Priya’s story has moments of Corporate America, time as an entrepreneur, and time in a small business. She understands the many different aspects of being a working mom, including re-entering the workforce after leaving to care for her young son. Her drive to understand what you need as a working mom led her to create a new business – Flexable.
Career path
Priya’s path is full of twists and turns over 11 years. She finished up her undergrad degree in biotechnology and did biotech consulting for 3 years. And then she got her MBA in marketing. She started her post-MBA career at IBM as product manager for about a year.
She realized she wanted a change and knew what company she wanted to work for: Nestle. After reaching out to Nestle pretty much monthly for almost a year, she was hired to work on the Purina brand as an assistant brand manager and then as a brand manager. And, even though she and her husband had just purchased a house, they packed up and headed from North Carolina to St. Louis for the role. Priya describes her time on Purina as having found her dream roles.
Becoming a mom changes life
And then things changed. After 5 years at Nestle, Priya had her first child. She figured out she couldn’t balance motherhood with her career demands. She and Nestle were trying to find a good combination of work and balance, but they couldn’t quite find the right mix. So, she and her husband moved to Pittsburgh to be closer to family and she became a stay at-home mom (SAHM). Priya admits that she wasn’t sure of her footing during this work hiatus. (And this drives home that you must understand what you need as a working mom.)
Re-entering the workforce
About 4 years and the birth of her second son, she started a marketing consulting business that she describes as “modestly successful.” After about 18 months a client hired her to work from home 3 days per week and in the office 2 days. It was a rough commute and wasn’t quite the right culture and role for Priya. A few months later she relaunched her entrepreneurial endeavor, Roki, this time creating a community and safe place for moms to find a path back to a fulfilling career.
And then in 2018 she and a friend created Flexable, a childcare app that creates pop-up childcare arrangements for events, organizations, and companies. Priya and her co-founder felt they were at the “mercy of childcare” when they were trying to attend an event or do networking after hours.
This idea has blossomed over the past few years, starting with being accepted into a local incubator. Since its launch in 2016, Flexable has gained regional and national attention by providing pop-up childcare at over 1,000 different locations around Pittsburgh. The company has partnered with over 150 organizations across various sectors and industries. Customers, companies, and organizations have used the Flexable services for various reasons. For example, Flexable provides childcare to its customers on those days when schools are closed but work isn’t and on-site at hospitals for patients who otherwise would miss their appointments.
What does work look like?
Priya works 25-30 hours/week while her boys are both in elementary school. At one point, though, she describes her schedule as a bit piece meal. Before her youngest started Kindergarten last year, she had a nanny 3 days per week and her older son was in an extended day program at school until 4pm.
She admits, “working full-time hours was easier for me” and that the balance of part-time work hours is hard.
Benefits of flexible work hours
Priya loves that she can spend as much time with her kids as she wants. She’s able to contribute financially to her family and, most importantly, she can maintain her sanity.
The challenge of flexibility
It can be really hard to be productive working in small pockets of time day-to-day. And life can be challenging when you have two young children. Priya shares, “You don’t have flexibility unless you have school-aged kids or consistent childcare, which can be challenging at times.”
And, as an entrepreneur, at least initially while you grow your business, you’re doing stuff that you’re not good at. You constantly feel like you’re not doing a good job. Priya talks about this aspect of entrepreneurship “helped her to be stronger.”
Advice
- Understand your motivation. Know why you’re looking to have more flexibility because it impacts what your work schedule, role, etc. will look like.
- Try to work with your employer before changing jobs (or starting something new). If your employer is willing to be flexible, it’s likely better for you to stick around. Your employer knows your work ethic and work product. You have also built up some kind of equity so that people know your strengths and are willing to work with you.
- Find and maintain a supportive network. Your network matters. Having friends and family to help shine a light on what you do well and support you in moments when you struggle is important.
- Understand what you need as a working mom. Look at what you need to be successful as a working mom. This might look different than before kids. And don’t be afraid to be creative. It might even lead you down the path of starting a business.
Want to read more from moms like Priya? Grab your copy of the latest Mompowerment book, available on Amazon (affiliate link).
