With my newly announced baby bump status I thought it would be fun to interview seasoned mama’s in hopes to glean a bit of their expertise. In my new series, “Mama + Biz Owner”, I’ll be asking five friends to share how they made the transition from mama-hood to work-life, or vice versa. Whether they were a mama first or had their career first, these friends have both now AND they know how to manage them well. I know our drive out to California in just a couple days will be filled with lots of baby/work/family life chatter :)
Today I’m featuring a dear friend, Casey Wiegand, which is so perfect because she + hubby Chris welcomed little Apple into the world Tuesday morning. In the end, it’s true — we all have our own unique schedules and day-to-day “ness” that keeps our worlds turning, but learning from friends + hearing their stories is a fun way to connect. So grab your coffee and ENJOY!
Hi!! My name is Casey Wiegand! I have three kiddos… Aiden (age 3), Ainsleigh (almost 2) and Apple (she was born Tuesday of this week!). I do quite a few things that make me a “work from home” mom! First, I am a freelance artist. I sell original, abstract art in local galleries and art shows, as well as do commission work. In the past few months I also opened an online shop so that I could sell smaller pieces and prints. Second, I own an art studio for kids called “A Little Artsy“. I have designed the curriculum for all of the age groups, ranges baby — adults. Lastly, I blog over at CaseyLeigh and recently took on a part time job writing for Disney Baby!
Being a “working from home” mom requires (for me) a lot of organization and a lot of flexibility. I have calendars, spreadsheets, folders and Google Docs that keep everything incredibly organized — this is huge for me! Being flexible is key though. I have learned that some days what I had planned to get done just won’t happen… and other days I will get an unexpected pocket of time and am able to get ahead. When I had just one child I was able to work during naptime but now with three there really is never a time during the day that I can sit down and work… it requires me getting up early or staying up late to get everything that I need to get done for that day.
My husband and I are both artists and both very entrepreneurial spirited… even before babies we were this way. We are just doing what we love and feel passionate about… and are very fortunate that we are able to make it work for now!
I think adapting for me is just staying laid back and flexible. I know that getting less sleep (waking up early and staying up late to work) is a very small sacrifice to do what I love and feel passionate about. It’s worth it to me. So if I am painting or writing late and have to run on a few hours less sleep, it’s worth it to me. I want to build a career in the things that I feel like God created me to do and up until now I have found a pretty good balance between doing that and putting my kids first.
Actually having kids has made me want to work harder. I want to be able to give them a lot and I know that the harder I work at building my art career, our studio and any other business ventures will give me the ability to do that more and more. I have wanted to be a mom my whole life. I adore kids… my kids are my world. Putting them before my work isn’t hard. And staying inspired to work hard isn’t a problem either, I want to give them everything.
The best advice that I can give is just to stay flexible! Find what works for you personally and do that… there is no “right way” and no formula!
SHARE WITH US: What is your biggest take-away from Casey’s feature? When you need to find extra time, do you skimp on sleep? What is your solution? Are you as organized as Casey is? Share your thoughts below!
I am going to LOVE this series! As a full time mommy and full time Etsy business owner I think I have finally come to a happy place with filling orders, emails, and being a mommy of two girls who are home with me. Its taken some time, but I think we have found it for us!
I wish I was as organized as Casey is, but our flow is very organic. Everyday and every week I know what has to get done and I keep lists of those two things.. (today and this week-start that one on Monday – these are both business related) and we go from there. Its not perfection but I am very happy!
I used to work about 60 hours a week and I have really cut back, focusing on wholesale and larger orders (for me, I’d prefer a single 100.00 order than 5 20.00 orders)this has made a difference too!
Early mornings are for emails and later nights are for making the actual items,- I know exactly what Casey means about sacrificing sleep to do something you LOVE!
I LOVE this series!
Thank you so much for it!!!
p.s. cant wait to see how YOU juggle mommyhood and business! its so much fun :)
@Emily, Yeah — It will be interesting to see what we decide to do :)
@Gussy Sews, Emily, your shop is beautiful!
