After more than three years of living in a pandemic, this May, the World Health Organization officially declared an end to the Covid-19 emergency, closing the book on a tumultuous, dark period in history. It's still unclear what the full, long-term effects of the global health crisis will be, but thanks to a recent survey by Shopify, we do know that one of its major impacts so far is a rising inclination toward entrepreneurship among women with children.
One in six moms are now interested in starting a business (and 60 percent of women with children are exploring entrepreneurship of some kind), according to the report. In 2021, 49 percent of new business owners were women, up from 29 percent before the pandemic, according to survey data from Gusto (though it didn't indicate what fraction of them were also parents). The software company notes that the surge in entrepreneurship is directly correlated to pandemic-induced disruptions.
It's no secret that women in the workforce—especially those with children—were significantly (and disproportionately) impacted by the pandemic. Over 2.3 million women left the U.S. labor force between February 2020 and February 2021, as documented by the National Women’s Law Center. Additionally, one in three mothers considered downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce entirely due to Covid-19, with many pointing to childcare responsibilities as the primary reason, according to a 2020 report from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company. The results are staggering, yet not surprising. With widespread school and daycare closures, as well as social distancing ruling out the option for caretakers, working parents were forced to juggle jobs, childcare, and, in many cases, homeschooling at various points over the past few years.
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and while it’s unclear exactly what's behind the growing interest in entrepreneurship among women with children, needing to figure out a way to earn a living while full-time parenting—plus a desire for greater flexibility and control than corporate America offers—may have something to do it with.
Furthermore, Heidi K. Gardner, PhD, former professor at Harvard Business School, points to a number of factors that could also be driving this interest in self-employment among mothers, including more opportunities for women in male-dominated fields like tech and healthcare, a shift in priorities resulting from the pandemic, and new digital tools, such as Canva and social media, that not only provide free design and marketing services, but also reduce the barriers to selling a product or service.
“What is particularly significant is that you don’t need to leave home to use them,” says Gardner, author of Smarter Collaboration, A New Approach to Breaking Down Barriers and Transforming Work. She also notes the sheer access to potential customers all over the world through the internet as another element making entrepreneurship a more viable option in general. “It’s easier now to have a bigger impact with what you're doing. It's certainly giving the opportunity for stay-at-home parents to have professional roles and identities.”
While there have certainly always been moms who've owned businesses, there has never been a time in history where entrepreneurship was as accessible, according to Gardner. “The digital capabilities that exist today are unprecedented,” she says.
The most recent data shows that 42 percent of all U.S. businesses are owned by women, and generate approximately $1.8 trillion per year in revenue, according to the 2019 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report commissioned by American Express. Undoubtedly, this number has changed significantly since the days of the pandemic, and the Shopify survey certainly speaks to that.
“It will be interesting to see how this trend plays out,” says Gardner. We already have an idea of what a world with more mompreneurs in it will look like, thanks to the number of mothers who have launched businesses in the past three years.
Below, three female entrepreneurs and moms who started or scaled their businesses during the pandemic share the realities of running a business in this post-pandemic era, the tools they use to streamline their daily lives, and their wellness routines to stay grounded.
1. Babba Rivera
The New York-based founder and CEO of Ceremonia—now the first Latina-owned hair care brand carried at Sephora—launched her sustainably focused company at the height of the pandemic while pregnant with her first child. Since then, the Forbes 30 under 30 alum has become a mother of two, raised $10 million in a Series A funding round, and debuted the brand’s first fragrance this May.
Create & Cultivate: Take us through your experience launching a business—while pregnant—in 2020?
Babba Rivera: If I were ever to pick a time in life, I wouldn’t have intentionally picked a global pandemic. I was running a brand agency at the time [bybabba] and trying to fundraise for Ceremonia. It was going well until the world collapsed and suddenly a lot of people who confirmed their pre-seed investments were starting to subtract and hold their cash. I was sitting there with two challenging companies, a big belly, and a global pandemic. It forced me to decide where I wanted to put my energy because I couldn’t sustain both. Ultimately, Ceremonia is where my heart was and I made the difficult decision to fold the agency.
CC: How did these early hurdles affect your approach with Ceremonia?
BR: It forced me to do a lot of research and get super clear around product and brand positioning. The beauty space is really crowded, so we had to think: How were we going to be different? When you are pitching, it’s all in the potential. I had to be much more rigid around who we are going to be in this crowded space, so we really had to foolproof our business model.
