I left Corporate America and became a mompreneur, but it was not quick or easy. See, I started working when I was 15 and I decided I liked the money! Not only did I like the money but I loved the competition of trying to be the best in every position I held. Year after year of working in Corporate America, brought much happiness. I was a hard worker and the harder one worked, the easier it was to reach the top. I was a BOSS in Corporate America, you couldn’t tell me anything! After having children, being a Mompreneur was NEVER on my radar! I was going to be in upper management with one of these companies, making tons of money and giving my kids anything they wanted and living a lavish life. I loved the early morning hustle and bustle, the highway commute, blazers, pencil skirts, stilettos, a blackberry and French vanilla coffee. I was living the life… well, so I thought!
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We relocated & my children had to do after school care for the first time and it saddened me. They already did 6 hours at school. They needed to be home to rest and relax for the next day – not on to the next group of people who were essentially co-parenting with me. By the time they were picked up and home for the evening, it was bath time, dinner and bedtime shortly after. This made me so sad. My children were with strangers more than they were with me, but who really was the stranger in the case? It got worse, as I was denied time off for field trips and holiday luncheons, award ceremonies and classroom presentations. I felt as though I was letting them down. I tried to suppress the feelings, with “it’s the new millennium, everyone does it! There’s a lot of working parents.” That only lasted for so long. I began to hurt more and more. I was sitting at the computer not working because I’m sad, mad & shedding tears. I got to a point where I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to be there for my children. This challenged everything in me! I was in an uncomfortable place. Do I step out on faith and leave all of the money? What about bills and the needs of my children? Then I began to think, after taxes, was it really a lot of money and was ANY sum of money worth me missing out on cherished moments I could never get back? These were all questions that had me battling in my mind. What was the right thing to do? After much prayer & thought, I was reminded about the gifts and talents that were placed inside me. I had a loving village who would support me and I had children who needed me. I wasn’t valued in Corporate America, I would be replaced as soon as I left.
Every day I stayed in Corporate America trying to “climb the ladder” was another day of my dreams being delayed and a waste of my gifts and talents that were inside of me. I didn’t feel valued there. But there was a place where I was needed! Today, I’m happy to say that those I love no longer have to wait! I LEFT! I left the myth that working a job was the only way to go – the only way to make money to provide for my family. I left the myth that it’s every family dream in the U.S. to “climb the ladder” in someone else’s company. I stepped out on faith! I’m now my own boss and my family is now reaping the benefits. I have never been happier!
Are You Being Called to be a Mompreneur?
It didn’t just happen overnight! It was a process! First, I had to recognize my gifts and talents. Then, I needed to start with what I had and do what I could do, one day at a time. I didn’t quit immediately. I made a plan and gradually worked towards it. Now, I have the freedom I need for my family. I’m faced with challenges in my own business and I get to do what I love and climb the ladder that I created! I challenge you to look inside of you and evaluate if you may be called to the same. 2020 is the year of many new Mompreneurs!!!
Tramika Craddock is a Lifestyle Coach and Empowerment Speaker for women across the world! She is known for her empowerment & encouragement for mothers as she helps them manage motherhood while not leaving their dreams behind. After Tramika was married to her high school sweetheart and began to start a family, all of her duties shifted from focusing on her career to being a wife and mom. In 2016, Tramika was certified as a Life Coach and now helps moms around the world find a healthy balance. Speaking to moms and the request for on-going coaching forced her to launch, SHEnetworks Personal & Business Development Group Coaching Program, for women who desire help in their personal lives and in business. Tramika is the author of Wife Mom Preneur. Tramika finds her success in helping people grow from where they are to where they desire to be! For more information about Tramika, visit www.tramikacraddock.com.
The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with hundreds of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served hundreds of thousands of single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit www.thelifeofasinglemom.com.
