Mama Feature ▴ Shelley Easter

Shelley Easter is a momma to 6-year-old twins! She is a Shopify website designer specializing in e-commerce businesses that sell lifestyle products. She has been a web designer for over 10 years now and began focusing on e-commerce in the last couple of years. It's a niche that she loves! With e-commerce, clients can see real tangible results with sales increases and that's so exciting for her as a designer. Check out her work at Launch Party!

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received about starting, owning, and/or thriving as a small business owner?

"Your business can't grow if you don't grow." I'm not sure where I picked that up, but it's something I've noticed over the last few years. For me, owning a business has been a massive experiment in personal growth. 

I went from being the girl who had panic attacks over my college speech class to saying yes to any speaking opportunity that came my way -- including a 45 min in-person presentation! From feeling anxiety when anyone asked me "what do you do?" to practicing my elevator speech over and over again.

From charging $400 for my first website to over $10k today. It's all been such a lesson in growing as a person and becoming more confident and comfortable with myself.

How do you blend motherhood and building a business?

When I was pregnant with my twins, I had a client tell me that I wouldn't still work after they were born. She was confident I'd have no interest anymore. That couldn't have been further from the truth. True, when they were born I was in a complete fog of breastfeeding and not sleeping for months (and months and months), but I felt a desire to get back to work. I started slowly and with the help of my Mom, had a few hours a few days a week that I dedicated to client projects. Over time, it gradually increased.

I didn't truly step into the world as a business owner until my children were 2. That was when I went to my first conference and really "owned" being a business owner. I felt such a pull to make a difference. I was really motivated to show my children that I could make my own way and head a successful business. I'm always proud to share with them when I get new clients and other wins.

What has surprised you most about motherhood?

Gosh, probably everything. I became a mom at 26 and was absolutely bewildered when I found out I was having twins -- it was a complete shock. I had no idea what to expect and felt so, so overwhelmed by it. I dove into reading every twin book I could find, joined an expecting twins Facebook group and tried to find as much support as possible.

A lot of the well-meaning comments people say to expectant mothers, like "say goodbye to ever sleeping again" or "everything will change!" scared me. And when people found out I was having twins, it was especially ramped up. I really took those comments to heart. 

So after I had them, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my life wasn't a total nightmare. There was so much joy. And as simple as it sounds, I was still me. Yes, those early years were very challenging at times, but we rose to the occasion.

What's your morning routine?

My kids are in elementary school now and we wake up at 7am. I'm still a night owl and it's difficult every day to get out of bed at that time. I wake up to Alexa playing a song that my kids chose - they take turns weekly picking out our morning song.

Alexa Routines are the MVP for our mornings. She tells us when to get up, when to start eating breakfast, when we to stop eating breakfast, when to brush our teeth (and she plays the toothbrushing podcast Chompers for them), when to put on our shoes and when to walk out the door! Since I set up those routines, I no longer have to keep track of the time in the mornings and the kids (mostly) listen to her directions. It's a gamechanger.

After the kids hop on the bus I head to the gym. I love a morning workout so that I can start the day feeling good. After I get home I set up shop and start my work day with a homemade matcha latte.

How do you define balance?

I'm not sure that I think too much about balance per say, but I spend a lot of time thinking about how I want to live my life. Essentially, I want to live my life enjoying my time with my family, making time for my own hobbies and friends and building a business that lights me up. I have loose monthly goals that help keep me in line.

I go to ballet and Trader Joe's every week, which takes up almost the whole time my kids are at school. I'm good with that. It's my favorite day of the week. My husband and I have date nights about once a month. I try to meet a friend for lunch once a month -- and that's something I want to do a bit more of. 

When my kids get home from school, I'm almost always done with work. I like having hard stop-times, but if I'm really in the groove or want to get ahead of something, I don't beat myself up for working a little extra.

The nights and weekends are filled with family time. We get to eat breakfast and dinner together as a family every day and I'm so grateful for that.

