Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
I admire any parent that does a stay-at-home role while working on a business – it’s no easy feat! There are definitely times I thought going back to well-paid employment and having my babe in day-care would be easier and better for everyone. But neither were what I wanted. I have worked in some high status, demanding corporate roles before, and I really didn’t want to go back to that and not be around and present for my children when they are young. I am very fortunate to have had that choice.
I work during sleep time or find little moments where I can get things done. I have become used to being satisfied with achieving little bits. It might be an hour during nap time, or 20-minute scattered moments during the day. It is a very different way of working, but I find myself incredibly efficient in those working opportunities, and it is amazing what you can achieve, little by little.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
There are so many challenges to running a small business – wearing many hats, learning on the job, and time, being the main ones for me.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros are flexibility, freedom, feeling inspired and working on your passions. The cons are variability in income, uncertainty, and having to wear many hats because you don’t always have the funds to invest in outsourcing!
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I have so many hopes and dreams for Olive + Page. I would like to expand the range of both unique picture books and luxurious journals for mothers and families to the point where there is a huge selection of both – Olive + Page will be the place families look to when they want pages that will help transform ordinary moments into extraordinary memories. I have a huge list of possibilities, but the challenge for me is making that actually happen! For now, I am very content with how business is going, and so grateful for all the support, customers, and wholesale orders I have had. I literally get so excited each time I see an order come through and every time a retailer chooses to have our products in their store.
My priority first and foremost, is being at home as a mother with my children while they are young, but I will continue to step forward into my dreams for the business, little by little, piece by piece.
To view their beautiful journals and picture books, head over to the Olive + Page website. You can also join their communities on Facebook and Instagram.
