The value of being a Business Founder as a mum

Founder & Managing Director - The Grants Hub

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I launched The Grants Hub when I was 39 weeks pregnant with my second child. Was that an ideal way to start a business? No. Was it how I planned it? No. Has it impacted our business growth? Yes. Do I mind about that? No. Has it made for a fun ride? Heck yes!

You see, in life we are faced with opportunities (or in my case ideas) at certain points in our lives. They might be small ideas or big ideas. Opportunities that could change your next week, or your next 5 years. We can’t always plan when these ideas and opportunities arise. What we can control, is whether we take them or not.

So after leaving local government to have my first child, I had this idea brewing in the back of my mind. There was a clear need: an easier way to find grants in Australia. There was my own drive to create a job that allowed me to work anywhere. There was my desire to work part-time hours while raising our young and growing family. There was a team that came together at the right time to make it happen. And there was my husband who was on the same page as me, so we sold our house to fund the startup costs. I should say, one of the ground rules of entrepreneurship is ‘don’t sell your house’, but I figure if you have a great idea, are willing to work hard, and believe enough in what you’re doing, you do what you’ve got to do to make it happen.

Founding a business and being a mum of young children typically do not go together. It breaks social expectations and starts conversations. It provokes judgement, and also encouragement. It leaves people thinking I’m crazy, or asking how I do it.

At times, to be honest, it’s tough. Really tough. Work issues arise at all times of day and night (tech businesses don’t follow standard working hours), and as the Founder, the buck stops with me. There are times when I’ve had to work into the early hours of the morning, and still get up to my kids in the morning. There are times of pure disappointment and overwhelm, yet other moments of joy when I can see that The Grants Hub is making a difference in people’s lives around Australia.

So how does being a Business Founder and mum come together for me?

Firstly, as the Founder, I set the culture. Our culture is summarised through our values (Excellence, Flexibility, Generosity, Fun, Honesty, Innovation, Reliability), which are intrinsic in everything we do. Would Flexibility have made the cut if I wasn’t a mum? Probably not. But when you’re a parent of young children you soon realise that kids don’t follow a cut and paste rule book. Kids are all different, and don’t all get sick when it’s convenient with my work schedule, for example. Would Fun have been included if I wasn’t a mum? I don’t think so. But having young kids helps you to keep seeing the fun in life and reminds you that you can’t take life too seriously. Some of the happiest moments I can remember are when I’m having fun with my kids (like having a shaving cream fight in the middle of our dining room). Why wouldn’t we want fun to translate into business?

Secondly, The Grants Hub’s value of Generosity has imprinted itself on our children more than I ever anticipated. Our kids want to give, and seeing their mum as a Business Founder sparks their entrepreneurial minds. They are continually coming up with new ventures to raise money for the homeless, or children with heart conditions. They are little social entrepreneurs, and I’m convinced that wouldn’t be the case if I wasn’t a Founder.

Thirdly, as the Founder, I can essentially work the hours that work for me. Now, this is a tricky one to get the balance right on at times, and I’m not saying that Founders should do whatever they want, especially if it’s going to put their team and business at risk. I’m learning that the bigger we grow, the more I need to work more regular hours. However, if my daughter has a sports day at school, I can go. If my son needs to attend an appointment, I can take him. If I want to get a hair cut and colour during work hours, I can do that and make the hours up later at night. If my husband and I happen to have an hour free, we can grab a coffee together. These are the perks of being a Founder, and help make the sometimes relentless hours and years of no pay worth it.

I wish, oh how I wish, that more businesses and organisations were founded by mums. Including mums of young children. There is so much scope for businesses and organisations to change the way they operate, to not just support mums in the workplace, but to intentionally open doors for mums to thrive and grow, along with their colleagues. We have an opportunity as mums in Australia to found businesses that are different. To take a chance and give business a crack. To create a place where people want to work. To grow businesses that give, to our communities and back to our children, both financially and through leading by example. To be both great mums and great business founders. Is now your time?

Jessie Ballantyne

Founder & Managing Director - The Grants Hub

Jessie has over 15 years experience in funding and grants. She has worked with government, not-for-profits and businesses in a range of grant related capacities, including: advising local government on grant-making policies and protocols; developing customised grant and funding programs for not-for-profits; sitting on NGO boards as a project planning and management advisor; preparing multi-million dollar national and international grant applications; sitting on grant assessment panels; and designing and facilitating grant writing workshops.

When others see blockers, Jessie sees opportunities. She is a problem solver and solution seeker, who has merged grants with tech to solve grant accessibility issues across Australia. Her commitment to create an easy-to-use, comprehensive and cutting edge online grants platform is reflective in each aspect of The Grants Hub. From the way members search and find grants, to the way our team works remotely, Jessie leads the way in innovation.

Living in regional Victoria and raising three young kids, Jessie is passionate about challenging the norm whilst running a business of excellence. Winning multiple business awards in 2016 is testament to this.

Her responsibilities at The Grants Hub include:
- Leadership and strategic direction
- Innovation
- Content management
- Partnership development.

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Chris Baker
4 years ago

We are looking for someone to assist us in applying for Grants for our product we have started exporting and wondered if you could advise us on some things that we do not understand.

Sally-Anne Kane
4 years ago

Hear, hear! I started my sole trader business well before I became a Mum but I managed my business throughout pregnancy and remember too well managing jobs while in the birthing suite, both before and after the birth. I also continued to run my business (which I was very confident in doing) with learning to mother an infant (which I had no confidence in doing, at first) and have juggled both, fairly successfully, since then. I can’t imagine doing this with two or three kids – which must be two or three times the busy-ness, if that is possible – but I agree: when you run a business in an office in your home it is flexible although demanding; and your example as a professional does inspire your kids to be like you in being generous in sharing information, and have an entrepreneurial approach.