Today we’d like to introduce you to Mia Francis-Poulin.
Mia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 2015, my first son was born at 27 weeks gestation — 13 weeks early. After spending 292 days in the hospital, he came home with a tracheostomy, g-tube for feedings, supplemental oxygen, ventilator support, and 24-7 home health nursing.
During his hospitalization, I’d left my corporate marketing position to be present for my son as he went through the ups and downs of his hospitalization and transition to the home.
However, soon after he was allowed to come home, I found myself needing to make money to cover the costs of his healthcare and the mounting bills that I’d put off for a later day.
So I found myself back in corporate, continuing to grow my career over the following two and a half years and managing a team of junior marketers for various companies. I’d found a sort of balance between my work life and my life with my son and husband.
However, in 2017, my husband and I found out we were expecting baby number two. As it was a high-risk pregnancy (I’d developed pre-eclampsia in my first pregnancy), my doctors followed me closely and recommended bed rest for most of my pregnancy… which my employer at the time wasn’t too jazzed about.
Finally, I decided to take matters in my own hands, meaning, I started my own solo marketing agency, R + A Creative Co. Harnessing my near decade of marketing experience, I started the company as a way to save money for my bed rest and eventual maternity leave.
Today, I help female entrepreneurs refine their brands and craft go-to-market strategies that attract clients they want to work with so they can grow their revenue. At the same time as I launched R + A Creative, my eldest was also diagnosed with Autism, which was a stunning transition for me and my family. While we took it all in stride, it was a new thing to have to contend with.
Over the course of the last few years, my eldest son was able to have his trach removed, get off ventilator support and most of his oxygen support, and we’ve made improvements with his ability to eat regular food like any other kid. He runs and plays and his happy — that is, unless you put on a movie that he doesn’t like, or if your perfume or cologne is too strong.
So over the course of the year, I’ve had to learn to embrace a new title besides that of mom, daughter, wife, marketer, entrepreneur: Autism mom. Autism advocate. In that quest, I launched the Mama, Build Your Empire podcast — a show and tribe dedicated to mom bosses who are growing their business while raising kids with special needs.
Through the interview-style podcast, I’ve connected with and built a community for ambitious moms who are building an empire (whatever that empire looks like for them) while also being present for their children with special needs. The podcast, which is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play, features moms who have kids with Autism, ADD/ADHD, Down Syndrome, SPD, and who are growing brick-and-mortar and online businesses.
Has it been a smooth road?
Getting to this point hasn’t been easy. Finding harmony in my life (and getting rid of the notion of “balance”) has been the driving force. Some days my business and the podcast get more attention than my family, others (most days) it’s the other way around. Leaving my secure job to go full-time into entrepreneurship has been a mental challenge.
In my life, the main path to security is to go to school (check), get a good job (check), and make a good income (check). To pursue entrepreneurship with no backup is, to many folks in my family, lunacy.
So I had to overcome that mental block to really open myself up to success in my business. With the podcast, I had a different block — getting visible and authentically telling my story. I had to accept a few things to truly have a successful podcast.
1) Accepting that I am a special needs mom. My son has a “disability” that will follow him for the rest of his life. Period. I had to accept that and acknowledge that this is where I am in life.
2) I had to accept that “balance” wasn’t going to be a thing for me. With the concept of balance, that means that there will be equal attention and effort given to two aspects of my life — my work and my home life. This was impractical, especially as a special needs mom.
Oftentimes, my sons will need me to be there more than a mom of neurotypical children. Plus, with my son’s dual diagnosis of chronic lung disease, he will have more frequent doctor’s appointments and will end up in the hospital more frequently than “normal” children.
Balance isn’t realistic. However, harmony is. Finding a way to integrate my work into my life in a way that allows me to be present when needed for my kids while also allowing me to pursue the things that I love is my focus.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the R + A Creative Co. and the Mama, Build Your Empire Podcast story. Tell us more about the business.
I’m the owner of R + A Creative Co. and the host of the Mama, Build Your Empire podcast. R + A Creative is a digital marketing agency geared towards helping female entrepreneurs attract their ideal clients and grow their revenue through smart brand positioning and go-to-market strategy.
Additionally, as the host of the Mama, Build Your Empire podcast, I’m proud to offer the community, support, and biz-building resources to moms who are growing their business while raising kids with special needs.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Female entrepreneurship is one of the fastest growing demographics in small business.
With more than 11.5 million active women-owned businesses in the US, the numbers are only going to grow as more women start, scale, and sustain businesses.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.racreative.co
- Email: mia@racreative.co
- Instagram: @mia_the_marketer
- Facebook: facebook.com/miathemarketer
- Other: www.mamabuildyourempire.podbean.com
Image Credit:
Christina Freeman Photography
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