Member Questions

I've had the opportunity to interview over 800 women business owners over the past 2 years, many (most) of whom are mothers. The desire to be home or at least more available for family is a frequent motivator for women, sited by about 30% as a reason they started their companies.

In our research, we've profiled 5 distinct types of women business owners. It is very clear that some groups are more successful at time management than others, including how to balance motherhood and business ownership. With regard to maximizing time for family, our group called "Merry Jane" is most successful because she tells us she's very happy with her work/life balance. Merry Jane is more likely (not always, but typically) spending less than 40 hours a week in her business and that may be one of the keys to her happiness with her balance. "Accidental Jane" and "Jane Dough" are other groups that are quite happy with the work/life balance they've struck although each does so in a different way. In relation to your specific question, we've found that the "Jane Dough" type is twice 5 times as likely as other female business owners to have a $1MM+ business - but she's still pretty happy with her work/life balance.

Two other groups (Go Jane Go and Tenacity Jane) really have a harder time striking that balance many people desire.

After interviewing so many female entrepreneurs, I think some of the keys to happiness with work/life balance and motherhood are being clear in your priorities (and recognizing that some days have different priorities than others), having good "boundaries" so that you take the time to really consider the implications before saying "yes" to something, being willing to accept that "good is good enough" and "tomorrow is another day," and taking time to care for oneself (emotionally, physically, and spiritually).

If you're curious about the five groups, you can learn more about them at http://www.janeoutofthebox.com/pages/janetype.asp

I never did clarify in my answer how having a nanny increases the time I spend with my kids. I get them up around 7:20 and am with them until about 9:20, and this time is spent mostly having fun (outdoors in the summertime), since I don't have to get them or myself "ready" for anything. Nanny comes at 9am and we transition for about 20 minutes. I drop by to see the girls whenever the mood strikes, and I can pretty much hear what's going on, so I know if anything out-of-the-ordinary is going on. Nanny takes care of most housework while the girls are napping. As for me, I get my shower and such while the nanny is with the kids, so no need to cut into my "kid time" for that. At 5:20, I transition back as Nanny leaves. I am with the kids from 5:30 until their 8:30 bedtime. Then I spend a couple more hours on professional work. So on weekdays, I get about 5 fairly relaxed, exclusive hours with my girls, plus maybe a half hour during the work day, while still getting at least 8 hours to do professional work or community service. If I worked away from home and/or had the kids in traditional day care, I'd lose some of those hours getting to/from our daily destinations.

I do get more time with my kids, but here's how:
1) I hired a nanny. I could not get enough work done each day otherwise. My max is probably about 26 hours per week consistently if I don't have help with the kids - assuming that leaving them in their playpen and ignoring them for long stretches is not an option.
2) To limit my work time and increase my kid time, I have to ensure I have decent stretches of time to focus exclusively on work, even outside of my nanny's hours. This means I do every personal thing possible while my kids are with me - shower, do laundry, cook, clean, shop, call my mom . . . . Some might say that's not "quality time" for my kids, but I don't feel that way. Spending family time doing family stuff is quality time, whether that family stuff is "all about the kids" or not.