My biggest “why” when I decided to quit my job of 16 years and form my own company, was my family.

Since my first baby was born 26 years ago, my kids had been in some kind of daycare. Some really good ones where they were adored, to the babysitter who broke my toddler’s leg and let him suffer all day until I got home 9 hours later, claiming she knew nothing about why he wouldn’t walk.

It broke me.

Dropping them off in the pre-dawn hours to commute for 45-minutes, work an 8-10 hour shift, commute back 45-minutes, and pick them up at o-dark-thirty, sucked the life right out of me.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED my job. Like, really, really loved my job. I loved my friends and co-workers. I built some of the best friendships I’ve ever had by working outside the home. I was paid well, I learned a ton, and I experienced a lot. It’s a tricky balancing act of difficult choices when you’re a parent (and you’re riding a bike while on fire with one hand tied behind your back).
Some bosses really supported me being a mom. One boss even let me work from home part-time for a while (I got 10x more done from home, btw).
Others passed me over for raises, promotions, and told me I needed to decide if I was a mom or an employee (well, I decided).
I pumped on the floor of a friend’s office because there were no facilities for breastfeeding moms (that was after he found out I was pumping in the community bathroom, standing up and holding my equipment with one arm).
Doctor’s visits, dentist appointments, school performances, etc., all meant a full vacation or sick day because it was too far to go for just an hour (and that’s if you even get paid leave).
It was so worth it, though, because I got a day at home with them.
The list of regrets was long for me.
Moms know. Dads know.
We do it all the time just to help support the family.

AND THE GUILT!!! UGH!

Mom guilt is real, y’all, and my working-mom-guilt was a gut punch daily.
I knew exactly what I was missing out on!

I’d consider my former job one of the very best I ever had, far better than 95% out there. It broke my heart to leave, but I knew it was the right thing to do because I knew what I wanted to create.

Fast forward 4 years (5 if you count the year I did both)… and I’m building my village. I’m surrounding myself with the people I love, and finding more of those people everyday.

One of my biggest goals with owning a small business was to create and build the culture I never had as a working mom. It isn’t always feasible for companies to do, but it would be for mine.

Our team members bring their kids with them. We all set our own hours, so we can make a family schedule work. We work from home when we need to. We eat together, we celebrate things together, we cover for each other, we communicate, we learn together, and we give a little Grace to each other.

You’ve done that for us.

You’ve bought extracurricular activities, lessons, birthday party gifts, clothing, food, house payments…the list goes on and on.
You’ve created moments and made memories.
You’ve become what I wanted to be all along–community drivers.
You’re fostering a culture where family comes first, and being a parent is an honor and a privilege.
The bigger we get, the more families we support.

Just wanted you to know what you’re purchasing with your items. Just wanted to say thanks.
Thanks for the purchase.
Thanks for the support.
Thanks for sharing and recommending.
Thanks for commenting and liking.
But most of all, thanks for letting me be a mom.

I’ll take a Village over an empire any day.