How Should we think about Motherhood x Entrepreneurship Now? with Puno Dostres

Are you curious about what it looks like running an intuitive business while starting a family?

In this episode, we’ve invited special guest and dear friend, ⁠Puno Puno⁠, founder of ⁠ilovecreatives⁠ and Executive Creative Director of ⁠ilovecreatives.Studio⁠, to muse with us on what it means to be an entrepreneur and a brand new mom.

Key moments from today’s episode:

  • Strategies for taking maternity leave with a small team

  • What does time management actually look like between your business and starting a new family?

  • Growing a lifestyle business while becoming a mom, and the decision to talk about your experience in your work

  • How do you design and grow a business that supports the process of growing a family at the same time?

and more, (duh!) 😉

Thoughts? What’s your take on growing a business and a family at the same time?

Puno is the Founder of ⁠ilovecreatives⁠ (the new trade school for slashies) and Executive Creative Director of ⁠ilovecreatives.Studio⁠ (a boutique design agency). You can also find her writing and directing funny videos and doing ⁠photoshoots with her cat⁠.

“As a business owner, you have this level of freedom that you get by being an entrepreneur, but you also have a a deep level of uncertainty. Technically we all do. We all have uncertainty in our lives, no matter how certain things seem, no matter how secure our businesses or our job is or partnership is or our life feels, it can all change at the drop of the hat.”
— MPL
“I feel like I have a baby, but I also feel like I’m a teen mom. I guess I’m winging it. I’m also having fun, trying not to take things too seriously.”
— Puno
“I felt like a single mom for a little bit there. Not in a bad way. But actually in a very confident way. Like in a way where I was like, wow, I can do this. Yeah, I can totally do this!”
— Puno
“…to enjoy your time off and take care of yourself and be with your baby. It’s not time off. It’s a ton of work, it’s a lot of work. But it’s also really fun.”
— MPL
“…fear, anxiety, stress, pushing deadlines, adding more to your plate — those are the things that help motivate you to get shit done, but also destroy your life, obviously. And so often that’s like the fuel for a smaller business. And it’s really cool to hear that’s not where you guys are operating from.”
— MPL
“Learning more about what problem we want to solve, which for me, I know now very clearly that people who come to ilovecreatives are looking for something new but aren’t necessarily sure what it is. It’s so vague but it’s just that is the reason why…”
— Puno
“I definitely am just really excited about working on this problem of what do I want to do with my life and just trying to help people look at it from different perspectives. That’s all!”
— Puno
“I’m just surprised at how much I enjoy it. I’m also really surprised at how much my anxiety about work has really dropped off a cliff. I’m not sure if it’s because just by nature of being a parent, you have less time to worry, or if it’s because I trust my team more. It’s probably a combination of both. I have this amazing team of people. They were awesome while I was on maternity leave. They have always been awesome, but we all got to stretch in new ways. And that’s really cool.”
— MPL
“When you’re looking at your life and you’re looking at how you deal with the situation that you’re in, you don’t get a plan of instructions. You have to actually work with a number of questions. Those questions are going to help you answer where you go. Not, “if I do this, then I’ll be happy.””
— Puno

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    • How Michelle and Puno managed parenthood as entrepreneurs and their current perspectives on motherhood

    • Pursuing a great work-life balance, as we recognize that our unique perspectives may influence our approach, but we remain united in our common goals

    • Feeling like a teen mom by embracing lightheartedness

    • The shift Puno experienced when she decided to add motherhood to her identity, after previously identifying as a fun and cool entrepreneur

    • Puno shares how she balances her time between work, taking care of her child, spending time with her partner, and any other responsibilities

    • How did Puno feel about going on maternity leave?

    • A work ethic built on respect, and how Puno's team gets it done

    • Building positive work culture and overcoming the bond of shared stress and difficulty among colleagues, particularly in startups

    • How nonlinear thinkers and neurodivergent individuals, often motivated by novelty, can struggle with the fear, anxiety, and stress that come with pushing deadlines and adding more to their plate

    • Breaking away from the reliance on stress as a motivator in smaller businesses and embracing a healthier work culture

    • How discovering why people come to ilovecreatives helped the business boom

    • Helping people find their passion by looking at life from different perspectives

    • Learning from people but not necessarily following the same path, instead feeling happy for those who have found a way to balance both parenthood while being an entrepreneur

    • Having a supportive and dependable team at work, and how it helps alleviate anxiety, significantly reduces stress, and makes it easier to manage the demands of both work and family life

arbsstartup, entrepreneurshipComment