Pregtrepreneur
preg-(tre)-pren-ooo-er
What is a pregtrepreneur?
A pregtrepreneur is a woman who is both an entrepreneur and somewhere between trying-get-pregnant and already a mom.
She may not be expecting yet.
She may currently be pregnant.
She may be a mom with young children.
This seems like a broad, sweeping, all-encompassing definition. And in some ways it is.
Only another woman who is anticipating, going through, or has been through pregnancy while building or running an organization can understand what it means to be a pregtrepreneur.
What’s it mean to be a pregtrepreneur?
It means we have a secret, at least for the first part.
It means our bodies change beyond our control.
It means that there are new expectations thrust on us, and if we’re going to be successful, we have to carefully negotiate how we handle those expectations.
Some will expect us to be full-time moms who juggle everything else.
Others will expect us to be full-time career women who juggle family.
There’s no right answer, how you handle it will be a personal decision. However, how you express your decision will certainly impact your your priorities and how you’re perceived.
How you’re perceived may not matter.
I said it. How you’re perceived may not matter.
Depending on what you do, it may not matter how you’re perceived. However, this is the case a minority of time.
Like it or not, perception matters.
How you’re perceived does matter.
If you’ve built a reputation based on “family first” and your customers think you’re career focused, then they may start to question you. I’ve found it’s best not to give clients a reason to question, or distrust you.
Unfortunately, it can impact hiring and promotion decisions, available opportunities, funding decisions, parenting judgement, and more.
How you’re perceived impacts consumer’s decision to use your services and purchase your products. It informs your reputation, and lays the foundation for the level of success you will achieve.