CC: How did you adjust work-wise when your first baby arrived?
BR: I was so deep in the weeds with Ceremonia when my first baby arrived that I had to set up a structure from the get-go. In the early days, I was working from home, and that was a huge contributing factor in being able to do what I do. I was able to breastfeed my baby and launch and build a business, so I’m really grateful for that sort of shift in the workforce. I had a night nurse which helped me prioritize my sleep. I could be alert and ready to go during the day.
CC: Lessons you’ve learned from motherhood that have impacted your business?
BR: I work with a lot of moms now in my company—mothers just have this super power of getting things done and cutting through the bullshit. We know that time is of the essence, so there’s very little ambiguity. On the flip side, what I bring from work to motherhood is a lot of the system thinking—trying to be more proactive with anticipating “problems” before they become problems and also bringing the communication skills.
CC: What makes entrepreneurship more achievable for moms today?
BR: Working from home can drive a lot of productivity so there is a lot of flexibility on that from investors. We’re seeing a lot of cool moms starting really cool things, and seeing them get funding—it’s always easier when there is someone else to point to that has a similar story. Mothers are also some of the biggest spenders online, so we know the consumer better than anyone else. There’s a lot of reasons why moms should enter the space of entrepreneurship.
CC: Tools to streamline your workflow?
BR: I put everything in my calendar—my husband and I even have a shared calendar. I also try to separate internal vs. external communication. Internal team communication happens on Slack and my email is more external, so then I know to prioritize Slack when I’m in a time crunch.
CC: Advice for other aspiring mompreneurs?
BR: The reality is that a business does not get built in the little pockets of nap time. It doesn’t happen just when you feel super inspired, and when the kids are perfectly aligned and happy and smiley. You have to carve out the space consistently.
CC: Self-care or wellness routines that help you stay grounded?
BR: Pilates and yoga—I feel like it keeps me sane. At night, I listen to peaceful piano music, apply our Aceite de Moska scalp oil, and give myself a little scalp massage. Sometimes I put on a face mask. It’s just that intentional moment of pausing and doing something for me before going to bed.
2. Nyakio Grieco
The serial entrepreneur and mother of two founded Nyakio Beauty in 2002 (which was acquired by Unilever) and has since gone on to launch Thirteen Lune (an e-commerce platform supporting Black- and-Brown-owned beauty brands) in 2020—it just opened its first brick-and-mortar in Los Angeles and is set to expand its beauty offerings into 600 JC Penny locations—and Relevant: Your Skin Seen (an inclusive skin-care brand that debuted in 2022).
CC: With three businesses under your belt, how has becoming a founder and a parent not only been achievable, but sustainable?
Nyakio Grieco: As a working mom, I understood the importance of representing and serving a diverse community. I recognized an unmet need in the beauty industry and knew the potential I had to create a solution. I felt empowered to take on the challenges. Also, the sheer joy of seeing my children be proud of what I’ve accomplished and see a roadmap of what they can achieve for themselves—that makes motherhood and entrepreneurship feel entirely sustainable. I think it's important to have a growth mindset, a supportive network, and a clear vision of what you want to achieve.
CC: What has motherhood taught you about business and vice versa?
NG: Being a mother, I've had to learn to be patient and flexible and to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. In business, I've applied these same skills to stay nimble and adjust my strategy when necessary, especially in response to unexpected challenges. Entrepreneurship taught me the value of perseverance and resilience. There have been many times when things haven't gone according to plan or when I've faced setbacks or obstacles, but I've learned to keep pushing forward and stay focused on my goals. This mindset has definitely influenced my motherhood journey.
CC: Biggest challenges for aspiring entrepreneurs today?
NG: These are really frenetic times and so much is unknown. Most industries are in a cycle of change. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is always capital. Marketing, retail, production, staff—it all takes capital. With my first brand Nyakio Beauty, I had to essentially "re-launch" the brand multiple times. I had to redirect, find new partners, sometimes shut down a project and take a step back before moving forward again. I even had to support myself and the business by creating other avenues for revenue. I would work two to three jobs sometimes, doing whatever I could do to bring my vision to life. There were always friends and family supporting me though, and I think the community of support has only grown in the past years, and there’s people to support new entrepreneurs as they learn.
CC: Best tools for mothers looking to start a business?
