FAQs About Being a Blogger (and Working Mom)
If you’ve been following me for awhile then you know that I also work a full-time job. I am currently on an 18-month maternity leave (shout out to living in Ontario, Canada) with a scheduled return-to-work date in September. I started my blog while on my first maternity leave in 2013 and have been juggling the two “jobs” ever since.
I rarely talk about this part of my life on social media, but as I am slowly approaching my return to work, I decided to open up a bit more on this topic. If you know me well enough you will know that I am actually quite a private and shy person. I struggle with talking on camera and tell myself daily that I will share more on Insta stories to give people a better glimpse of my day-to-day life as a “working mom” and blogger.
Q. What do you do full-time and how do you balance both?
I work in pharmaceutical sales as a Territory Manager promoting respiratory medications to healthcare professionals in Toronto. I have been working for the same company for over 12 years. When it comes to balance I don’t know if I’ve exactly mastered it; a lot of the work for the blog happens later in the evening after dinner, while photo shoots are scheduled on weekends. I am also very picky with partnerships I choose to take on. Time is limited, so I physically can’t take on a lot - us moms have to sleep, right? I also prefer long-term partnerships and I do take the role of an ambassador for a brand very seriously.
Q. Do you make enough money as a blogger to quit your full-time job?
First of all, I’ll say HI to my manager if she’s reading this. Secondly, it isn’t always about the money, but also about the security. As I mentioned before, I have been working for a great company for over 12 years. I do enjoy the role and the responsibilities that go along with it. But yes, I do make a decent income from my blog and working with companies on sponsored content. I don’t know exactly what the future holds, but I will say that I do have some exciting things for No Tummy Mommy coming down the pipeline this year. Stay tuned!
Q. Does income from your blog impact your EI while on mat leave?
YES, it can. Every two weeks I do have to claim my earnings with Canada.ca - this is not a fun task, but it is necessary. I have an awesome accountant (let me know if you need a referral) who helped me sort through all of this. If you’re a working/blogger mom going on mat leave I would strongly consider speaking to your accountant.
Q. How has blogging AND working a full-time job impacted your relationship with your children?
Because time is so precious and I don’t have a lot of it (especially when back to work), I have to be very choosy with how I spend my time. I have learned to embrace saying no to events and only taking on projects that I really want to do. Best advice: If it’s not a HELL YES, then it’s a no!
What’s more, as much I post and share on social media, I actually don’t share every detail of my day with my family. There are moments that I choose to enjoy ‘off the gram’ and I am totally okay with it. For example, we had a beautiful lunch celebration at Gusto Restaurant for Noa’s first birthday and I actually didn’t share a single picture from that day. I have had some great workouts at home with Harper only to finish and realize I didn’t capture a drop of sweat on camera. I think it’s finding out what and how much you’re comfortable with sharing online.
I also feel very lucky because Harper truly does enjoy taking pictures and doing workout videos with me for the blog. I don’t bribe her (#truth) and she actually wants to talk in front of the camera way more than I do! Psst … she has a Youtube channel!
Q. What’s one piece of advice you would give a working mom who wants to start a blog on the side?
I would say DO IT! I wouldn’t suggest quitting your day job right off the bat, but I would 100% say to dive right in and don’t look back. It can be intimidating at first and there might be nights and weekends that you’re working instead of chilling like you used to, but it’s all worth it! The people you get to meet and adventures you can experience with blogging are quite amazing. So despite the stress of juggling a job, a blog and #momlife, I think that being the strong women that we are, we always find a way to make the magic happen. JUST DO IT!
Photography by Jeremie Dupont