“Me, my business, or a family?”
It’s a question many moms have found themselves asking. Of course, every path we take in life means another not taken. Having all the things at once sounds nice, but it’s not practical. You usually can’t save for retirement and travel all year round (with some exceptions). Just like you can’t be both an astronaut and a stock broker.
But are there some cases where you can “have it all”? Or at least, have most of it?
The two mama entrepreneurs at the wheel of Copper Pearl (a line of premium, trendy, and unique baby accessories and clothing) are convinced that it is possible to be a mom, run a business, and still have fun!
Meet Stephanie Lee and Kristin Reichert, and listen to their secrets to living the life you deserve.
1. Prioritize
As any busy mom knows, there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to get to everything you need to! If you don’t make specific plans for each day, you may miss completing the tasks that are most important.
One thing that has been essential to us as moms while running Copper Pearl is to make sure our kids are getting the attention they need. We both made the decision to be at home with our kids during the day while working on the business. While this can make life seem chaotic at times, it’s a must for us to proactively plan on spending time with our kids each day.
2. Work on the things you’re best at
We quickly realized that running a small business can be more work than there are hours in the day! It’s impossible to do it all so it’s important to know your limits, and when to ask for help. This help is essential because it allows you to focus on the things you’re best at and not spread yourself too thin.
Another bonus to growing your team is having more people to bounce ideas off of and share feedback about how to help the company. Running a business can be stressful when you feel like you every aspect is your responsibility. Having a solid team immediately provides fresh opinions and helps keep your trajectory on the up and up.
3. Get your family involved
We know that we can’t have our kids design products or run the business for us, but we do look for ways that we can involve them in what we do. It’s so much fun to show our children what we are working on and to talk to them about what we have built.
We feel it’s important to teach our kids about entrepreneurship while they are young and to lead by example. We are also lucky enough to have our husbands be part of our company, too. Fortunately, they are able to work full-time on Copper Pearl with us now, but even before they left their previous careers, they were still very supportive and made it easier to not feel like we were neglecting that side of our lives.
4. Believe in your products
Since we are moms ourselves, we are in a unique position to have an eye both as a creators and consumers. Our advice is to find something you can stand behind and be proud of. We truly love and personally use every single one of our products and it makes a world of difference as we work on the day-to-day, and lights a fire in us to keep creating!
5. Reward yourself
Running a business can be a grind sometimes. One thing that always keeps us going is to always have a goal we want to achieve. And when we do, we have small rewards. Sometimes it will be taking the whole team out for a fun, celebratory meal, and other times we’ll take some time off to recharge. Whatever types of rewards you choose helps to build morale and avoid getting burnt out!
And the co-owner of Copper Pearl has even more goodness to share. Check out Stephanie Lee’s answers to our classic Motherly questions.
How do you make your mornings run smoothly?
Stephanie Lee: There’s a lot going on in our house each morning! My husband and I both work out most early, and we have to get kids dressed, fed, and out the door for school. I also help my oldest son practice piano each morning. The only way to pull this off is to have a clear game plan with my husband every night before we go to bed. We’re pretty strategic about who is waking up when, and what our are responsibilities are to make the morning run smoothly for everyone!
The lifehack or tip that has changed my life. . .
Stephanie Lee: My current lifehack is investing an alarmingly large portion of our grocery budget on Halo Top ice cream. It makes me super happy and seems to solve lots of life’s problems!
What superpower have you discovered as a mom?
Stephanie Lee: I wouldn’t say it’s exactly a superpower, but I think something that has made me more powerful as mom is learning to set realistic expectations for myself every day. I’m quite organized which is helpful in achieving goals that I’ve set for myself.
When I was a new mom, I was constantly disappointing myself because I felt like I couldn’t accomplish what I hoped to every day as it related to my own work, projects at home, helping my kids… now that I’ve learned to let my kids have more unstructured time and realizing I may not be able to get to everything that I was able to in my former, child-free, life, has made a huge impact on my happiness and feels like a superpower to me!
This quote inspires me. . .
“Try a little harder to be a little better.”- Gordon B. Hinckley.
Stephanie Lee: I set high expectations for myself and I like to remind myself that I don’t have to be perfect. I just have to try to be a little bit better every day.
To me Motherly means…
To me Motherly means sacrifice. I feel like I’ve had to give up so much of myself to be a mother and I’m learning more and more each day that the sacrifice is well worth it.
Haley is the owner and developer of the Beluga Wrap - a bamboo baby carrier made in Vancouver, Canada. She gave birth to her baby girl April 2015, and launched her company four months later. Despite the insanity of running a start-up with a newborn, she wouldn’t do it any other way. Find her at https://belugababy.com