I am so excited about today’s episode. I honestly think this will become one of my all-time favorite episodes to record. I’ve been working on this outline for months—it’s eight pages long all about having a business before motherhood!
I hope these tips are helpful to you and make a real impact in your life. If they do, I’d love for you to share them with other moms or moms-to-be in your life. Many of you, like me, had a business before motherhood. Others started businesses after becoming moms, which is a completely different experience.
For me, I ran my business for five and a half years before becoming a mom. Over time, I built it into so many different things—my template shop, this podcast, my courses—so much happened before I had kids. Now, I’m a mom of two with baby number three on the way!
As I’ve grown my family, my journey as a mom and entrepreneur has evolved, and that’s what I want to talk about today. This episode is for business-owning women—including side hustlers—who are expecting or thinking about having a baby. If you're in your first year (or so) of motherhood, you’ll likely find this helpful too.
So whether you're trying to conceive, adopting, expecting, navigating life with a newborn, or even adding another baby to your family, this episode is for you. I hope it serves as both a pep talk and a guide with insights you may not have heard before.
A lot of what I’m sharing today is advice I wish someone had given me when I was a new mom. Now, as a mom of two (with a third on the way!), I want to share what I’ve learned—both from a mindset perspective and a practical, business-prep standpoint. I’ll cover ways to adjust your business for big changes, how to work fewer hours effectively, and so much more.
I truly hope this episode blesses you. I’ve poured so much thought and energy into it. Now, let’s get started!
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Like I mentioned, this episode is all about navigating motherhood when you already have a business. These are the things I wish someone had told me as a business-owning woman stepping into motherhood.
I have six key tips for you—most of them focused on your business, but some touching on motherhood in general. But before we dive in, let me set the stage with a little context.
I’m a mom to little ones—I haven’t yet experienced motherhood with elementary-age kids, middle schoolers, or teenagers. My oldest is almost three and a half, my second is 11 months old, and I’m currently pregnant with baby number three, due this summer. That means I’ll have a 16-month age gap between my second and third, and about a two-and-a-half-year gap between my first and second.
I also ran my business for about five and a half years before becoming a mom. So when I found out I was expecting, I had to figure out how to navigate this huge life change while continuing to run a business I had poured years of energy into.
These are the tips I wish someone had shared with me during that transition. So let’s dive in—no particular order, just real, practical advice to help you prepare for this exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) new chapter!
1. Don’t assume what you’ll want for your business until after you meet your baby
One of the most important things you can do during pregnancy is have honest conversations—with your spouse, significant other, or, if you’re a single parent, with your support system. Talk about what both of your work lives will look like once the baby arrives. How will your work change? How will your partner’s work change? How will you share responsibilities? The key is to have a plan—and to prepare to adjust that plan as needed.
Now, I’m not saying don’t make a plan. In fact, I highly encourage you to. But I can’t tell you what plan is right for your family because everyone’s situation is unique. Some of you might be single moms. Maybe your partner works long, inflexible hours. Maybe you work crazy hours in your business, or you’re juggling a 9-to-5 job and a side hustle. Or perhaps you’re transitioning into full-time stay-at-home motherhood for the first time.
No matter your situation, one thing I can tell you is this: Whatever plan you come up with now, your feelings about it may change once your baby is actually here. So go into it with flexibility and grace for yourself.
For example, you might plan to do full-time daycare, thinking, I’ll take a short maternity leave and then jump right back into work. But once your leave is up, you might realize you don’t want to send your baby to daycare full-time. Maybe you decide on part-time daycare or explore other childcare options instead.
Or maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe you initially think, I won’t need any childcare—I’ll just work during nap times. Then your baby arrives, and you quickly realize that’s not sustainable. You need real breaks, both for your own well-being and to keep your business running.
The point is—changing your mind is not failure. You can’t fully know what will work for you until you’re in it. And this applies to so many aspects of motherhood!
