Nicki Gluckman – NIXIN Jewelry
I think the hardest thing for me about being a mom and a small business owner is feeling like I’m giving “enough” of myself to any one thing I do. Do my clients get enough of my attention? Does my business get enough
What I’ve come to realize is that I will never feel like it’s enough.
There’s always more that can be done at work, and I’d always love to spend more time with my family, given the chance. So it’s critical to shift my perspective, so that I set myself up for success, rather than feeling like I’m coming up short in any of these
What I’ve learned to do, is examine my concerns, and consider the other person’s point of view. When it comes to my clients, I really do spend an extraordinary amount of time servicing their needs and wants. While I sometimes worry if it’s enough, I feel fairly confident that if you asked any random selection of them, they’d report that they feel they get my undivided attention. I think that’s pretty exceptional; especially from a 1 woman operation with two toddlers.
Any small business will always have an evolving set of needs. The work is never done. So I’ve worked hard to prioritize what has to happen today, and get to the rest as time allows. Sometimes you just have to shut it off for a while to give yourself a little break.
As for my family, that’s the hardest balance of all. I try to minimize my weekend workload to maximize my focus on
At the end of the day, we mom’s are stretched in so many directions, I think we often feel we’ve fallen short of giving our best to any one task. But it’s so important to remember that sharing even just a piece of an incredible mom or businesswoman with our families or clients, may be a generous gift worth more than we realize. Accepting that whatever you have to give IS enough, is both a challenge and a great blessing. I continue to work on this balance, daily.
With love to all you working moms,
Nicki
Kristina Jacobs – Charlie and Marcelle
Being a mama is everything to me. It’s all I’ve known for a very long time. I became a mom at 16 and lost my own mom at 17. I had to learn how to become a mom without the guidance and support of my own mom at such a young age. It was extremely difficult but it also shaped me in every way. Becoming a mom and losing a mom has taught me the value of time. Our time on this earth is limited. We have to embrace each second with our loved ones and live our lives to the fullest potential. It was extremely important for me to live out my dreams. I do it for my mom. I promised her I would live the life she wasn’t able to. I also do it for my sons. I want them to follow their dreams and realize it’s possible. A mother’s love is undying. I never feel without my mom’s love. If anything I feel closer to her now then I ever have and I hope my boys feel that with me.
Sanne Bogers – Hoogenboom & Bogers
I am so lucky to have a wonderful and understanding colleague, Heleen. We have been running our small fine jewelry company together for the last 7 years. She knows my two sons, 9 and 11 years old, always comes first when they need me. I work full time, more if you count the hours you spend in the evening checking mail, social media and keeping the website up to date. After taking the kids to school I go to our studio and shop. You can see us behind our benches, working on our jewelry during the day. My husband and I always plan who picks up the kids and who makes dinner.
We have a lot of help from my parents who live next door. Otherwise, I would not know how I would run our business and be a wife & mother. There always is a kind of worry, do I spend enough time with my kids? But I think doing what I do also makes me a better mother. My work is where I can be me, where I get my energy from. The energy I need when I am at home with the kids.