Happy Thursday guys! Or should I say – Happy Valentine’s Day! I woke up feeling extra reflective today, who really knows why. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep I’ve gotten these past few weeks (this baby is a mma fighter apparently) or maybe it’s because I’ve been preparing for maternity leave this week and my mind is stacked with task lists and unfinished projects. Regardless, whenever I’ve got the motivation it’s worth writing something down here.
As most of you know, i’m slowly crawling through my 38th week of pregnancy. I’ve had a truly amazing experience so far without any complications or even morning sickness. I know I know, the next one will probably be totally different but I’m enjoying every second I’ve got left with this little guy in my belly. His room is ready, our hospital bags are packed, now all I can do is just wait for him to decide it’s time! The waiting game is hard but at the same time I am thankful for this time that I’ve got to get everything lined up for my business. Which leads me to the topic of this post and my current state of mind.
It’s funny when I think back to 9 months ago, finding out that we were pregnant and all the emotions that go along with a life changing moment like that. I’ll be honest with you guys, I was never the girl who grew up excited to have kids or with that gut feeling that I was destined to be a mama. To some of you that may seem sad but it really never bothered me. I’ve always been super career focused and have had the absolute best time finding my way through adulthood, moving from job to job and building out this incredible resume I am super proud to call my own. When I was 19 I decided that life for me was destined to happen outside my home in Vermont. I packed up a few months later and moved to San Francisco, where I was instantly engulfed in a world of startup business, marketing, fashion, food and the vibrant lifestyle I had always dreamed of.
I worked my way from company to company through internships, part time and full time jobs, partnerships, and community groups. I went to hundreds of mixers, meetups and network events, and eventually decided that the world of marketing is where I was destined to plant roots. Fast forward to 10 years later, I live in South Florida but have continued to build upon my San Francisco foundation and now help small businesses in my own community get on their feet and grow through all the tactics and strategies I’ve learned along the way. Two years ago my siblings and I founded Stuart Social Co. which is a social media based marketing agency, and have been lucky enough to see rapid expansion and incredible support from our South Florida neighbors. We started off with social media and now do everything from website design and development to large scale paid marketing campaigns, event planning, business consulting and more. And we love every single second of the work we do!
So backtrack 9 months and you can imagine the frenzy my mind went on immediately following those two pink lines showing up on the pregnancy stick. How am I going to run this business and raise a baby? Will I need to hire people to help? Am I ready to turn over certain responsibilities that I love so much? My husband (a career chef) works 60 to 80 hours in a given week, how are we going to make that schedule continue to work? Will I need to slow down my career or start turning away new clients? I have 4 rescue animals, do we even have room for a baby? I drank a bottle of rose with my sister last night on the beach, what have I done? LOL the last one is a bit dramatic, but you get the gist.
Turns out, the age old saying we all know and love – I get by with a little help from my friends – is as true now as it ever was. I was able to jump started my maternity leave planning after listen to a phenomenal podcast by my girl Jenna Kutcher on How-to Plan a Maternity Leave (or Vacation) as an Entrepreneur. I have a few fellow marketing mavens jumping on board this month to help me maintain our business and my current client load, not to mention our internal team has all but taken over in the most badass way possible to ensure that I’m as relaxed as possible during this time. And I have to give all of our clients such a huge shoutout as well. Turns out when you work with people who truly appreciate what you do, they end up being as supportive and excited as any family member, and are more than willing to work with you on things like pre-planning campaigns and newsletters to make sure everything still gets done on time.
So that leaves me here. Thursday morning, 7am, full of energy and ready to take on the day as well as the next chapter of my life. Now instead of being worried about what’s to come and how for the first time in my life I can’t plan everything out, I am super excited to see what happens. I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished these past 9 months and I know the next 9 months / years will turn out to be just as rad. Someday I’ll be able to share what a cool journey it was to be a small business owner and entrepreneur with my children and encourage them to follow their dreams just like I have.
On that note, the topic of motherhood and #momboss status is just getting started so make sure you tune in for many more posts on this subject! In the words of G-Eazy #thisgonbemyyear.
