Local ‘Mompreneurs’ Balance Baby and the Bottom Line

By noon, Stephanie Stopka, owner of Flowers by Stem in Lake View, had already dropped her oldest child off at school, delivered a floral arrangement, bought groceries and put her baby down for a nap.

It’s all a day in the life of a “mompreneur”—a woman business owner who splits her time between the nursery and the boardroom.

“It’s very hard and it’s very exhilarating,” Stopka said.

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., recently launched Lean In, a nonprofit that provides community and educational resources to women managing ambitions at home and in the workplace. The accompanying book was released last week. Sandberg is well-known for a 2010 TED Talk where she encouraged women to stay in the workforce despite societal pressure to pull back from career.

Mompreneurs know the struggle well.

Being a mom and a boss is a “huge battle between commitments,” said Katherine McHenry, owner of Building Blocks Toy Store in Lake View.

McHenry had been a hands-on business owner—the one to open the store in the morning and close at night—for 14 years before the birth of her first child. With a baby on board, things changed. “My whole world turned upside-down,” she said, “They require a lot of your time. You’re their whole world.”

“There’s a quick decision-making power that comes with being a mom that lends itself to business decisions.”

McHenry soon modified her working life—by hiring new staff and relinquishing certain responsibilities—to accommodate family priorities.

The balance between business and family is also familiar to Christine Whitley, owner of an education consulting firm.

“The No. 1 lesson I had to learn is how to say ‘no,’” she said, even when it meant declining new business or turning down classroom requests. “I’m just not a very happy person or wife if I’m tired, so if it doesn’t get done, it doesn’t get done today.”

It’s a difficult decision when trying to grow a business, she admitted, so women should “not be shy about asking for help.” Whitley receives extra support from a Facebook group of entrepreneur moms who provide “a sounding board for all those times when you feel guilty or overstressed.”

Mompreneurs have developed countless strategies to maintain their busy lives. Whitley shares an online calendar with her family to keep her schedule straight. Bernstein takes advantage of free childcare at the gym. Moms also share childcare, car rides and other resources to survive manic schedules and tight budgets.

“Try different things out,” said Rachel Bernstein, owner of Skills for Success in North Center. “Figure out what works for you, and be flexible.”

If they can navigate the challenges, moms may be particularly adept at business.

“There’s a quick decision-making power that comes with being a mom that lends itself to business decisions,” Stopka said. “You shift from emailing a huge proposal to making lunch for your baby in a manner of seconds.”

And while moms can earn the big bucks, the biggest reward hits closer to home.

“I want [my daughter] to see just who her parents are,” McHenry said, “and that there’s every possibility for her as a woman.”

Follow us on Facebook: Lincoln Park / Lake View / Lincoln Square / Bucktown-Wicker Park /North Center-Roscoe Village