Mother of a 15 month old would love advice on working out my next career steps!

sophiehyatt·May 05, 2021

Posted in:Advice Career Growth Parenting

Hello, I am a mum with a 15 month old, I am a Video Producer and this is what I have done my whole life across the globe! I quit my full time job after my maternity leave due to the company no longer being a good fit and super toxic! I started freelancing and set up my own business which is going really well, I am working part time hours whenever it suits me. I have been working with a boutique production company who now want me to partner with them, they have said I can choose how this works, essentially make up my own contract!Options are...- Join them full time on a salary, have a cut of their profit share - Head up production work part time but have a junior producer take on the smaller tasks- Join them on a scaling work hours contract so when my daughter goes to day care at 2 years old I can take on more hours, also have a profit share in the company - Become a partner/director which and work part timeThey want me to be invested in the company which means they want me to have a stake in the company, the reason veing is I am a hybrid producer as I have been GM of a production company, I have been a video editor and also sales person, it's rare to find a producer with these skills. So I would also help them with strategic planning regarding the business, clients and our process. Any mums or business ladies out there that have any advice on what you think would be a smart move? Things I should ask for, for example access to their books so I can see how much money they are making etc. Thanks for reading :)

Alexa167·May 05, 2021

Congrats on the offer! Candidly, it's hard to advise without more information on what YOU want to do, but here are a few guiding questions:1. What do you gain by partnering with the production company that you don't get from freelancing?2. Are you actually open to full-time work right now? If not, that's one option down!3. What do you value most: flexibility, title, salary, something else entirely? Each option seems to optimize for a different value.

katiesobray·May 05, 2021

It seems like they are giving you a lot of flexibility in the partnership, which is great but also forces you to really think about what your priorities are. From your post it sounds like you are enjoying the flexible part time schedule you have from freelancing, so I would definitely address that in whatever agreement you enter into. With any job offer you should be sure that you are clear on what the role and responsibilities actually entail, especially since this is so open ended and it sounds like they are expecting you to take on and provide direction in many parts of the business. You also mentioned going full time once your daughter is two, but if you are thinking of expanding your family anymore it may impact your timeline and desire to make a full time commitment. Since you mentioned profit sharing I think it is completely fair to ask for so numbers to have an idea of how profitable they currently are. Not much advice because this is a really personal decision for you, but some things to consider!

EmilyOmier·May 06, 2021

If freelancing has been going really well, why stop? I am a single (widowed) mom and started freelancing since my daughter was about 15 months (she's five now, I'm actually more consultant than freelancer now). Even at the very beginning, I was making an hourly rate far above what I would have as an employee, and as my business became more established I was making more working part time than I would have working full time in-house. I've had bazillions of job offers, and I politely decline.