Making it Work – Women in Business

Returning to work after being a stay at home mom is not an easy task. Finding just the right role is often daunting and stressful.

Women return to work for many reasons. The most obvious, especially in this weak economy, is the need for a secondary income. Others include the need for mental stimulation, a simple desire to contribute or the fact that children are in school full time and it seems a natural next step.

No matter what the reason, there are sure to be many questions and concerns: Will the cost of childcare outweigh any possible earnings? What will I do? How will I manage being a mom and having a career? 

If time allows, carefully pondering your options helps in ensuring a move that makes a good fit.

Two local women who have recently embarked on careers after kids are Heather Fahey of North Andover and Alyce Sader of Methuen.

Each woman has children attending school in North Andover, and each has chosen to pursue occupations that allow them the utmost flexibility with regard to their family-work balance. 

Often, the kind of flexibility a new working mom requires is best served by an entrepreneurial endeavor, which both Fahey and Sader have pursued.

Sader's work story began when she was just a child, working in her parents' custom-print T-shirt store in Salisbury. Prior to having her own children, Sader worked in communications and marketing. She chose to stay at home after her first child, but she carried on with her family’s business on the side.

Recently, Sader recognized the need for change. She spent several months debating if she should rev up the family business now called, Supreme Tee’s & Design, or go back to her former career, which would involve much more time away from home.

The decision wasn’t an easy one since she knew that self-employment would be a serious commitment. Most importantly: Sader did not want to give up her role as primary caregiver to her three children. 

“The benefit of being able to be a stay-at-home mom and also bring in an income to benefit my family was the reason I chose this over an office job,” Sader said.

Sader recognized her good fortune in having a business framework already in place and chose to expand from there to create something new and successful.

Today, Sader's business is geared toward schools, sports teams, businesses and fundraising initiatives. She offers silk screening services, embroidery and personalized chocolate bar wrappers through her Web site, www.TheCorporateChoice.com/SupremeTees.

Sader enjoys being able to share the positive experience she had as a child growing up in a family business with her own children.

“What I am gaining with my children is priceless,” Sader said. “My mom was the best kind of role model for me and by doing this, I feel I can do the same for my children.”

While Sader chose to fine-tune an existing business, Heather Fahey opted to try out something new.

She heard about a network marketing company called SendOutCards from a neighbor and was intrigued with its sensible and thoughtful concept. Her previous experiences in web development, organic product sales and even her role as front woman of the 1980s rock band, Lizzie Borden and the Axes, all shaped Fahey to take on her new role as a SendOutCards independent distributor.

“It just made so much sense to me.” said Fahey.

SendOutCards is a quick and easy way to stay in touch with the people in your life both personally and for business. It is a nice way to bring old school correspondence into our modern day world and at a great price point.

Users can personalize, stamp and send physical cards without ever having to leave their couch.

Along with cards, Fahey's site offers the ability to send premium gifts and gift cards for every occasion. Businesses, schools, fundraising groups and individuals can all use this convenient tool to regularly reach out to their many contacts.

Heather explored many job options over the course of a year and chose SendOutCards because she truly believed in the product.

“I thought that this was such a good product and I loved the ease of it,” she said. “And everybody sends cards.” 

Like Sader, Fahey saw this opportunity as a way to contribute financially to her household while having the flexibility to manage her own schedule and her four children’s even busier schedules. Fahey plans her day so that she focuses on work from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. reserving her mornings, late afternoons and evenings for family and household responsibilities.

Fahey is excited to grow this new business and sees the potential to achieve success over time based on the amount of time and effort that she is comfortable putting into it.

Jumping back into a career is a balancing act and Fahey and Sader are two examples of how it can happen. Every person’s situation is, of course, different but knowing that the best of both worlds is possible is an encouraging prospect.  

Having the time to explore your options is one of the best ways to ensure a happy and productive end result.

“It is a journey - a long journey,” Fahey said.