The life hacks that enable me to run a business and be there for my family

Running a business while being present for your family is no easy task. I know because I’m living it. For many women, including myself and the following 29 from the Dreamers & Doers collective, blending these two worlds is not just a necessity—it’s a source of strength and fulfillment. As Ashley Rector, Founder of Quimby Digital reflects, “I am not a mother one day and a business owner the next—I am both intertwined in every moment of my day.” By embracing the dual nature of our roles, we can find empowerment in our multifaceted lives. 

To balance their commitments to both their businesses and families, these entrepreneurs have developed unique strategies and support systems. For example, Sarah Loughry, Founder of Em Dash Content Studio, highlights the importance of investing in assistance. By hiring a Director of Operations, she has reclaimed more than 20 hours of her week. Liane Agbi, Founder and CEO of Beautifuli Digital, includes her operating hours directly in her email signature to establish boundaries around her schedule. 

These are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more life hacks, support systems, and mindset shifts to explore, sourced directly from the remarkable women, just like yourself, who are working each day to both run their businesses and be there for their families. Ultimately, these strategies are not just about balancing work and family—they’re about simultaneously thriving in both.

I put my business hours in my email signature

“Establishing boundaries around my work schedule and publicizing it with my clients has allowed me to gain more time freedom. I am able to show up for my family after work hours and on the weekends, especially after recently giving birth. Ever since instituting this small change, I’ve received way fewer emails after hours and on the weekends.”

Liane Agbi, Founder and CEO of Beautifuli Digital

I stopped trying to separate work and family

“The pressure to put who we are as women in one box or another was a recipe for extreme burnout. I am not a mother one day and a business owner the next—I am both intertwined in every moment of my day. I stopped feeling sorry for the child interruptions on pitch calls or the moments I had to answer a Slack message at tee-ball. It isn’t about work-life balance; it’s about embracing the hybrid of who I am as a human.”

Ashley Rector, Founder of Quimby Digital

I built out a support community

“Leaning on other single parents and creating a network where it’s OK to ask for help—and also OK to say we’re not available—has been crucial. This give-and-take, balanced with clear boundaries, allows my kids to feel secure knowing they can turn to a neighbor or friend if I’m traveling or unavailable, ensuring they’re always supported.”

Dara Erck, Founder and CEO of  SAM+LEO

I harness time-blocking

“I find that when I focus on the same type of activity in one day, I can be more productive and efficient. This is why I will schedule all calls to a specific date, as well as doing the same with in-person meetings.”

Marika Frumes, Founder and CEO of Mysha

I align my tasks with my peak focus periods

“My calendar is a reflection of my energy management. I prioritize strategic work in the morning when my energy is high and shift to transactional tasks in the early evening when I’m less energized but can still be productive. Quality time with my kids fills the afternoons, and my husband takes over during my evening work session. A hard stop at 7 p.m. protects family and personal time.” 

Catalina Parker, Co-Founder of Relatable Nonprofit

I make it my goal to prioritize my daughter

“This enables me to have clear boundaries around work and make the choices I need to make so I can be present as a mom. It’s incredibly hard to balance family, a successful business, and self-care. Self-compassion and positive affirmation practices are critical to helping us deal with the pressure and fill our own cups as we give so much to those around us.”

Bilen Mesfin Packwood, CEO of Change Consulting

I run my virtual agency completely from home

“I sometimes miss the days of working in an office, but back then, other people got the best of me and my family got the burned out husk. Now it’s my kids and husband I get to eat lunch with and joke around with in the kitchen by the coffee pot. I will never go back!”

Evan Sargent, Founder and CEO of Leap_year Branding

I outsource grocery shopping and house cleaning

“When faced with the choice of spending several hours per week shopping and cleaning, or using that time to spend with my daughters or working on my business, I’ll choose my children or my business (when they’re in school!) every time. Time is the one resource I can’t earn more of. I’ll spend a little extra to buy back my time through outsourcing home tasks I don’t love to do.”

