Once you get to know us you’ll learn that despite different backgrounds, our lives have followed a shockingly similar path. Same undergrad degree, same post-university experience abroad, same grad degree from which we were hired by the same firm. We could go on: Same hairdresser, same dentist. And last week, unbeknownst to us both, we bought the exact same pair of shoes. (They’re really cute.)
So we’re also the same age – three months apart to the day.
We were talking to a mompreneur friend the other day and she let us know that her business is for sale. It got us thinking about how effective it can be to buy a business rather than starting one from scratch. Did you know that we bought our business? True story.
Many moms would agree, back-to-school really is the most wonderful time of the year. Back to having the kids out of the house and back to routine. But since when did back-to-school mean putting a dent in my bank account?
A few weeks ago I found myself school supply shopping with my two school-aged daughters, lists in hand, just about ready to gouge my eyes out. The following is a partial list of the supplies required for my Grade 4 daughter:
When we were interviewing all of the amazing self-employed moms as a part of our research for Mom Inc a few things really stayed with us. Here’s one that stood out. According to Kathy Buckworth, author, spokesperson and all around funny mummy, mompreneurs should take the time to enter awards. When you step off the corporate career path you lose the valuable career feedback that comes with having an employer. As Kathy puts it, “As a mompreneur you only get feedback from your kids, and they always tell you that you suck!
Amy here. As we all know, motherhood is a marathon. A sometimes unrelenting, gratitude-lacking marathon.
You keep at it: “Sit up straight.” "Sit down." “Say ‘thank you.’” “Say ‘please.’” But since you don’t always get positive feedback, it’s hard to know if the kids are getting it. Can they hear me? Is it all sinking in?
My daughter recently caught me reading a particularly grisly newspaper article. She asked me why the person in the story would behave so badly. Can I tell you what my response was to my eight-year-old?
This summer Admiral Road will host a summit. For only the second time in the history of the company we’ll invite some respected thinkers to meet with us and delve into complicated issues. There will be refreshments and laughs, but there will also be the need for diplomacy, tact and problem-solving. And hopefully we’ll walk away with some great conclusions and action plans. That’s right, this summer we’re having the husband summit.
One of the main reasons that Danielle and I wanted to write Mom Inc. was to dispel some of the myths of mompreneurship. Despite what one might read in the media, mompreneurship is no walk in the park. Like any job, running your own company as a mom is work - plain and simple. And even though you may want to go into business for yourself in order to be available for your family, you’ll quickly figure out the challenges that this arrangement presents.
Danielle here. For most families summer is the happiest time of the year. The kids are out and happily engaged in summertime fun. It’s a bit more complicated at my house. Every year I struggle with balancing what my kids want with the needs of my business.
If we’re going to blog on the subject of mixing entrepreneurship with motherhood we’re going to have to bring something up. The word. The ‘M’ word. Yes, that’s right – we’re just going to say it. Brace yourself.
Mompreneur.
Yes, we said it. Now that it’s out there, let’s talk about it.
When it comes to the recent Canada Post strike, we have no interest in wading into federal politics or taking sides. We do, however, have some commentary on the strike that we didn’t see reflected in the mainstream media.