Growing up, I had always been inspired by my entrepreneurial father and knew that I had endless career possibilities. However, it wasn't until I became a mother that I found the courage to pursue my entrepreneurial aspirations. In 2020, I was working in corporate marketing, a field I had been in since graduating from college 13 years earlier.
Balancing my corporate job while trying to start my own company left me feeling miserable, especially as a working mom to an infant. The demands of the commute, sleepless nights, and long hours took a toll on me. I struggled to prove to myself and others that I could handle everything, not wanting to lose my ambitions in the journey of motherhood. As the pandemic loomed, I reflected on who I wanted to be and how I wanted my daughters to see me in the world. It became clear that I needed to leave my six-figure corporate job to focus on my new venture, Color Vision, empowering women to improve equity in creative industries. Little did I know that this decision would not only make me a better entrepreneur but also a better mom. Here's how I built a seven-figure business, quadrupled my income, and enhanced my journey through motherhood.
First, I defined a vision and purpose for my life
I knew that I needed to get clear on my purpose as an entrepreneur to create the life I also needed as a mom. For instance, my purpose is to empower women to gain fairness in the spaces that they occupy. With that in mind, I knew I needed to be fair to myself and my family. It informs how I build out my schedule: never working on Mondays; never going more than five days on the road; never missing dance recitals; and ensuring we go on at least one family vacation per year so my daughter can see the breadth of the world. My clarity of purpose became my guiding light.
Then I focused on building a supportive network
Leaving the structured environment of corporate America felt daunting, so I knew I needed help making the leap to work for myself. I decided to surround myself with a supportive network of fellow female entrepreneurs, mentors, family, and friends to guide me in the rigorous process of scaling a business — a task that, at first, seemed nearly impossible and scary. Their advice, experiences, and encouragement bolstered my confidence when I started to weather under the pressure of being an entrepreneur, which will inevitably happen, and they provided invaluable insights as I navigated this new path.
I prioritized a family financial plan and budget
My husband and I sat down and discussed our family budget, cash flow needs, and what we would need to feel financially secure before I left my job. We wanted to be sure we weren't causing a ripple effect of anxiety when I started to focus on my dreams. For the last few months of my corporate job, I also focused aggressively on saving to have a financial safety net to sustain my family during the transition and in the early stages of my business just in case I wasn't immediately successful.
I didn't completely throw away my corporate experience
Although I was leaving my 9-5 job, I knew that my experience in the corporate world equipped me with an invaluable skill set. In my decades of experience in marketing, I learned project management, strategic planning, communication, and team leadership skills that helped me excel in my new entrepreneurial venture of creating a community-centered organization. The transferable skills I acquired proved to be a great asset. Those same skills also improved my motherhood journey as I navigated being a bonus mom to a teenager and a mom to a toddler at the same time.