Mark: Alright Michelle, I have a pop quiz for you. According to the book we're talking about today, what is the number one sign that a mom entrepreneur is teetering on the edge of total burnout? Michelle: Oh, I know this. It’s when your business plan is written on a napkin, your startup capital comes from the tooth fairy, and your primary market research is asking other parents in the school pickup line if they’d buy your thing. Mark: (Laughs) That is frighteningly specific and probably true for a lot of people. But the book has some even more visceral ones. How about this: you’ve made 1,347 decisions today, and when it comes to dinner, you declare that dry cereal is nutritious because, and I quote, "It says so right on the box." Michelle: Wow. Okay, that hits a little too close to home. I feel seen. What book is this? I think I need to read it. Mark: It’s called Moms Mean Business: A Guide to Creating a Successful Company and Happy Life as a Mom Entrepreneur by Erin Baebler and Lara Galloway. And what’s fascinating is that the two authors, both experienced coaches for women, wrote this entire book without ever meeting in person. They collaborated virtually while living the very life they were writing about, which gives their advice this incredible layer of authenticity. Michelle: That’s amazing. So they weren't just theorizing about the struggle; they were in it. The "dry cereal for dinner" thing makes so much more sense now. It’s not just a funny line; it’s a dispatch from the front lines. Mark: Exactly. The book lists ten of these signs, and they're all like that. Another one is when your kids have learned that "Just a minute!" means "the vast period of time between when they ask for something and when you’re actually able to stop working." Michelle: Okay, stop. This is getting too real. It feels like all these signs—the decision fatigue, the constant delays—they're not just about being busy. They’re symptoms of a much deeper problem, aren't they? It’s not about needing a better calendar. It’s something more fundamental. Mark: That is precisely the core argument of the entire book. And it’s why their approach is so different. They argue that before you can build a successful business, you have to do the work on yourself. It’s all about the 'who' before the 'how'.

Michelle: I like the sound of that, but what does it actually mean? Most business books jump straight into marketing strategies, funding, and five-year plans. This sounds… softer. Mark: It is, but in a way that’s much more foundational. The authors argue that so many mom entrepreneurs fail or burn out because they're chasing someone else's definition of success. They're trying to build a business that looks good on paper or impresses other people, but it doesn't actually align with the life they want to live. Michelle: Right, you see the Instagram version of a "girlboss" with a massive team and a corner office, and you think, "That's the goal," without ever asking if you actually want to manage a massive team or sit in an office all day. Mark: Exactly. The book tells this incredible, and frankly, cautionary tale about a woman named Trish Morrison, who founded a community called MomCom. Her initial vision was simple: host a conference to help moms connect. It was successful, it was fulfilling. But then, the vision started to morph. Michelle: Let me guess, it got bigger? Mark: Much bigger. She started dreaming of a national brand—a website, monthly events, even franchises. She was chasing that big, shiny version of success. To fund this expansion, she and her husband made a huge decision: they sold their rental house. And this wasn't just any property; it was the first home their daughter had lived in. It was packed with sentimental value. Michelle: Oh, wow. So she was literally selling a piece of her family's history to fund the business's future. The stakes couldn't be higher. Mark: And she poured all of it, heart and money, into this grand expansion. She worked around the clock, sacrificing time with her family to build this thing that was supposed to be for moms. But the revenue projections were way off. The big event didn't deliver. She was facing a massive financial loss and the crushing realization that the dream she had sacrificed so much for was not only failing, but it was also making her miserable and disconnected from the very people she was trying to serve. Michelle: That’s heartbreaking. Because she was doing what every business guru tells you to do: think big, scale up, go for growth. But it was actually destroying her. Mark: It was. And she had to fundamentally re-evaluate. What did she want? Not what did the market want, or what did a venture capitalist want. Her new vision of success became much smaller, more intentional, and more profitable in the ways that mattered: being present for her family, doing work she loved, and not being in a constant state of stress. Michelle: That story is powerful, but it also sounds terrifying. How do you avoid that trap? It's so easy to get swept up in what society tells you success should look like. Mark: The book provides a very practical toolkit for this. It’s not just philosophical. It has exercises and quizzes designed to force you to identify your core values, your passions, your non-negotiables. It’s about creating a personal mission statement for your life, not just your business. Michelle: So it’s like creating a filter. Mark: That’s a perfect way to put it. The book shares another great story about Andreea Ayers, who had a successful handcrafted soap company. Her dream, her big vision of success, was to get her products into Whole Foods. It was the pinnacle. And then, the opportunity arrived. Whole Foods wanted her soap. Michelle: That’s the moment! The champagne-popping, "we made it" moment. Mark: You'd think so. But when she looked at what it would actually take—ramping up production, hiring a full-time staff, becoming a manager instead of a creator, taking on huge loans—she realized it didn't fit her life. It would mean less time, more stress, and a role she didn't want. Her vision of success had evolved. So, she turned them down. Michelle: She said no to Whole Foods? That takes an incredible amount of clarity and courage. Mark: It does. But because she had done that internal work, she knew her 'why.' Her filter was strong. The book’s point is that saying 'no' to a huge opportunity that doesn't fit your life isn't failure; it's the ultimate success. It's proof that you're in control. Michelle: I love that. It reframes everything. Success isn't about getting every 'yes' you can. It's about having the wisdom to say 'no' to the things that would compromise the life you’re trying to build. Mark: And once you have that filter, that deep understanding of your 'why,' you can start tackling the 'how.' Because you still have to deal with the practical reality of limited time, endless demands, and children who always seem to need a snack right when you get on an important call. This brings us to what the book calls 'a different math.'

