I left my 6-figure corporate job to start a company. I didn't realize it'd make me a better mom.

• Being a working mom in corporate America, plus running my business on the side, left me exhausted.
• It became clear that I needed a change to be a more present parent.

As a girl who grew up watching my father thrive as an entrepreneur, I always knew that the possibilities were endless for my career. Still, I was terrified to follow my entrepreneurial dreams until I became a mother.

In 2020, I found myself in another corporate marketing position, a career field that I had been in since I had graduated from college some 13 years earlier. I was miserable as I tried and failed to balance starting a company of my own.

Although I had been a bonus mom to my dear daughter Mackenzie for quite some time, being a working mom to an infant daughter was taking every ounce of energy I had. The commute, the sleepless nights, the hours. I tried and failed to prove to myself, and everyone around me, that I could handle everything.

I didn't want to lose myself in motherhood. As an ambitious person, letting go of what I wanted out of life frightened me. To fight for my dreams, and as the pandemic loomed over my head, I thought a lot about who I wanted to be and how I wanted my daughters to see me show up in the world.

I realized then that I needed to leave my six-figure corporate job to focus on my budding company, an organization called Color Vision that empowers women to improve equity in creative industries. I knew it'd make me a better entrepreneur, but what I didn't realize was how it'd make me a better mom.

Here's how I created a seven-figure business, quadrupled my income, and improved my motherhood journey:

First, I defined a vision and purpose for my life

I knew that I needed to get clear on my purpose as an entrepreneur to create the life I also needed as a mom. For instance, my purpose is to empower women to gain fairness in the spaces that they occupy. With that in mind, I knew I needed to be fair to myself and my family. It informs how I build out my schedule: never working on Mondays; never going more than five days on the road; never missing dance recitals; and ensuring we go on at least one family vacation per year so my daughter can see the breadth of the world. My clarity of purpose became my guiding light.

Then I focused on building a supportive network

Leaving the structured environment of corporate America felt daunting, so I knew I needed help making the leap to work for myself. I decided to surround myself with a supportive network of fellow female entrepreneurs, mentors, family, and friends to guide me in the rigorous process of scaling a business — a task that, at first, seemed nearly impossible and scary. Their advice, experiences, and encouragement bolstered my confidence when I started to weather under the pressure of being an entrepreneur, which will inevitably happen, and they provided invaluable insights as I navigated this new path.

I prioritized a family financial plan and budget

My husband and I sat down and discussed our family budget, cash flow needs, and what we would need to feel financially secure before I left my job. We wanted to be sure we weren't causing a ripple effect of anxiety when I started to focus on my dreams. For the last few months of my corporate job, I also focused aggressively on saving to have a financial safety net to sustain my family during the transition and in the early stages of my business just in case I wasn't immediately successful.

I didn't completely throw away my corporate experience

Although I was leaving my 9-5 job, I knew that my experience in the corporate world equipped me with an invaluable skill set. In my decades of experience in marketing, I learned project management, strategic planning, communication, and team leadership skills that helped me excel in my new entrepreneurial venture of creating a community-centered organization. The transferable skills I acquired proved to be a great asset. Those same skills also improved my motherhood journey as I navigated being a bonus mom to a teenager and a mom to a toddler at the same time.

I continued to strive for joy and fulfillment

I became a better mom because I had designed a business that aligned with my passions and went from being exhausted to exuding joy. That huge shift in my energy allowed my daughters to meet a completely different mom — one who wasn't quick to anger, one who wasn't too tired for playtime, and one who had created a world around her filled with adventure. My new career also gave me renewed confidence, determination, and an unwavering belief in my capabilities; three things I'm proud to pass down to my girls.

As I celebrate one year of entrepreneurship, I continue to hold passion and parenthood at the center of my life. This challenging yet rewarding year has taught me that I can accomplish anything when I put my fears aside.