A plan might sound perfect on paper, but when you’re actually living it, you might realize it’s not the right fit. And that’s okay!
Be adaptable—not just in the newborn stage, but as your baby grows. Your needs will shift. Your baby’s schedule will change. If you have more children, your work-life balance will evolve again. Maybe what worked for you with one baby doesn’t work with two or three. Or maybe when your child stops napping or starts school, your approach shifts again.
Personally, I’ve found that before having kids, my seasons of work looked more like years. Now, as a mom, a season can be just a few months—like when a baby is on a certain nap schedule, isn’t eating solids yet, or is exclusively breastfeeding. Things change fast, and flexibility is key.
So, whatever you choose is okay. It doesn’t matter what other moms are doing, what your own mom did, or what you thought you would do. The best thing you can do is stay prayerful about what’s right for you and your family.
Be open to change. If something isn’t working, it’s okay to say, Hey, I thought I wanted this, but it’s not right for me anymore. Or, This worked great for the first six months, but now my baby’s needs have changed, and I need to adjust.
Adjusting doesn’t mean you were wrong before—it just means you didn’t have the lived experience yet, or your situation has evolved. So stay flexible, stay open to change, and most of all, give yourself grace.
2. Learn how to delegate (and let some things slide that you used to obsess over)
Moms make efficient business owners because they learn to cut out what doesn’t matter and delegate effectively. Motherhood will teach you this skill—if you allow it.
Since becoming a mom, I feel like I’ve become a better business owner, despite entering motherhood after business. Has it made business easier? No, it’s actually harder. But I’ve learned to focus on what truly matters in this season of life and in running my business. If you don’t embrace this shift, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the lack of time to obsess over details like before.
If you're preparing for maternity leave—whether you're pregnant or expecting to adopt—take time to look at your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks:
- Identify unnecessary tasks: Things you do out of habit, not necessity.
- Look for automation opportunities: Use tools you already have or invest in new ones.
- Delegate tasks: Assign to existing team members or even consider hiring help. Becoming a mom may be the right time for your first independent contractor hire.
- Increase efficiency: For tasks that can’t be eliminated, find ways to streamline them.
You may realize that your business doesn't require as much micromanagement as you once thought. When I was preparing for my first maternity leave four years ago, I went through this process very intensely. The moment I found out I was pregnant, I recognized that I needed help to take time off or reduce my workload.
At that time, we didn’t use outside childcare until my firstborn was 14 months old. My husband and I tag-teamed childcare while he was in graduate school. With my second child, things were different, and they will be again with my third.
During my first leave, I found things that:
- A team member could take over.
- Were honestly just a waste of time, so we could cut them.
- Needed better systems in place.
Keeping a running list of things to evaluate. I like to use my phone for easy updates, and do this before the baby arrives so you have time to implement changes.
Here are a few real examples from my business:
Failed Payments – I run a digital product business, selling templates and courses. For years, I handled all failed payments myself—tracking issues, emailing customers, and following up. While this task is important, it didn’t need to be done by me. I delegated it to a team member who was already managing customer communication, and she still handles it today.
Podcast Show Notes – I used to write my own show notes for every podcast episode, even after having my first child. It wasn’t until my second pregnancy that I realized I could delegate this task. Since my blog writer, Kara, already had my outlines, it made sense for her to take over the show notes as well. Now, for this episode, she’ll use my eight-page outline to craft the notes, making my podcasting process much more efficient.
Tracking Sales Manually — I used to track every sale in my business manually. You may have heard me talk about this on the podcast before—I loved it and thought it was valuable to have that level of data. But it also took so much time and precision. Right before my second son, Ethan, was born, I cut it out completely—I didn’t delegate it, I just let it go. I realized that, in this season of life, I don’t have the capacity to track every single sale in that much detail.
These are just a few examples, but I hope they help you see the bigger picture. The key is to pay attention daily to what you’re doing in your business. Ask yourself:
- Do I really need to be the one doing this?
