'It Wasn't Easy'; Mompreneurs Share Their Most Difficult Moments They are their kids' real superheroes who manage home and office in an incredible manner

From being a single woman to a wife and then a mother, life of a working woman is filled with hundreds of milestones, which only evolves at every juncture. Priorities of women change every day and every moment.

As much as every woman enjoys being on this beautiful journey of life, it takes a lot of courage to not compromise with their career opportunities and also be at the helm of their family's responsibilities. But then again, women are the masters of this art since time immemorial.

They are their kids' real superheroes who manage home and office in an incredible way that can't be explained in words; for sometimes, they have to prioritise whom to attend first - their crying baby or an important client call.

While this roller-coaster ride is filled with emotional hurdles, women manage it all without letting out a "sigh".

Mompreneurs are there to put their baby to sleep late in the night and are also up in the morning for that early investor call. But behind all of that, are also moments where they almost gave up - these are the moments they have kept to themselves. Well, until now.

This Mother's Day, Entrepreneur India spoke to mompreneurs about the most difficult moments of their entrepreneurial journey and how they overcame them. Check out our list of the worst experiences these mompreneurs faced while being an entrepreneur:

Entrepreneur India

Dr. Vibha Tripathi, Co-founder, Swajal Water

Vibha Tripathi founded the Swajal Water in 2011, which provides solar water pump systems for drinking and water requirements, irrigation and agriculture application, fountains and water bodies, and swimming pools and more; and solar water dispensing kiosks for rural and urban slums.

While talking about her entrepreneurial journey, Tripathi also spoke about the challenges she went through being a mom and an entrepreneur to achieve the path of success.

"When I started Swajal, there was a time when I had to take loans and sacrifice my personal capital to overcome financial challenges in business, thereby diminishing my safety net. It also meant compromising on many personal goals as my savings went into keeping the business afloat. However, this was never something I complained about as I was always prepared for it," said Tripathi.

She also revealed that it isn't always easy to raise capital and loans as a woman entrepreneur. "Unfortunately, women professionals continue to be seen differently. Banks and NBFCs still consider us as a slightly higher-risk category of borrower," said Tripathi.

How Do You manage time between home and office?

I try to dedicate my weekends entirely to my family, I cook for them and try to spend time with them by planning exciting outings.

Advice for Other Aspiring Mompreneurs

Set your priorities for the day as low, medium and high and spend your time accordingly.

Entrepreneur India

Summi Gambhir

Co-founder of a global SME networking solution, Global Linker, Summi Gambhir is the leading example of a woman entrepreneur building global network for established businessmen, SMEs and other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Gambhir has just embarked on her mompreneur journey. While sharing her experiences, she told that in the entrepreneurial journey the battles don't seem to cease, just the flavours keep changing. While these have never hit her personal determination, they did actually strengthen her resolve.

"At 29 and as a woman seeking to build a global business networking solution and partnering with global corporations, I came in for a fair amount of scrutiny," said Gambhir.

As Gambir lives in New York but her business is based out of Mumbai, it aroused a lot of questions in the mind of people in society, but Gambhir was sure of her goals. "I was able to overcome that by staying focussed and objective. I let my work and contribution do the talking. To be fair to most naysayers, once I was able to deliver, they accepted me and treated me with great respect and dignity," said Gambhir.

How do You Manage Your Time?

There have been times when my team and I have had to work later than usual or over weekends at our office, and my son would be playing in one corner. Similarly, I have had colleagues working from the dining table of my home even beyond midnight on some days.

I follow a strict routine of coming to office early and addressing priority areas first thing in the morning, so I optimise the rest of my day. Besides, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have a strong support system in my husband, my family, and my co-founders and colleagues.

Advice for Others

Don't let anyone treat you any differently from (i.e. worse than) your male counterparts. There is no reason why you should be treated differently - either in matters of rights or responsibilities, especially when you are committed to delivering to the highest standards.

Entrepreneur India

Neha Chhabra

Living up to the expectations of both family and clients can get pretty taxing at times. "But I guess we mompreneurs have been handling it with skill since years now," said Neha Chhabra, a celebrity makeup expert.

The mother of two said that for her one of the most complicated situations is her children having their exams during the peak wedding season. But like a true entrepreneur, she makes sure, none is ignored.

"It gets difficult for us to keep a strict check on both children and clients," said Chhabra. Even after her spending hours at work, Chhabra makes sure that her children's study time doesn't suffer.

How do You Manage Your Time?

I master the art of multitasking and balancing both the sides. I like to divide time between work & home, and manage work and kids accordingly.

Advice for Others

Strategize your schedule in a disciplinary way and always keep your personal and professional way separate. Plan this with dedication, and you can be a success story as a mompreneur.

Entrepreneur India

Ritika Ahuja

Chief Operating Officer of Big Boy Toyz, Ritika Jatin Ahuja embarked on her entrepreneurial joruney after marriage. Lifestyle and luxury were her strong gratifications since always. As the Chief Operating Officer, her key role is to look after all the marketing of the products that BBT has - like luxury lifestyle products but at a very affordable price.

Like every woman entrepreneur, Ahuja also had to leave her two-year daughter at home for work.

"It was heartbreaking to leave my child of two years at home to become an entrepreneur and relentlessly follow your dreams. I had to make a foray and integrate the merchandise section into an already established automotive organization at Big Boy Toyz," said Ahuja.

"The usual apprehensions of starting a business also nagged me. However, at the end of the day you need fire and conviction to make a difference in life," she further added.

Ahuja also revealed that what keeps her going in the journey is her strong family support.

How do You Manage Your Time?

Mornings are always dedicated to my child and family, while I look after my work office later in noon.

Advice for others

Don't get bogged down if your child's favorite dish has not been made or you missed a parent-teacher meeting. We all are humans after all. Try to remain cool and relaxed and enjoy the quality time with the family. And please invest in yourself. Make sure you take out some "Me Time".

Entrepreneur India

Monica Bhayana

Delhi-based fashion designer, Monica Bhayana is also a leading example of mompreneur who does the perfect balancing act in manaigng her home and office both. In her 12 years of business journey, Bhayana has designed for various celebs like Pooja Bedi, Shahnaz Hussain, Gauhar Khan, and many more TV celebs of the industry.

In a chat with Entrepreneur India on Mother's Day, Bhayana shared one of her worst experiences she faced while being an entrepreneur as a mom.

"I have learned not to take shortcomings on either front too seriously, and to not beat myself over the little things, such as missing a family event," said Bhayana.

As an entrepreneur's work is not like a 9-5 job, but a 24*7 one, it was quite difficult for her initially.

"Moms, on the other hand, spend more than two hours a day with their children every single day doing mom stuff. That creates a baseline of more than 62 hours per workweek. I had to curtain my family hours to be at work," said Bhayana.

How do You Manage Your Time?

I took up an office location, which is 5 minutes walking from my place so I could run in and out for my kids & family when required. For this, my time management skills come in place. I get up early, plan my day in advance to the dot and make sure I adhere to that plan.

Advice for Others

Look forward, not back