I am writing this edition of the Founders Files because Victoria does not have the brain function to write. Or function. Or breathe. Or possibly even go to the bathroom.
Some quick background. We took things a little slower this summer, but now we’re revving up in a big way. At the end of September we are launching resources form an eBook to mini-courses and everything in between for our Female Mavericks who are building towards their own financial freedom. Oh, and we are working hot and heavy with our publisher on our physical book that goes to pre-sale early next year, and we’re trying to keep the hamster wheel turning with social media, The Founders Files, and coaching.
I happened to have had an easy week. I just dropped my youngest off for a semester abroad, so other than weeping throughout the day, I’ve had some time to write and think. My other kids are firmly ensconced in jobs and school, promising to call on the weekends if and when they have time. We all love the first picture Fish sends from Amsterdam , and I’ve been journaling about my own “what’s next” which includes finally doing the 17 mile hike across San Francisco with my BF.
Not so with Victoria. Let me just give you her week as a mompreneur, because she can’t.
Monday
We kick off with our weekly team meeting. Victoria breathes a sigh of relief that the kids are about to be back in school. She makes herself a long list of things she is finally going to get to this week.
Tuesday
She gets a text from Kate (Kid #3) at 6:00 am to say that that the mild stomach ache she had for the last few days is so bad she couldn’t sleep at her final summer sleepover. V’s nagging feeling that appendicitis might not just be random, and in fact genetic is coming into full view. She picks her up, high tails it to the ER and four hours later confirms, here we go again. After hours of pacing hospital corridors, at some point, Victoria pulls up our Trello board to get caught up on Monday’s assignments, because even in crisis, the work brain never quite shuts off.
Wednesday
It’s sweet “first day of school” picture day (and by sweet she means racing between four different houses to get the one “perfect” pic with friends while her husband holds down the fort at the hospital). Billy suddenly looks like a teenager, everyone is smiling and happy. Except for Kate…think ambulance transfer, surgery and lots of ice cream. V made it back to the hospital 15 minutes before they took her back!
Thursday
Our publisher sends us potential subtitles for the book. Our videographer delivers a polished cut of our course video. Our Instagram pro drops a folder full of new content to review. Victoria is finally home and goes to bed that night promising herself she’ll tackle it all tomorrow when the house is clear.
Friday
Lice! Turns out kids can in fact get it during the summer… And at that moment, all bets are off. The next 48 hours are spent scrubbing, washing, vacuuming, and generally getting grossed out .
Now, as her partner of more years than I can count, I guarantee she will have gotten to her to-do list by Sunday at midnight. The emails will arrive at strange hours. The texts will be slightly unhinged and probably typed from the sidelines of a soccer game. But they’ll also be smart, strategic business discussions, thoughtful edits, and always filled with her signature good cheer and questions about how my weekend was.
Why I’m Sharing This
This is not a particularly teachable moment. There’s no five-step framework here. No “hack” that makes lice disappear (except if you count dropping $$$ at your local delousing clinic) or making your kid having to have surgery any less stressful.
What this is, is what my amazing friend Gerry calls an accompaniment moment.
For all the moms out there trying to juggle a business and a family, I want you to know this: there’s one super crazy, lovable, unstoppable woman in the Chicago sububrs who is right in the trenches with you. She’s building her dream while being pulled in a million directions, and she’s still showing up. Making jokes, rolling her eyes and seeing the inanity of her situation.
And you know what? We see you too. We see the invisible juggling act. We see the mid-night emails typed in the glow of the fridge light. We see the way you pivot from boardrooms to bathrooms, from content reviews to carpools. We see you, and we know how hard this really is.
The Takeaway
Sometimes entrepreneurship isn’t about the wins you can put on Instagram or the launches that go perfectly. Sometimes it’s about accompaniment, walking alongside each other, saying “me too,” and refusing to let anyone feel alone in the madness. My job as her partner right now is simply to remind her of two things: (a) the sheer absurdity of her week, and (b) that nothing on that list can’t wait until next week.
So if your week looks anything like this unhinged period of Victoria’s…remember, you are not behind, you are not failing, and you are not invisible.
You’re just a mompreneur in the wild. And we’re right here with you.
