This post is first-hand advice from three working moms in quarantine. They have tips and insight that will make you feel a little less alone. I hope it helps you as it helped me. The whirlwind parents have experienced over the past 130+ days is nothing we could have ever dreamed of. There were more of us working than ever before in history and now we are all at home with our kids 24/7, trying to be productive, trying to be teachers, and trying to stay sane. Hang in there, and give yourself some grace.
Paola Minut : Founder of Stay Gluten Free and Cookbook Author
How has the coronavirus affected business overall? Negative or Positive?
At the beginning of this year my intention was to launch my new meal plan program called Gluten Free Complete. In the midst of the holiday season I was offered an opportunity to write my very first cookbook. I accepted and went to work. From January-March I spent countless ours at home and at the grocery store only. My husband was taking care of taking the kids to their activities. That is actually the only places they went, besides school, for those 3 months.
Then on March 13 the day I turned in my manuscript and picked up my kids for Spring break. School also announced to bring everything home, and out city began to slowly shut down.
Having already stayed home for nearly 3 months, what was supposed to be such a time of accomplishment and celebration turned into panic, bulk grocery shopping, insanely high grocery bills, worry about my book not being published after all that work, homeschooling and putting my plans to launch Gluten Free Complete on further hold because my freedom to leisurely head to the grocery store was now gone.
In order to make and photograph meals, it often takes many trips to the grocery store and other stores for props.
What have you learned through ALL OF THIS, HOW HAVE YOU CHANGED AS A MOTHER?
During this time the biggest things I learned were patience and acceptance. Acceptance that while some of my projects were put on hold, there were people who lost jobs, lost meals, and lost so much more than I did. I am learning everyday to have more patience and grace with my children. So many of the fun things they look forward to have been cancelled or put on hold. This has taught us to get more creative with our time together. I’ve also learned how things can change so quickly and unexpectedly.
What are your tips for working at home with kids?
Since my work requires me to be mostly in the kitchen, at my computer or at the grocery store it has been hard to juggle having the kids around 24/7. What has helped me the most is making a list of about 20 things that my oldest can turn to if he is looking for something to do that we keep hanging on the laundry room door. These are still basic things like read a book, or do a puzzle, but the visual reminder helps without me having to say it all the time. In addition, it’s ok for the kids to be a little bored. It’s so hard these days to let that happen but growing up that was some of my most creative time. I want my kids to watch me build my business and feel inspired to look for something they can build on their own.
How have you struggled or overcame ?
I feel stronger and I feel like I know so much more about myself. It is so hard not to have control over simple things like leaving your house or going to the grocery store (by this I mean for leisure, not to panic buy). It’s hard to live in uncertainty. I’ve learned to accept so many things about myself and my life and about being a mom that before all this, I was still comparing myself to how others did it all. I’ve spent more time praying and really keeping my eyes and ears open for answers. I realize that before all of this, I busied myself through life, work and being a mom. Today, I recognize that taking a breath and pause can be life giving, relieve anxiety and help my relationships. All in all, I needed this reminder and am thankful for it.
In some areas, it has slowed down, but in other areas, it’s picked up! One of the very first items we sold when we started our shop in 2012 was a wood iPad stand. Over the years sales of that item have slowed down, but because of all the video conferencing during the pandemic sales have increased dramatically of our iPad stands! As a small business owner, you always have to be flexible and willing to pivot as the market changes. Also, juggling running a small business with kids and other jobs has always been challenging, but even more so now with homeschooling and working from home. My husband and I quickly learned that we both could not be working efficiently at the same time. We scheduled times for both of us to work while the other focused on parenting and schooling duties. Our oldest has started showing interest in what we are doing and it’s been fun to include him in helping with the business and teaching him how business works. We learned with our kids we had to have a consistent structure and schedule each day, but also be willing to be flexible. At first, it was a little chaotic, but eventually, we got into a groove as a family of how each day would look. BTR Woodworks : Brandon & Liz Rotz Photo By: Tim Bottchen I feel like it has affected us in unexpected ways, both negative and positive! We have a small retail space and spa, so obviously having to close down for 2+ months has been difficult. We miss seeing our customers! Navigating all of the changes and restrictions on reopening has definitely been difficult as well. It seems like they are changing every day, but we’re doing our best to ensure that when we reopen we will be providing a safe and clean environment for everyone! On the positive side, we definitely increased our online sales, which was a big goal of mine for 2020. With people not getting out as much, we’ve really begun to focus our efforts on bringing the facial experience home. One of the most positive things to come out of this was all of the love and support we felt from our customers and community. As a small, women-owned business, I meant the world to us. To quote Friends, “PIVOT!” Being able to pivot (and do it quickly) is essential when you own a small business. While most people were home catching up on Netflix, I spent my days’ homeschooling, then headed into the shop to fill orders for 5-6 hours at night by myself. My husband was still working 9-10 hours a day (he was an essential employee) so trying to navigate the new normal was kind of insane! Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s easy to beat yourself up – which I definitely did in the beginning – but what’s the point? We were all doing the best we could with the situation we were in. The BEST thing that I found was an online Facebook group called Mrs. Megans Camp Kindergarten – it’s run by a Kindergarten teacher in the Chicago area who would record “morning meetings” every day during the quarantine. I’m telling you this woman is a TRUE HERO. I joke that I’m going to track her down and send her a case of wine! Her daily live stream videos gave us a sense of structure and normalcy and made it so I could have some time to myself to catch up on work. We also invested in all the outdoor inflatables and bounce houses, haha! They kept my 6-year-old entertained for hours and allowed me to bring my laptop outside and work. I realized that I can do hard things – it’s definitely helped me to feel more confident in my business and to trust the process. I also realized how important it is to have a good team. During the quarantine, I made the decision to add a new member to our team and it’s honestly the best decision I’ve ever made. Understanding that I can’t always “do it all” and that trying to do it all is going to burn me out and shift my focus away from the bigger picture has been essential. Because we are such a small team, all of our employees are part-time and freelance – which meant that we didn’t qualify for the PPP or the EIDL forgivable loans. That was a huge disappointment for me since we were still paying rent and utilities on our retail space that was going unused. Luckily we’d saved a lot, and had so much support and orders still coming in we were able to make it through the tough times and actually be profitable! Lisa Dolan
How has the coronavirus affected business overall? Negative or Positive?
What have you learned WOrking in quarantine?
What are your tips for working at home with kids in general?
How have you struggled or overcame?
Lisa Dolan: Owner of Lark Skin co.
How has the coronavirus affected business overall? Negative or Positive?
What have you learned as a mom working full time in quarantine? 
What are your tips for working at home with kids?
How have you struggled or overcame?
founder + chief executive officer
LARK Skin Co.
real women. real beauty. real ingredients.larkskinco.com | @larkskinco