When life gets crazy and balance is not possible, what core values do you hold on to?

When my work is taking up extra time, or I'm traveling for work, I generally don't feel guilt around that. I think it's good for my kids to see that work is important to me and I talk to them about why I have my own business. I never put my work ahead of them and will always make time to spend with them every day. Family comes first.

3 Pearls of wisdom you can share about motherhood, business or blending it together?

1. Naps are a very good use of time.

2. We can do hard things.

3. Motherhood and business ownership mixes just fine.

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Be sure to follow Shelley on Instagram to keep up with her biz happenings and mama moments!

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Mama Feature ▴ Katie Wussow

Katie Wussow is a mama to two sweet little girls - ages 5 and 7! She runs a successful consulting business that focuses on providing creative women with the tools and mindset they need to grow their business in a meaningful way. Katie has a great perspective on combining motherhood with entrepreneurship - she believes that each season will bring new things. It is okay to adapt and change as life goes on! Read more about Katie in our Mama Feature below!

Tell me a little about your business

I'm a business consultant that helps creative women confidently lead growing businesses. I help put solid business plans and goals in place through my one-on-one coaching program, the Thrive Program.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received about starting, owning, and/or thriving as a small business owner?

Big things take time. It's so important to stay consistent and not get discouraged when things take longer than you think.

How do you blend motherhood and building a business?

There are so many answers to this question, but I try to take things one season at a time. Kids, business, and life are always changing, and something that worked last year may not work this year. My business looks totally different now than it did when I had two kids under two. I imagine it will keep looking different as our kids get older and the needs of our family and my business continue to change.

What has surprised you most about motherhood?

I'm constantly so surprised watching my kids grow up! They are so funny, capable, smart, and independent. It's such a joy watching them grow.

What's your morning routine?

I try to get up before my kids every day, even on the weekends. It really helps me feel like I'm starting the day on my own terms and not immediately jumping into "mom-mode." On weekdays, I get up at 6:00, make a cup of coffee, and sit on my couch and read the bible and pray for about 45 minutes. Then I get myself ready (not a glamorous process) and start making breakfast and lunches for the family. The kids get up around 7:30 and we are off to the races!

How do you define balance?

For me, balance is about making sure that everything I'm doing, whether in life or business, has an intention behind it. I need to know why I'm doing the things I'm doing, or I need to stop doing them. As a working mom and wife I don't have time to waste with things that aren't important or meaningful.

Balance also means that my life doesn't revolve around my kids, but also their lives don't revolve around me. If I'm the only one making sacrifices, then that's a problem. But, if they are always the ones sacrificing for me, that's a problem, too.

When life gets crazy and balance is not possible, what core values do you hold on to?

I try to stay faithful in every season. If things are crazy and I don't feel like I'm able to "balance" things the way I want, if I can still say I'm being faithful, then that should be enough. And lots and lots of grace.

If you could take a look at the future, what do you see for not only yourself personally, but also for your business?

The big picture behind my business is to help women become confident leaders. Right now, I mainly do this through my consulting program, the Thrive Program. But, I am (slowly) working on a more comprehensive suite of resources and services to help women lead growing businesses. I have a lot of work to do!

3 Pearls of wisdom you can share about motherhood, business or blending it together?

I wrote a blog post about this! (Check it out here!)

Some high points are:

1) take care of yourself. the life of a working mom requires a lot of energy, and you won't have that energy if you don't pursue healthy habits. (I'm NOT saying that you need to get in the gym 5 days a week when you have a newborn. Keep things realistic and doable.)

2) embrace different seasons. Like I said before, different seasons in your life and business will feel different and require different approaches. Embrace this!

and 3) get some perspective. God willing, we all have 40-50 years to work. Our time with our kids at home will be much shorter. Don't panic if you feel you need to step back from work for a season to enjoy motherhood. You have plenty of years left to do what you love.

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Be sure to follow Katie on Instagram to keep up
with her biz happenings and mama moments!

