Mother / Founder: 68 Women on the Trials and Triumphs of Starting a Business and Raising a Family

by Amanda Jane Jones, Jennifer Fernandez

An inspirational and empowering celebration of more than sixty women who are both dedicated mothers and successful entrepreneurs. Starting a business can be daunting, scary, and exciting, all at once; so too can starting a family. But they can coexist—as the incredible roster of women in this book demonstrate, entrepreneurship can be both a sustainable and fulfilling model for working motherhood. Each woman profiled here shares insights from her journey as well as powerful lessons and practical advice, How to plan for maternity leave The benefits of sharing financial information with your peers Key points to include when drafting a contract Creative ways to include your kids in your work The value of building support systems, from advisory boards to nanny shares Resources for securing grants and fellowships Tips for preparing taxes as a freelancer How to avoid the "mom guilt" trap Filled with first-person stories of designers, makers, CEOs, farmers, pastry chefs, artists, lawyers, educators, and more, Mother / Founder captures with unprecedented candor the unique challenges and joys of what it means to launch and run a business while being just as fiercely dedicated to raising children. 

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2024

Reviews

[SmileyB · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there are some inspiring stories the book seem to take no notice to the men involved in the stories, neither women, nor their children would exist and for many they would not have been able to start, build or grow what they dreamed and that is widely overlooked. It is a privilege to have such love, care, help and support and is definitely a major part in these stories. However, the book makes it sound like these women decided they wanted to build something or have children and spontaneously made it happen. As a woman I am generally not a fan of books writing in this form because there is an underlying disrespect to the men in their lives. Clearly I am not a feminist. Not worth keeping and not worth a second read

[Naomi Qin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow doesn't really resonate with any of them. Moreover, when I see some of their schedules (running a business + cooking for the family + childcare duties) I thought they didn't have a husband but most of the time it turns out that they do. The other party is barely mentioned in most of the stories. I don't feel empowered after reading this book, but exhausted 🫩

[Kayla Hollatz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories were absolutely inspiring, but the author tried to cover so much ground in each woman's story that most felt a bit surface-level. After the first fifteen, the rest began to sound pretty similar, especially with the advice column. However, if you have a mom friend who's been wanting to start a company, this coffee table-style book could be a great gift!