How Motherhood & Entrepreneurship Relate

I love being a mom. My daughter, Arilyn, is probably the cutest toddler alive (in my totally unbiased opinion). Watching her grow, learn how to speak and think, develop opinions and preferences, and become stronger and more capable is one of my greatest privileges. And who doesn’t love baby snuggles every morning? I love my daughter more than anything and wouldn’t trade my time with her for the world.

That being said, being a parent is also hard. Arilyn is messy, and stubborn, and goes through a lot of phases where all she wants is mommy’s undivided attention – especially when I’m trying to get something done… and dad is right there. My grandpa has nicknamed her “no” because that seems to be her favorite answer to every question. She has a habit of trying to do the most dangerous activity possible, like climbing up the outside of the railing on our stairs. She fights bedtime almost every night. Like most toddlers, she breaks down into a tantrum over the silliest things. 

Parenting takes a lot of patience. It’s both trying and rewarding. And it’s expensive. Childcare costs are no joke, especially if you factor in all the fruit they eat – my girl can take out a small bag of cherries in less than 5 minutes. 

But I wouldn’t change a thing.

Business Lessons from Motherhood

Being a mom has taught me a lot, and a surprising amount can be applied to my role as an entrepreneur too. Here are my top 3 lessons from motherhood for small business owners:

1. Gentle parenting works – on kids and clients.

Toddlers have a tendency to melt down when they can’t get exactly what they want or do whatever they want. When Arilyn goes into tantrum mode, our go-to strategy is something along the lines of: take a deep breath, give her a few seconds to cry, then offer her a choice of things she can have or do. (If that fails we try to distract her with something else.) Myself and a few of my colleagues who are also moms have noticed that some clients have… toddler tendencies too. Luckily, these toddler tendencies can be handled in pretty much the same way! We take a moment to pause, let them share their frustrations, and then we focus on the realistic options available. 

2. Risky play is an important part of growth.

There’s an impulse as a parent to guard your child from all potential harm, forever. However, in the long term preventing them from taking any risks is actually more harmful than it is helpful. Part of being a parent and an entrepreneur is getting comfortable with risky play – whether that’s climbing the stairs or investing in a new team member.

3. Even the top priority cannot be the only priority – you’ve got to do other things.

If Arilyn could do everything with mommy, she probably would. But as much as I adore her, I cannot spend every waking moment focused on her. I have to do things like cook dinner, take care of our dogs, and meet with clients. Our babies, human or business, take up a large part of our time, mental effort, and emotional capacity, but the most important thing in our lives, our top priority, still cannot be the only thing. It’s important to take breaks, care for yourself, and take care of other important tasks (like feeding yourself).

Navigating Entrepreneurship

Figuring out the perfect system to manage clients, take strategic risks, and maintain your work-life balance is hard whether you’re parenting a toddler or rocking life solo, especially when your business is growing. If you want to learn more about taking strategic risks, managing work-life balance, and everything else Upwell, subscribe to our newsletter below!