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.
We know lots and lots of people don’t like the word. They feel that it diminishes the considerable talents and accomplishments of the entrepreneurs in question. Many people have pointed out that we don’t feel the need to add ‘mom’ to doctor, lawyer, plumber, weaver, etc. To some, the term ‘mompreneur’ is anti-feminist, diminishing both the maternal and entrepreneurial roles we mean to celebrate. By using the term mompreneur, people argue, we conjure images of women dabbling in frivolous businesses – maybe even playing at being in business. Lots of entrepreneurial mothers don’t want to be lumped in with that crowd, they tell us.
Here’s the thing. We get it and respect that opinion. Of course we do. It’s not that these objections haven’t occurred to us. And we’re as feminist as they come, trust us. But despite all that, we like the word – we embrace the word. You see, we identified as mompreneurs before we’d even heard the word. We started our company, Admiral Road, as a rejection of the corporate world. Our intention was to work but still be available for the people we love. While we didn’t yet have children we hoped they would be in the picture before long.
The work/life balance that we wanted for ourselves and our families didn’t mesh with the crazy hours and intense stress of our corporate career paths. Neither did it work with the workload of a traditional Entrepreneur. (As we’ve pointed out in Mom Inc., we think 100 hours a week is about standard for most Entrepreneurs. We always maintained that if we wanted to work 100 hours a week we would have stayed on Bay Street for the big bucks.) We were looking for something in-between, where we could determine the right mix of work and motherhood, depending on the ages and stages of both our business and our children.
So for us, the term mompreneur is perfect. It aptly describes the middle ground we’ve chosen and doesn’t offend us in the least. And having met scores of incredible entrepreneurial mothers, we’ll take being lumped in with the lot of them any day. Any woman who is running a business, of any size or scope, while also raising her kids is a woman we salute. Across Canada women are charting their own paths and creating the lives that work for their families – whatever you call them – you’ve got to admire them.
Where do you stand on the M word? Love it or hate 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.
When the Canada Post strike was announced, a lot of the public sentiment fell into the “who cares?” camp. With the advent of email, who licks a stamp anymore? Furthermore, with an increasing number of Canadians paying their bills online, the process of mailing in a cheque is becoming obsolete. And for goodness sake, most of us didn’t miss the deluge of flyers in our mailboxes. These points all hold validity – and we’ll get back to them in a moment.
There was one article, however, that really seemed to miss the mark. A commentary piece in the Globe and Mail suggested that we were really losing out because the strike meant that we wouldn’t be able to receive thoughtful missives in the mail anymore. The suggestion was that an email in your inbox just isn’t the same as receiving a handwritten letter and that “no one is going to be clutching a bundle of tweets on their deathbed.”
Even though a lot of Canadians suggested that they weren’t affected by the Canada Post strike, we would beg to differ. Do you know how many people in Canada shop online? 18 million. And that number is only growing. So a postal system that’s not working means an awful lot of people not receiving their – potentially important – packages.
But do you know who was really impacted by the strike? We were. In fact, the strike hurt small business more than just about anybody. Canada Post operates the most comprehensive, cost effective mail service that we have. So, for better or for worse, we all need Canada Post – for our love letters, and so much more.
Trying something new can be exciting, right? Well, in this case we’re delighted to be here as the newest addition to the Yummy Mummy Club, blogging in the space where motherhood meets entrepreneurship. Each week we’ll be sharing tips, advice, anecdotes and confessions based on our experiences as moms and business owners who are trying to juggle it all.
Truth be told, we never thought we’d find ourselves in this position. Back when we met 20 years ago we were plotting World Domination from Bay Street, not Sesame Street. And we never thought we’d become entrepreneurs, let alone run a company together. Our lives were headed in an altogether different direction.
But things change. Now, based on our experiences as MBAs, moms of five young kids between us, and owners of our personalized blanket company Admiral Road Designs, life looks pretty different. So different, in fact, that we felt compelled to put our experiences down on paper. The result is our recently published book, Mom Inc., which tells not only our story, but shares the stories of so many incredible women (including the original Yummy Mummy Erica Ehm) we’ve met along the way.
We wanted to write Mom Inc. to share what it’s really like to try to raise your family and your business at the same time. Like anything, it has its highs, its lows and its in-betweens. We call it the good, the bad and the sticky.
That being said, we wouldn’t have it any other way. And legions of other women feel the same way. About a million other Canadian women have chosen to control their own destinies by opting for self-employment.
So we hope you’ll join us here. The longer you hang out with us you’ll learn that you can count on us for the real deal. We want to give you the skinny on self-employment as a mom. We say that if things aren’t pretty – especially if they’re not pretty – then they merit being told. One of our goals in writing Mom Inc. was to provide a roadmap from the women who have gone before for the women who are coming after. So hop on the roller coaster with us. We can promise that it’s quite a ride.
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