Becoming a Mompreneur: What I've Learned as a New Mom and Business Owner

As a new mom, I’ve been filled with immense gratitude to be surrounded and supported by so many wonderful mothers in my life. Over the last year, I’ve received so much love, encouragement and advice from my family, dearest friends, my team members, clients and fellow mompreneurs.?

This sisterhood of mompreneurs is extraordinary and I feel so fortunate to be a part of this community. So in the spirit of sharing and caring, I’m offering some of what I’ve learned as I’ve become a first time mompreneur. My hope is that some of these insights and personal examples will resonate and help other moms in the way that so many have helped me!

What I learned: Define clear roles and responsibilities for the support team you need then delegate, delegate, delegate!

As moms, society tells us we have to do everything and be everything all at once. I’ve learned that we don’t have to accept this norm. From my own personal experience and with talking to dozens of other mom's at this point, I have come to believe that - much like in business - a clear definition of roles and responsibilities is core to people knowing what you need and expect, especially in the early months of postpartum.??

How I did it:?

• Get clear on all the things that I am uniquely positioned to do (i.e. the things that only I can do, the things that fuel my passion/bring me joy, and/or the things that I’m uniquely good at).?As a first time mom that meant I had to prioritize my recovery and well-being. Also, as a woman some of my core responsibilities were already built in, such as nursing, building up a stash of liquid gold, and creating/maintaining a rigid pumping schedule. These were a few things I was uniquely positioned to do and could not delegate (although I would love to delegate pumping…)
• List all the major responsibilities that need to be done. Pro Tip: Ask those around you (e.g. partner, parent, friend, family member, etc.) what things they are doing that you may not be aware of and include it in your list. I had a handful of conversations before my maternity leave with fellow mompreneurs and the task list they shared with me was priceless.
• Group those responsibilities into roles and assign those roles to the specific people that are best positioned to do them (I.e. they will make the time, are interested/willing, have the know-how or are eager learners).??
• Delegate those responsibilities to each person who is supporting you (i.e. your postpartum care team..more on that below). Have them share back with you what you are asking of them and confirm their level of commitment to owning those responsibilities (I.e. it's ok if they can't. You can reassign. You just need to know upfront vs a ball dropping later. That is stressful). And, if you have a strong preference for how a responsibility is to be done, model specifically how you want the responsibility to be done.?
• Check in & show appreciation to everyone who is on your team. I’m a firm believer that expressing gratitude and acknowledging someone’s contributions goes a long way. I practice this both in my personal and professional world, and probably more so now that we have a child. Whether it’s a quick thank you text or a lengthy conversation, I will make the time to share how and why their support is making a big difference for me and my family.

What I learned: Build and invest in your personal “postpartum care” team

As a business owner, I think a lot about hiring and building the team EOD needs for each unique event and experience.? And in my first year as a mompreneur, I’m quickly learning that building a supportive team for the experience of having and caring for a child is just as important, if not more important!?

How I did it:?

• As a mom, you quickly learn to listen and follow your intuition, and this applies to building your team. Listen to your gut and feelings. They hold wisdom and tell you where you need support and likely, additional capacity.??
• Translate your list of responsibilities into specific roles on your team and invest time/money into building your postpartum care team.
• I know every family is different, every baby is different, and every mom is different - so my team may not be your team. But if you’re a new mom, really think about the team you need that will allow you to center your wellbeing as a mom and as a person!? Here are a few members on my team: my partner, family and friends, a mommy group, postpartum doula/caregiver, EOD Team and fellow momprenuers.

What I learned: Redefine and build a parental leave that works for you

I think we’ve all been taught that a parental leave plan is a document outlining how all of your work will get covered for a period of months by one or more people, and the date by which you will resume 100% of that work. As a business owner, you have a lot more flexibility, and parental leave is an opportunity to innovate! Think through what aspects of your work you might permanently delegate. Consider whether you’d prefer the work to ramp down and back up with your leave rather than reassigning all of it. And think through how you want to come back to work. Do you want to come back 100%?? 50%?? 20%?? As a mompreneur, you get to make the rules because you own the business!?

How I did it:?

• I came back to work two months after our son was born and worked for up to 10 hours a week. I slowly scaled that to 24 hours a week and I presently only work four days a week, leaving Fridays open to enjoy our new family tradition of Family Fridays.?
• To make this schedule work, I applied my first lesson of defining clear roles and responsibilities and delegated it to my EOD team.?

What I learned: Set Realistic Boundaries

If I’m being honest, I found myself nervous to tell clients about becoming a mom because of the fear that they may not want to partner with EOD knowing that I’d be on leave for a set period of time. However, I was pleasantly surprised that they were all remarkably supportive and also receptive to the clear boundaries I set leading up my leave.??

How I did it:?

• In the months leading up to my leave, I worked closely with all my clients to define and clarify all the expected deliverables that were due before, during and after my leave. I realized that most clients appreciated the level of specificity and clarity.? Because this type of boundary setting was new for me, I needed support: my executive coach, also a fellow mompreneur, helped me to articulate clear boundaries with clients and my executive assistant incorporated them into my calendar.?

What I learned: Create space for Joy

Part of the joy of owning a business is not being constrained by a traditional American work week. I can build my schedule around what’s most important to me, which is my son and my family.??

How I did it:?

• In the last 6 months of being back at work, I’ve built a schedule that allows me to have meals with my son during the workday, spend longer weekends with him, and generally center his well being while pursuing the work that I love. I enjoy my work so much more now because my days are sprinkled with quick snuggles, trips to the library and one of my absolute favorites: dancing together around the house.

Contrary to common perception, becoming a mom didn't make me compromise who I am nor limit what EOD can become. Instead, it has created more joy in my work because I'm able to do what I love while also spending time with the people I love most.?