Mother’s Day is approaching quickly, and we wanted to do a quick shoutout to all the mom’s out there. But something special we hold dear here at Brightbox is for working moms.
With not only our CEO being a wonderful mother of three, we have a quarter of employees here who are at various stages of motherhood who are also coming to our warehouse to work.
Being a mother in and of itself is a huge career that is life long, but we wanted to highlight the moms who not only take their role as a mother seriously but also as a provider building her own career outside of the home.
We reached out to women around us who are also girl-bosses and asked them what their thoughts were on being a mother while building up their businesses.
How do you balance between work life and home life?
Emily Peterson, CEO of Saranoni, said,“We have been in business as a family for over 11 years! While transitioning through many phases, both with our business and with our family, we've learned a thing or two about "balance". While balance is always the goal, we have found it to be the most helpful to focus on setting specific parameters as a family that create boundaries between our business and our family life. In the beginning, we determined our parameters by considering what sacrifices we were willing, and also unwilling, to make in regards to our family, and our business goals. These values have guided our decisions for many years!
Ali Hynek, CEO of Nena and Co, said,“I love to work and I love being a mom. Sometimes things at work feel more urgent, and I have to stop and remember that there’s nothing more important to me than being with my kids. Finding balance is always a battle, but taking moments to refocus is always helpful for me!”
Shea Workman, CEO of Brightbox, said,“I don’t believe there is ever a perfect balance with work and home life! There are days and times where each has to give and take. It’s always about taking into consideration what needs to take priority at the time and making sure I have a clear & rested mind to show up as my best self in each area when I am there!”
How do you manage to detach your self-worth from company success?
Peterson said, “As we have gone along, we've found that it can be all too tempting to compare growth rates and be discouraged as brands around us find amazing success! We try to remind ourselves that we have chosen to do things differently, and that our decisions may contribute to a slower growth rate. At the end of the day, that is something we are willing to accept! We are confident in our decision to prioritize certain things in our lives, and have found great joy in our own journey. We always remind ourselves to look straight ahead, and not to the right, or the left.”
Workman says, “One of my personal mantras is "I am defining my own version of success". This is something I constantly work on, but I have found the most peace & confidence when I am not comparing myself with other women in business, but stay in my own lane focused on the stepping stones and progress I have made for myself. Define what success is for you!”
What advice or encouragement would you give to working moms?
“Some days are crazier than others, but we are always working towards goals both for our family and for our business. Remember that your journey is unique, and be confident in the way you choose to walk your path! We believe that we have been able to enjoy success in both areas of our life because of our family boundaries and that is worth it to us!”, said Peterson.
Workman said,“There are going to be times of give and take, it may not always be exactly what you want it to look like. There are so many voices telling you what you should do and how it should look. Take some time to clarify for you what your own ideal is and march towards that! Don’t quit. Keep Going. Take care of yourself to show up as your best self. Create boundaries to maintain sanity and hire out as much as you can. Don't expect yourself to do it all!”
All we can say is, YOU ROCK! And Thank you mothers, aunts, friends, neighbors, and every other important female figure in your life for being the greatest source of inspiration for each and every one of us. You are inexplicable, fantastically, AMAZING!
Each of you bring a little✨extra✨to everyone’s life and we are so proud of you for pushing through your personal challenges to be the girl boss that you are.
Keep it up Bright Squad, and Happy Mother’s Day to all of you!
XOXO,
The Brightbox Team