Keep Your Promises as a Working Mom in 2021
Meeting Priya Amin, the founder, and CEO of Flexable, a virtual childcare service for working parents, is like getting a big hug from your best friend. Her energy is equally down-to-earth and buzzing with ideas, innovations, and inspiration. As a working mom myself, it was so refreshing to hear about how she got started on her entrepreneurial journey and the motivation behind it!
Priya Amin, Founder of Flexable
While we chatted on Zoom, her son casually walked in and out of the room. She wasn't flustered in the slightest. You could tell that Priya conducts business with the mindset that she is a working mom -- mom first, and kids will be kids and come in and out of her workday.
My favorite moment was when she said, "The biggest reason I'm so passionate about Flexable, and child care for all working parents, is that I'm solving a problem I am literally LIVING!"
It was such a pleasure interviewing Priya about making, keeping, and staying intentional with new year's resolutions in 2021. So without further adieu, here's the interview.
EM: You launched an entrepreneurial venture with Fexable, while still managing and mothering two kiddos. What did the early days look like for you?
Priya:
The early days of Flexable were actually quite spectacular. I had an incredible co-founder, and we were accepted to the AlphaLab accelerator program here in Pittsburgh. We were awarded seed money, an office to work out of, and mentorship. Of course, the program took place during the summer months. At the time, I had a five and two-year-old. Ironically, it was challenging to find quality childcare. I relied on my nanny a lot, and if she wasn't available, I was left in a lurch. It was and has always been a bit surreal to be solving an issue you're living!
EM: Being the start of a new year, and one where the previous year was so unprecedented and unpredictable, how will you go about setting yourself up for success?
Priya:
I feel as though 2020 was a year of chaotic change, and 2021 will be the year of intentional transition. Things will continue changing for us on a local, national, and global scale, and it's up to all of us to be open and ready for those transitions. I am taking that mentality to heart both personally and professionally, which I believe deeply will be the key to success for this coming year and years to come. I'm dedicated to helping my team as well by thinking of more unique benefits, outside of the ones we already offer, and by supporting them as they work to balance all the things life throws at us -- now and into the future.
EM: Flexable seems like an ideal support network, community, and tool for working moms -- moms who've suddenly found themselves working from home and schooling their children. How did your company grow or change in 2020?
Priya:
Oh wow! Well, our company fundamentally changed in 2020. The global pandemic halted our business operations, forcing me to let go of most of my staff. My co-founder also left to take another opportunity. We had to completely pivot the entire business to meet the growing needs of working parents struggling to juggle all the things at home.
We fundamentally shifted everything about the company. Through this complete repositioning, we decided to bring our value proposition of "always there" childcare to the virtual space. This allowed Flexable to continue partnering with organizations as we had for several years, and to continue supporting those organizations' working-parent employees while they work remotely.
All I can say is that it was a wild ride, but we made it through and out the other end of the tunnel in a better position than we had been before.
EM: Some women don't believe in setting new year's resolutions. Do you agree or disagree, and why?
Priya:
To me, resolutions are about setting goals. The more massive they are, the less likely you are to achieve them. My resolution for this year is to learn how to crochet -- that's it. š
I think goal setting and resolutions are super valuable practices when leveraged in the right way. When starting a new year, my goals used to look something like, "I'm going to switch careers AND get healthy AND buy a new house AND, AND, AND." This pressure was totally overwhelming and a recipe for failure. Making even one of those resolutions would be HUGE! I've fallen into the trap of overcommitting myself too many times in my life and have had to learn the hard way.
Instead, I now practice breaking down my goals into smaller, actionable steps. This way, I'm more likely to achieve them! For example, a resolution can be to get your resume up to date - this sets you up for success. Once it's completed, the natural next step is to start circulating it. Done, and done!
The resolution to learn to crochet is rooted in my desire to focus on my mental health and wellbeing this year. My hope is that focusing on learning to crochet, it'll force me to sit down for 10, 20, or 30 minutes to work on something that's not work-related! Hopefully, the practice becomes a habit, leading to purposeful downtime and meditative space becoming part of my daily routine.
EM: What are three pieces of advice you would give any woman looking to start their own business this year?
Priya:
Don't overthink it, just start. Begin with the smallest step. When I started my first business ROKI Consulting, I was like four weeks postpartum. I began by just emailing my lawyer to ask how to set up an LLC. The next step was to think of a name, and then the next step was to make a website. Just put one foot in front of the other. If you break your to-do list into small actionable chunks and start crossing things off, suddenly you realize you've created the thing you thought was too big to do!
Put yourself out there. The last thing you should be if you're starting a company is timid. Join online social groups for entrepreneurs, seek out women in your competitive space, put your intentions out for the world to see what you can manifest. My Flexable co-founder and I met through a Facebook group I created because we worked on the same idea. In essence, we were competitors. But we decided to get together and put our collective brainpower to good use. If I hadn't started that Facebook group and put my idea out in the world for others to see, she and I would never have connected.
Set yourself and your needs first. It's so easy to fall into the trap of trying to be great at everything, but everyone has a threshold and hitting it can be painful. I reached a near-max burnout towards the end of last year, and it was heartbreaking for me, my team, and my family. Always think of what you need to stay well and rested first. And don't be afraid to ask for it. Those who are willing to support you will step right up.
EM: How do you balance work, motherhood, and family?
Priya:
I firmly believe there is no such thing as a work/life balance. I'm sorry, but that is bullshit. It implies that work and life are the same weight when work is just ONE COMPONENT of life.
We're conditioned to think work is more important than other things in our lives, like family, social life, mental health, physical health, the list goes on. But work should NOT be the most essential life component.
Instead, I believe that Life should come before Work. Life always comes first for me, and I try to model that for my team daily. It's OK to take time off to be with your kids or gain some mental health by taking a day off. It is NOT ok to put work first at all costs. Or worse, think you should be spending equal time on work as you do the rest of the things in your life. Some weeks it may be the same; some weeks, other life events are much more valuable. I think this is something the pandemic universally taught us all. I am hoping we can continue with this mentality in the future.
EM: How do you plan to practice self-care in the new year?
Priya:
My daily self-care routine is as follows:
Wake up and go for a walk
Drink a tall glass of water and then start the day's activities, including breakfast, making lunches, getting the kids ready for school, etc.
Once that's done, I meditate for 10 minutes before sitting at my desk.
I take frequent breaks (something necessary while homeschooling, too!), and I try my hardest to stay off social media.
In the new year, I plan to include knitting and crocheting to the mix and allow for a daily unwind ritual.
EM: Anything else you want to share with our readers?
Priya:
I started Flexable because I sincerely believe that companies can and should do more to support their working-parent employees. I also firmly believe that it is our responsibility to advocate for those support structures internally.
We can't rely solely on corporations and businesses to find and implement those support structures. I also believe that women deserve to be present anywhere business decisions are made. This is why we offer our virtual childcare services to professional events and conferences too.
Priya and her family š
Learn more about how Flexable can positively change the way you work and parent at the same time! For all you super moms out there, this is the service you've been looking for to help you balance working from home and all the other stuff you do every day to keep your family healthy and happy. Visit Flexablecare.com, and download the Employee Benefits Request to send to your HR or Benefits Manager today!