From Corporate Engineer to Mompreneur
For 12 years, I worked as a mechanical engineer in the automotive and defense industries. If you know anything about engineering, you know it’s an overwhelmingly male-dominated field. My experience confirmed it — in college, I was one of maybe ten women in a class of one hundred. In my professional life, it wasn’t much better — sometimes it was just me and 200 men in my department. On a good day, maybe 15% of us were women.
Engineering gave me a lot — an understanding of how the world works, a deep respect for systems and structure, and the ability to impress anyone with my oddly specific knowledge of automatic transmissions. But it didn’t give me flexibility. And as any working mom knows, flexibility is everything.
The Corporate Struggle: When Parenthood and Policies Collide
The biggest challenge I faced as a mom in corporate America wasn’t the workload — it was the lack of flexibility.
In most relationships, there’s a “default parent” — the one who takes the hit when daycare calls, when the school closes early, or when a child wakes up sick at 3 a.m. In the U.S., that parent is still, overwhelmingly, the mother.
I’m lucky — my husband is an incredible dad and an equal partner in parenting. But even in our 50/50 household, there were plenty of times when my daughter was sick, my husband was out of town, and it all fell on me.
I’ll never forget one specific week when my daughter was just 18 months old. She came down with a cold, and like any parent knows, that means no daycare. My nanny at the time couldn’t help because she worked weekends with an immune-compromised family member. My little one was too young to sit in front of a TV while I worked from home, so I had no choice but to take time off.
At that company, I only had 10 days of paid time off a year. No sick leave. No personal days. No flexibility. I was expected to be in front of my computer for 8–10 hours, and if I couldn’t, I could “make it up” in the middle of the night.
When I asked my manager if there was any other option, his response was:
“Yeah, that’s a hard situation.”
That moment stuck with me. Not because of the lack of compassion — but because it made it clear: the system wasn’t built for mothers.
The Breaking Point
I tried everything — part-time work, job shares, adjusted hours — but corporate policy wasn’t built to accommodate parents unless you qualified for FMLA (which is for long-term family illness, not your toddler’s weekly daycare colds).
So I did what so many women dream of but are terrified to try:
I left.
It wasn’t an easy decision. Entrepreneurship isn’t the easy way out — but it was the only path that offered me what I needed most: freedom and flexibility.
The Entrepreneur’s Reality: Freedom, Not Free Time
There’s a saying among entrepreneurs:
“We leave the 9-to-5 to work 24/7.”
It’s true. Owning a small business doesn’t mean you work less — it means you take full responsibility. If your employee calls in sick, you step in. If your internet goes down, you troubleshoot. If there’s a client emergency, you’re the one they call.
But here’s the difference: you get to build the systems that protect your time and your sanity.
At my business, I’ve created layers of backup — from extra staffing to redundant internet systems and fully staged day offices ready for use. These systems mean that 98% of the time, things run smoothly without me having to sacrifice time with my family.
And when I do need to be there — I can be. Because it’s my choice.
The Freedom That Comes with Flexibility
Being a mompreneur gives me the kind of flexibility I always dreamed of. I can:
- Drop my kids off at school and still make my morning meetings
- Take a half-day to spend time with my little ones and work during nap time
- Run errands in the middle of the day without guilt or permission
- Scale my workload up or down based on what my family needs
I work just as hard (honestly, probably harder) than I did in my corporate job, but now I’m in control of how and when I work. And that freedom makes me a better business owner and a better mom.
Modeling a New Kind of Success
One of the most fulfilling parts of entrepreneurship is what my children see in me.
I’m showing them that it’s okay to change your mind, even a decade into your career. That it’s okay to try something new, to fail, to start again.
I’m showing my daughter — and my sons — that success isn’t about staying comfortable. It’s about taking risks, following your passion, and designing a life that aligns with your values.
Too many people spend their lives in jobs they hate because they’re afraid, or because they’ve built a lifestyle that doesn’t allow them to take a chance. I want my kids to know they can always choose again.
That it’s okay to be afraid, but it’s even better to try anyway.
To Every Mom Who’s Afraid to Start
If you’re a mom who dreams of starting a business but feels scared — I get it. I’ve been there. It’s a leap into the unknown, but it’s also one of the most empowering decisions you can make.
Starting small doesn’t make your dream smaller. It makes it sustainable. You don’t need all the answers — you just need the courage to take the first step.
You’re not just building a business.
You’re building a life — one where your family and your work can both thrive.
Final Thoughts: Entrepreneurship Made Me a Better Mom
Being a small business owner hasn’t made my life easier — but it’s made it mine. It’s given me the freedom to show up for my family and myself. It’s taught me resilience, problem-solving, and patience on a whole new level.
Most importantly, it’s allowed me to model what courage looks like — for my kids and for myself.
Because at the end of the day, being a mompreneur isn’t about balancing two worlds — it’s about creating one that fits you.