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MotherFounder: Keira Rumble
In this Mother's Day series, we speak to brand founders in the youtime community about how motherhood has inspired their leadership style. First, Keira Rumble of Habitual Beauty.
Andrea Robertson
Editor
Sophie Lea Photography
0 minute read
Published: April 2022
Origin: Australia
Keira Rumble's son Hunter was born the same week she launched Habitual Beauty.
If anyone learned the motherhood juggle via baptism of fire, it is her.
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 Habitual Beauty and Krumbled Foods shares her experience...
"When Hunter was born he was four weeks early. I had booked an induction because it was a high risk pregnancy and that was perfectly scheduled so that I would have a few weeks off after we launched Habitual Beauty.
The launch had been delayed because of issues with supply chain due to COVID, so it had been pushed right to the limit, but I thought I would be able to have two and a half weeks off and then give birth.
I learned very quickly that motherhood doesn’t go to plan at all. Ever. It’s completely out of my control.
Sophie Lea Photography
Because we launched Habitual Beauty the same week Hunter was born, I didn't get that much time off. But that's the nature of having your own business.
With our next baby, I definitely will try and have a longer “fourth trimester” period, and have that moment of slow.
Our journey to have a baby was such a long one
...so now it’s the most intense love bubble ever.
It’s the work for me that is the hard part - the juggle. But the motherhood aspect, it’s just beautiful. Having this little person that you’ve created and watching them grow.
Hunter is in such a funny little stage at the moment where he wants to stand up and then take his hands off and thinks he can walk, but he can’t.
It’s incredible to watch this little human figure out the world.
I struggled with going back to work so soon and handing over that ownership to our nanny, who is such an important part of our lives. I really struggled with that guilt for a long time.
I’ve come to realise that the moments that I have with him, the weekends and my days off when I completely switch off from everything else - that time is so important.
I have to remind myself that he will look at me as a business woman. I'm trying to do everything, to find that balance, to create a future for him.
After going through what I did to become a mother, my empathy levels have increased a lot.
My journey opened my eyes to this world of a lot of hurt and suffering and it’s been beautiful to form these connections with other women.
I want my son to grow up with that level of empathy, it is something I hope to instil in him.
I'm still working out the art of the juggle.
Our routine, for now, is very fluid.
When I was pregnant, in my head I thought that I would be working just a few days a week and the businesses would be running in the background.
But I've realised that I thrive off being at work and it really stimulates me. Building our brands and products makes me so happy.
When Hunter is asleep I'm switched on and have learned to be more effective with the systems and procedures we have in place. And then when I'm with him, I'm just in mum mode.
I love working from home, I think it helps with the guilt.
I'm in a very fortunate position that I can work for my home and my baby's there and whenever I want to go see him, I can. But I've got that assistance and help from our nanny.
Going through IVF and miscarriages, and my ectopic pregnancy, I don't think I would've been able to cope having an expectation of being present in a nine to five job in an office.
It takes a very understanding boss to be able to give you the time that you need off, and I hope to be that for my team, They know that I would 100% be there for them if they had a similar journey.
We have two (almost three) mothers on our team and they value the flexibility and trust we have.
I finally hired an assistant recently - and recruited her from my mother's group. We've just been through a huge hiring stage at Habitual Beauty and I got too busy to even stay on top of my emails, so I asked my mother's group if anyone knew any assistants.
It turned out one of them had been an EA for 10 years and was ready to go back to work, so she has just started a few days a week."
Andrea Robertson
Editor
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