Six years ago I had just graduated law school and was about to get married. If you would have asked me then where I pictured myself in five years, there’s no way that I would have guessed my current situation. The obvious answer would have been something like “a successful lawyer, married to the man of my dreams, and mommy to the cutest little bambinos!” Flash forward to today, and I would have been pretty spot on. Except of course for the minor detail that I am my own boss. A mom boss if you will. 😉

About Me

For those of you who don’t know me personally, let me take a minute to introduce myself. As previously mentioned, I am married to the man of my dreams and mommy to two of the cutest little rugrats you’ve ever laid your eyes on! As far as a job goes, I am currently juggling more jobs than I could have ever imagined! I’m a wife, mother, lawyer, blogger – and those are just the legitimate ones. Equally important, are my roles as bedtime storyteller, wiper of all tears, birthday party planner, video game player, and the list goes on and on. 😉

The mom jobs required no prior experience or schooling. The lawyer job, on the other hand, required seven years of schooling! Going to law school is no easy task and there were times when I definitely felt like I had bit off more than I could chew. It was both exhausting and expensive! That being said, I now know that it was worth the frustration, the endless hours of studying and all of the missed social events. Why, you ask? Because it’s allowed me the opportunity to be my own boss and have the best of both worlds! 

Before I became a Mom Boss

While pregnant with Noah, I was hired as the Staff Attorney at one of the local Probate Courts. The perks included state health insurance, good vacation/sick time, and great hours (8:45 – 4:45). I was sure I had landed the dream job! And then Noah was born and life as I knew it had changed forever! From the second he was born, I knew there was no way I would want to be away from him. But the reality was that I had no choice but to work. And so when he was 10 weeks old, just as we were really getting to know one another and really getting into our own groove, I returned to work.

Every day I struggled with wanting to be home with my baby. I remember when my mother in law sent me a video of Noah laughing for the first time. Like a big ol’ belly laugh! It was the cutest laugh ever but I wasn’t there to see it in person. Family time during the weekends became invaluable. We cherished every moment we had with Noah. Every snow day we had was another opportunity for us to stay home snuggled up with that little peanut. The more time I spent with Noah, the more I realized that I wasn’t going to be happy until I had more time with my baby boy.

It wasn’t until Noah’s first birthday that I mustered up the courage to ask my boss for a new schedule. My child care situation was changing and because it was the middle of the year, I couldn’t find any daycare with an opening. So I asked for one day off a week to stay home with my boy and they said yes! I was ecstatic! I immediately signed us up for Gymboree classes and museum passes and all kinds of other fun activities! It was wonderful, but it still wasn’t enough!

My desire to be more present with my son ignited a new drive and passion in me. I started dreaming and I wasn’t going to rest until I saw that dream materialize! I approached my husband and told him that I wanted to quit my job and open up my own law firm. I’m pretty sure his first thought was that I must be joking. When he realized that I was serious, he reacted the way anyone in his situation would – he said absolutely not.

In order to understand his reluctance, you have to know a little bit about where we were at in life.  We had just bought a house less than a year earlier and we still owned our condo which was being rented out. Owning rental property is definitely risky, you never know when your tenants will leave! Obviously, we had Noah to think about too. We’d still need some child care for him as I was going to be busy starting my business. How would we afford our lifestyle if we lost my entire income? His hesitation was warranted and to be honest, we wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for him. His concerns and hesitations made me that much more cautious. I made sure to really research and be sure that we were prepared before I jumped ship at my job! In the end, he was super supportive and knew that this was best for our family.

It’s been almost three years since I started the firm and I haven’t looked back. In fact, I convinced my husband to leave his job and join me! It’s now been nine months since he made the switch and I can’t even explain just how huge of an impact this decision has had on our family! {Maybe one day he’ll guest post and tell you himself}

If you’re thinking about taking the leap and leaving your job to become a ‘mom boss,’ here are a few suggestions I leave you with to ponder:

1. Leave your job on good terms – Networking starts with the relationships you already have made. Make sure you give enough notice and work hard til the very end. You want to leave a lasting impression.
2. Save as much as you can – Prepare for the period that is sure to come following your departure from your job. Cut back your expenses while you’re still working so that you can save while you still have an income. It will take some time for your business to hit the ground running.
3. Work from home in the beginning to keep cost down – Try to save on overhead by working from home if you can. I was able to work from home for a year and a half and it helped us tremendously. Not to mention the tax benefits there are to having a home office 😉
4. Only buy the bare essentials – I looked into what I would need to start my firm and came up with a list of the essentials. In my case, they were business cards, an all-in-one printer (printer/scanner/fax), a domain for my website, a PO Box and your basic materials and supplies. It’s important to have a professional presentation so others take you seriously, but you definitely need to stay within your means.
5. Make sure you are 110% motivated and determined – This is probably the most important one. When you become your own boss, there is no one you have to report to. The success of your business depends solely on how motivated you are and how much work you put in. Your pay check also depends on how much business you bring in! You have to have enough discipline to put in the work in order to reap the reward.

Being a ‘mom boss’ has allowed me to plan my work schedule around my children, rather than planning my children’s schedule around work. I know it sounds crazy, but I truly have become a full-time stay-at-home mom and full-time lawyer. It has been a true blessing and I thank God for it every day.

---

If you’re on the hunt for a tribe of Mamas who can encourage you and empower you into making the decision to become your own boss, I would love to have you join the Making a Mama of Both Worlds Facebook Group! We are a group of Mamas who have either been in your shoes before or are currently wearing the same shoes you are! We’d love to have you join in on the conversation and community!

If you enjoyed reading ‘That time I Decided to Become a Mom Boss’, then make sure to check out these great reads:

• • • • Lessons for Mamas Starting a Business
      • How to Ensure Support for Your Dreams
      • How Do I Know it’s Time to Quit My Day Job..