On Mother’s Day, A Reflection on the Challenge and Joy of Juggling Motherhood and Entrepreneurship

I was raised in the school of ‘You go girl! You can do ANYTHING!’ My father, in particular, instilled me with the belief that the sky was the limit and nothing could get in my way.

But I think a harsh reality — and a difficult part of growing up — is accepting that yes, things often *do* get in your way. Student loans, low-paying jobs, lack of capital to start up a business. I don’t think these things can stop you if you’re truly determined to make it. But they can slow your progress down by years, even decades. Creativity is powerful, but in some scenarios it can only get you so far. Sometimes the reality is that the path forward is a treacherous one.

For women, motherhood can be one of the things that makes the professional path difficult. Which is disappointing because in many ways motherhood has made me a better entrepreneur.

Since having children I think more critically, manage my time better, am more future-oriented and less willing to compromise myself.

But motherhood has also cost me an arm and a leg in childcare costs, eliminated time from my schedule (particularly during the infancy phase) and increased my domestic labor. To put it simply, money and time have gone down since I began this journey of nurturing little ones.

But I won’t give up. I have applied every life hack I know to make it work as a mother of three who owns a small business. From using a grocery delivery service, to moving to a smaller apartment so I have less to clean (yes, I actually did this!), to leaning on my mother as a childcare resource.

I recently started a group in my neighborhood of Fort Green Brooklyn for mothers who are entrepreneurs and run home-based businesses. I believe that if we work together, share information and support each other, we can fulfill our professional potential.

So on this day, I salute all the mothers who are juggling like I am. Whether you are a stay at home mother, a 9 to 5 mom or an entrepreneur mother I wish you love and light on your journey.