FB Working Women Wednesday Owner Spotlight

Recently, I was a featured member in a FB group for working mom’s here in Lexington. I thought it might be helpful to repost here as well. It is so important for us to support each other and offer advice and mentorship to other moms in our community!

From FB: Happy Working Woman Wednesday! On Wednesdays we highlight a business from our business directory. If you’d like featured, send a message to Tarra!

This week we are featuring Kristalyn who owns Castle Insurance!

1. Tell us about your business – i.e. what is your product/service?

I own an independent insurance agency and sell home, auto, life, and business insurance.

2. What has been your biggest struggle as a working mother? Is there a specific story that you can recall that demonstrates this?

One of the best parts of my job is the flexibility! As long as I have internet and a phone, I can work. While this makes it easy to arrange my work schedule around things happening at home, it also makes it difficult to just put work down and be present. This was such a blessing this summer as I was able to stay in a relative’s vacation home with a pool for 2 weeks and still get my job done. However, I feel lots of guilt when I am working at night or on the weekend and my daughter keeps asking me “when I’ll be done” and “can we watch a movie without your laptop present?”. As working moms, we feel guilt at home about our jobs and guilt at work about our kids and homes!

3. What advice would you give to other women who want to start their own business?

My advice to other moms thinking about starting a business would be the following:

-Do your research up front to be sure there is a market for the product or service you want to sell.

-Be sure you think about all the negative things that can happen and have a plan to avoid those issues altogether or to mitigate the negative aspects on your new business and home life and finances. Starting a new business can be very exciting, but it’s important to think about the “what ifs?”.

-Have a mentor! This is HUGE! Find a woman in business that you trust and that will spend time with you answering questions and providing support. This is even more important if you don’t have a support system of a spouse or other family members.

-Take a risk! If you have made a plan, done your due-diligence, and have planned for the unexpected, GO FOR IT! Pack your parachute well and jump off the cliff!