A recent survey of ''mumpreneurs'' showed the majority managed to balance their desire for fulfilling work with their roles as mothers. Arrowtown-based mumpreneur Jaimie Stodler talks to business reporter Sally Rae about how she does it.
Jaimie Stodler freely admits she is in her happy place.
Whether that is walking her young son to school, slathering icing on cupcakes at her Queenstown business Cup & Cake, or hiking in the mountains, Ms Stodler reckons she has "nailed it''.
Baking cakes is a somewhat different occupation to her previous career in finance in her native Canada but it is, as she says, a great life.
She might be a working mother but she also had time to catch up regularly with friends and have time for herself.
Dr Jodyanne Kirkwood, from the University of Otago, has undertaken a study of "mumpreneurs'', in light of an increasing worldwide trend towards women becoming business owners.
She interviewed 15 business owners to assess their reasons for entering business ownership, how they managed their childcare arrangements and also whether their business growth decisions were related to their roles as mothers.
She also asked what advice they would give to other women who were considering going into business for themselves and other things that could be done to assist women business owners with young children.
For most of the women, childcare costs and availability were not the primary reason for starting the business.
The women generally wanted flexibility in terms of their hours worked so they could spend as much time as they wanted with their children, helping out at school and being available to their children during the afternoons.
The main motivations were. -
● Flexibility in hours worked.
● Seeing a gap in the market.
● Finding it difficult to get fulfilling and mentally stimulating work in paid employment (particularly part-time work with time off for school holidays).
● Wanting to be independent.
● Coming from a family background of entrepreneurship where this was seen as a desirable career option.
● Tax advantages of being self-employed.
● The ability to work from home.
Ms Stodler, who moved to New Zealand 12 years ago, opened her business five years back.
Previously, she studied economics at the University of Calgary and became a licensed securities trader, working in the stock market.
Although she loved Canada and missed her family, she believed the Southern Lakes area was "one of the most amazing places left on Earth''.
As well as walking her 6-year-old son to school most days, she had a 20-minute commute through beautiful scenery from Arrowtown to work in Queenstown.
Once at work, she was involved with celebrations, whether it was making a cake for a birthday, wedding or anniversary.
"My job is to only be involved with people's best days. I'm never dealing with anyone having a horrible day. I see people walk through the door of my shop and they smile,'' she said.
But there were still challenges, Ms Stodler, who was runner-up with friend Bec Stanley in Masterchef New Zealand in 2014, said.
It was a very expensive area to live, although lots of "cool places'', such as London, did have a high cost of living, she said.
Her son was about 9 months old when she started her shop fit-out, opening several months later.
At that stage, he was "really easy'' - "I sort of thought I had it nailed'' - but about "five seconds'' after opening, he started walking and talking.
Putting together owning a business with having a child was "really interesting''.
With no family support in New Zealand, apart from her supportive partner, it had been difficult.
While she never had the luxury of a last-minute babysitter, owning her own business meant she also had total control of her schedule.
Had she continued in the finance industry, it was unlikely she would have had the freedom to pick up her son after school.
Ms Stodler started cooking at a young age and loved eating and the "glamour of food''.
"I like nice food all the time. No exceptions,'' she said.
Appearing on Masterchef had been interesting.
She believed such experiences were good because adults did not often challenge themselves and everyone needed to take themselves out of their comfort zone.
Spending three months away from her son, in the public spotlight while competing in a cooking competition beside strangers, with whom she was also living, was difficult at times.
Any woman could be a "mumpreneur'' and she encouraged women to "just do it''.
But she stressed the need to prioritise "things we need that make us perform better''.
In her case, exercise.
She usually spent about 90 minutes, four times a week, hiking in the hills.
Ms Stodler planned to continue making "beautiful and amazing food'' while becoming commercially successful.
She intended to continue to be an "awesome mum'' and keep challenging herself.
Some sort of challenge "or stepping out of the comfort zone'' would be included in 2016.
Cake, being universally popular, meant she had a very mixed demographic when it came to customers.
There was a blend of local market and tourists.
When it came to advice for other women with young children who were considering business ownership, those interviewed by Dr Kirkwood advised planning, having a supportive partner, getting help with domestic chores, ensuring there was a passion for the business in order to sustain the highs and lows of business ownership, networking with other business owners and surrounding yourself with a "great team''.
The results of the study were encouraging because all but one of the women had been successful in balancing their desire for fulfilling, engaging work, with their roles as mothers, Dr Kirkwood said.
Unlike many other studies of working mothers, very few mumpreneurs mentioned guilt about working.
That was good news as they had been able to find a good balance between their work and children, and were not feeling as if they were not spending enough time with their children, she said.
Overall, there were many benefits to business ownership for women with young children, but there were possible issues with respect to time for relaxation, hobbies, exercise and, particularly, time with their partners.
That led to one separation, and others noted the time they previously spent in the evening with their partners had been overtaken by the business.
