Charleston moms find part-time work a good balance for full-time motherhood | Lowcountry Parent

Weslynn Biggers loved working in marketing and communications. But when she became a mom, Biggers was acutely aware of the pull of corporate life versus mom life. When she became pregnant with her first son, she negotiated with her employer to work a couple of days from home. 

And when her family moved from Georgia to Alabama for her husband’s work in full-time ministry, she kept her job in communications but in a part-time capacity. When that contract was up, Biggers realized she liked the 20-hour work week, yet it was still tough to juggle a corporate job and a baby. 

“It’s hard when you’re trying to line up child care, so people can’t hear your baby crying in the background,” she says. “Corporate work feels like a pull against everything I am as a mom.”

So Biggers and her husband decided they would take a leap of faith and live on one income. At the same time, her husband was struggling with his weight and high blood pressure. Biggers was struggling with the demands of being a full-time, stay-at-home mom. 

“I needed some freedom, but I didn’t have money for a babysitter,” she says. “I have gifts and I can’t use them. It was a tough season.” 

That tough season took a turn for the better when the couple discovered Optavia, a health and wellness program focused largely on lifestyle changes. Biggers says her husband ultimately lost 70 pounds. She also joined the program and lost 18 pounds.

The couple, who now lives in Summerville, were sold on the Optavia program and decided to become coaches to help others on their health and wellness journey. Following a multi-level marketing structure, Biggers says she appreciated the freedom and flexibility of this kind of work. 

She can keep a part-time schedule, care for her two young boys and work alongside her husband generating income for their family. Biggers schedules her coaching calls in a two-hour block and creates social media posts in the “nooks and crannies of the day,” she says. 

She wants the same for other moms seeking a different way to combine work and motherhood.

“I’m passionate about health, but my heartbeat is for mamas,” Biggers says. “I love helping mamas come home if that’s their goal. I want to give moms freedom.” 

Biggers says her work refills her tanks, allows her to use her gifts and, when she’s at home, she’s a better mom because of it. 

“I have the freedom based on the demands of my family. That is freeing,” Biggers says. “It’s about finding something that you love.”

Part-time versus full-time work

Women’s struggles with work and motherhood are well documented. Moms are criticized for working outside the home. They’re criticized for staying at home with their children. Moms are passed over for promotions or key assignments when they choose family over work. They miss out on dance recitals and birthday parties when they choose work over family. Are moms in a no-win situation? 

According to the Pew Research Center, 72 percent of moms are employed either full time or part time, meaning the majority of moms are facing this work-family conundrum. 

Could part-time work be the happy medium? 

A Pew Research Center survey of moms published in 2013 found, for most American moms, part-time work would be the ideal situation. 

The study reported, “Working part time has consistently been the top choice for women with at least one child under the age of 18 in the three years that the question was asked. Nearly half of mothers (47 percent) in 2012 said that their ideal situation would be to work part time.” 

Julie McLaughlin worked full time in the insurance industry until she had her two kids. When she decided to work outside the home again, McLaughlin wasn’t quite ready for full-time work, plus she had a resume gap of almost a decade. 

So, McLaughlin found part-time work at St. Andrews Family Fitness, which had on-site childcare. She also worked for a kids’ fitness program, Stretch-n-Grow, which fit perfectly with school hours.

Now a single mom of an 11-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, McLaughlin is back to working full time in insurance. She needed to pay the bills and have health benefits. Her family-owned company values its employees and family life, so McLaughlin says she has that much-needed flexibility to manage work and family responsibilities. 

When Lane Boris divorced in 2012, her kids were 4, 8 and 9. She and her husband had owned a business together but, when they split up, he kept the business and she kept the house. Suddenly, Boris needed to support herself and three kids. She got her real estate license — a way she thought she could earn an income while managing motherhood.

“If someone wanted to see a house at 5, I could drop my son off at soccer and then run and show the house,” she says. “I could juggle my schedule to make it work. I could pick my kids up from school if needed and still make $60,000 a year. It has been a savior for me.” 

Boris says working a more traditional 9-to-5 job just wouldn’t have been feasible. As a real estate agent, she could get up at 5 a.m. to prepare for showings or she could catch up on some work after the kids were in bed. 

Yes, real estate can be risky, but the ability to work part-time and be a full-time mom was worth it, Boris says.

“It has carried me this whole way,” she adds. 

Charting their own path

For many women, part-time work means getting creative with their companies, starting their own businesses or consulting. Studies show millennial moms are even more apt to look for jobs with flexible schedules, part-time opportunities or the ability to work remotely. 

The 9-to-5 schedule just doesn’t jive with parenting, especially when most school days end between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. 

Brianna Steele earns an income as a lifestyle and travel blogger. Her website — adventuresofatwinmom.com chronicles her life as a mom with twin toddlers, family travel, motherhood and recipes. Her Instagram account of the same name has more than 42,000 followers. 

Companies pay her to share about their products or provide content while visiting resorts or on cruises, she explains.

“I blogged just for fun, and then it grew into something more,” Steele says. “It’s been such a blessing for our family as my twins are young, and I want to spend as much time with them as I can before they start school.” 

For many women looking to supplement their family’s income while being full-time moms, multi-level marketing is an attractive offer. Most people are familiar with some of the original multi-level marketing (MLM) companies — Tupperware, Avon, Mary Kay. Today, though, there are many more companies offering everything from cleaning products and skin care to cookware and essential oils. According to the Direct Selling Association, of the 6.2 million direct sellers in the United States, 5.2 million work part time. Women make up 75 percent of the country’s direct sellers. 

Many women have found that selling makeup, clothing and skin care products pays for family vacations or builds their family savings account. Other women have created lucrative businesses. But MLMs aren’t without their critics, and most women will not become millionaires as a result of the work.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, some multi-level marketing companies are nothing more than pyramid schemes. According to the agency, “(m)ost people who join legitimate MLMs make little or no money. Some of them lose money. People who become involved in an illegal pyramid scheme may not realize they’ve joined a fraudulent venture, and typically lose everything they invest. Some also end up deeply in debt.” 

However, Becki Burke is quick to disagree. The Mount Pleasant mom has been a global independent representative with hair and skin care brand Monat for three years. Burke recognizes the negative connotations associated with multi-level marketing — largely because the barrier to entry is low. It’s a relatively small financial investment to get started, so many women jump in thinking they’ll do a few social media posts and become millionaires, Burke says. 

She started with Monat as a side hustle, eventually leaving her full-time job to build her Monat business. Her daughters are 16 and 12, so she appreciates the flexibility to shuttle them to dance lessons and out-of-town dance events. 

But, she says, you have to treat a multi-level marketing business just like any other kind of business. It takes time and work to build the business.

“This is kind of like buying a franchise with a very low startup fee,” Burke says. “But it’s not a get rich quick scheme.”