- How much time is this taking me?
- Will I still have this time once the baby arrives?
It’s going to look different for everyone depending on your business, but my biggest tip is to start thinking about this for yourself while you're pregnant. Make it something you’re actively working on before maternity leave.
Read more: 14 Things That Make Growing Your Business MUCH Harder (Your New “To Quit” List)
3. Plan for a longer maternity leave than you think you’ll want
As a business owner, you are your own boss, which means you have to give yourself time off—no one else will do it for you. Unlike a traditional employer who says, “Here’s your 12 weeks of maternity leave,” you have to structure and plan for it yourself.
So, my advice? Plan for more time off than you think you’ll want.
I can’t tell you how long that should be. Maybe you have a number in mind based on your first maternity leave, what your friends did, or the standard U.S. maternity leave. But whatever you’re thinking, set up your business in a way that allows you to take more time if you need it.
Why?
- You may actually want or need more time than you expected. Birth and recovery can be unpredictable, and you may need extra time to heal or adjust to your baby’s needs. Or, you may simply love the newborn phase and realize you’re not ready to return yet.
- Returning to work is often a slow process. It’s rarely a sudden shift from 100% leave to 100% back at work. Instead, it’s more gradual—maybe a nap-time work session here, a few hours while your partner watches the baby there. Planning extra time allows for that transition to happen naturally rather than feeling like you have to rush back.
In my own experience:
- With my first son, Colin, I planned for a three-and-a-half-month maternity leave. But in reality, I took five and a half months before I fully came back. That didn’t mean I didn’t touch my business at all—I still ran my Black Friday sale and managed small things—but I wasn’t back in my office for a full workday until he was six months old.
- With my second, Ethan, I took three and a half months off and worked right up until he was born. That worked better for me mentally, since I didn’t enjoy taking time off before the baby arrived. With my first, I had planned for two weeks off before my due date, and he ended up being born at 41 weeks! I quickly realized I didn’t enjoy “waiting” and ended up working on random projects just to keep myself busy.
Now, with my third baby, I’m planning another solid maternity leave. I don’t know exactly how long yet since I’m still early in pregnancy, but I want to give myself plenty of time.
I say all this because I don’t want you to assume that you’ll be fine with just three weeks off, only to find yourself overwhelmed and unable to step back when you realize you need more time.
Maybe you think:
- “I love my business, so I’ll be excited to jump back in.”
- “Newborns sleep a lot, so I’ll have time to work.”
- “I saw someone else take only two weeks off, so I can too.”
But then you might find yourself locked into commitments—a client project, interviews, coaching calls—that you can’t push back, even though you want to.
So, think about how much time you believe you’ll need, discuss it with your spouse or support system, and then add a few more weeks. That extra time can be your gradual transition back into work.
Bonus Tip: Plan Time Off During Pregnancy
Don’t forget about taking breaks before the baby arrives!
For example, when you do your glucose test (around 30 weeks), that might be a good day to take off work completely. Go do the test, then treat yourself—grab lunch with a friend, get a pedicure, do something relaxing.
You’ll also have days where you just need to rest—maybe due to morning sickness, exhaustion, or just the general strain of pregnancy. Be gracious with yourself.
Growing a baby is huge work—it’s incredible how our bodies do this! If all you did today was grow that baby, you’ve done enough. And especially if you have other kids, pregnancy can be physically exhausting.
So, don’t push yourself too hard. Plan for rest, and give yourself the space to take breaks when you need them.
4. It’s ok to scale your business back, quit your business, or pause it for a season
This might be my favorite tip of all: It is okay to scale your business back, pause it for a season, or even quit altogether if that’s what makes sense for you and your family.
Quitting often gets a bad rap in the business world. We hear messages like:
- “Never quit your business.”
- “Always chase your dreams.”
- “Stick with it no matter what.”
