RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM A #MOMBOSS - Mekaila | Huddy Buddies

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Hi everyone, my name is Mekaila. I am “mommy” to two great little munchkins, Hudson(4) and Delilah(2) and I am also the maker behind Huddy Buddies.

Huddy Buddies are handmade, soft soled booties. I started up this business by accident in 2016 while I was on my first maternity leave with my son Hudson. Hudson was a sleeper. I was that mom asking the Doctor if it was okay that he slept all the time. While he napped during the day I decided to learn how to crochet using YouTube and made Hudson a pair of boots. After being asked multiple times by other moms where I had bought the boots I decided to put them up online to see if anyone was interested in purchasing a pair. That's when the whirlwind of Huddy Buddies began.

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There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into a business and there has been no lack of those since I started. During my busy season I usually head down to work from 7pm (after the kids are in bed) till 2am completing market prep and orders. My Husband is my savior. He grounds me, supports me and helps however he can. As a mother of two I am still working on finding a good balance in the chaos of motherhood and running a business. Here are some of the things that have also helped me so far on my journey to find that balance. This includes the realities of what business is really like as well as actual resources I use to help me get work done with kids.

1. Surround yourself with the love and support you deserve. Cut out the negativity because happiness is what makes life great and gives you the desire and momentum to do great things.

2. In the beginning there are more lessons to learn than successes to be had. Every business has growing pains but each one is necessary to come out stronger in the end. If someone is making it look easy they are likely just handling their struggles with finesse… or they are liars and I suggest you keep your distance haha!

3. Find ways to mom and boss. As a mother of two I find it hard to get anything done with my kids around. Here are a couple of things that I find give me a little extra time in the day to get work done while they are awake

4. Parent Link: Free family resources for your littles ones. I take my kids to the play and stay and while they play at the centers I will reply to emails and set up social media campaigns. http://www.familyfutures.ca/

   1. Edmonton Rec Centers offer 2.5 hrs of childminding in their family rec pass and they are run by Early Childhood Educators and my kids love it there. Not all rec centers have childminding but it is offered around the city.

   2. Take turns with another busy mom. I started dropping my kids off on Tuesdays and then I get an extra 2 kids on Thursday. WORTH IT!

   3. Business apps I love include PREVIEW for Android or PLANN for iOS users. These apps allow you to organize your Instagram and schedule posts. I usually do a month of posts in an hour. Hootsuite is great for Facebook and Canva is all around amazing for creating professional graphics.

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My biggest advice, whether you own your own business or not, is to get mommy friends. Friend therapy is the best form of relief for me. My mom tribe has gotten me through the good, bad and ugly moments of my business and motherhood. I found these mamas through ParentLink so no excuses why you can’t get out there and make your own tribe. I thank my lucky stars on a daily for the ladies in my life. If you are a mom get out there and meet some moms! You wont regret it. Even if all you talk about is poop, no sleep and what's for dinner, It's worth it.

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Photo Credit | Cheryl Ip Photography

MAD LOVE MONDAY - Laura Poburan | L2 Fitness

Meet the beautiful boss babe Laura Poburan from L2 Fitness

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L2 Fitness was a teeny tiny idea what seems like ages ago now. Could we do it? Was it possible? It was really scary taking that first leap into the world of entrepreneurs. We were a little tadpole in a big ocean. It started out as a small studio, just the two of us – hubs and me. We had (and still have) an extremely loyal client base. We’re family - I would do anything for that original crew to this day. But we hit a point where we wanted to affect more people, to help as many as we could. And that meant growing the business past just the two of us and our small forever family. So we expanded – we set out to build our dream gym.

I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing (I was on the pec-deck working my chest because I’m a bro like that) when this idea to expand started to flourish.  We planned every square inch of the space – we ordered specialty equipment from Germany, the UK and all over the states (I wasn’t going to build my dream gym without the best glute building equipment money could buy) played with the layout over and over and over again until it was perfect, and most importantly we strategized on how we were going to scale the community we had so passionately built for the last 3 years.

“They” say that we all have three places we identify with the most – your home, your work, and one other place. I want to be that one other place for everyone who comes to L2...my goal is to create a community and an environment that is centred on changing lives, and on giving people a community who will lift them up and push them forward towards becoming their most confident selves.  