@Katy (lil’ alice), @Katy, oh my goodness, thank you soo much!! :) I LOVE it!
amen amen! loved this, y’all!
awesome series, looking forward to more! xo
I am not a mommy (yet? ever? maybe one day?) but i know if i ever am, i want to set an example for my children that if you are not afraid to work hard, you can have a job you love. Whether it be at home, at an office, owning a store, anything! I am going to soak in every word of this series. :)
Very well put! I, too, am a full-time Momma and Business Owner… it is very true that you NEED to be flexible. I love knowing that i’m not the only one sacrificing sleep to do what I love, but I also realize when I need to take time for my family, myself, my business… it’s all a fine balancing act. Excited to read this series, and congrats, Maggie and Zack on everything new: baby bump, the move, etc. Lots of love and well wishes to you! XxOo~M
Congrats to you Gussy Sews!!! Yah!! I am so excited to hear about your new series. I too am a momma to be/ blogger/ Etsy shop Owner and I have a full time day job too. So, life is about to get nuts! CW is awesome and a great role model I see- love her interview!
What a great series Gussy! Again & I am so happy for yall! Being a stay at home mom + being a freelancer + working on living my dreams – it can be hard to balance it all. But I do it for my kids, to show them that it is possible to live your dreams. I do it so that they can have the best life possible! Can’t wait to read more!
Great series! Love, love, love Casey:) She is always so sweet to me and one of the most genuine people I know:) I agree with everything she says!! My kids come first for sure!!! The daytime hours are not spent in the studio during the summer. We have 5 kids. The 3 girls are the oldest (15, 13 and 10) they can pretty much do things on their own but, our 2 boys (5 and 7) need to be watched. Especially Preston the 7 yr old, he is going to give a heart attack that one:/ Anyways, as a parent I think that is where my passion comes from for having a home biz. You for sure need to work at it! For me I go in and out of it, which is not the best. It is hard to find balance.
I am loving this new series! I am a mommy of 3 and Etsy shop owner who works from home! I related to what Casey said about being flexible! I am working on this…some days there are things that I HAVE to get done, but can’t because of the struggles of having kids who don’t understand the whole “time crunch” of working from home and having deadlines. I don’t expect them to, I know I need to be flexible…it is something I am still working on!
High Five Mommas! GO WITH THE FLOW is my new motto! It is just not a possibility for me to start and finish a job in one sitting and realizing that (um, like last week…) has made a world of difference. And I don’t know about you, but I was thrilled to read Casey’s statement that there is no “right way” to do it!
Best to you Gussy with the babe and the move (betcha you won’t be missing winter in MN?!)…
Looking forward to absorbing more from this series!
@Jami Klehr, HAHA — nope! ;D
hats off to the mammas that work from home with their handmade businesses! i was blessed to be a stay at home mom until my youngest started 1st grade. during those toddler years i could barely raise my head from the trenches to catch a break let alone run a business!
this is a great series, thank you again!
This is totally weird, and kind of sad, but the more kids i have the neater i get. I was a total slob before i had kids! Love this post:)
Thank you for doing this series! I’m currently a stay-at-home-mom trying to figure out if I have what it takes to start a small business (and how long have I been saying this for??). I truly admire all you business owners out there, especially those with kids (or kids on the way!). I dream about packaging orders and making things that people will buy but right now I’m struggling to even blog consistently! Looking forward to the next instalment.
WOW!! I’m blown away by all Casey gets done. That’s incredible! And quite inspiring. I love that she works it around her kids and that they are her inspiration.
Catherine Denton
Kristin and I started our online boutique from the ground up while while we maintaining our families ~ 9 kids and husbands (who were also launching new ventures). We managed to grow our biz during one of the busiest seasons of life (no nap time here! 5-18 years ~ our kids!) What kept us going? Definitely flexibility. Also a determination to make our passions become a reality. One of the biggest gifts we feel we can give our kids is a true life picture of reaching and working for a dream. ~Chris Ann
Hi Bernice! I was just reading through comments, and after reading this blog post today, I just thought I’d share with you. I know the boat you’re in :) – http://www.steadymom.com/2012/09/it-all-adds-up.html