You can do anything if you put your mind to it
Years ago my late mum and I were discussing women’s roles with relation to work. I was saying how much she (mum) challenged social norms and she spoke about the fact that so many women had come before her who would have died to have the opportunities she did, so why wouldn’t she take advantage of them.
She left Ireland and worked in NY and San Fran in the 1960s and refused marriage proposals because she wanted to hitchhike across Europe and see more of the world. While I was growing up, she worked nights as a psychiatric nurse. She went back to uni in her late 40s to train as a social worker before taking up a role at a children’s hospital working as a bereavement counselor for parents of terminally ill children.
Throughout it all she also - together with my dad - raised four children (all of us teenagers at once #NoIdeaHowSheCoped!).
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Being Irish, mum had NUMEROUS nuggets of advice for me, one of which went like this:
You can do absolutely anything if you put your mind to it
Her life was an example of that. My mum was instrumental in shaping me and in showing me what’s possible. That a career doesn’t stop after children, nor after turning 40. Mums can often play down the influence they have on not only their own family, but also on their friends and colleagues who are shown, by their example, what’s possible.
So today, I am thanking my late mum and celebrating all of the small biz owners who are juggling raising a family with business.
Here’s eight mums I’m giving a virtual applause to:
Stacey Burt, founder, Little Company - A busy mum of two, Stacey has not only left her home country of NZ and launched her own business in Australia (twice!), but has also managed to expand and open new locations across the country.
Sinead de Gooyer, co-owner, GP clinic - This lovely lady (aka my sister) is mum to three children (having the youngest when the eldest was just three-and-a-half!), helps her husband run their large dairy farm, works as a country GP, volunteers and sits on numerous boards. She's recently joined forces with three other female GPs to create a welcoming, modern health clinic business in regional VIC.
Lucy Feagins, founder, The Design Files - An incredible mum who leads by example, showing her daughter what's possible when you believe in your own vision.
Kelly Brown, COO & CFO, The Working Party - Together with her husband Cal Wilson, this mum of three runs one of of the most successful full service eCommerce agencies in the world and is one of the most thoughtful women in biz you'll ever meet.
Kate Dinon, founder, Character + Distinction - Working with start-ups and multinational corporates alike, Kate runs one of the top PR & communications agencies in Australia while also being a devoted mum to two little ladies.
Kerryn Moscicki, founder, Radical Yes - Seeing a gap in the market for comfortable yet stylish shoes, mum of two, Kerryn decided to launch her own label six years ago. Despite challenging retail environments and having to compete in a market dominated by faceless brands mass producing product, Kerryn has managed to build a successful business that not only delivers stylish shoes, bags and accessories, but also gives back with Radical Yes regularly donating items to those less fortunate and time to helping the next generation of designers understand retail business.
Tracy Harris, founder, Mums with Hustle - Willing to back herself, this former teacher created an online education hub for mums wanting to start a business - all while on maternity leave with her first son. Just 3.5 years later, she has been able to retire her husband (who now works in the business), amassed a global following of 50K+ mums in business and managed to have another child along the way.
Lally Waldord, founder, Lally Walford Interiors - Initially starting out working in advertising, this Scotland-based mum left the safety and security of a regular 9-5 to follow her dreams of becoming an interior designer. More than two decades later and she's managed to wow clients across hemispheres while also raising a family.
And to the many, many more I know are on this email or have supported me in some way, here’s to you. You’re making - and changing - lives.
Lastly, I know Mother’s Day can be a super hard day for small biz owners who may be struggling to have a baby, who may have lost a pregnancy, who no longer have their mum with them (raising my hand!!) or who don’t love the relationship they have with their family. If this is you, know you're not alone and things will and do, get easier in time.