Michelle: A different math. I'm intrigued. It feels like the standard math is: 24 hours in a day, minus 8 for sleep, minus 10 for kids and life, leaves you with about negative 4 hours for your business. Mark: (Laughs) That’s the math most of us are doing, and it’s why we feel like we're failing. The book argues we need to stop thinking about managing time and start thinking about managing energy and priorities. It describes this vicious pattern it calls the "Burnout Cycle," which I think will sound familiar. Michelle: Oh, I'm ready. Lay it on me. Mark: It starts when your business gets a little momentum. You're excited, you're seeing results, so you decide to work a little harder, a little longer. You start skipping workouts, eating whatever is fastest, staying up later. You tell yourself it's temporary, just a hustle phase. Your personal life—emails, laundry, friendships—gets put on the back burner. Michelle: I know this phase. It’s the "I'll sleep when I'm successful" phase. Which, of course, never comes because you're too tired to be successful. Mark: Exactly. You push and push until you hit a wall. You burn out. You get sick, or you're just so exhausted you can't function. So you retreat into what the book calls a "slump." You feel sorry for yourself, you binge-watch TV, you do the bare minimum. After a while, you recover, you feel your energy return, and you think, "Okay, I'm back!" And then... you repeat the entire cycle. Michelle: It’s a productivity boom-and-bust. You go all in, crash, and then have to spend weeks just cleaning up the wreckage of your own life before you can even think about being productive again. It's so inefficient. So what's the antidote? How do you break that cycle? Mark: The book says you break it with systems and boundaries, not with more willpower. It’s about being a ruthless protector of your time and energy. It tells the story of Amy Anderson, who worked from home and was going crazy. She was constantly distracted by the laundry, the dishes, and felt like she had to be available to clients 24/7. Michelle: That’s the work-from-home trap. Your home becomes your office, and your office becomes your home, and there's no escape from either. Mark: Right. So she made two systemic changes. First, she hired a cleaning service. She outsourced the thing that was a constant, low-level distraction. Second, she established firm office hours and communicated them to her clients. From 9 to 3, she was working. Outside of those hours, she was not. It wasn't about willpower; it was about creating a structure that protected her. Michelle: It's less about being a time-management ninja and more about being a bouncer for your own schedule. You're deciding what gets in and what stays out. Mark: That’s a perfect analogy. And it applies to your tasks, too. The book is big on the 80/20 rule—the idea that 20% of your activities generate 80% of your results. For a mom entrepreneur, this is a lifesaver. It means you don't have to do everything. You just have to identify and relentlessly focus on that critical 20%. Michelle: So for a writer, that might be writing and pitching, not spending three hours designing the perfect logo in Canva. For a coach, it's coaching and finding clients, not endlessly tweaking the website. Mark: Precisely. And for everything else? You delegate, automate, or just... don't do it. The book quotes someone saying, "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone." For a mom entrepreneur, that's not laziness; it's strategy. Michelle: That feels revolutionary. We're conditioned to believe that a longer to-do list means we're more important or more productive. The idea of intentionally not doing things is powerful. It’s about choosing your battles. Mark: And the most important battle is for your own well-being. The book is unapologetic about self-care. It’s not a reward you get after you finish your work. It’s a prerequisite for doing the work. One expert quoted says, "I always thought that self-care was something I would do after I got my work done, and then I realized that without taking care of myself, there is no work that gets done." Michelle: That’s the whole paradox right there. To be more productive, you have to be willing to stop producing. To build a successful business, you have to be willing to step away from it and take care of yourself. Mark: It's the core of the 'different math.' It’s not addition and subtraction of hours. It's a more complex, integrated equation where rest and personal fulfillment are multipliers for your business success.

Michelle: So when you put it all together, the book is really arguing that a successful business for a mom isn't an addition to her life, it's an integration. The two have to be built on the same foundation of who you are and what you value. Mark: Exactly. It’s not about work-life balance, which implies two separate things on a scale. It’s about work-life integration, where everything flows from a single, authentic core. And the authors are living proof. They built this book and their businesses by embracing these very principles. Michelle: It makes their advice so much more credible. They’re not just talking the talk. Mark: Not at all. And I think the ultimate takeaway isn't a single productivity hack or business plan template. It's the profound idea that your greatest business asset is a well-designed, happy life. Neglecting your life to grow your business is, paradoxically, the worst business decision you can make. It’s like draining the fuel tank of a car while you’re trying to win a race. Michelle: That’s a fantastic way to put it. You might look like you're moving fast for a little while, but eventually, you're just going to sputter to a halt on the side of the road. Mark: And probably with a car full of kids asking for snacks. The book suggests a really simple but powerful action. Schedule a 15-minute check-in with yourself this week. No distractions. Just you, a notebook, and one question. Michelle: What’s the question? Mark: "Is what I'm doing today moving me closer to the life I actually want?" Michelle: That’s a powerful question to ask. It’s so simple, but the answer could change everything. It makes me wonder… what would our listeners stop doing if they were truly honest with themselves in answering that? Mark: A question worth pondering. Michelle: This is Aibrary, signing off.