The recent news that 100% of Kevin O'Leary's portfolio returns are coming from women-led businesses is really, really surprising, isn't it? As CEO of Honeyfund.com, Inc, one of Kevin O'Leary's ventures, everyone expects me to explain why!
I have wracked my own brain and dug around Google trying to come up with answers and I can honestly say I don't know! But I'm personally jumping for joy...and the reason why might surprise you.
I can finally be really honest about how I get things done here at Honeyfund HQ, because now I know that Mr. Wonderful doesn't care HOW, he just cares about the bottom line.
Here are the five secrets I wouldn't dream of confessing to Kevin... until now:
1. On most days, I leave the office at 3 pm to pickup my kids from school
2. I take most Fridays off (and will until next fall when my youngest starts Kindergarten)
3. Sometimes I have coffee with a girlfriend during business hours
4. I cried at work last week
5. I never miss a school play, talent show, or ceremony
And here are the reasons why I won't apologize for the above:
1. I work 9+ hours per day
2. I work more than 40+ hours per week
3. I take care of myself, so I can give more to my role as CEO
4. I bring my best, authentic self to the table every day
5. I feel fulfilled as a wife, mother and business owner
In other words, I'm able to bring my joy, drive, and passion for giving to both my family and my business, every day, despite those five things I was shy to admit until now. And I've noticed something: I'm not the only one.
Every mother I know is working her tail feathers off day and night. The minute the kids are in bed out comes the to-do list. From 'general managers of home and family' to CEOs of Fortune 500s, we women are getting some amazing results, and not just at work. We're raising beautiful, thoughtful children who will grow up to value hard work and service to their fellow human beings. We're supporting our spouses to aspire and kick-ass in their own careers. We're writing books called Lean In and Thrive in an effort to empower and inspire other women. (In my daydreams, my future book is called "I Made Myself CEO, You Should Too.")
I'm the first to admit that juggling work and family isn't easy. My kids don't always get my full attention when I'm tweeting and answering e-mail on my phone at the dinner table. My husband get's the "are you serious?" look when he playfully suggests we put the laptops away some evenings. But the whole reason Josh and I chose the life of entrepreneurs was for this flexibility; to be our own bosses and answer only to us, to each other, and to our family commitment. Thank goodness we live in a day and age when technology supports this choice. And when more and more companies are offering this flexibility to their employees. The results speak for themselves.
So what do you say, ladies? Isn't it time for us to stop apologizing for doing it differently? After all, this is the dream our mothers and grandmothers worked for. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg says it best in her book Lean In, "We stand on the shoulders of the women who came before us, women who had to fight for the rights that we now take for granted."
Let's stop keeping secrets, and be honest about how we're doing it all, so we can model a new normal. I don't think investors like Kevin O'Leary will mind at all if we do, as long as the cash flow keeps rolling in.
About Sara Margulis:
Sara is a wedding- and crowdfunding-industry CEO and lover of all things wedding, gifting, and travel. Sara and her husband Josh started Honeyfund after their own wedding when guests contributed more than $5000 toward their dream honeymoon in Fiji. Sara's background in business and marketing combined with Josh's expertise as a software engineer have made Honeyfund the #1 online wedding registry. The couple is now using a Shark-Tank investment from Kevin O'Leary to expand both in weddings and beyond, with Plumfund, online crowd-gifting for all of life's occasions. Both services offer 100% free options and the lowest third-party credit card fees in the industry. Their top priority is to make giving feel good!
Sara is considered an expert on wedding gift etiquette, crowd gifting, entrepreneurship and women in leadership roles. She also enjoys speaking to inspirational topics like corporate philanthropy and work-life balance.