Beauty Business
9 Minute
Raising Children and Running a Business: How I Balance Both Without Losing Myself
Raising Children and Running a Business: How I Balance Both Without Losing Myself
By Janelle Alexis | Salon Owner, Author, Educator & Mom
People ask me how I do it all the time. How do you run a salon, build a brand, write a book, show up on social media, speak on stages, and raise children? The short answer is: imperfectly, intentionally, and with a whole lot of grace for myself when I fall short. Here is the longer answer.
There Is No Balance — There Is Rhythm
I stopped chasing balance years ago because balance implies equal weights on both sides at all times. That is not my life. Some weeks the business needs everything I have. Some seasons my children need me in ways that rearrange everything. What I aim for is rhythm — a sustainable pattern that makes room for both the work and the people I’m doing the work for.
I Protect Morning Time Like a Boundary
Before the salon opens, before social media, before email — there is a window of time that belongs to me and my family. I am present in the morning. Not scrolling, not planning, not building. Just present. Those quiet, unremarkable morning moments are the ones I think my children will remember. And they are the ones that remind me why I work so hard in the first place.
I Ask for Help and I Pay for Help
One of the most powerful lessons my business degree taught me is that scale requires delegation. I apply that principle to my life too. I pay for help where I can. I ask for it from community where I cannot. There is nothing weak about recognizing that you are one person with a finite number of hours and making strategic decisions about how to use them.
My Children Watch Me Work Hard and They Watch Me Rest
I am intentional about what my children see. I want them to see a mother who works with excellence and passion. I also want them to see a mother who closes her laptop, laughs loudly, and is fully present when the work is done. Both are the lesson. Hard work and rest are not opposites — they are partners.
The Guilt Is Real and I Let It Teach Me
I will not pretend the guilt isn’t there. When I’m on a speaking stage and my child had a school event — I feel it. When the business needs me and my teenager needs me more — I feel it. I don’t suppress the guilt. I let it inform my priorities. And then I forgive myself and keep going. Because my children need a mother who knows how to forgive herself too.
If this resonates with you, you’re going to want to read my memoir. Rose Colored Glasses goes deep into the real, unfiltered chapters of this journey. And for more weekly reflections, join the VIP newsletter.
— Janelle Alexis