Stephanie Skryzowski, Founder and CEO of 100 Degrees Consulting

I prepare dinner every morning

“Rather than facing the usual rush for dinner, grabbing less nutritious options, and feeling guilty about not fueling my kids or myself properly, I decided to make it part of my morning routine. Cooking in the evening used to be stressful for everyone. As my kids have gotten older and my work schedule often eats into the evening, there’s very little time for a healthy meal. Making dinner in the morning means it’s ready whenever the family is ready to eat. This approach eliminates one mammoth task and decision for the parents each evening. I actually find the process quite joyful.”

Natalie Eagling, President at Hey Mr Media

I meticulously time block and delegate

“I structure my days to ensure that both my professional tasks and family time are non-negotiable, using technology to streamline and automate routine business operations. Additionally, I heavily rely on a close-knit community of trusted professionals and family support. This allows me to focus deeply wherever I am needed most, whether it’s making strategic business decisions or spending quality time with my children. This system not only maximizes my efficiency but also ensures I remain connected and committed to both my professional and personal life.”

Medha Nicky Rishi, Founder and CEO of MissPoppins

I engage my kids in my work

“I find (or make up) jobs for them that are work-related and require a lot of time. For instance, putting stickers on boxes of samples, their lunch boxes, or plain paper with our themed stickers and logo. I print coloring pages with Belgian-themed images. They feel like they contribute as they help Mom with ‘marketing.’” 

Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys

I tackle my hardest tasks first thing

“From 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. I accomplish more work than I typically accomplish in a full day, and it allows me to stop working at 4 p.m.”

Emily Merrell, Founder of Second Degree Society

I wake up before the rest of my family

“During this focused morning block, I tackle the most critical business task and plan out the rest of my day. But here’s the twist: I use that same focused energy to quickly delegate smaller, non-critical tasks to a virtual assistant. This frees up my mind for strategic thinking and allows me to be fully present, and feeling prepared, throughout the day.”

Jessica Sikora, Founder and CEO of Superbands

I invest in support for our household

“We decided to bring in two key team members: a meal prep chef who drops fresh, nutritious meals to our doorstep each week and a house manager who oversees tasks such as laundry, grocery shopping, errands, and many other household duties that keep our family organized, functional, and thriving. These additions have transformed our capacity to be more present in everything we do, especially spending time as a family.”

Kelly Hubbell, Founder and CEO of Sage Haus

I know when to ask for help

“Embracing the power of community and surrounding myself with a supportive network has been crucial. I would be nowhere without my incredible team, giving them full trust and support, and all the fellow entrepreneurs who I lean on for advice and encouragement. This approach not only frees up my time but also keeps me balanced and grounded—both in business and family life.”

Emily Kenison, Founder of RobeCurls

I bucket blocks of time for specific tasks

“This allows me to be productive and effective at work, present when with my family, and feel less overwhelmed by everything I need to do in a day. Without it, my days can feel a little haphazard, unfocused, and less efficient. I also carve out time to let my brain enter a creative headspace or simply to remember something that may have fallen through the cracks. Finally, I block out time each week to spend with my co-founder, Vida, so that we can really focus on strategy and efficiently complete time-sensitive tasks. We affectionately call these ‘bestie days.’ When that collaboration time is on the weekends, our kids have a blast playing together—it’s like a working playdate that benefits everyone involved. This setup not only allows us to be productive but also fosters a supportive environment where both our business goals and our children’s happiness thrive.”

Ronit Menashe, Co-founder of WeNatal

I have a strict metric for saying “yes” or “no”

“My instinct had always been to say yes to everything, figuring it out later. This ultimately meant my bandwidth was always maxed, my health never prioritized, and my general attitude worn thin. I’ve learned how to curb this behavior by keeping a sharper eye on my goals and using those goals as a strict filter for whether or not I say yes to something. It sounds simple—and it is—but it’s hard to do in a world with competing demands constantly being asked of you. This practice has helped me regain bandwidth and stay focused on the priorities that matter to me.”

Diana Lyman, CEO of Traction Advisory

I’m ruthlessly protective of my time

“Recalibrate your mental process to always first think, ‘Who on our team can take this on?’ Invest the time in advance to empower your team. It is so often that a project or meeting drags and new challenges arise that seem urgent. However, I set alarms on my phone to hard stop meetings, especially when getting home to my kids. Some days I do need to log in after they sleep, but the time with them before they go to bed is so important.”

