Life as a Mom + Business Owner
A few months ago, my friend Juli contacted me asking if she could run a quick interview for the Motherly Team. As you can imagine, I was thrilled by the idea and couldn't wait to share a glimpse at our sometimes blurry lined journey as a new family of 3 while managing a growing small business.
As you may or may not know, we've been building this dream of ours for a while now. My days look very different than they did three years ago, two years ago and even 9 months ago. Like a strong, thriving garden, businesses take time to grow and mature and throughout this journey, I've learned a few things that I want to share with you today:
1) Empires are NOT built over night - Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a "stay at home" mom. College & education were important, but never as important as taking care of my husband and raising up babies. And while it is no secret that life Miami is expensive, my dream seemed nearly impossible. Six months into our marriage (while working a full time job as a teacher, a job that I also loved dearly) we put our first invitation listing (our wedding invitation) on Etsy to see what would happen.
2) Begin with the end in mind - Guys, for all you out there working a full time job and putting everything else into your side hustle, I commend you! Those first years were probably the hardest of my life. Every ounce of energy was poured into our business because I knew it would take us to where we wanted to be, come parenthood.
Never underestimate the knowledge you are gaining while working your full time job AND side hustle. When you put your all into it, you learn more about yourself and your values than ever before. There were many days in the beginning, that I felt a 9-5 desk job would be the easier route, but I knew deep down that it wouldn't ultimately bring joy. So we pushed on...
3) Being at the Right place at the Right time makes a great difference - The heart behind our company and our name has & always will be our love for Jesus Christ and his love for mankind. Everyday I'd pray that if this journey was His will for our lives, that He would make it clear, lead us to the right connections and places that would help us achieve our goal. And you know what, He did. Come January 2015 we were invited to participate in a West Elm wedding pop up where we met many local vendors and clients. These local connections grew our business from an online "etsy only" market to the vast South Florida market. He gave us the tools needed to serve those in our own backyard.
If you're goal is to make extra money for your family, be able to stay home with your children, or even pay your way through school, know that these accomplishments take time and are not achieved overnight. Keep your end goal in mind daily, it will help push you through the tough days. Be open to new opportunities that push you beyond your limits. Pray for strength beyond your reach. And if nothing else, know that I believe in you!
Happy Friday friends!
Xo,
Erica