NG: A community is one of the best tools and support you can have for your business. My friends and family have shown me a lot of encouragement and because of that community, I’ve been empowered to navigate every step and continue moving forward. It gave me a place to fall back on and try again.
CC: Self-care or wellness routines that help you stay grounded?
NG: I really love meditation and clearing my space. I use sage and palo santo, and will use my crystals to really set the vibe. It’s important to go easy on yourself and find power in saying no.
CC: Any women who inspired you that made you feel it was possible to do both?
NG: My grandmother was a huge inspiration to me. She was a coffee farmer in Kenya and taught me how to make an organic coffee scrub from scratch. My mom was always practicing the same sort of rituals that she grew up with. She has and always will be my mentor.
3. Karen Young
The Brooklyn-based founder and CEO initially launched her company (formerly known as Oui Shave) in 2017 with a safety razor and $1,500 in her pocket. During the pandemic, she not only rebranded to Oui the People and introduced a body care line, but she also became a mother. Last year, Young became one of under 100 Black women to raise more than $1 million in venture funding.
CC: How did you muster the courage to expand in 2020, and have the tenacity to maintain it?
Karen Young: With regards to the courage, a lot of running a business is market conditions. There’s obviously all the internal things such as planning, strategy, and getting the right people in place, but a good amount of it does entail luck and market conditions. A lot of direct-to-consumer businesses in 2020 really experienced tailwinds of everyone shopping in droves online. Second, we were obviously selling a razor when most people couldn’t go out and get their typical hair removal services. Third part was a focus on businesses owned by people of color. All of these things really came together and gave us quite a bit of tailwinds to introduce and expand upon body care. It had been on our roadmap for such a long time.
CC: How has motherhood influenced your career journey?
KY: Time is different now. I am laser-focused on the things that move the needle, finding the right team to support me in the journey, and the growth and trajectory of the business. I used to obsess over the business 24/7 (it’s always your first baby, right?). Now, I try to protect my time. I find that when I am really engaged with my son on the weekends and then get up on Monday morning, the ideas are flowing a little bit more and that’s because when you’re just fixated on it, you actually can’t see above and beyond. You can’t rise up and kind of see what’s happening.
CC: What does your entrepreneurial journey mean for you as a mother?
KY: There are very rigid parameters that have been set on women that say we cannot be loving, kind, available moms and partners, while also building really powerful, successful businesses. I think my son will come to adulthood and to a world where he will bring his own perception of what women are capable of. [Growing up with a loving mom who runs a business] will be the foundation of that perception. I think of every mom I know who is kicking ass and doing exactly that type of thing. It means that we’re going to bring more people—men, women, and all gender identities, to this idea that the old [ways] are just that—they’re old. This is what it can look like.
CC: What factors are likely influencing a rising interest in entrepreneurship among moms today?
KY: I think about the weight that was put on parents to figure out both childcare and working over the past few years—and we know that there’s always going to be a little bit more weight placed on women. I think that’s probably a push back against that experience and maybe a desire for more autonomy. We also know that when women launch ventures, they are largely successful and maybe, in part, we have to balance quite a bit more and that includes how we use our time and the people who we put around us to help us succeed. I think those are sort of the tailwinds behind this particular movement.
CC: Best tools for mothers looking to start a business?
KY: I am still very much a note taker. I just have to lay it all out. I use the notes app on my phone, and I create a bullet point checklist and knock things off as I go. You just have to understand how your mind works and lean into that.
CC: Self-care or wellness routines that help you stay grounded?
KY: What I have leaned into though is heavily prioritizing my sleep. There is nothing in the world that will help you understand how significant sleep is to the general function and excellence of the human body than those first two months to a year postpartum. I try to have a very specific cut-off where I’m thinking about or talking about work. After about 7 or 8 o’clock at night it actually moves into my dreams and my brain thinks there’s still something to solve.
CC: Any women who inspire you or make you feel it's possible to do both?
KY: A very good friend of mine is Eliza Blank, the founder of The Sill. She was one of my first examples of a mom who was also managing a team and growing and scaling a company. I’m really lucky to know a number of these women. There’s a larger conversation here around this ridiculous idea that women can’t get it done and can’t live in these multiple planes of existence at the same time that a man or anyone else could. We can and we can actually do better, and often run circles around other folks because the level of caring for someone, nurturing them, and the emotional labor of consistently carrying another’s experience and success in the world, that is very much like the feeling of running a company. I just think that we have been really undersold in our capabilities.