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Mama Feature ▴ Kim Wensel

I am so excited to introduce a brand new blog series to my website - Mama Features. This section of my blog content is focused on sharing the stories and life advice from fellow mama biz owners. For this first feature, we are chatting with Kim Wensel. Kim is the CEO of Pattern of Purpose. Her business focuses on brand strategy, copywriting and customer research for other entrepreneurs. Not only does Kim kick ass at work, she is a mama to two little ones. Read more about her story below!

Tell me a little about your business

I'm a brand strategist and storyteller for entrepreneurs and locally-owned small business who want to attract more clients online. I help them understand what really sets their business apart and create messaging that transforms website lurkers into paying customers.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received about starting, owning, and/or thriving as a small business owner?

There's no such thing as paying your dues in entrepreneurship. You get to run your business the way you want to NOW! You don't have to wait until you've left your day job or until you make your first hire. You should always be operating your business in a way that feels good -- from the services you offer to the type of marketing that you pursue. The positive energy you get from doing things in a way that feels good is going to flow into everything else, especially how clients feel about working with you.

How do you blend motherhood and building a business?

The first, and perhaps most important thing for me, has been paying for reliable daycare and preschool. Waking up each day knowing my kids will be cared for, will learn, and will be challenged is something I am so grateful for. It has allowed me to focus on my work in a way I couldn't do any other way. I also am at peace with sometimes working in the evenings or weekends, so long as that doesn't become the norm or expectation. When I do that I also make sure my husband takes time in the week for himself.

It's really easy to let your relationship slide down the list of priorities when you're juggling business and babies, so we've made a pact recently to schedule regular date nights and designate shows we watch together, so we're investing in our marriage as much as we invest in our careers and kids.

What has surprised you most about motherhood?

I'm really good at work. I've found that's because I can control most outcomes if I just dedicate more time or work harder. With motherhood, that's not necessarily the case. There are so many things out of your control and allowing yourself to let go of some of your expectations is going to mean the difference between enjoying the ride and stressing out over the same thing day in and day out. Patience, grace, and humility are all things my kids have taught me, especially as they've stopped me in my tracks reflecting the things I say and do!

What's your morning routine?

Becoming a mom has turned me into a morning person, not by choice! Our day typically begins around 6:00am and the kids are out the door by 7:30. I'm most productive before 10:00am, so I front load my writing tasks while drinking my daily two cups of coffee - black. I rarely schedule meetings before then, which means I can fully focus on getting the most important thing on my to-do list done before the day takes over.

How do you define balance?

I don't think about balance so much in the grand scheme of things, but rather in the course of days and weeks. If I want to get something done I put it in my calendar. And when I'm planning I *try* to keep those things during the time my kids are at school. It's not perfect but it helps me see, at a glance, where I'm prioritizing my time and how I might need to adjust once the evening or weekend rolls around. 

When life gets crazy and balance is not possible, what core values do you hold on to?

This question is tough! Morning time, meal times, and bedtimes are devoted to family. No matter what I have going on, we spend that time together, which I think gives my kids comfort knowing I'm physically and mentally present even when we may have a thousand things going on. 

If you could take a look at the future, what do you see for not only yourself personally, but also for your business?

I value personal connection and travel in my personal life and hope I can lean into these as much as possible with my business. I like to work closely with my clients, which has mostly been done through screen time in my business so far. I'd love to work with more businesses in person through deep engagements.

I see myself in five or ten years bringing my daughter along with me on these business trips, heightening her appreciation for our beautiful world and instilling a sense of confidence to pursue her career ambitions, no matter what they may be.

3 Pearls of wisdom you can share about motherhood, business or blending it together?

1. Appreciate the things about where you are in business right now while still holding space for where you want to be in the future.

2. You can plan for almost everything if you plan ahead.

3. It doesn't have to be hard for you in order for it to be valuable to someone else.

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Be sure to follow Kim on Instagram to keep up
with her biz happenings and mama moments!

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