MotherFounder: Ere Perez

In this Mother's Day series, we speak to brand founders in the youtime community about how motherhood has inspired their leadership style. This is natural make up brand founder and mother of three Ere Perez.

Andrea Robertson

Editor

0 minute read

Published: April 2022

Origin: Australia

"The love for your children gives you some kind of celestial energy," says Ere Perez.

The Founder of her eponymous natural make up and skincare range started her business seven years before becoming a parent, and her family has grown alongside the beloved beauty brand.

In this series of articles ahead of Mother's Day, we speak to some of the inspiring entrepreneur brand founders in the youtime community, who are also mothers. We wanted to know: How has running a business informed their parenting style, and whether motherhood has changed how they lead.

The Founder of Ere Perez and mother of three shares her experience...

"My favourite thing about motherhood is...

So many things, but I love to see with my own eyes how my children grow and embody what we have done our best to teach them about life and the world.

It is amazing to watch human beings grow and become their own people, through all the love and time and devotion of motherhood, they find out who they are.

Our brand started it in 2002, and I became a mum first in 2009, with my other children born in 2011 and 2015. I think having children and starting a business is challenging, I was lucky that I did have a product that was loved since day one and established before I had to balance my time between parenting.

I remember in the early days bringing my young daughter to the office when she was little, and all my kids have an extended family in the office!

I've learned...

that time is the most valuable resource.

You realise when you have children that time becomes precious, and you can feel split in many directions.

Small moments of me-time make a big difference.

I have less time generally, so I have had to learned to be short and sweet in all I do!

It’s a challenge to switch between Director hat and Mum hat, but both are about love, passion and care. Life is family to me, whether it’s my children or the team, working towards the same vision helps things go smoothly.

The love for your children gives you some kind of celestial energy! Every day is a new mess, a new gift and a new challenge – and it can’t end until it is all done.

Being a business owner and a mother of three is a juggling act, whereas before, I was full-time working on natural beauty. I am probably always working on it in my mind! But face-to-face hours with the team are scattered throughout the week as I balance family life.

Since my kids were babies, they have known that I work and they are included at times in my working life. They love coming to the office to play with products and see all the team! I have made it a very comfy welcoming environment.

Also, because I have always worked they respect what I do and the important message we work for at Ere Perez – the brand values of doing our best for a healthy life and planet are the same at home and I think it inspires them.

My Mother taught me a lot about patience and that freedom is love. Flexibility and going with the flow is key.

My mum is one in a million. She was so into her kids, but always had some sort of business on the side where I grew up in Mexico.

She told me that sales is one of the best talents you can have as you can always find a way to support your family. I think this definitely inspired me! Sales is all about people, and I love people. That is why I have always been so hands-on with my business.

I went to all the health food stores in Sydney and introduced myself and my single natural almond oil mascara – I made that human connection and I will always be grateful for that.

I studied naturopathy and nutrition and was always very passionate about natural wellness so I suppose I imagined I would always be working, but not exactly in what way.

I got married young at 23 and we spent 10 years having fun before we became parents.

Once the brand was born, that cemented my love of working in the natural beauty space, but I also wanted to be a mother. My son was born when I was 40, and I’m not the same mother I was at 33. I was the swimming teacher for my first daughter, now I pay for classes!

My children always come first. No matter what, I plan my life and my day around what they need first.

Being a parent is a lot about leadership. You can’t let your baby tell you want to do, you tell them. At any age we need to give our children our best, our gut instinct.

Today there can be too many choices and this makes mothers have less authority to parent with their intuition. Authority with love isn’t about bossing your kids around, but by helping them using the best you can give to them at any moment. If I am organised and intentional, we all benefit.

Coming from Mexico, a lot of our village is back with my family over there, and many of us these days know the wish to be closer to family!

We do have a wonderful village in the beaches of Sydney where we live, including my husband and all the people we choose to be close to us. Employees, friends and family. Good people can give plenty of love and good life examples to your children, people with good attitude and a kind heart.

They know that this is a way for us to support all the things they need to have a happy life, we don’t hide that from them. My husband works in the company too, so it really is a family business and I am sure my kids are learning about working and living can be a nice dance.

I teach them that we try our best to be leaders in good beauty and advocates for natural health and looking after the earth. We are about smiles, colour and positivity! As well as celebrating our Mexican heritage which is amazing to pass onto my children too."