'When I first started my business after having kids, people asked me if I felt guilty.'

I quit my job last year. 

I was stressed, working full time, and constantly getting lost in thought spirals of what I would do if I could be my own boss. I ended up with a clear vision of what business I wanted to start, but I was stuck on how I could make it a reality.

When I decided to step away from my job, I was lucky enough to land a gig here at Mamamia where I work part-time as a Partner Strategy Manager. My Fridays were suddenly free to work on something for me. 

As a mum, an employee, a wife, and a friend, it’s easy to fall into the trap of devoting all your time to being 'someone' for someone else. 

And as a mum of two, showing my daughters the importance of investing in yourself is something I strive to do every day.

Watch: Laura Byrne describes the pressures that mothers face in their daily lives. Post continues below.

By setting aside those days in my diary and dedicating solid chunks of time to starting a business, I’m showing them that if you want to make something happen, you have to put some real action behind it. 

And actually, my business is the same. I find that mums, in particular, tend to lose themselves in the process of... well, being a mum. And mums certainly sacrifice a lot. 

My business will use coaching to show mums that being a mother does not have to come at the expense of yourself. 

We need to let go of these traditional expectations and conditioning that being a mother needs to look a certain way. Stepping outside of caring for your children is not selfish and does not mean your children will suffer, so why should you feel guilty about it?

And I know that’s easier said than done. Mum guilt is a feeling felt by many but it is not a useful emotion. 

I’ve received those types of concerned questions before like, 'Do you feel guilty about all that extra time it will take to create your business? Don’t you feel guilty that you could be spending more time with your family or with your kids?' 

And that's not the case for me at all. I don't feel guilty about that whatsoever. I have seen the power of inspiring my children.

They understand I want to start a business. They’ve seen me sign up to the Activation Plan online course, they’ve seen me scribbling down notes and ideas for my business in my notepad, they’ve seen me creating content, and they actually listen when I talk about what I want to do. It’s at the point where my kids themselves are starting to think about what businesses they might want to start.

While you're here, listen to Michelle Hu's Lady Startup story. Post continues after podcast. 

My seven-year-old jumped on Canva after she saw me on there the other day. The next thing I know, she had created her own logo for her own business. 

I asked her about it and she had this whole vision to start her own yoga studio. A place where people can be confident and calm. And that completely warms my heart. Just the fact that these are the changes I can make with my children, showing them that they can do anything, they can realise their dreams, and they can have their own business. 

And it all comes full circle. The whole purpose of my business is to create change for other mothers to know that it’s okay to choose themselves and say no to mum guilt. Because in reality, by choosing to create a future that excites them, they’ll inspire their own daughters to do the same. 

So for me, there is no guilt at all, I am proud of what I'm creating, and I am proud of what I can show my girls. And hopefully, it will inspire them to live their best lives and dream big like their mum has. 

If you have a business idea you’ve been sitting on but need that extra push to actually make it a reality, you should join me and enrol for the Activation Plan online course. It’s self-paced and you actually only need to set aside a couple of hours a week to complete it, so it's very doable for the mums out there looking to finally invest in themselves. 

I’ll be in the group chatting up a storm so if you’re interested, you can click here to sign up. Enrolments close at midnight on Monday February 28 AEDT so be quick.

Feature Image: Supplied.