Editor’s note: This article was first published in February 2014. Its figures are from 2012-2014: Mom Corps founded in 2005, 2012 revenue of $16.2 million, growth of almost 1,000% in three years, a franchise model, and her children aged 2, 8 and 10.
Allison O’Kelly had a Harvard MBA and worked as an accountant at KPMG. Over the years she climbed the executive ladder at Toys “R” Us, but when she had children, everything changed. This is Allison’s story, as published on Inc.com. Allison was being promoted to become the only woman managing a major district for the toy chain.
Her account, in summary:
“My boss was amazing. When I had my first child, he told me I could work three days a week until I was ready to get back ‘on track’. But I realised I needed more flexibility. To me it wasn’t really flexible work if I still had to be in a certain place at a certain time.
“When I resigned, my boss looked puzzled, as if to say, ‘I don’t get it. What more could we have done?’ I felt bad, because there really wasn’t anything wrong.
“Over time I realised that a lot of talented people like me wanted to work, but on their own terms. At the same time, I saw that companies were short of talent. I figured that if I could match the two, I’d have a great business. And so I created my company, Mom Corps, which matches moms (and non-moms) who want to work on what I consider flexible terms.
“I now have three children, aged 2, 8 and 10. When I tell people my story about how hard it is to be a mother and work, everyone nods. Succeeding in your career while raising a family is a constant struggle.
“People tend to think flexible work means part-time work, but that’s only one part of flexibility. We talk about flexibility in terms of time, duration or place. Time can mean part-time or flexible hours. Duration could mean a fixed-term contract or seasonal work, and place could mean somewhere closer to home or working remotely.
“Moms are very productive. In fact, a lot of employers tell us, ‘My God, your people get more done part-time than my full-time employees.’ That’s because mothers have priorities and focus on what they need to do.
“Full-time work runs on a 24-hour clock. I can do something with the kids during the day, but I’ll finish what I need to do at five in the morning or when the kids are asleep. I have complete flexibility. I can see my children when they get home from school, I can go into the living room to give my youngest a kiss, I can go to school events, and so on. It’s a constant juggling act, but I feel I have the best of both worlds.”
See also: Richard Branson’s first advice for 2014: “Take a step forward”
Mom Corps, the company this entrepreneurial mother runs from home, was founded in 2005. According to the company’s 2012 accounts, revenue was 16.2 million dollars. The company grew by almost 1,000% in three years after building its business on a franchise system that connects companies in need of talent with talented people who, because of their personal circumstances, don’t want to or can’t go to a physical workplace every day.
Further reading
- 7 people who have succeeded working from home
- The time management formula for entrepreneurs
- You don’t need an original business idea to succeed
Featured image: Nenad Stojković, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