But I don’t agree with that mindset, and I never have. I’ve talked about this many times on the podcast—quitting, pausing, or shifting your business is actually a power move when it aligns with your life and family.
Your seasons of life will change, and your business can change with them.
The Problem with the “Hustle No Matter What” Mentality
What frustrates me is that society tells us it’s okay to change our work for any reason—except for our family.
You might hear things like:
- “If you step back from your business for your kids, you’re not empowering women.”
- “You’ll lose yourself in motherhood.”
- “You won’t have anything for yourself.”
- “You should be contributing financially.”
- “You’ll get bored staying home.”
- “What will you do all day if you’re home with your kids?”
- “Daycare exists for a reason—you should use it.”
I’ve heard it all. And maybe you’ve heard these messages too.
But I want to tell you something different: It is more than okay to shift your business for your family. It is a great reason to change things, simply because it makes sense for you in this season.
Your Career is a Long Game
I also want to remind you that your career is not a race.
With how quickly business and technology move, it can feel like you have to hit every milestone right now—the next income goal, follower count, email list number, or pricing increase. But you actually have so many years of working life ahead of you.
If you’re in your 30s (or older or younger), and you have small children, just think about how many more decades you have to work.
Your business goals can take longer. You can pause a goal for a season.
So if you feel called to scale back right now—whether it’s a small part of your business or the entire thing—try it. Trust God's guidance. Nothing is permanent.
- Pausing something doesn’t mean quitting forever.
- Even quitting your current business doesn’t mean quitting business forever.
I truly believe you will never regret spending more time with your children.
My Personal Experience with Slowing Down
I’ve found that some days, playing the role of a stay-at-home mom is actually harder than running my business.
Shoutout to all the stay-at-home moms—taking care of small children is hard work. Sitting here recording this podcast in my quiet office is much easier in comparison.
But I never regret investing time in my family. I love motherhood. It fulfills me in a way that nothing else does. It’s a high calling that I’m honored to step into, even when it means shifting my business.
Sometimes that means scaling back, pausing, or even quitting—and that’s okay.
Real-Life Example: My Grandmother’s Career
A lot of the women we admire professionally didn’t follow a straight career path—we just see where they ended up.
For example, my grandmother—my dad’s mom—had an extremely accomplished career. She was the head buyer for Kirkland’s Home Store and played a huge role in growing the company. She was also an interior designer and teacher and made a great income throughout her career.
But when I visited her last year, I asked, “Were you working in those roles when your kids were little?”
And she said, “No, honey. I was a stay-at-home mom for years.”
That surprised me because I’ve always thought of her as a career woman. But when she had her four kids—who were all close in age—she stayed home.
Her career came later—and she still built something incredible.
This was such a great reminder for me that careers are a long game.
You might look at someone’s success and assume they were grinding non-stop for decades—but you don’t see the seasons where they stepped back.
It’s Okay to Step Back—And I’m Doing It Too
I’m actually making changes in my own business right now with baby number three on the way. I’ll be talking about those details in a podcast episode soon.
But for now, I just want to encourage you:
It’s okay to scale your business back to be with your kids more.
It’s okay to quit for a season—or forever—if that’s what makes sense for your family.
And if you feel that calling, follow it. Your business will always be there, but your kids will only be little for so long.
5. Motherhood is really fulfilling. And it’s really hard. It can be both. Hard isn’t the same as bad.
Motherhood is incredibly fulfilling, and it’s also really hard. It can be both at the same time. And hard does not mean bad.
This is something that’s not talked about enough. You can absolutely love being a mom, feel like it’s everything you ever wanted, and still find it exhausting. You can be fulfilled and wish for a break. You can be completely in love with your baby and want them to stop crying so you can get some sleep.
Maybe you wish potty training didn’t result in a mess all over the floor. Or that you could just eat dinner in peace without making sure everyone else is eating theirs. Or that you could schedule a work meeting without worrying about whether nap time will actually happen.
