Planning a Maternity Leave as a Woman Entrepreneur with Kylie Kelly

It’s no secret that maternity leave as an entrepreneur isn’t easy.

Not only do you have every concern pregnant women have, but we want to make sure we are coming back to the business we have spent so much time building.

Kylie is a Maternity Leave Coach for women entrepreneurs. She also helps entrepreneurs (pregnant or not) plan and fund extensive leaves while keeping their businesses alive.

If you want to take three months, six months, or nine months off of work - it is possible if you plan, and today, Kylie is sharing some of the ways she helps entrepreneurial moms do so.

Before we get started, we want you to know that you might have a creative urge and be ready to jump back in earlier than expected. Just because you plan to take time off doesn’t mean you have to. You can have that financial cushion. 

On the other side of that, having that financial flexibility will help you be able to take more time off than you plan to, so Kylie suggests adding on to the allotted time you think you may need.

I told Kylie how I only took two full weeks off of the business. My husband had five weeks off (but I don’t know what that will look like next time around). When I shared my plan on Social Media, people were saying, “oh, you’ll need more time than that”, and I don’t think I necessarily did. 

People will always have things to say about our decisions in both life and entrepreneurship. We got into this industry to make our own set of rules.

Let’s dive into the financial side of things. 

Like anything else: 

Money is the factor here.

Can I afford that new laptop?

Can I afford to invest in a new coach? 

The first thing I would do:

Analyze your income for the last 6-9 months.

Break down where it was coming from, and we will come up with a plan to add on additional income. 

If you keep offering your service while pregnant, think about what you can create to release to your audience. 

Maybe a digital product or a guide as a nice little cash injection?

Maybe a paid masterclass?

These bite-sized offers on evergreen can add up quickly.

You might have a passion or hobby outside the business. Baking, calligraphy, etc., people might want to learn.

I asked Kylie if this is what she works on with her clients, and she said:

They start by examining the due date and calculating how much time they have.

Then we look at subscriptions coming out of their account and see where we can cancel or downgrade. Example: Canva pro subscription; if you’re not using it regularly, downgrade to the free option.

What I added to that: When Eli was born, we ordered something on Amazon every two weeks. We gave ourselves grace with our spending. 

Kylie mentioned how Instagram could put you into comparison with all of the cute little things.

Let’s talk about how you make this happen.

When we take on a big project, we have a master to-do list. When we are pregnant, we have to be mindful that we aren’t always in control. 

We create the master to-do list and write it out on pen and paper. Then we split it up into trimesters. 

The first trimester is usually when we feel like crap:

• Do the mindless stuff

• Chatting in the DM’s

• Update website

The 2nd trimester is like the power trimester. We’re sleeping better; we are feeling good.

• This is when we get shit done and make it happen

• Anything that takes a lot of brainpower

• Writing copy

• Setting up email sequences

• Putting together marketing and sales funnels

The 3rd trimester is:

• Wrapping everything up and tying up loose ends

• Teaching yourself to slow down and rest

• Taking pockets of time to do nothing.

I asked Kylie next what it looks like when someone comes to her for help:

She replied that it’s tailored to each woman. Usually, around six months, they will come to me and say, “ok, I need help; I don’t know what I am doing.”

Sometimes they just need to join the community or get some Voxer support.

Sometimes if they don’t have a team, we find them a VA.

The last thing I want to say is that there is power in a community. You don’t have to do this alone; there are people out there who have done this before you. Make sure you reach out and don’t do this alone. This can be an isolating experience, and there is so much power if community and collaboration with other business owners who have been pregnant as well. 

We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Screenshot where you are reading/listening from, and tag us @theweberco on your stories!