I kept waiting for more time. It never came.
How I started building something of my own alongside a full-time job, kids, and real life
Why most women think they need more time first
Most women I speak to who’ve thought about starting a business tell me the reason they haven’t started yet is because it’s “not the right time.”
They’re focused on finding a new job first. Or completing a certification. Or supporting their kids through a demanding season. Some are relocating countries, managing elderly parents, or simply trying to get through the week without feeling exhausted.
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These are all valid reasons.
But I’ve also realized many women think starting a business means they need huge blocks of free time before they can begin.
The question that changed how I saw building a business
As a full-time working mom, I’ve learned the most important consideration when starting your own business isn’t whether you technically have enough time.
It’s whether you want it deeply enough to keep finding your way back to it.
Because when something truly matters to us, we usually don’t magically “find time” for it. We build around it. Slowly. Imperfectly. In whatever way we can.
I see building a business the same way I see building a network.
You start before you desperately need it.
Because by the time you need a network, it’s usually because something has already gone wrong. You’ve been laid off. You need help. You need opportunities. You need introductions.
Building something of your own works the same way.
So the better question isn’t:
“Do I really have time to start a business?”
The better questions are:
“Why do I want this?”
And:
“Do I want it enough to keep going even when life is full?”
Because if your answers reveal you don’t actually want to build a business, that’s okay too. There’s no shame in realizing your energy belongs elsewhere.
But if your answers reveal something deeper — a desire for more freedom, more control, more ownership over your life — then the good news is you do not need to clear out an entire year to begin.
You can start with 15 minutes a day.
The layoff that changed how I see security forever
As a HR veteran for over 20 years, I’ve seen many people get let go for all sorts of reasons.
I’ve experienced it myself too.
At one point in my life, my husband and I had shut down our café business and were left with a 6-figure debt, a mortgage, car loan, and living expenses for a family of four.
I went back to corporate partly to recover financially.
Then I was let go.
Up until then, I genuinely believed being a high performer meant your job was secure. I had been told I was doing well. I was even identified as a successor.
But it still happened.
That experience completely changed how I see work, money, and security.
I realized financial security wasn’t about being valuable to one employer.
It was about believing I could create value anywhere.
It was about knowing I could make money beyond a single paycheck.
And most importantly, it was about trusting myself enough to rebuild if life ever fell apart again.
That’s why building a business became important to me.
Not because I wanted to become rich overnight.
But because I never wanted my family’s entire future tied to one source of income again.
The unexpected thing building a business gave me
People often think starting a business is mainly about making money.
Of course money matters.
But what surprised me most was how much building a business changed me as a person.
Not in a dramatic “hustle culture” kind of way.
But in quieter ways.
I became more resilient.
More resourceful.
More willing to put myself out there despite fear.
Building something of your own forces you to confront:
rejection
perfectionism
visibility
self-doubt
the need for approval
And over time, you slowly realize you’re more capable than you thought.
For me, the biggest shift wasn’t learning marketing or sales.
It was learning to trust myself to keep showing up even when progress felt slow.
How I build my business in stolen pockets of time
Once I stopped believing I needed huge uninterrupted blocks of time, everything changed.
Instead of waiting for the “perfect season,” I started using what I call stolen pockets of time.
Small moments throughout the day that would otherwise disappear unnoticed.
Sometimes it’s 5 minutes.
Sometimes it’s 30.
Occasionally it’s a full hour.
But over time, these moments compound.
As a working mom, I’ve had to become realistic about how I work.
I used to get frustrated whenever I was interrupted by work, family responsibilities, or my kids while trying to build my business.
Now I understand that interruption is simply part of this season of life.
So instead of fighting reality, I work with it.
I break larger tasks into smaller ones.
I match tasks to my energy levels.
I don’t attempt deep focused work when I know I need to be mentally available for my kids or work.
And I’ve learned that consistency matters far more than intensity.
What my days actually look like as a working mom
Most mornings, I wake up early before the house gets busy.
I use that time to work out, journal, think, and sometimes draft content before work.
At lunch, I usually edit posts, respond to messages, or follow up with people.
At night, after dinner and family time, I’ll spend time replying to emails, commenting on posts, or taking coaching calls.
Weekends are usually when I do deeper work like writing newsletters, reviewing analytics, planning content, or preparing for calls.
The weeks where everything falls apart
I want to be very honest about something.
There are also weeks where everything falls apart.
Someone gets sick.
Work becomes overwhelming.
I’m exhausted.
I miss days.
I disappear from my business temporarily.
What changed over time wasn’t that I became perfectly disciplined.
It’s that I stopped making inconsistency mean failure.
I learned how to return quickly without guilt, shame, or drama.
That’s what helped me build momentum.
Why I no longer believe in “balance”
I don’t really believe in work-life balance anymore.
There’s just life.
And different parts of life take centerstage during different seasons.
Sometimes your job needs more from you.
Sometimes your kids do.
Sometimes your health does.
And sometimes your business does.
When my children were younger, my business moved slowly in the background while my job took priority.
Now that they’re older and more independent, I have more capacity to build.
That’s why I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all business advice.
Your season matters.
Your responsibilities matter.
Your emotional capacity matters.
You don’t need to build at someone else’s pace for your progress to count.
A slower path is still a valid path.
The shift that finally changed everything for me
The biggest mindset shift wasn’t:
“I finally found enough time.”
It was:
“I can still build something meaningful with the life I already have.”
That changed everything.
Because most women aren’t lacking ambition.
They’re lacking permission.
Permission to start small.
Permission to move slower.
Permission to build imperfectly.
Permission to want something that belongs to them too.
One small step at a time is still movement.
And over time, those small steps can completely change your life.
P.S. If this newsletter felt like someone finally put words to what you’ve been carrying quietly for years, you’re probably who my work is for.
I help working women build something of their own alongside real life, real responsibilities, and real fear. You can book a conversation with me here.