Before we dive in, I think it’s important to address that success is different for everyone. No two people have the same definition of success and it’s really important to get clear on what success is to you. 

For me, success is having the combination of time freedom, financial abundance, and creativity and I gratefully have that in my business. My branding studio is a space where I love to create beautiful visual brands and websites for my clients and I work on average 15 hours a week. The rest of my time is devoted to my son who is almost 16 months old. It was always a goal of mine to be at home with him while he was little so my job is truly my dream come true. 

So what do summers look like as I grow my business and take care of my little one? Let’s get into it.

What summers used to look like 

Before I had my son, working full-time year-round didn’t phase me. I would work just as hard in the summer as I would in the winter. Working long-hours, or working late didn’t bother me and it was almost how I was conditioned coming from my 9-5 job.

I would sit at my desk typing away, or designing for hours on end, and sometimes not even going outside. But oh how things have changed. Now that I have my son in tow and it has changed EVERYTHING when it comes to how I work.

My son is the reason I started my business in the first place. Back in 2016, years before we were ready to have kids, I knew I wanted a business where I could work from home and also be a stay-at-home mom. That was always the vision and plan.

How business has evolved 

After almost 3 years of my business being my side-hustle I made the transition to full-time and became a work-from-home entrepreneur. While it was a little bit of an adjustment, I loved it. The freedom, the flexibility, and the amazing women and their businesses I get to design for, it was everything I hoped for. 

But when I had my son I was nervous. What if I couldn't work AND be a mom at the same time? What if I didn’t WANT to return to work once my maternity leave ended? What if I couldn’t do both well?

These and so many other questions arose before I had Zia. But honestly, something that helped me with all those questions was being willing to do what I felt like I needed to do. If I needed to pull back on my work and work minimal hours, I would. If I needed to close my business, I would. Having the options and the realization that I can make the rules was incredibly freeing and gave me the space I needed to figure it out. Ultimately, I was very excited to dive back into work when my maternity leave ended.

What summers look like now

Fast forward to now, and life and work look a lot different - even from last year. My business has grown and my son is a little older.

The ebbs and flows of business are such that my summer schedule is a little more open. While I still have brand and website projects, I make sure that I still have plenty of time for outings with my son such as going to the splash park, taking walks, and meeting up with my mom friends. 

The flexibility I have in my schedule is largely due to growing my team, an adjustment I made to my business last year, which has been a game-changer. Now my team helps me make sure my marketing stays consistent, and that my schedule is organized and we know what’s coming up. 

Having a team has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my business because not only does it open up more free time for me, it also helps me stay organized and on top of marketing and my content by giving me accountability– while outsourcing things I don’t enjoy. 

A day in my life

A typical work week averages 15-20 hours a week and here’s what it looks like:

Our day begins with my alarm going off around 5:30am. If I don’t press snooze forever, I’m up by 5:45 and start the morning with stretching, journaling, and my mindset routine which includes listening to ThinkUp, writing down gratitudes, wins, and tasks for the day. On Mondays and Tuesdays I start the morning with working on my own business and write content such as my blog and newsletter. And that takes me til Zia wakes up between 7:30-8am. (I’m SO grateful he started sleeping in a few months ago!)

We have breakfast and head out to the park around 9:30am. We take a walk or go to the splash park and get outside for fresh air and I love it - and so does Zia! We’re home by 10:30 or 11 and he plays or watches Cocomelon  while I make us lunch. After lunch we play some more then it’s off to his nap at 1pm. 

I get to work as soon as Zia goes down for a nap and I work from 1-4pm (for the most part) and depending on the day my tasks vary from Discovery calls with potential clients, to Mastermind calls, to design work for my clients. The afternoons are my chance to really make a lot of progress on my client projects so while I don’t have a ton of time I make the most of it and go through my to-do list diligently. And lately I’ve been putting my phone in the other room while I work which has been incredibly helpful to minimizing distractions. 

After Zia wakes up from his afternoon nap, my workday wraps up and if I ever think of something that I forgot to do or need to complete, I just jot it down in my daily to-do list on my phone and get to it the next day.

More growth and change coming

The cool thing is that my business has grown more this year than ever before while I’ve also felt the most relaxed, confident, and open than ever before as well. 

The shift I’ve made since having my son has been that I am open to changing my business along the way to accommodate my life. My work was always supposed to support my lifestyle and be in addition to raising a family and I’m proud to say I’ve kept it that way and love that I can focus on being a mom while also having amazing brand and website projects that fulfill my creativity. 

That’s how I look at life and business now. When I feel like pushing and growing I can, and when I want to slow down and enjoy this time like now in the summer, I can do that too. It’s a wonderful flow that I’ve come to embrace and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tell me, are your summers more busy and go-go-go? 

Or are they a little more relaxed?