It’s interesting for me to reflect on the fact that my very first baby is my public relations business. So in a way, I had my first taste of motherhood two years before my first son was born. I’m quick to point out that entrepreneurship and motherhood are very different, but similarities do exist. What’s even more interesting is that both require several key skills and personality traits that overlap. Through my own work and the work of my female entrepreneur network or “mom squad,” I’ve been able to witness the love, strength, and commitment of motherhood applied to growing businesses, partnerships, and dreams. I mean it when I say female entrepreneurs take motherhood to a whole new level, and here’s why.
We never turn down an opportunity to conceptualize a new initiative.
As mothers, we have experienced the joy and pride that comes with giving life to something. When applied to entrepreneurship, this often translates into the joy and pride of conceptualizing new ideas and bringing them to the world. I know in my own professional life, when given the opportunity to create something – a brand, an initiative, a solution, an income – for me or anyone else, I seize the opportunity to bring these to life.
We do everything in our power to see our initiatives thrive.
Beyond simply giving life to something, female entrepreneurs have an inherent desire to nurture. Applied to entrepreneurship, this means seeing the ideas you brought to life also be given every opportunity to thrive. When I work on a project, the last thing I want is for it to stifled, hidden from the world, or left incomplete. In fact, I have a really hard time letting a project go in the instance that a client wants to go a different direction with an idea, or has put it on the back burner for the time being. I love when the work I do is complete and to my satisfaction, wrapped up with shiny bow.
We are poised for the long hours and thankless work.
This quality is so valuable for motherhood and entrepreneurship because long hours, late nights, early mornings, thankless work, and doing a lot of things you don’t really want to do some days comes with the territory of both. So for female entrepreneurs who also happen to be mothers, we know how to respond to high demands and never-ending task lists. Moreover, we realize that words of thanks and a pat on the back may not come, at least right away. But down the road, when you can look back at all you have created and the way you’ve impacted the world, it will more than make up for the investment of your time and energy.
We are fiercely strong when protecting and defending our ideas.
The term “momma bear” is popular for a reason, and mother entrepreneurs are the Grizzly of all mama bears. In our personal lives we protect, defend, and care our children and then we turn around in our professional life to do the same for our businesses. You could say that this momma bear is always on her hind legs ready to protect what I’ve worked hard to create, whether that’s at home or in the office. Also, mother entrepreneurs are very experienced with laying down the law. All in the same day we can go from breaking up a sibling spat to delivering hard news to a client. I’m pretty much always telling someone “Because I said so.” just in very different ways.
We are immensely proud of the fruits of our labor.
And finally, both entrepreneurship and motherhood provide so many opportunity to feel proud of your work. It’s not that you can only feel proud of your work if you fall into these two categories, but now having experienced motherhood and the pride of my children, I will say there is whole new level of pride when it’s connected to bringing something to life. I know that I tend to become very personally connected to my work and when I see it out there in the world, whether up on a website, in the news, or on television, I cannot help but beam with pride at the ideas and initiatives that are being showcased to the world.
If you are a female entrepreneur, or are fortunate enough to know one, I would love to hear your testimony as to how female entrepreneurs take motherhood to a whole new level with their work ethics and client services.
Join in the conversation by leaving a comment below.
