When 3 of My Executives Went on Maternity Leave at the Same Time, I Worried My Business Would Fail. That's Not What Happened. One of the scariest moments of my career turned out to be one of my best learning opportunities.

I have 45 employees. Ten of them are part-time. A handful are super-­powerful vice presidents whom I rely heavily upon. And three of those very people — ­­my COO, my VP of marketing, and my VP of community and events — were about to go on maternity leave at the same time during the craziest business year of my life.

It was ironic, because these wonderful women were the people I'd created my company for. I'm the CEO of Hatch, a lifestyle brand for new mothers and moms-to-be. We make maternity wear, for crying out loud! I wanted to feel pure joy and bliss for them. But at the same time — and this is hard to say — there was a real fear of What am I going to do without you?

Now that I'm on the other side of this experience, I can confidently say that your company can grow even while your most important team members are away growing their families. It just takes planning.