A case for entrepreneurship

At my college graduation, my mom struck up a conversation with a friend graduating from the School of Pharmacy. My mom mentioned she herself had chosen pharmacy because it was a good career to allow her to work part-time when she had a family.

Wait…whhhhaaat?

Somehow, after 22 years of imparting wisdom, this choice nugget had dropped through the cracks. I’d never heard this from my mom before. Nor had I ever considered it. My freshly presented engineering degree and position waiting at a massive consulting firm suddenly seemed a bad fit for things like “family” and “part time”.

It planted the seed of an obsession.

I grew up in my parents’ pharmacy and knew that profession was not for me. Despite the countless lessons I learned being part of that business, many aspects of it repelled me:  negotiating contracts with insurance companies or competing with massive chains that sold below our costs or dealing with grouchy customers yelling about something we had nothing to do with.

In college I was invited to be part of an entrepreneurship program and thought, “I’ll participate but I’m NOT going to be an entrepreneur.”

Nope, I turned my nose up at entrepreneurship and headed off for my corporate job. And began my futile search for work-life balance. I worked and consulted for tiny startups and mammoth corporations. I shunned the for-profit world for the non-profit and bolted back again. I hopped here and there, trying to dodge bureaucracy, inefficiency, out-of-touch and ineffective leadership, over-promises and under delivery. All while trying to maintain a life before kids even blipped on my radar.

Then came the kids.

I embraced my mother’s words and worked part-time. I created my own consulting position that fit my schedule. I owe this to supportive bosses (thank you Rodney, Lloyd, Starr) who recognized my work was worth it – if only during the hours of 9am to 3pm.

But I was not fulfilled. I came home exhausted and dissatisfied. I had good, challenging work, flexible hours, and time with my kids, but as it always had been: technology consulting felt hollow.

At this critical point, I was ready to hear something that I may have told before. Certainly, my parents taught this without words since my childhood. Experience, time, and necessity had readied me to embrace it.

My friend said, you’ll never have what you want until you make it yourself.

Finally, after 40 years, the practicality of what my parents had done struck me. They carved out their place in the world and made a good life for their family. Those sales and negotiations energized my extroverted dad. Determining drug structures and contraindications satiated my analytical mom.

I had taken for granted the way they organized their business for our family. Yes, my sister and I spent countless hours in that pharmacy, but away from it, we were always with at least one parent. We spent more time with our dad than most kids in our generation. During summer break, I cherished Wednesday mornings with him. Mom also held down the family fort on Saturday mornings, and we always – always – talked Dad into a trip to Dunkin’ Donuts. And Mom was home everyday when we arrived from school.

And then I wanted it. But what? And how?

Knowing this and my passionate belief that the path from stay-at-home to working mom should be easier, another friend suggested casually that I become a coach. I shrugged it off…but hours later couldn’t sleep from the eager spinning of my head.

It clicked.

I suddenly craved solopreneurship, yes, but what I wanted – really wanted – was to empower other women to work part-time. My formal skill set says technology-this, technology-that, but fundamentally, I spent my career helping people determine what they want and guiding the process for them to get it. Re-purposing this to help women rethink the traditional burden of entrepreneurship and instead creatively using their skills and talents to be part-time entrepreneurs would make my many corporate years payoff.

My parents’ chosen path embodied how I guide Riveter Agency clients – working with their natural skills while building a business within their perimeters. It wasn’t always easy. But even as a teenager, I loved the direct connection of our family working hard and our customers directly benefitting – not an overbearing boss or nameless shareholders. Those fruits of labor benefitted us, too, especially in terms of family-togetherness.

My parents’ interpretation of entrepreneurship wasn’t for me, but small business ownership can take infinite forms – from a hotdog stand to a YouTube star. I look forward to sharing the stories of entrepreneurs (link) to offer inspiration and confidence, starting with the talented Lieve Saether and her company Turnstyle Design (link).

You can build what you want through entrepreneurship. How will you carve out your niche while living life? How will your skills and passions get you there? Please share your stories with us.

Tina with Mom & Dad at college graduation (before embracing hair products!)

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