Happy Sunday everyone, I can’t quite believe that we are in March already. Hopefully this means we are a little bit closer to spring and that warmer weather…
Kicking off March with a bang, here is a new Working Mum Series interview with Lara Benjamin who is the founder of Arc de Noa – a gorgeous knitted baby clothing company. Lara’s interview is great, and I really resonate with her view on taking time to do things that are really worth it. As busy mums, working or not, our time is limited, and so I find it really important for me to prioritise whether something is worth not being with the children for. It’s a constant balancing act, with no right or wrong answers, just us to guide ourselves.
As always, I hope you enjoy the interview, and please do get in touch if you have any comments or questions, or if you would like to be involved in the series.
Lisa
xox0
Arc de Noa details:
Website – https://www.arcdenoa.com/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/arcdenoa/
1. Please introduce yourself – what is your job, how many children you have, where you are from etc.
Hi! My name is Lara Benjamin. I am from Singapore originally, but London is now home with my husband and 15 month old Zac.
When Zac was 10 weeks old, I started a baby clothing brand called ‘Arc de Noa’ as I couldn’t find the good quality knitted pieces I loved to dress him in at a reasonable price! I work with my mum who has a production company and together we handle the design, development and production of our garments and I take care of the marketing, sales and customer care on my own. It is such a blessing to be able to have a foot in each area of my business as I have really learned so much from this journey so far.
2. How many days/hours a week do you work?
This really varies! Some days I am working full days with back to back meetings, and some days it is just a few hours of packing up orders and dealing with emails and social media.
3. Describe a typical working day in your household (i.e. morning routines with nursery/school drop offs to evening bedtime)
A typical day begins at 7am when Zac wakes up. He currently is at nursery 3 mornings a week, so we leave the house by 8:15am for drop off. Whilst he is at school, I use that time to go to the gym and get my work done. I usually pick him up at 1pm and he goes straight for a nap. I use that time to prepare dinner if I need to, or do a bit more work. On the days that he isn’t at nursery, I tend to have to be a little more flexible with when I am able to work. He is usually in bed by 7pm, so I am able to get some work done after that if needed….but I normally use that time to relax with my husband and reconnect after a long day!
4. How do you balance working life with motherhood? And what/who do you rely on to make it work?
I am very lucky to have a lot of extra hands around to help me when required! My husband does a lot of his work from home, so can always be there if I need him to help with Zac. We also have a wonderful housekeeper who he adores and is happy to play with all day long!
5.What is the best thing about being a working mum?
I had my son at 24 years old and therefore really didn’t have a chance to establish much of a career and accomplish things for myself. It feels really amazing to be able to build a career for myself on my own terms and have accomplishments outside of home and family. I am also proud to one day be able to show my kids that with the right balance you can achieve anything you want to in life. This is something my mum taught me from a very young age.
6. And the hardest?
The hardest part is definitely not always being present and missing moments with my little one. Some days I am either in meetings or at shows/exhibitions and unable to be with my husband and son, and it’s definitely hard being away from them! Even if it’s just for a short while.
7. How do you unwind? Motherhood (as well as work!) can be relentless – what do you do to relax?
I love to bake! Before having my son, I studied Patisserie at the Cordon Bleu, so baking is a real passion for me and I love getting some time to myself to do that.
8. How do you manage your relationship with your husband/partner as well as working and juggling the daily life of raising children?
As I mentioned before, I am super lucky that my husband can manage his own schedule and so can I. It’s really great as it allows us both to spend loads of time together and also as a family. We are also able to pick up the slack for each other when necessary, which helps a lot in the day to day juggle of work and home.
9. Do you feel that motherhood has changed you, and if so, how?
Yes and no. I feel that I am still the same person I was before, with the same drives and ambitions; however, motherhood has made me really take a step back and prioritize what I want from life. As much as I have certain things I would love to achieve, my main goal is to be there for my family as much as possible and raise happy, healthy kids. So, I really do take time now to think if something is worth my time and energy, whereas before I would tend to jump ay any opportunity.
10. Can you tell us one lesson that you have learned from your child/children and one that you have taught them?
As my son is still so young, I see him learning every day! Picking up new words and skills from what he sees his father and I doing. But the biggest thing he has taught me is definitely to have more patience!
11. What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing working mothers at the moment?
I think the biggest challenge working mums have is often the guilt they feel for not being home with their children all the time. They can feel they are missing out on key moments with their families and at the end of the day, trying to juggle everything and being there for everyone can be so exhausting!
12. What does ‘flexible working’ mean to you’?
For me, it means being able to work on your own time. As long as the work gets done on time and to the highest standard, I don’t believe that people should be having to sit behind a desk for a set number of hours – especially if it’s work that can be done outside of the office.
13. What are your go to stores/websites/blogs for your work and everyday wardrobe, and what are your staple pieces as a working mum?
I love to mix and match designer and high street pieces. I love The Outnet to get great designer bargains and then mix and matching looks with pieces from Zara, ASOS and Mango helps to keep your wardrobe fresh and exciting! Staple pieces would definitely be nice sweaters and tops that are easy to throw on, but still keep you looking professional if you have meetings to attend….you also can’t go wrong with a good pair of black boots!
14. Finally, what advice would you give to new working mums? I.e. those who are just going back to work from maternity leave, setting up their own businesses, or going for a new job?
Be kind to yourself! Give yourself time to find your new normal, and new routines and never let yourself feel too guilty! Your child will love you unconditionally no matter what, and you are able to set such a great example to them by showing them that you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it!
