoughts you’d like to share about your experience tackling both motherhood and entrepreneurship?
Entrepreneurship is a game of high risk, high reward so think about your foundations and make sure they are strong. Be willing to sacrifice to-dos for your own well-being. You are your business for a long time and it cannot succeed if you are compromising your own values, time, self-care, etc. Talk to your kids about all of it. I make it a point to tell our kids that Mommy and Daddy are working on an important mission, and this is what gives us the means to provide for our family. If I am sad or exhausted, I tell them too. They are very empathetic little humans and they want to understand what is happening around them. Our family does its best to work together for the good of everyone and we all have to give and take.