Parenthood is hard—it’s a job like no other. And in my opinion, it’s the hardest job and the most fulfilling work you can do.
Society Doesn’t Always Value Parenthood
Parenting gets a bad rap sometimes. It’s sacrificial, and we live in a world that doesn’t always value kids—or parents—enough. And when you combine all of that, it can feel like a challenging road to navigate.
And I believe that having your first baby is the biggest adjustment of all.
Going from zero to one was a bigger shock for me than going from one to two kids. Now I’m about to go from two to three, so we’ll see how that feels! But at least for us, zero to one completely rocked our world—from work, to life, to free time, to sleep.
I remember feeling, “I’ll never do XYZ again.” And at the time, it felt true. But looking back, those thoughts weren’t actually accurate. Yes, some things do change forever, but many things are just different for a season.
If you ever find yourself missing a part of your life before kids, that does not mean you don’t love your baby or that you regret becoming a mom. It just means you’ve taken on something incredibly hard.
Motherhood is so fulfilling, but it’s also exhausting. And it’s okay to acknowledge both.
My Own Experience With a Newborn
I remember a moment early in motherhood when Colin was just a few weeks old.
Adam was out of town on a trip, and my mother-in-law was visiting to help me out. Colin was struggling with breastfeeding, had colic, and sleep was rough—it was just a lot.
That night, a new episode of Law & Order: SVU was airing. I had always loved watching new episodes as they came out—it was my thing. Before having a baby, I could sit down, grab a snack, and just enjoy it, no problem.
But that night, it felt like watching a TV show was an ordeal.
Colin wasn’t ready for bed yet—newborns often stay up late with their parents. He was fussy, and my mother-in-law sweetly encouraged me, “Elizabeth, just sit down, relax, and enjoy your LaCroix. I’ll hold him.”
So I sat down, but I couldn’t relax. I remember thinking, “Oh my gosh, I’m never going to just watch TV normally again.” It felt so overwhelming and permanent in that moment.
But of course, that wasn’t true. Just a couple of days ago, I sat down after the kids were asleep, watched a new episode of Law & Order: SVU, and enjoyed some dessert—totally uninterrupted.
That night with Colin felt so long, but in hindsight, it was just a season.
Hard is Not the Same as Bad
Motherhood is both fulfilling and hard, and one does not cancel out the other.
So when you have those hard moments—when you feel exhausted, frustrated, or overwhelmed—it doesn’t mean you’re failing as a mom. It doesn’t mean motherhood is bad. It just means it’s a really hard job.
Think about your business. There are probably parts of it you don’t like, but that doesn’t mean your business is bad—it just means there are hard aspects to running a business. Motherhood is the same way.
So if you’re in a tough moment right now, just remember:
- It’s hard, but it’s worth it.
- This season won’t last forever.
- You are doing an incredible job.
And above all, hard does not mean bad.
Read more: If Being a Mom and a Business Owner Feels Really Hard, Listen to This with Joy Michelle
6. You can do this. You can do the motherhood and business thing if you want to.
I want to close this episode with encouragement: You can do this.
You can run a business and be a mom if that’s what you want to do. If you’re going to work and not stay home 100% with your kids, I truly believe that owning a business is one of the best jobs you can have as a mother.
I feel so much gratitude every single day that I built this business and that I can make money from home while being with my kids—even with minimal childcare.
Now, I’m not going to pretend to be one of those people you see in reels or on TikTok saying they work no hours, only from their phone, while making a full-time income as a stay-at-home mom. That’s not my reality.
Right now, as I record this, both of my kids are in paid childcare. But I’m still grateful because I get to do this from home, and throughout the day, I can go downstairs a hundred times to see my baby. That flexibility is a privilege, but it’s also something you can work toward and structure your business to allow for.
Your business is a gift. I believe we should see it that way.
You Are In Charge—Not Your Clients, Not Your Calendar
One of the biggest advantages of running your own business is that you have control.
