What motherhood taught these shepreneurs about business and family

Sleepless nights, early mornings, weekdays that blur into weekends and back into weekdays. If this sounds familiar, you're either a small business owner, or maybe a mom.

“A mother balances her responsibilities towards caring and nurturing for her children, along with being a professional who doesn’t let the care interfere with the deliverables. She should be celebrated for being a role model for realising her full potential of all facets of an individual,” said RM Vishakha, MD & CEO, IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited.

On Mother’s Day, ET Panache spoke with a few entrepreneur mums to understand how they juggle the two roles and whether motherhood has shaped their persona at the office.


What Motherhood Has Taught Them
“Building a business is similar to raising kids,” says Ghazal Alagh, co-founder of Mamaearth and The Derma Co. and India’s favourite ‘Shark’. “One has to nurture a business like your own baby. The value system we create defines the output in both aspects. Be it giving the right values to kids to ensure they grow up to become good human beings or your business to ensure it grows to be a scalable, profitable, and sustainable business. For me, I have treated each brand that I have launched as my own baby and given it my all. I am a proud Chief Mama.”

“Before I had kids, I was a short-tempered person, which has changed,” says Shilpa Khanna, CEO of women’s wellness, nutrition and beauty brand, Chicnutrix. “After kids, I have learned that both in business and personal life, you need to keep your cool, listen, process, and just don't react immediately. This is something I have learned from my kids and have applied to my work life as well.”

For Rachel Goenka, founder of The Chocolate spoon company, motherhood has taught her to be fully present in every moment, be it at work or with her kids. “There's no point in spending time with your kids if you're taking calls in between or replying to emails. There's no quality time there. You tend to get distracted easily,” she said. “ I've applied the same principle to work as well. I find it makes you a lot more productive when you focus on one thing 100 per cent rather than multiple things at the same time. Multitasking is important but not when it requires you to apply yourself.”

“As a leader, you need to be compassionate, understand what makes your team members unique and accept them for who they are. This is where motherhood has really helped me. As a mother, you learn to accept your kids and understand each one’s individual personality and outlook in life. You learn to bring together different personalities in a household and help them function as a unit l,” says Anika Parashar, founder and CEO, The Woman’s Company, sharing how motherhood has taught her to be a better team leader.

Lessons From Their Own Mom
Good leaders hire the best people and then let them be. That is a lesson, Vishakha says, she learnt from her mother who is “the most enabling and non-interfering person” she has seen. “She will give her opinions and then support any decision that I make, even if it is in contradiction to her opinion,” she said.

Alagh says her mother taught her the importance of planning well in advance. “She says being clear about the output you desire and taking action accordingly helps save a lot of time. Be it for a dinner party at home, or managing home, kids and a husband.”

For Khanna, it was how to advocate for yourself. “Whether my mother was dealing with a bank, credit card vendor, or even a vegetable vendor, I saw my mother showing me that till you ask or till you voice your opinion effectively, you will not get what you are looking for. So, I have learned from my mother to be vocal about my concerns and have applied this rule to my personal and professional life.”

How Momprenuers Would Prefer To Spend Mother’s Day
“This Mother’s Day is extra special as this is my first one as a mother of two kids. While I will spend quality time with both my children, I will also try and take out some time for my mothers and make them feel special too. After all, whatever success I have achieved so far is because of them.” - Ghazal Alagh, co-founder of Mamaearth and The Derma Co

“A weekend away at a beach resort with my husband and kids.” - Rachel Goenka, founder, The Chocolate spoon company

“I would like to dedicate the whole day to something we really struggle to find time for - self-care. We are always juggling work and family and hardly take time out for ourselves. My kids know my love for spas and foot massages and have already planned a surprise for me to make me feel special this Mother’s Day. ” - Shilpa Khanna, CEO, Chicnutrix

“For a mother, the most rewarding thing is to be able to spend time with her kids. The highlight of my day is the time that I spend with my children and the little everyday things we do together. My children are now grown up, they are teenagers and they have their own experiences, so it becomes a bit difficult to have them just to myself. On Mother’s day, my wish is to steal some heart-rendering moments with my kids, be it watching a movie together or late-night conversation or just cuddling and letting them know how much they mean to me.” - Anika Parashar, founder, The Woman’s Company