Launching a Business & Becoming a Mom in the Same Year

I officially launched my SEO marketing consultancy on April 2, 2015 after years of working agency-side and just about a year of considering/planning for the move.

Everything was great. From the newfound freedom to the wonderful brand partners, fun projects and exciting results. Life couldn’t get any better. That is, until five months into it when my husband and I found out that we’d be welcoming a little one into this world come Spring 2016. Life got even sweeter!

Every pregnancy is different, but for me, not much changed the first three to four months. I stopped surfing at around four months and rock climbing at five. But I didn’t really look pregnant until I hit month six. That’s also when sleep got a little more difficult, the bladder always felt full and the appetite started to dwindle due to the lack of space in there. The baby was growing strong and healthy, and overall I had a very easy going pregnancy.

Then we hit week 34 of my pregnancy.

Long story short, our little girl was born on Easter Sunday — six weeks early. She arrived perfectly healthy (just a little thin at only five pounds two ounces) and we still don’t know what caused her early arrival. The few hours leading up to her birth were quite terrifying. And the 11 days in the NICU — well, they offer PTSD counseling for a reason.

We are forever grateful for modern medicine and technology that allowed us to take our beautiful, healthy little girl home with only the normal worries every new parent encounters.

Other than letting brand partners know about her early arrival, I didn’t think much about work for about three weeks. I got back into the swing of things after about six weeks. And now 12 weeks postpartum, correction: ONE YEAR LATER, and working at 1,000 percent running a business and raising our little family, there are a number of things I’ve learned about motherhood and entrepreneurship.

Babies (and children, in general) have their own timing for everything.

Parents know this, but it’s just something soon-to-be parents can’t quite understand yet. They arrive when they’re ready or when they need to, not when you’re ready or need them to.

True story: my independent consultancy had been growing so well (thanks to generous referrals) that within one year, I needed to expand. I would either bring someone on to help or pass up opportunities to work with great brands.

The solution was clear: bring on my husband, Steven. His extensive experience with sales/customer service, solid understanding of SEO and excitement about PPC made him the perfect fit. Lots of training and preparation went into him joining the team and we were confident in our decision.

Steven worked behind the scenes for the better part of a year, then officially resigned from his job just about two months prior to our little one’s due date. That would give him plenty of time to really get involved with our various projects and then feel comfortable as the main contact during my maternity leave.

Well, it didn’t work out that way. Instead, our daughter arrived one week after my husband submitted his resignation. So much for that six to eight week ramp up period! We had a plan, she had a different one.

Sleep deprivation is worse than you think.

Throughout my entire pregnancy, friends and colleagues would tell me to “get sleep now, because you won’t get any when the baby arrives.” I didn’t really listen to that advice, but I’m not sure it would have made much of a difference.

Nothing could have prepared us for those first few weeks. Nothing. Maybe we had it a little worse than most new parents, but we were pretty much zombies for about seven weeks.

Priorities change. Drastically.

Over the last few years I’ve set a number of personal and professional goals for myself. And I’ve made a good amount of progress checking them off the list. Since our daughter arrived, though, all of those things have taken a backseat. Travel? Eek, not anytime soon. Sell our home/buy one with a yard? Same answer. Speak at a particular marketing conference? It’ll have to wait until next year.

And I’m completely okay with this change of priorities. She is number one priority and always will be. Those goals will be there when I have the time and energy to pour myself into them again. At least for the immediate future, my goal is to maintain the business rather than really grow it.

You can do both, but you may need help.

Entrepreneurs are notorious for wanting to do it all and to never stop working, but this time of your life will need to be different. Your tiny human needs all of your attention (especially those first few months) and you’ll likely have very little time or energy to put towards your business.

I am beyond thankful the timing worked out for my husband to join my consultancy and begin working from home right as our daughter arrived. I cannot imagine going through the NICU experience, those first few weeks home and then getting back to work without his (or someone’s) help.

Have a plan. Maybe it’s child care or maybe this is the perfect opportunity to expand your business by bringing on team members to help.

Protect your mental and physical health.

From labor and delivery, the NICU experience and countless weeks of sleep deprivation to the stresses of figuring out childcare, running a business and paying the bills — the last year has taken more of a toll on me than anything I’ve experienced before. I now understand why every postpartum and pediatric visit starts with a questionnaire about mom’s mental state.

I’ve learned just how important it is for “mompreneurs” (and parents, in general) to take some time for themselves, although I still struggle doing this.

Working from home = great! Not leaving the house for days on end = not so great.

If only for a few minutes a day, step away from the computer/cell phone, go outside, exercise — your work will be there when you’re back. And while it’s cliche to say, they truly do grow up so fast!

Transparency can really help your business.

To avoid any surprises and to allow for planning, I told brand partners we were expecting a little one early on in our pregnancy. I was also very lucky to work with family-oriented brand, so everyone was excited for us.

Now that the baby is here, my habit of transparency seems to have strengthened relationships with our partners. Most of them have been in our shoes and appreciate the realness that happens when I share and laugh about the blow-out we encountered in Costco yesterday. They also understand when scheduled meetings have to be moved last minute due to childcare scheduling issues.

Empathy, people. It’s been a key element of a successful “mommy-entrepreneur balance,” and it was very much facilitated by transparency.

They make you a better person in every way possible.

I don’t really know if I can add any more to that statement that could possibly describe the change that’s happened in the last year. What is clear is how different I am now.

You hear it all the time from parents, but you can’t really comprehend it until you’re there. You see the world around you much less selfishly — it’s no longer about your future, but about your child’s. And you realize the incredible impact parents have on their children’s entire lives that you can’t help but look at other people, strangers even, with so much more compassion.

Every one of us has a story. My daughter has made my life story so much sweeter and I’m dedicated to doing the same for her.

In the end, children and family and entrepreneurship do, in fact, work.

I’d even argue that it’s the companies that value family — their own, their employee’s and their customers’ — are likely to reach greater success than companies that demand everything from their people, leaving little for what really matters.

You may need help and your priorities will likely change and change again. You might hit low points you didn’t think you were capable of, but then you’ll get through it. You’ll be stronger, braver and better prepared for anything that comes your way.

And then you’ll reach these highs — these incredible seasons where your child is sleeping through the night, you’re caught up on rest and taking care of yourself again and your business is beginning to flourish. It may not happen right when you planned for it, but you will get there right when you’re meant to.