- You can scale it up or down based on your family’s needs.
- You can work from home or on the go.
- You can choose your maternity leave length instead of having an employer decide for you.
- You can set your own work hours around your kids’ schedules.
But here’s the thing—you have to make those decisions.
Don’t let your clients, calendar, or customers dictate how you run your business—especially during pregnancy and postpartum. People are often way more understanding than you think.
I’ve seen too many business owners assume, “My clients won’t understand me taking time off for a baby.” So they don’t take the time. They try to keep their business running as if they aren’t a mom, as if they didn’t just have a baby.
You don’t have to do that.
And if a client isn’t gracious about you taking maternity leave? They’re probably not the kind of client you want to work with anyway.
Be a Better Boss to Yourself
You wouldn’t want to work for someone who never gave you breaks, right? So don’t be that kind of boss to yourself.
- Take the half-day for your glucose test.
- Take a full day off to rest.
- Take naps when you need them.
- Spend less time on a project if it means you get to rest.
- Give yourself a real maternity leave—and plan it well.
You are in charge—not your clients, not your team, not your calendar.
Read more: Solopreneurs: 4 Ways to be an Excellent Boss to Yourself
Define Your Own “It”
You can do this—but only you can define what “this” is.
Whatever your version of success looks like, you can do it. And that definition might change over time—and that’s okay.
Your motherhood and business journey will not look like mine.
It won’t look like that business owner you follow on Instagram who seems to have it all together.
It won’t look exactly like your mom’s, your mother-in-law’s, your friend’s, or anyone else’s.
Your journey is your own.
Give Yourself Time to Learn
Something else I want to encourage you with: Motherhood is a skill—and new skills take time to learn.
Think about it:
- When you first got pregnant, you didn’t know what prenatals to take.
- You didn’t know what was happening at each stage of pregnancy.
- You might not have known much about birth or postpartum.
You had to learn—and learning takes time.
It’s the same with motherhood and business.
I actually saw a note in my Hosanna Revival Five-Year Prayer Journal today from January 2022. At the time, Colin was five months old, we had just moved into our new house, and I was trying to work more again.
In that journal entry, I prayed, “I’m having a hard time moving between mom stuff and work stuff, and I feel like I can’t do both well.”
I remember that season so clearly. I’d get in the zone with my business, and then suddenly it was time to nurse or put him down for a nap. It felt impossible to juggle both.
But over time, I learned how to manage it. It became a skill I developed.
And now, with two kids, I’m learning the skill all over again—because it looks different. And soon, with three kids, I’ll be learning it again in a brand-new way.
It’s all a process. It’s all learning. And that’s okay.
So be gracious with yourself. You are growing and learning just as much as your kids are.
6 Tips for Running a Business While Becoming a Mom
Before we wrap up, let’s quickly review all six tips. As I read them, think about which one stood out to you—maybe one that you can take action on today.
- Don’t assume what you’ll want for your business until after you meet your baby.
- Make a plan, but stay flexible. You might think you want one thing, but once the baby is here, your desires could shift.
- Learn how to delegate and let some things go.
- Motherhood can actually make you a better business owner by teaching you how to be more strategic with your time.
- Plan for a longer maternity leave than you think you’ll want.
- Give yourself the option to take more time if you need it, because adjusting to motherhood is a big transition.
- It’s okay to scale back, pause, or even quit your business if that’s what makes sense for your family.
- Be prayerful about it, talk it over with your spouse, and know that nothing is permanent—you can always shift again later.
- Motherhood is both fulfilling and hard—and hard doesn’t mean bad.
- It’s okay to miss parts of your old life while also loving your baby. It’s okay to find motherhood challenging while also finding it deeply fulfilling.
- You can do this.
- Define what “this” looks like for you in this season. Know that it will change over time, and that’s okay.
I hope this episode encourages you! Motherhood and business together is a learning process, and you’re going to grow so much along the way. You can do this!
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