There’s something incredibly humbling about sitting down with your 10-year-old daughter and letting her share her view of your world, the messy, beautiful, always-on world of a work from home mom.
The truth is, we think we know what our kids see. But when we take the time to ask, really ask, and invite them into our work-from-home reality, we find out they’re absorbing more than we ever imagined. They’re learning, watching, modeling. And sometimes, they’re starting their own businesses.
Yep. That’s right. My daughter is officially a mini CEO.
From WFH Hustle to Mini Girl Boss
We recorded this episode in the middle of chaos (because #momlife), between launching a new AI tool, client events, and packing for family trips. Instead of pushing off the podcast episode, I invited my daughter Jordan to co-host with me.
What unfolded was pure gold.
She’s 10. She loves the color black. And she’s been running her own press-on nail business for more than two years.
Let me repeat that: she’s ten, and she’s already an entrepreneur.
From sports camp hustle where she made $200 in a week (securing custom nail orders from middle school girls), to pop-up stands and packaging like a pro, Jordan is learning the art of business through experience. Not theory. Not worksheets. Real-life sales, real customer feedback, real profit.
And you know what sparked it?
Watching me, her work from home mom, build my own business.
What Our Kids Really See
I’ve always said being a work from home mom isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about figuring it out in front of them.
When I asked Jordan how she feels about my work, she said something that stopped me in my tracks: “If you’re passionate about it, then working is fun. Like, if I were doing nails all night, I’d love it.”
She doesn’t see hustle in the negative sense. She sees passion. Practice. Creativity. Late-night brainstorming and vision casting. She doesn’t resent the time I spend on my business because she’s seen firsthand what it looks like to build something you care deeply about.
She sees me working late sometimes and knows it’s not because I have to, it’s because I get to. That’s a message I want her to internalize for life.
Mom Guilt vs. Real Conversations
Yes, mom guilt is real. It creeps in during launch weeks, Zoom calls during lunchtime, and when we miss school activities.
But here’s the thing: I’ve learned that communication beats guilt every time.
I’ve had open, honest conversations with my daughter about what I do, why I do it, and how we all play a part in making this business thrive. We have hug breaks and make time for spontaneous middle-of-the-day walks. And we talk about money, sales, team building and sometimes spirit animals (mine’s a gorilla, by the way).
We don’t separate business from parenting. What we do is weave them together in this work from home mom life.
The Gift of Perspective
When asked who works more, me or her dad (who has a corporate job), Jordan said it seems like we both work equally hard, just in different ways. She notices I have more flexibility, but that doesn’t mean I’m working less. She sees the work I put in behind the scenes, the hours I spend creating, writing, leading, launching.
That’s the gift of growing up with a work from home mom. Our kids get a front-row seat to the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, and it normalizes ambition.
Let Them Start Young (Even If You Don’t Understand It)
When Jordan first said she wanted to start a nail business, I’ll be honest, I didn’t totally get it. I don’t wear press-on nails. Her dad was skeptical. But she kept practicing, watching tutorials, reinvesting her profits into better supplies. We saw her take it seriously. So we started taking her seriously too.
And I’m so glad we did.
Because here’s what I’ve realized: the skills she’s building, sales, confidence, negotiation, creativity, will serve her no matter what she does in life. Whether she ends up owning a nail studio, designing her own product line, or pivoting to something else entirely, she’s learning how to create value and believe in her own abilities.
And that’s the ultimate gift a work from home mom can give: showing her children what it looks like to follow your passion, make a plan, and take action.
Final Thoughts From a Work From Home Mom to You
If you’re a work from home mom like me, wondering if your kids are getting the short end of the stick while you run your business, breathe.
They’re not just surviving. They’re watching. Learning. Soaking in what it looks like to lead, pivot, and dream out loud.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be present—and honest. Your kids are seeing more than you think, and chances are, they’re prouder of you than you realize.
And if they want to start something, even if it’s totally out of left field, let them. They might just become the next generation of world-changing entrepreneurs.
And Here’s What Jordan Wants You to Remember:
If you’ve been questioning whether your kids are watching, whether your late nights and launch-day chaos are worth it, let me tell you, they are. As a work from home mom, I’ve seen firsthand how our kids don’t just absorb our habits… they absorb our hope, our resilience, our grit.
And before we wrapped up our podcast episode, I asked Jordan what she wanted to say to anyone listening, especially to the kids and parents out there who might be on the fence about starting something new.
And here’s what she wants you to remember:
“If you want to do something, then do it. At least try.”
From the mouth of a 10-year-old entrepreneur, that’s the truth. Simple. Bold. Empowering.
Let’s keep showing them what’s possible. Let’s raise a generation of dreamers who do, and know they’ve got moms in their corner cheering them on every step of the way.
July 31, 2025
What It’s Like Having a Work from Home Mom
