Building a Brand and Raising a Son: One Mom’s “Inspirationall” Journey
Tricia Romani is the Founder and Agency Director for Inspirationall Talent, the Owner and Agency Director of League International Model Management and mom to one rambunctious nearly 8-year-old boy. She works hard to showcase diversity in the media through her models, and even harder managing the day-to-day needs of a third grader.
Q: What was the reason behind wanting to start your own business?
I spent a large part of my 20’s studying, travelling abroad, and living and working in other countries. When I finally moved back to Canada I knew that I wanted to start my own talent management company with the goal of showcasing more diversity in the media. Part of the reason from the very beginning that I wanted to build my own company was so that I could have that built in flexibility if children did end up being part of my life. I had worked a lot of 9 to 5 jobs and knew that wasn’t what I wanted for the rest of my life. I didn’t want to feel like I was watching the clock — rushing out the door every day to work or school.
Q: What did the early days of starting a modelling agency look like?
I started building the company slowly and growing my network in 2006 while also working part-time to supplement my income. The modelling industry is 100% commission based, so there is a lot of pressure on you to make bookings. In 2008 I was able to bring on a booking agent and at this point, it made more sense financially for me to go back to work full time and let her grow the company while I worked on it from the side. Fast forward to 2010 and I am pregnant with my son Shore and I’ve just been laid off from my full time job. Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to easily find another job while pregnant I dove back into the modelling management business full time.
Q: How did you manage your pregnancy and early motherhood days while also running a company?
I was quite sick during the first trimester of my pregnancy and this really impacted my productivity. It was hard to keep my head above water (and out of the toilet) at times. Once I started feeling better, I thought it would be a good idea to start a new division of my business (background) that would help to ramp up our bookings. However, it launched November 1 and I was due November 23 — not the best planning on my part! I thought it would take a while to get started, but due to all our hard work in other areas of the industry it took off immediately.
I had no idea what I was getting into both from a new business perspective and from a new mom perspective. During the early days after Shore’s arrival, I really had to trust in the people I had around me. I was home alone with a newborn trying to run a new business and had no maternity leave to rely on.* This is not a situation I would likely recommend for anyone starting a new business, but somehow we all survived!
Q: Since having a child what has changed in how you manage your business day-to-day?
When he was little I really had to maximize the limited day care I had. I worked through every one of his naps and late into the night every day. I wanted to be present as much as I could when he was around, so I really had to be more organized. Of course, kids have their own schedules made up and don’t always nap when you need them to!
Early on in our journey my partner and I separated, but we remain equal co-parents to our son.
On the days that I am with Shore, I drop him at school, head to the gym and then work head down the rest of the day. While he’s at his after-school activities in the evening, I’m the mom working on the sidelines. On the days that he is with his father, I schedule all of my meetings and travel. I work longer hours and try to power through as much as I can.
I am trying harder to have set hours when I work, and I recently got a work phone that is separate from my personal — this had made a huge difference. Now the only work calls I receive on my personal phone are for when it’s a true emergency.
Q: What’s been surprising about running your own business?
I feel that you have to always be open to new possibilities and what opportunities present themselves. I never could have anticipated the evolution of my business I am working with now. We have a whole division that I never would have thought possible when I was building it in the beginning.
Q: Did you ever face any barriers as a new mom?
During the first two years as a new mom juggling childcare and a business was very hard and I wasn’t as effective as I wanted to be. I made mistakes, and I wasn’t able to follow through on things. I would usually explain to people the challenges I was going through and I felt very lucky that most people respected that. However, you can’t use your “mom status” forever as a crutch. At the end of the day your clients need the work to be done.
Becoming a mom taught me that I needed to start saying no — there will always be more work to do and I just had to let it go. You have to create boundaries early on for your physical and mental well-being.
Q: Have you had any mentors along the way?
I am lucky that I have a good friend, Tania Carriere, who is also an executive coach and runs leadership retreats through her business Advivum Journeys. I have attended a few of her workshops that have helped me to become the kind of leader I wanted to be. Having a mentor can be extremely valuable in helping you shape your journey. I recently got placed with another mentor from the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Jennifer Rinfret, which is another great place for resources for women starting their own business.
Q: What are some common mis-conceptions or barriers that you think women face when starting a business?
Women often devalue themselves. I always have in the back of my mind that a man wouldn’t care what people think of him. I am working in a fairly male-dominated environment so I need to be able to stand up for myself.
My mandate is to have bravery in leadership. You have to be brave to be a woman and start your own business.
Q: What’s one key learning essential to running your own business?
Decide what your off ramp or benchmark is early on — know when it’s time to leave. Leaving doesn’t mean it’s a failure, just that you need to change course. Recognize that if you’re learning along the way that is success, but you shouldn’t have to run yourself into the ground financially, mentally or emotionally to run your business. Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and cut your losses while you’re ahead.
Q: What advice would you share for moms thinking of starting their own business?
Ideally try not to have a baby in the start-up phase if you can! However, there is never really a perfect time to combine motherhood and running a company. Also, having an education or previous job experience you can fall back on helped me out when I needed to bring in extra income on more than one occasion. Going back to work, or working on the side of your business does not mean that it’s a failure.
You will need to have grit — be prepared to make sacrifices on both your social life and your family life to get your business off the ground.
There are times it might seem that all you do is work, but in the end, hopefully, it will give you the flexibility and satisfaction you are looking for. You have to find your sense of purpose — money in the end won’t be the motivation you need to keep moving forward.
*In Canada if you work any employer you are entitled to up to 18 months off with pay (assuming you have paid into unemployment insurance during this time). Your rate of pay is a percentage of your salary (capped) for the duration of your maternity leave.
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This is part of a series of everyday mom inspired stories who quit their desk jobs to work on their passion, all with kids in tow. If you enjoyed reading it, please leave a comment or a clap!
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