I was told by my mentor to write this about the one thing that I am most scared about people finding out about me.
I didn’t even realise until this morning about how scared I actually was if you found out about it.
I’ve been hiding something from you for almost a year now. Only a few of my clients know about it.
I let it build up in my head about it being a huge issue for any new potential clients.
I thought it may mean that I couldn’t get my clients results anymore in their business’s.
I thought it would mean that I wouldn’t be able to coach the salon owners that really needed my help.
I imagined how bad it would be if people found out, like seriously, what would you REALLY think about me then?
I used it as an excuse NOT to work somedays.
Actually, since I am telling the truth here, I used it as an excuse heaps and heaps of days to not work.
I used it as an excuse that it was ok to give some of my clients WAY too much of my time and knowledge for too small of a price because I thought I had to, to compensate for it.
I thought I would be judged and that my business would suffer from it if I posted anything to do with it publicly.
I was wrong.
I sabotaged my own success because I hid it, not because of me telling you or anyone else publicly.
So here it is, my big dirty dark secret that I’ve been hiding from you and from my business page since October…..
I was pregnant – I now have a 7 week old baby girl, Madison Ava.
Shocking isn’t it?! Totally not what you were expecting after all that, hey?
I bought into peoples bullshit about you can’t have a baby and run a business, let alone in my case, a salon plus my mentoring business.
I had no idea what I was in for. I’ve never been a maternal person, babies and kids were yuck in my mind.
When I told people I know I was pregnant the normal response was “OMG you don’t strike me as the baby type!”
I felt I needed to hide the fact that even though I had never changed a nappy or had any idea of what I was in for, that I actually did want to have a baby.
I kept getting told how once you have a baby it changed you and you just want to be a mum.
I had people ask me if I would give my dogs away and sell my salon and stop working all together.
Ahhh NO I am not going to give my fucking dogs away!
NO I’m not going to sell my salon just because I’m starting a family.
And finally NO I’m not going to stop working just because I have a baby now.
I had started to self doubt my abilities because of listening to everyone else.
Which is something I regularly tell people NOT to do.
Blame it on the hormones, I have no idea why I decided to let what people say get to me.
I still got my clients AMAZING results in their salons. I still turned up for every coaching call that I had booked in, including a couple that I did in hospital.
I vowed to help my clients build their businesses, me being in hospital was not their fault, so I did not let their business suffer.
I want to fight against all the people that want to tell you that you can only be one or the other, that you need to choose between being a successful business owner or being a mum.
YOU can be BOTH.
I have done it, I know it is early days but I don’t need to choose. I want both. Being a successful business woman means that I can give my family the life that I want us to have.
I wanted to get this story out to you as soon as possible, I literally had this realisation only a few hours ago.
I want you to know that you aren’t alone in being a mum and a business owner. You can do it, just like I have and just like I am continuing to do.
Emma xx