I was invited to speak at a panel about a topic that I enjoy a lot: how to organize being a mom while building up a business. In advance and during the event I was reflecting on how I combine it (like so many others do) and what I really appreciate about it.
Being flexible:
I love to start working super early in the day, so most of the first emails and to-dos are already done before I start preparing everything for my son. While he's at school, I work and have meetings, but I always try to be at home once he comes home. I might still work, but at least I am there to check what was going on at school etc. This flexibility is one of the huge advantages I see in my work and in my organization of time.
Being transparent:
I can't even remember a weekend or holiday when I did not take my laptop and have not been involved in any shape or form in nookees. This is something that I still like to improve, but I also feel it is great to show my son what it means to really be enthusiastic about something. He knows the mission behind my start-up from head to toe and gets to witness how it looks to be resilient and driven.
Being collaborative:
Whenever I can, I take him with me. From going to New York together to be part of events during the United Nationa General Assembly and by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation he gets to know so many great people and so many different ideas, visions, and opinions. Plus I can share very special moments and very special places with him like finding a Tesla Cybertruck...
For us it might be a bit different because since we started traveling together in 2016, I built up everything to be able today to take him most of the time with me. This did not happen overnight, but was a long process, from setting up the right routines etc. But we made it and I couldn't be more thankful.
Of course, everybody is different but especially while building a business, so much time and energy flows into it, and I feel it is best to be as transparent and as sharing as possible during the whole process.
