What does it take to juggle running an eCommerce brand and being a mom? We asked four incredible women who are excelling at both to share their secrets: LaToya Tucciarone, 2022 Amazing Women in eCommerce Honoree and CEO/Founder of home decor brand SustainAble Home Goods; Anne Lawoyin, owner of clean skincare brand Anne’s Apothecary, Felicia Jarrell, CEO of stationary and lifestyle brand Goldmine & Coco, and Donnya Negera, owner of fashion-forward diaper bag brand YUUMA.
All of these Founders have participated in Yotpo Grow, our accelerator program for Black-owned brands. (Update: Yotpo Grow is now Yotpo RX!) Read on for their insights on work/life balance, self-care, and what they want other would-be mompreneurs to know.
There’s no such thing as work / life balance
“I have two active boys. They never give me a break. And one thing I realized is it was time for me to stop hiding that part of my life in every conversation that has to do with business. I think that as women we try to make a distinction between being a mom and taking risks.” — Anne
“There’s absolutely no such thing as balance. I think there is such a thing as, what do I prioritize today? There are days where yes, I do have deadlines and things like that that I need to meet. But my son also has a baseball game. My daughter also has gymnastics, and so I want to be present for those things. So those are the days that I wake up a little earlier, or I go to sleep a little later. I shift my schedule around to make sure that I’m visible in their lives.” — Felicia
Entrepreneurship means being an inspiration for your kids
“When my kids look at me, they always see that I work.They see I’m disciplined. They see I’ve created something. They see we moved from one location to the next. They see what I’ve built and how it started. They see a woman busy. What I learned from my entrepreneur mom was not to fear, but to be courageous, and if you want to do something, there’s really nothing limiting you from doing that.” — Anne
“You prioritizing your dreams does not mean you’re neglecting your kids. It means that you’re showing them how to dream, and how to think bigger, and giving them space for creativity, and building generational wealth, and showing them a new way of life. Everything that we do as moms is so that our kids have a better life and you shouldn’t feel guilty about that. You shouldn’t feel guilty about wanting to give them the best that you can possibly offer them. Don’t apologize for dreaming.” — Felicia
You have to accept where you are in your journey
“I would love to make a couple of millions. That’s some day. But right now, my kids and I are one, and the time that it takes to be intentional with children is going to take me away from certain things.” — Anne
“I’ve got four kids, so yeah, it’s a lot to balance. And I think you have to give yourself grace to accept where you are — to kind of unplug from this hustle culture. You can see people who are in a different stage of life, and they’re just soaring, because guess what? They can devote 24/7 to what they’re doing. It’s so easy to feel like, am I as capable? Will I be as successful? You can spend so much time looking at somebody else’s journey that you’re not learning how to accept and embrace your own journey, and finding the power that’s in that.” — LaToya
“This pregnancy has really helped me to realize, okay, I need to slow down and take it easy. And so outsourcing has been helpful. I recently hired someone for email marketing, and also hired someone to take photography shots of the bags. So that has been a huge help. I’m always trying to do everything when I don’t have to.” — Donnya
Self-care is more than bubble baths and face masks
“I don’t consider nails, feet, hair to be self-care. I consider that maintenance. You know, it’s just upkeep. So I really try to focus on what brings me joy, and that may even be me just going off to the library or to a coworking space with a book and reading and writing — whatever I feel I need today.” — Felicia
“I get up around 5:00am, and that hour is part of intentional self-care. Self-care for me is an intentional quieting down, and just sort of being still. Having those moments really refreshes me for the next couple of hours.” — Anne
Advice for moms who want to be entrepreneurs
“Don’t be apologetic about what your needs are because those kids are going to grow up. and you don’t want to regret not dreaming because you decided to be a mom. There’s nothing wrong with you deciding to be a mom, but don’t neglect the other parts of you that are you. As you go along in this journey, as you get bigger, as you grow. advocate for yourself. Communicate your needs. Don’t be afraid to hire, don’t be afraid to outsource, don’t be afraid to say no. Prioritize day by day what matters day by day, because each day is going to be different. And be open to change.” — Felicia
“Believe in yourself. Do not let the definition of motherhood limit you. Do not let society’s definition of motherhood limit you. if you have a dream or a belief, or a passion you want to pursue. Just do it. There’s really absolutely nothing stopping you. You can be anyone you want to be, and still be a great mom.” — Anne
Happy Mother’s Day to these inspiring women, and to all the mothers out there!