From Tired New Mother to Certified Sleep Consultant
Lara Rabb is a mother of two and Certified Sleep Consultant and Sleep Educator who founded her own sleep consultant business: Heavy Eyes, Happy Hearts. She shares her tips, wisdom and challenges for any new mom also starting to build their own business.
Q: How did you get started down this path of sleep consulting?
I was a new mom with a baby who didn’t sleep and I became obsessed with learning about all things sleep including sleep training. I was likely dealing with other issues at the time including general anxiety around motherhood, so sleep research became my focus point for getting through it. We eventually hired a sleep consultant to work with our family, but her approach wasn’t what I was looking for. I thought, I could do this better — and that was the spark of the idea for my business.
I started looking into programs, education opportunities and certifications. I really felt like I started the business at the right time as there was so much starting to happen in this sleep space for babies. When I had my second child, I knew that I didn’t want to be commuting to work full time anymore and made the leap to start consulting full time.
Q: What have been some of the challenges you’ve encountered along this path to starting your own business?
I was at a breaking point in the summer of 2017 where I was on the verge of shutting down my business all together. I didn’t have any business support or child care in place and was trying to make it work during nap times and evenings. I also had a few clients that were proving to be emotionally draining as I was really emotionally invested in their struggles with them. I knew I was at my breaking point and something needed to change.
I took a month off to take a step back from the business and decide if I wanted to take the plunge to work on this full time or go back to teaching. I wanted to find a way to work, but also still be there for my kids, especially since my husband travels frequently for work.
I decided to hire a business coach to help me make more strategic business decisions — and it has more than paid off! Since hiring a strategic advisor my business has increased by more than 150%. I can not put into words how much my advisor has helped me.
Q: Tell us about some of the changes you’ve made since taking the plunge full time into your business
I now have dedicated hours and days and each week that I work. I set the expectations with my clients from the beginning so they know when they can reach me. I have three days a week of child care so I that I can really focus those days on getting work done. This also has allowed me to spend more time with my kids and be more present. I now turn off my phone notifications so that when I am not working, I am really not working.
I also had to learn to stop neglecting the parts of my business I didn’t like — especially the financial side of things. I hired a bookkeeper and an accountant to keep me on track so that I can spend more time focusing on bringing in and connecting with new clients.
Q: What has been the most surprising to you on this journey?
I never thought I could do this, I never set out to make money. I chose teaching as a helping career. I chose my partner who is motivated and hard working and financially stable. I never thought I would be the one to contribute financially to our family, and now I do.
When my advisor asked me in the beginning, “Why don’t you deserve to make $100,000 a year?” I immediately thought, “Because I am a woman.” I really had to work to change my mindset around money — before I thought money was “the root of all evil” and now I think of it as an exchange for services.
Also I think about the charitable impacts I can now make. I was raised in a traditional family household were the father goes out to work each day to support the family and the mom stays home, or only works part time. I had accepted those roles for myself in our family, and now I realize how important it is for my kids to see me work. I still want to be there for them to drop them off and pick them up from school everyday, but I also want this business for myself.
Q: How do you structure your day?
For now I cap my hours at 30 hours a week and I don’t let myself work more than that. I have dedicated times each week that work, and set hours for checking emails. My clients from the beginning know how and when they can reach me. I also split each day into a mix of sales, marketing, email time and strategy planning both to make sure I am not neglecting any area of my business and to keep things interesting throughout the day.
Q: How has being a mom shaped your journey of becoming an entrepreneur?
I am more driven now that I have kids. I have more motivation to do good work and I go to different places for inspiration. If I had started this journey back in my 20’s before we had children I don’t think I would be as successful or as focused. I want my kids to see me work and contribute to our household.
Q: What’s the one piece of advice you would give to someone thinking of starting their own business?
Just do it! A year from now you will wish you had started today. I can’t imagine if I didn’t start this company, it’s taught me so much about myself and I’ve grown so much as a person. There is so much to gain from pursuing your passion and so little to lose.
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This is the third in 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 to help get this project off the ground.
Are you a mom with an inspiring story to share? Send me an email to connect: mompreneurstories@gmail.com
