Image by Rebecca Hicks Photography

I started my business right after having my first child. Call me crazy, but I needed to.

Not for the money, but for myself. I needed to because I wanted an outlet. I needed something for me. 

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being a mom. It’s not like I wanted an escape. I just wanted something to work for and toward outside of the home. 

I love being productive and I love to have projects. And I’m not trying to say that being a stay-at-home mom doesn’t come with a ton of things to do. It does and it’s HARD. But photography was something that I enjoyed and had been interested in for a very long time, and for some reason, I felt like the time to start was 4 months after having a baby once I quit my full-time desk job. 

As a momma with a one-year-old business and a one-year-old baby, I want to encourage you other mommas out there who may already have a business or are thinking about starting one. 

First of all, I want to say GO FOR IT! If you’re debating on whether to chase your dreams or not, just do it! Having a baby does not mean you are out of the game. It comes with more responsibility and you have to be way more strategic, but it is so worth it. 

If you already have a business and you’re thinking about having a baby or you’re pregnant, I want to let you know that YOU CAN DO IT! I truly believe that one day our kids will appreciate that we chased our dreams. They’ll thank us for showing them what it looks like to work and have a successful business while also loving and taking care of them. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. 

And if you’re where I am today and are trying to balance running a business and taking care of a little one (or ones), I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL! It’s hard. It takes a lot of help and some things have to be put on the back burner, but that’s ok. Keep going. Keep pushing. 

Support is key.

This week on my email list I’ll be sharing 5 tips for working at home with a baby. You can sign up here to get that and to receive some weekly encouragement. I would love to help you out in any way possible- whether it’s answering questions about work life balance (does anyone really have this figured out??) or about your business. I want to support you and be your encourager. I’m so thankful for those who have helped me and encouraged me along the way. If it wasn’t for them, my business would look totally different today.

In the meantime, keep chasing your dreams and loving on your babies. You can have the best of both worlds.