4 Reasons Moms Make the Most Powerful Business Leaders

WRITTEN BY RACHEL SARAH

1.Moms keep it real

Renee Hill relocated from New York to Philadelphia while raising nine children in a blended family and pursuing her career as a designer. Then, life took a turn. In the middle of such a big transition, she got divorced after being married for two decades.

“I lost tens of thousands of dollars,” Hill says. “I sold my two cars to keep my business. I battled a lot of stereotypes. I knew that if I was going to do this, I might need to move in with my mom or my sister.”

Today, Hill is the owner and founder of Harx4, a luxury clothing label known for its bold aesthetic and designs. She was also on Project Runway in 2019, where she was known for the “quiet confidence” she exhibited during the challenges. That year, she was competing for Runway’s biggest purse ever — $250,000.

“I talk about how important it is to have a support system,” says Hill, whose passion for fashion came through her own mother, who was a seamstress. “If you don’t have a support system, you need to get that in place because there are some challenges that are out of your control.”

She’s honest about the risks it takes to launch your own business. “A village of people have supported me with everything I’m trying to accomplish,” Hill says.

Angela Engel, who founded The Collective Book Studio couldn’t agree more: being open and honest is key to success. Following two decades of working in sales and marketing for traditional publishers, she launched her own business in 2019 after witnessing the ways that Amazon had affected publishing.

“Being transparent goes a long way,” Engel says, remembering her years as a senior sales manager at Chronicle Books. Every two weeks, she was on another flight. After having her first baby, she’d get off the plane and promptly ask her client where she could pump. Often, they’d direct her to a utility closet.

Being up front has served her well. Today Engel is the mom of three daughters. During the pandemic, has been juggling being a new business owner with homeschooling. That’s not all. Publishers have had to postpone new books due to shipping delays. Rather than give vague excuses about why a book launch might be delayed, Engel simply tells the truth. And she has surrounded herself with staff who do the same.

2. Flexibility goes a long way

Courtney Phillips, an account supervisor at VMLY&R Commerce in northwest Arkansas, became a mom during the pandemic. She and her colleagues have had their share of COVID scares in their children’s daycare centers.

“As moms, we’ve been there for each other to come up with a game plan,” Phillips says. “We all support each other and still get work done. Not only are we flexible. We also offer each other emotional support, which is so important.”

Phillips adds that companies are also realizing that giving moms more flexibility goes a long way. “We’ve all proven that we can work remotely. So, it’s time to let moms go and get their kids from the school bus, and we’ll finish our work at home,” she says. “I think people are starting to finally realize that we can have a hybrid model. We can still be with family and get the job done.”

3. Overcoming Obstacles

When Yoky Matsuoka got a call from the MacArthur Foundation — often referred to the “genius” award — the person on the phone asked if she was anything fragile. She said that she was: her newborn baby.

So, half an hour later, the MacArthur Foundation called back with the big news: they were offering her $500,000 no-strings-attached for her work in robotics and brain science. (She used technology to help disabled people and stroke victims regain the use of their limbs.)

This is what allowed Matsuoka to launch her nonprofit, Yoky Works, to enhance the lifestyles of people with physical challenges through the building and development of physical devices.

In the tech world, Matsuoka is known as being one of the co-founders of Google’s X lab and the former head of technology at Nest. She’s also the mom of four children, and she has struggled with dyslexia — both her own and her children’s.

In a personal post on Medium, Matsuoka writes: “As a mother of four, I’ve always been a juggler. I’ve always wanted to make a meaningful contribution, both professionally and personally. I always dreamed of raising a family, enjoying time with them, and helping them leave the world better than they found it, too.”

But she describes how challenging it has been to balance work and family during the pandemic. “All four of my kids were in Zoom school under the same roof while I was in back-to-back Zoom meetings… What I didn’t realize was that work and family were blending in a way that became completely unhealthy.”

She adds that she “had to make some incredibly difficult decisions. But the more people I talked to, especially other moms, the more I realized I wasn’t alone.”

4. Change Starts with You

“There were moments when I said, ‘There’s no way I will make it through today,'” Matsuoka adds, explaining that one kid would be sick, while another was hurt, and she had a deadline to meet. “If it doesn’t get done, the whole company falls apart, right? And then the only thing you want to do is put a blanket on your head and say, ‘Go away.’ But it just doesn’t go away.”

Yet Matsuoka has learned how to take care of herself. “It’s so hard for us as working mothers to survive this.” But she has.

In 2021, she launched Yohana, a personal assistant service designed to enhance well-being for moms and families.

Engel from The Collective Book Studio agrees that it’s up to you to take care of yourself. In fact, her Instagram hashtag includes #changestartswithyou.

On the most stressful days, Engel leaves everything behind temporarily to go on a walk or a run. “I get myself outside,” she says. “I really do believe if you can create a mantra for yourself that you repeat and say out loud, it is very powerful. Mine is change starts with you. Which means that change starts with me.”

**This post was sponsored by GroundTruth