Mother’s day is right around the corner and people all over the world are finding unique ways to make their mothers feel extra special. With most people spending Mother’s day in lockdown, it is the perfect time to show your mother the appreciation she deserves.
Mothers are selfless and caring beings, they are the epitome of love and joy. In this progressive world, women take on many roles; she is a mother, a daughter, a sister and a wife. But we most often forget to perceive them outside the sphere of family. Mothers are individuals who have dreams and aspirations. There are now many mothers who venture in to the world of business and entrepreneurship to achieve success. They juggle their family and work life with incredible grace.
This Mother’s day, Kerala Insider decided to interview 20 mompreneurs to learn their journey and understand their struggles. These successful women inspire mothers around them to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals.
The Mompreneurs and their Motherhood
The most popular field is that of fashion amongst the mothers, though there are almost as many who have ventured into the food business. When some of the mothers began their entrepreneurship journey after the birth of their children, there are others who have always dreamt of being businesswomen all their life. Some of our mompreneurs have 3 or 4 children and manage to maintain a balance between spending time with kids and work. The efforts these moms put in are commendable. These businesswomen have toddlers to working children, majority of them having children of the school going age.
The Decision to Become an Entrepreneur
Our mompreneurs are from different backgrounds and realized their skill as an entrepreneur at different stages in their life. Many knew this is what they loved to do while others developed their product/service from the needs of their own children. Mompreneur Riya Sachin says she began to make soaps to make sure the products her babies used were a 100% skin safe, she then began to sell the products to other moms as well. On the other hand mompreneurs Ashwini Mathur and Najla Shaikh knew from the beginning that entrepreneurship was their way to go. “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. My first venture was in 2008, SpellBound, an ad agency. After getting married in 2016, my husband and I started the Life Maid Easy Group” says Najla.
How do the Mompreneurs manage it all
It is fair enough to say that being a mom is no easy task, being a mompreneur therefore must be equally tough. The moms find their greatest support in their husbands and family, sharing the family load and having good understanding. Most moms make sure that they stick to schedules and planners to make sure they have time to do everything. It wasn’t easy for the moms in the beginning, Anju Antony explains how it is never really easy with 3 kids but now that they know the drill, they try to work it out.
Does being a Mom help you be more professional ……
Being a mom has helped all the mompreneurs in one way or the other but most of them agree on the fact that they have learnt the art of patience. They have learnt better time management as it becomes essential inorder to bring balance into their lives. “Yes, definitely! Being a mom, I have a totally different outlook towards my teaching now. I have developed patience and I am definitely more disciplined now” says Karthika Arjun, a mompreneur who takes online music classes.
One quality learnt from being a mother……
Patience and time management were the popular answers. All mompreneurs have taken a lesson or two in both after the arrival of their children and has taken the lesson to work. Vincy Mathew answers ” Patience and gratitude. To see changes in your business you have to be patient and even a small growth should be accepted with gratitude”. It is incredible to see the difference in a woman after she becomes a mother and learns different skills while caring for her tiny tots.
Is there more pressure on being an entrepreneur with a child than a regular day job……
While many mothers said entrepreneurs have it harder, there were also quite a few that agreed everyone has their individual struggles. It is always difficult when the children are little, ” There is definitely pressure when the children are at a small age. Being an entrepreneur we don’t know how long does a day go or may be sometimes sudden meetings can happen. But when you learn to balance them it will be easy for you” says Diana John.
Words of Advice to those moms hesitating to make the Plunge…
All our mompreneurs had very motivating words to share with fellow mothers. They emphasized the need to follow their passion and how it feels when you make your children proud. It is never too late to plunge in if you have a good support system and safety net says the mothers. “Always remember, the sacrifices you make will be respected by your kids. They might not know the intensity of your purpose but they will understand that their mom is doing something that is making her happy and will respect you for that. They will learn to respect your requirements and will make them responsible kids too” explains Vincy. The mompreneurs encourage those who have an urge to trust and believe themselves. It only gets better with having kids says the mothers
Here is a list of all the lovely mompreneurs who took the time to explain their journey and share their lessons.
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