Lilea Eshoo, COO of Atoria’s Family Bakery

I hired a house manager

“This seemed like such a luxury that I never contemplated it until a friend saw a Facebook post that there was a woman who worked for many families in my area and she had some extra time.  I tried to place a value on my time and realized that having someone else do grocery pickups, go to the dry cleaners, organize my house, and do other errands would be well worth it. Not having to fit these simple tasks into my day not only gives me back time to focus on my family and more important matters in my business, but it also relieves the stress of trying to fit more into my day.”

Mara Smith, Founder and CEO of Inspiro Tequila

I switch my phone to “focus mode”

“It automatically silences notifications and calls, and it communicates to anyone sending me texts. It’s been a game changer and ensures I’m not distracted by incoming calls or messages when I need to be present with family or to do deep work.”

Yevedzo (Yeve) Chitiga, Founder of Yevedzo Coaching & Consulting

I work in the white space

“This means I get my heavy work done during naps and at night. A younger version of myself would have sworn she’d never do this. However, my current self can’t imagine missing major milestones and sweet little moments. Of course, having a team is a big reason I am able to do this successfully, and I lean on childcare once a week to have some consistency.”

Lauren Loreto, Founder and Owner of Brand Good Time

I have a COO who oversees our operations

“I never have to recreate the wheel, wonder what’s coming next, or scramble at the last minute. We’re able to do the work of a much larger team because we can scale and sustain with ease. So many companies fail not because they aren’t great, but because they haven’t built a rock-solid operation behind the scenes.”

Jennie Armstrong, CEO of Wild Awake

I know when to shut down

“Remember, nothing is so urgent that it can’t wait until tomorrow. Knowing when to switch off work mode is crucial—you’ll be better for it, and so will your business and family life.”

Monica Curtis, Founder of Monica Curtis

I use my online calendar to keep me on track

“If it is not on my calendar, it is not happening. It’s color-coded, I use naming and time-block systems, and the details section is full of information. Anything that is family-related or overlaps with family time gets shared with my husband.” 

Lori Sussle Bonanni, Founder of elssus

I don’t regret saying “no”

“I continually scale back non-essential tasks and focus on high-leverage activities that drive business growth, allowing me to be present for myself and my loved ones. I ask myself, ‘Will this task drive significant value or support my long-term goals?’ If not, I try to delegate, outsource or simply let it go!”

Sophie Alcorn, Founder and CEO of Alcorn Immigration Law

My daughter runs my startup alongside me

“When Lola was little, we did our own fulfillment, so I had her do the labels since she loved stickers. When doing new product development, I give her similar tools that I am using and encourage her to invent her products and embrace imperfection. At 7, she now helps me film content, which encourages my own embrace of the imperfection.”

Kodi Kitchen Berg, Founder and CEO of EQUIPT

I hired a Director of Operations

“She has given me more than 20 hours back in my week, which has allowed me to focus on the bigger picture parts of my business without sacrificing time with my family.”  

Sarah Loughry, Founder and CEO of Em Dash Content Studio

I lean on my husband for support

“We were in the thick of raising three kids who were 12, 10, and 7 when I knew I wanted to go out on my own as an entrepreneur. Thankfully, my husband is a firefighter. This allowed me to not have to worry about health insurance for our family. In addition, we could both adjust to work-family balance thanks to his shifts. When he was on 24-hour shifts, I was off and could adjust my schedule accordingly. That allowed me to run my own business, meaning I could be in charge of my family and work schedules.” 

Allison LaGuardia, Owner and President of ALL Media

I make mealtime a priority

“Sharing meals as a family provides insights into your kids’ day, fosters problem solving as a unit, and allows everyone to be fully present in the moment. Even if it’s just 30 minutes once a week, having family meals can significantly enhance the bond with your loved ones. Make the most of these moments to strengthen connections and create lasting memories.”

Marissa Joy Pick, Founder of Marissa Pick Consulting LLC

All individuals featured in this article are members of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women entrepreneurs, investors and leaders by securing PR opportunities, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.