Actionable Advice: From One “Mompreneur” to Another

As a new mum, the idea of having to work from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm was a challenge. I enjoyed three consecutive employment jobs in diverse sectors (FMCG, shipping, and exhibitions) before establishing my own company. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with leading companies, specializing in different fields. Working in diverse sectors allowed me to have a diversity of experience and build a set of skills that proved helpful once I decided to set up and run my own company. While I prioritized actively parenting my kids, I was not ready to give up the work I loved. The idea of opening a home-based business appealed to me as it would allow me to have flexible hours and efficiency while operating with low overheads. In 2003, I founded Eventa on the basis of social impact with a vision to connect communities towards lasting social change.

As a first-time entrepreneur, I acknowledged the need for support at all levels! While I did not have a dedicated mentor, I was lucky to have the right business connections I could count on for professional advice when needed. That is when the long-term value of my previous employment became apparent. We aimed to organize social impact events which was a major gap in the region, in addition to helping the non-profit sectors operate more sustainably in delivering their mission. Today, I am a Project Manager and Non-Profit Consultant with over 17 years of experience designing and facilitating social impact programs for corporate, governmental, and non‐governmental organizations. In addition, a proud mum, having watched my son and daughter grow into young adults ready to conquer the world of opportunities.

Overcoming limitations in the corporate world

The challenges I faced as a corporate women leader are mainly those linked to societal perceptions and pressure. In the early stages of my career, I worked hard to prove myself, and despite my accomplishments, very often not taken seriously. I witnessed unfair decisions and limited career advancement for women leaders in the workplace. In addition, growing my business coincided with the phase in my life where I was also growing a family. So, I would say my biggest challenge was the choices and compromises I had to make to balance life and work effectively. Aside from being a woman in a male-dominated field, I was also a mother juggling many responsibilities simultaneously.

Integrating into the corporate world and overcoming gender-related obstacles required adaptation, innovation, and integrity. Every challenge presented an opportunity, and I took it. Without the ability to adapt, I could not have sustained my business and scaled it out to the MENA region. Adaptation is a needed quality for succeeding in an unpredictable and unstable environment. When it came to breaching the market, innovation was my means of coping with competition in a small market such as Lebanon. We were able to design a creative solution for an identified societal challenge. I surrounded myself with a team of hard-working women, some of whom were working mums trying to balance career growth and playing an active parenting role. To ensure high-quality, ethical standards in all my endeavors, I placed my values at the forefront of any decision-making. I forged long-term relationships with the EVENTA team, clients, and diverse project stakeholders.

Being a mother entrepreneur requires effort and intelligent planning; here are some actionable bits of advice based on what worked for me:

• Believe in yourself, your inner strength, and the power of women.
• Build a robust support system making sure it serves your kids’ enjoyment and well-being too.
• Surround yourself with like-minded mompreneurs; you’ll benefit from the exchange.
• Hold yourself accountable and have an accountability partner to help you keep commitments.
• Plan your time around your kids’ school and holiday period. Have a plan B; you’ll need it often!
• Communicate constructively and compassionately despite your highest level of stress.
• When you feel overwhelmed, slow down and prioritize! I learned to stretch time, and it works!
• Take time for yourself; you’ll need this to recharge.

“Take a deep breath when the ride gets tough.

Yes, you can! Yes, you will make it through.”

Woman to woman

Build confidence and trust in one’s power. Do not miss out on any opportunity to grow as an individual. Make decisions with intuition and empathy, as these are unique qualities that can strengthen women rather than weaken them. Something dear to my heart is family values; while women thrive on instilling their role professionally in the economy, promoting a balance between well-kept family values and achievements is crucial to lessen social problems. In that way, the economy and society, two interrelated factors, will improve in the Middle East and the world at large.