Courage Is Becoming A Mompreneur

| Vanessa Cast

In 2008 I met Ronald and fell in love.

At the time, living in Madrid, I had a good job, with great salary and great a team.

But in 2013 (and this isn't a bad "but"...It's a happy "but"), we found out that we were pregnant. To be honest, that was the happiest moment of my life.

Sadly, the company I was working for started treating me poorly, the conditions of my job weren’t appropriate for a pregnant woman, it was too risky.

After some paperwork battle, I managed to swallow my pride and I stayed there until the eight-month...and then Alex was born.

When I first saw him, I realized that corporate world wasn't something I wanted anymore, I needed something that allowed me to stay with my son, but also to continue developing my professional side and as a human being.

That's when I decided to become a "Mompreneur"

I would love to tell you that it was a piece of cake, but no...it was hard, really hard. I've ran many different businesses since then...subscription box biz, consulting services, and even a bakery...Sweet!

We went through serious money problems, I felt depressed.

I felt broken for the very first time in my life, I felt like a fraud, like a loser, I even though I wasn’t capable to do anything right, I felt completely lost.

Have you ever felt like you weren’t even capable to get out of bed in the morning? The “Impostor syndrome” was hitting hard, and I didn’t even know that it existed!

I never talked about any of this with the people around me, not even my husband, I didn’t want to worry him or anybody. Actually, I didn’t even know how to express how I was feeling, so I kept quiet.

Also, being a Mompreneur was a very different experience than being the entrepreneur I was before having my corporate job.

Being a Mompreneur means...that you will not have complete freedom and full time to invest in your business.

Being a Mompreneur means…that you will have your brain and heart constantly divided between your professional success and the doctor appointments, the school theater, baseball practice, etc.

Being a Mompreneur means…that you will have long working nights mixed up with nursery nights.

Being a Mompreneur means…that you probably have a booger stuck to your suit.

I don’t respond to negativity, so I took it as a red flag and I knew I needed to take some time off and put myself together. I finally told Ronald how I was feeling.

That's when everything was starting to get clearer. I created a plan to run my “dream business.” I thought "How can I help people using all of my experience: technical, business, mindset and “mom” knowledge?"

I began by taking care of myself first, and somehow we managed to keep pushing, harder than ever before.

Now I run a successful online business. I get to help people who are in the same dark place I was some time ago. People who want to pursue their dreams but have no idea what to do or where to start. People like me, especially moms and dads.

As a businesswoman, I decided to use what being a Mompreneur means as an asset, not as a disadvantage:

Being a Mompreneur means…having extra motivation to fight for your goals.

Being a Mompreneur means…having a little pair of eyes watching you all the time, learning from you, so be ready to be the best version of yourself.

Being a Mompreneur means…to rediscover life and your purpose.

Being a Mompreneur means…hearing "I love you mommy" before turning off the lights…And going back to work! 😉

As a mom and as a person, I learned to enjoy and celebrate all the awesome things I have in life.

Today, I'm still working very hard to get to the next level, Yeah! But things are smoother for me now. 

I learned I wasn’t meant to follow the conventional path. I never really knew how to settle for less than I wanted, and I just need to be the real ME in order to be happy.

Last year I was lucky enough to attend one of Michelle Poler's presentations in Miami. After that experience, I wrote the following on a piece of paper, the same paper that motivated me to go after my dream job:

Courage is…to talk about your story to encourage others.

Courage is…to ask for help.

Courage is…admitting that you don’t have all the answers and to be open to learn.

Courage is…to say NO and cut off the things that don’t feel right anymore, even if they were very important before.

Courage is…seeing failure as an opportunity to learn, that will lead you to success sooner or later.

Courage is…being flexible enough to know that your deepest dreams can change as life goes on, just pursue what it feels right for you.

Courage is…to listen to people opinions (they will give them anyway), but in the end always follow your heart, no matter what.

Courage is…being persistent, and even more during the low moments. Have faith and keep going. 

Courage is…to be grateful for what you already have and always say Thank You. It’s a magic word, as I always say to my son; it opens hearts and opportunities, better than anything.

Courage is…saying I’m sorry and forgiving, not only others but you, in fact, you in the first place. As well saying I love you (to you too).

Courage is…taking time off when you need it.

Courage is…taking care of yourself.

I wish you happiness, love and the courage to live your life according to your priorities.