“Thanks in particular to the support of my friends and family, I have always organized myself with my daughter, whom I am raising alone, her father living in another country. For spring break, she will go to a day camp for a while, then to a friend’s house who is on leave and has children the same age. Yasmina will also come with me to the office, as she often does since she was a baby. She keeps herself busy with her books, the computer or her coloring pencils, but she also helps out more and more. I hardly see her all day! She knows her bearings, does some sort of filing or helps people with the packing. These visits allow her to understand what work is, the dynamics of the life of an entrepreneur, in particular through her mother or her grandmother. It’s a school of life where she learns things that are not taught elsewhere.” – Linda Mahieddine, Vice President of Danièle Henkel Inc., co-founder of Danièle Henkel à emporter and mother of Yasmina (9 years old)

“Since my children are in French school, they have two weeks off. I have already taken three days with them to go skiing and to the museum and I will take another one this week. My wife also took a few days off and the rest of the time, they participate in camps. Entrepreneurship allows me to have more flexible hours and to organize myself as I want. I am still reachable and I check my emails during the day. The fact remains that for me it is “a blank day”. If I manage to do something for work, that’s good, but I don’t set myself goals, otherwise, it ruins the moment. I live well with this balance between work and my family life. It is important for me to be there for my children. The older they get, the more they will want time for themselves. I am more interested in being available when they need me than in forcing myself to be there when it is not necessary.” – Philippe Marty, product manager and partner at ReelyActive and father of Louis (11 years old), Paul (9 years old), Jeanne (5 years old) and Clémence (2 years old)

“Since I offer my catering services in elementary schools, March Break is a quiet period for my business. I take advantage of it to plan and organize and stay home with my older daughter. We do activities (sliding, theatre, BAnQ), but it’s also a time when I force myself to take a break and rest.

When I started the business, I thought it would allow me to spend more time with my children. But I quickly realized that it was a mistake. There is so much to do! I can certainly pick up my children earlier, but sometimes I can't wait for them to go to bed so I can get back to work quickly!" – Aurore Robert-Mavounia, owner of Miss Mav and mother of Malaïka (7 years old) and Aydann (2 years old)

“I chose to work for myself first and foremost to facilitate work-life balance. Childhood goes by so quickly, I want to be there for my daughters. Since I can’t take a break with them, I try to organize myself with their father and I hold meetings by phone or Skype while they have fun in their playroom. I notify my clients – whom I specifically chose for their great understanding of my reality as a self-employed worker and single mother. My daughter has generalized anxiety disorder, so I can’t have her looked after by an occasional babysitter. I set aside one or two days to be entirely with them and do activities (cupcake-making workshop, indoor water park, outdoor games) that do me a lot of good too!” – Cynthia Côté, marketing communications consultant at Cynthia Côté Communications, mother of Juliette (9 years old) and Rose-Aline (6 years old)

“I can’t take time off during the spring break due to workload and income issues. We are working on increasing our profitability to eventually be able to close several weeks a year without feeling the financial impact. My eldest will therefore go to camp, spend a special day with his mother and leave for a weekend in Toronto with a friend. He really enjoys being away from us temporarily. He sees it as a privilege as a grown-up. This is our first spring break and perhaps we will decide to take this time as a family in the future.” – Simon Gauthier Boudreau, co-owner and project manager of the web design studio Tom&Tom and father of Félix (6 years old) and Milo (10 months old).

“The beauty of entrepreneurship for me is not having a routine, being free and in control of my schedule and leaving room for spontaneity. During the break, we go outside if the weather is nice, we take the opportunity to do something and I work again in the evening when the kids are in bed! My children like to participate in the business. “We make products that give love to the Earth,” says my 6-year-old Théo. At Planette, there is no hierarchy or subtask… To fulfill a contract, the person who puts the caps on the bottles is just as important as the person who signs the contract! So the children are very proud to do their part, even in small tasks! I love my life as an entrepreneur mom because I can be in the right place at the right time!” – Myriam Tellier, co-owner of Planette and mother of Mathias (8 years old), Théo (6 years old) and Rose (3 years old).