I’ve Just Had My Second Baby Last Week. Here’s What I’ve Done To Prepare My Businesses.

I officially went on maternity leave earlier this month.

I’m excited to take some time off. Rest. And prepare for round 2 of parenthood.

But, of course, any business owner knows that stepping away from your work can feel overwhelming.

Here’s what I’ve been doing.

I’ve let go of being perfect.

I want to control everything.

While this is great for running a business, being a parent requires compromise.

With Jesslyn, I learned through trial and error (mostly error) about how to keep things running smoothly while trying to prioritise family time.

As a parent, I’m no longer the master of my calendar.

When I drop Jesslyn off at daycare, and she throws a tantrum, it looks like I’ll be late to that 9:00am meeting.

This would have been unthinkable to me in the past.

But now, I just roll with the punches.

This isn’t accepting low standards. It’s about adapting.

Perfection used to control me.

While I’ve got high standards, I’ve learned to embrace imperfection in order to progress. Failure is inevitable in business and as a parent. I know I can recover from any situation.

I stumbled upon a great quote the other day:

“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not in the branch, but her own wings.”

Self-belief has been the antidote to my perfectionism.

I’ve scaled myself (through systems).

Before I went on leave, I spent weeks refining our workflows.

I’ve built even stronger systems to make sure everything flows without me at the helm.

From client onboarding to project execution.

Every team member knows their role, and we’ve documented every step in the process so that nothing gets lost in translation.

I also invested in tools like CRM systems and project planners.

This has helped the team stay organised and on top of client communications and allowed a more seamless client handover.

I’ve also made sure to empower my team, offering them the chance to take ownership of certain aspects of the business.

This not only helps them grow professionally but also gives me peace of mind knowing that I’m leaving things in capable hands.

We also communicate regularly through a project management tool to ensure that if anything urgent comes up, it can be dealt with quickly.

You first build your systems, and then they build your business.

I (can be) my own worst enemy.

Why?

I don’t respect my own boundaries.

• That email I received? Why not reply straight away?
• I got a spare hour? Why not check in on the team?

Suddenly, I’ve just spent the last 3-4 hours working, not resting.

When I had Jesslyn, I asked Victor to bring me my laptop hours after her birth. I want to blame the sleep deprivation, but I felt like I had emails to respond to.

I know what you’re thinking. I’m crazy.

I can feel myself physically cringing looking back at that behaviour.

When the nurse walked in, she rightfully told me off.

I’ve learned my lesson.

But don’t get me wrong. I’m still far from perfect.

I’ve to constantly set boundaries for myself. And then respect them.

Because,

If I can’t respect my own boundaries, how can I expect others to respect them?

I got the right people.

I’m lucky to be surrounded by:

• Incredible mentors.
• Amazing team members.
• A caring business partner and husband.
• A supportive family and friendship circle.

I know how fortunate I am.

Not everyone is surrounded by people who lift them up.

I have a tendency to want to do everything myself.

This worked when I was starting out in business.

I only had a few clients.

But what got you here, wont get you there.

To grow, you must change. Adapt or stagnate.

Whenever I face a problem, I stop my initial reaction to solve it myself. I take a breathe. Spend time understanding the problem. And then I see who I can access to help me solve it.

Now I think, can I:

• Delegate
• Delete
• Defer
• Do

This framework means I only focus on the critical tasks.

I’ve reminded myself that…

It’s okay to step back and enjoy this precious time.

It can be tempting as a founder to always feel like you need to be involved in every decision, but building a business that can thrive without you is the true marker of success.

Now, I get to focus on my family, knowing my businesses are in good hands.

I can’t wait for everyone to meet baby Jordan.

Wish me luck!

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