How I Work as a Mom and Boss Lady with Little Kids
I have to start this by saying: Writing this out scares me a little. But that’s why I knew I needed to do it.
It scares me because for as long as I’ve been a mom – coming up on four years – I’ve had this underlying fear that someone is going to find out that I don’t have this all figured out and that I don’t work a “normal” work schedule. I’ve worried that somehow my schedule and life as a business owner and mom of two small children (now almost 4 and almost 1.5), in all of its irregularity, frequent moments of chaos, and imperfection, will come under great scrutiny by clients or potential clients and thus tarnish my (our) brand and reputation.
I realize how this train of thought is seeped in unhelpful mindsets of scarcity, fear, and worry. So it’s high time to ditch the overthinking and stressing about what other people might think.
There are a few reasons why I wanted to share all of this.
I want whoever reads this – particularly parents and soon-to-be/future parents who are also business owners (or dream to be someday) – to know that I (we) definitely do not have it all figured out. And that’s okay!
What works for me, Lane, and our boys might work for some and might not work at all for others. This is just my (our) experience, and maybe you’ll find some encouragement or support in my sharing it.
Lane and I reevaluate and change our schedule on the regular as needed for our kids, our business, and our life in general. We’ve learned that’s just part of being a parent – constantly adjusting and changing how you do things to meet the needs of your kids at different stages of their growth and development (which interestingly is also kind of true of being an entrepreneur – constantly adjusting and changing how you do things as your business grows).
I want to be a part of normalizing the realities of being a parent and also running a business. I want to be a part of normalizing families being able to choose a path of doing life as parents and entrepreneurs, however they see best fits their family unit, without being criticized.
So without further ado, here’s how we do life and work right now.
My (Our) Current Schedule
With our boys not yet in school, no family nearby to help with childcare, and opting to not hire a nanny at the moment (we had a nanny for a period of time when West was younger and Lane was in law school) – Lane and I alternate time with the boys throughout the work week. This means we also often pick up work in the evenings or weekends as needed. Usually, one or both of us will get a couple of good work shifts in over the weekend.
Monday-Friday
6-8am: Morning family time + breakfast
8am-Noon: Lane work time, Mahla with the boys
Noon-1pm: Family lunchtime
1pm-5pm: Mahla work time, Lane with the boys
5-8pm: Dinner, family and boys’ bedtime
8pm+: Additional work time as needed
Even as I write this, we’ve got some ideas written up on our marker board in our office with some alternate schedule options to try soon, just to mix it up and see if we like another flow better.
How I (We) Juggle Parenting + Running a Business
As much as we possibly can, keep work during work time and be fully present with the boys when we’re with them.
Use our team — we have an amazing team that we have hired as we’ve grown. We’re able to delegate tasks to them, which simultaneously helps us continue to grow the business and also get things off of our plates.
Only book calls during our dedicated work blocks.
Protect certain days of each week when our work blocks have no calls so we can focus on deep work.
Coordinate work block “swaps” on certain days as needed based on project deadlines or client’s availability for calls.
Be flexible with each other and with the boys. Having a plan and routine is essential, but kids aren’t robots (and neither are we)... sickness, teething, appointments, car issues, visitors, sleepless nights… the list could go on and on with the many reasons why schedules must change week after week. No one week really ever looks the same, and we’ve learned we have to roll with the punches; otherwise, we’d go crazy.
Ask for help – for us, this can look like asking one of our moms to fly out to help with the boys during especially busy weeks.
Communicate often and openly with each other (Lane and I) about how we’re feeling, what’s working/not working, energy levels, workload, etc. The only way this works is when we’re dialed in as a team. Communication is key.
Wherever you’re at in the ever-changing process of being a working parent, boss, or CEO – I hope, if nothing else, you find this gives you encouragement and permission to do whatever works for you, your family and your business.
Hit Me Up
How do you make your life work as a parent and business owner? I’d love to hear from you and hear what works for you or how this may have helped or encouraged you in any way. Shoot me an email at mahla@hoffbeck.co – and know you’re not alone in this unique journey of parenthood and entrepreneurship. Rooting for you!
More soon,
Mahla
CONSULTANT + PARTNER
P.S.
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