In today’s world, many mothers juggle family life and work. Others are turning their ideas into successful businesses. It’s important to realize just how far women have come in the last decades. In the 1950’s, only 19 percent of mothers worked, a small percentage compared to 70% who continued to work as a parent in 2011. Founding a company takes a lot of planning, creative spark and hard work. It also takes a lot of passion. If you’re going to start a business, it needs to be aligned with what you love. These women did just that.

We can’t deny that more opportunities exist today for women, but finding the right balance between raising a family and running a company takes time to figure out. Thankfully we can turn to women who are succeeding at paving their own path to learn from their experiences.

Finding balance means creating overlap between work and family life. Lauren Thom (@laurenthom) founder of Fleurty Girl, a New Orleans inspired clothing business, lives this truth everyday. She started her business with only $2000,00 from her 2009 tax returns and began printing New Orleans inspired t-shirts. The demand quickly grew so to make it work, she moved from a 2000 square feet house to a crammed 1000 feet one. She says of her journey:

"You have to make family a part of your business… I've always considered my kids to be my board of directors, whether we're moving or having them share a bedroom so we can open a store in our house. Make them a part of that journey. And that's for any mom, not just single moms… Our kids are our reason to seek out a better life."

The work day doesn’t end at the office and family life doesn’t end once you’re out the front door. That balance, however, doesn’t come easily. Lauren Perkins of UrbanSitter takes time to set priorities then reset them as things pop up. She’s become even better at running her company after becoming a mom because she prioritizes, outsourcing lesser tasks. This makes her more focused, efficient and she appreciates the time she has with her kids when she gets it.    

“We are all pulled in 100 different directions daily – even men with teams, wives, or connections are shackled daily with stress. You could similarly compare yourself to mothers with free time that and are not starting companies or to entrepreneurs without kids or with supportive wealthy husbands – but it’s not going to change the fact that you have to work harder, and smarter, and longer. The “poor me” mentality only serves procrastination, self-doubt, and a negative thought loop - not our greater purpose.”

I think women who lived in the fifties or even further back would be proud of the leaps women have made in the modern workforce. The way these women entrepreneurs have succeeded by including their families is remarkable and deserves to be recognized. It’s an exciting time for women who want to start their own business, and finding work-life balance will get you one step closer to that goal.