I absolutely love being an entrepreneur – it’s scary as hell most of the time. And it challenges me daily – like how many more 15 hour days do I have in me? I ask myself this all the time – but somehow I wake up the next day and the one after that and the one after that and I just do it. I’m lucky because I love it – the 15 hour days feel rewarding. I’m investing in my business and my people and I never feel like quitting. I’m tired a lot – sure. I have bad days where I ask myself “Why the hell am I doing this?”, but quitting? That thought has never even crossed my mind until you asked me that question just now. If I quit, I give up on all the amazing people I’m affecting and helping, and I could never do that.

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I recently did a workshop with Lululemon where we asked people to choose a word of the year – a word that will shape their direction, their goals, and their focus for the year. My word was balance – something every entrepreneur dreams of achieving one day I think. Balance to me doesn’t mean working less – it means working smarter so that I can make time to be social, see my friends, and still be more productive than I was before.  Balance feels like a fleeting feeling, and I know you bossbabes can relate. It’s there one day and gone the next, into the abyss somewhere. Landon said something to me recently that has stuck with me…”you need to be ruthless with your time” he said.

Ruthless with my time. Huh! He was on to something. By being ruthlessly productive in the time I give myself to be, I have been able to say “yes” to more things with family and friends in the last 6 months than I have in the last 3 years. I think my biggest factor in restoring balance is actually being productive in the time you tell yourself you’re going to be productive in. And then setting boundaries for yourself so that you have no choice but to be.  Balance, I’m coming for you!

Something that people always ask me about is “OH, what’s it like working with your husband?”

It’s something that not everyone could do, that’s for sure – but for us? It works splendidly. We actually don’t spend all that much time together to be honest, which is why we plan date night every Thursday (see? Balance! I told you I was trying!) out of the gym, connecting. I’m very lucky that I can be around him all day every day and then on a day off it feels like a treat to spend time together. Plus I get a free ride to work every morning!

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Interested in being featured? Contact us at yegbossbabes@gmail.com

TIPSY TUESDAY – Finding Balance with Laura Poburan | L2 Fitness

As a fellow female entrepreneur, I understand how it sometimes feels to put yourself last in order to one day hopefully be able to put yourself…not last. How many times in a week do you say: “sure, what’s one more thing, I’d love to…” or “of course I can do that for you…” or “I’d love to help…”

Something I have learned (the hard way) is that in order to make a powerful impact, you have to first be powerful. And nothing sucks your power cup dry faster than over stretching and remaining naïve to your boundaries. You feel this unavoidable urge to take it all on, “give me more, I can handle anything!” you think to yourself. While this is noble, and badass, do you know what is even MORE badass?

Learning when it’s okay to say no.

Knowing that by valuing your health, your sanity and your instincts this doesn’t mean by default you are devaluing those of others.

You have a lot to give to the world, but what good is that gift if at the end of the day you are left a puddle on the floor completely drained of your passion, energy, and resilience?

Something I learned the hard way is to be ruthless with your time. What are the projects that you are passionate about? What are the ones that serve your bigger vision and align you with those people who lift you up and drive your momentum? Those are the ones to give energy to.

There will always be commitments you make to others that don’t exactly float your boat, but at some level they need to serve a higher purpose or else these are going to become your downfall.

Saying “yes” to things that slow your momentum and don’t serve your goals can be draining as an entrepreneur. You have BIG goals – I know you do, because we’re the same, you and I. If you’re too busy making the goals of others happen, when are you going to have the time and energy to give to your own future?

This may sound selfish, but the truth is that it’s really not. If you’re in the business of people (and I would argue no matter what business you’re in, you’re in the business of people) your entire day revolves around working to help others within the realm of what you love to do. The more “yes’” you say to tasks that don’t move you forward, the further you move away from the focus you need to reach your lofty, meaningful goals.

In our world, achieving balance is a whole other job - just like managing our social media accounts, am I right, or am I right? So how do we do this?

1. Planning the week out is key for me. I block out chunks of time for designated tasks every day, I plan my weeks ahead of time so I always know what is coming up, but most importantly this allows me to see if I realistically can take more onto my plate or not, when asked. This keeps me from over-extending, setting boundaries, and managing my time the most effectively.

2. I then take this one step further and plan my “weekends” (aka the 6 hours on Sunday that I’m currently not working ha!) as well. What key relationships do I want to work on this weekend? Who do I want to connect with and how? What will I do to fill up MY cup and rest so I can continue in ruthless pursuit of my dreams? These are all just as important as being productive day after day. After-all, if these fall by the wayside, what is it you’re working so hard for?

Interested in being featured? email us at yegbossbabes@gmail.com