I am a mother, a wife, an entrepreneur, a friend, a daughter and a horticulturist. As I jump from one role to another before slipping into the next, I find the transitions aren’t always smooth sailing.
I am learning to flow with the chaos and while Maddie thinks it’s funny she has odd socks I laugh with her instead of cringing. I think about replenishment orders while doing the laundry, recent feedback from customers while putting the compost out and the next Instagram post while cooking dinner. I try to be in the now when playing with my children and I am still working on this skill but when it’s perfected it is so so sweet!
I love my children and my business and I have spent the last 5 years raising both. They have both cost late nights, tears of sadness and frustration, cries of happiness, joy and pride. Like most mums, I’ll be the first to admit there is never enough hours in the day. I cannot expect to have a pristine house, an organized business and a happy family, and so it’s the later two that win. Piles of folded towels to be put away are heaped on the couch, but Maddie is clean and warm. Vegemite stained plates sit on the coffee table, but William is full and giggly. The beds are not made, but shipments are in and orders dispatched.
The last year has been a tough one with many highs and lows but not once has my dedication to providing comfy and stylish workwear to women in the trades has waned. This last year has seen my son take his first steps, Maddie start kinder and four new Hip pant styles. Keeping up with demand and growth has had it’s challenges but it’s comforting to know our strategic planning and focus on our supply chain is keeping things moving. While William takes his first steps so am I guiding Green Hip into it’s next growth stage of business.
And of course, I don’t do it all on my own either. I have an amazing employee, Angie, who keeps me on track with our strategies and plans, sales, marketing and I am forever grateful to have found such a reliable, hardworking and passionate Green Hip employee such as her. My husband listens to the exciting news along with the disappointments that owning your business brings. My parents and brothers are always there for me and my friends support with pick ups/drop offs and a cup of tea for a chat. Without this support I would not be able to achieve what I do!
So, perhaps we cannot have it all. I’ve almost got it all. Our socks don’t match and who knows when I’ll get around to packing up Maddies cubby house that she has promptly made with the newly folded towels, but my family is smiling and my business is growing. I am grateful for the love and support I am surrounded with while finding my way through this jungle of balancing family and business.
Now here’s to all those fellow working mum’s and entrepreneurs out there, we are strong women who need to celebrate our wonderfully imperfect perfect lives of having it all… So, who needs a cup of tea?