Meet Shani Timms: The Mum Building a Business on Her Own Terms

Tell us about your family. How many Kids?

It’s me, my fiancé Blake, and our one-year-old daughter, Frankie.

We’ve been together for nearly six years and are getting married later this year in Byron Bay, which we’re so excited about.

What was your biggest adjustment when becoming a mum?

Honestly, it was keeping up with everything outside of family life and being a mum.

After having Frankie, I found it really hard to expand my bubble. I had capacity for Blake, Frankie, my family, work and my close friends, but I found it challenging to keep up with the demands of social life outside of that.

Text messages went unanswered, DMs sat on read, phone calls were missed, and I had to say no to a lot of catch-ups.

I went back to work when Frankie was around four months old, so I felt like I didn’t have much space to nurture friendships the way I would have liked.

It really challenged my old people-pleasing ways. I had to let people down, but in doing that, I was putting myself and my family first.

How do you manage the juggle when it comes to trying to do it all?

Blake and I have so many systems and structures that support us.

The parenting juggle is real, but it works. Every morning we tag-team so we both get a workout in. We do the same later in the day so I can get work done.

We have weekly date nights scheduled, relationship check-ins scheduled, and we’ve found that the more structure we have, the more freedom we actually create.

The way my business is structured also gives me so much flexibility. I work two days a week and then get to be fully in mum mode for the rest.

Setting my business up this way has been one of the biggest blessings.

What is the best thing about being a mum?

Oh my goodness, how do I even answer this?

Everything.

Honestly, I didn’t think I would love being a mum as much as I do. It’s the best.

I love waking up to my baby girl every day. I love watching her experience the world. I love that she’s my little bestie and we get to do life together.

I also love that motherhood feels like a secret club. When you see another mum, there’s that little nod that says, “Well done, sis.”

Being a mum has made me appreciate being a woman so much more.

What has been the biggest challenge in motherhood?

We’ve genuinely loved parenthood and have always been very open about that.

One challenge we weren’t expecting was the projections from other people about our experience.

Unfortunately, not everyone wants to see you having a great time in parenthood, and navigating other people’s expectations or assumptions can sometimes be challenging.

What surprised you most about becoming a mum?

Definitely how much I love it.

I genuinely didn’t know it could be this good.

What do you wish you knew before becoming a mum?

I put off motherhood for a while.

I always wanted children, but I was a career girl and wanted to focus on that first.

I had fears around becoming a mum because I was so focused on my business, goals, dreams and relationship.

At the time, I could only really see the downside, which is often the narrative we’re fed.

I wish I could have seen a glimpse into all the magic that would unfold because becoming a mum ended up being the gateway to all my dreams.

Now, I can’t imagine life without our Frankie girl. What a gift.

If you could go back, what would you tell yourself before becoming a mum?

That it all works out.

Better than you could have imagined.

Do you have any tips or tricks to manage the day-to-day juggle?

• Communicate honestly with your partner.
• Having shared values makes life so much easier.
• Structure your business to support your life.
• Create offers that give you more freedom.
• And my Google Calendar… I love you.

How do you manage your time to fit in career, being a mum, relationship and time for you?

Honestly, it’s a juggle.

I use nap times wisely, although Frankie is a low-sleep-needs, serious-FOMO baby who would often rather party than sleep.

Blake takes Frankie for four hours every weekend so I can power through whatever I need to get done.

I wake up early, use my time intentionally and have the Brick app to help reduce my phone time.

I’m an efficiency fanatic, so I really try to make the most of the time I have.

What inspired you to become a brand creator?

I always laugh when I explain how I got here.

I studied graphic design, worked in interior design and architecture, started a wholefoods catering company, launched a gut health e-commerce brand, sold that business and eventually landed in the business I’m running today. The common thread through all of it is intuition.

I’ve always trusted where life was leading me and followed the little nudges along the way.

Every business has taught me something new and become the foundation for the next.

These days, I help women create brands that feel like the true essence of who they are.

I’ve also recently created a program called Done In A Day, helping women build businesses that allow them to work one or two days a week, earn a full-time income and spend more time with what matters most.

What’s the best thing about what you do?

There is so much I love.

Working with incredible clients all over the world.

Being creative every day.

Building a community.

Working in my zone of genius.

But the biggest gift has been creating a business model that allows me to work two days a week and spend the rest of my time with Frankie.

That’s the dream.

What’s the biggest challenge?

I joke that I’ve become a professional nap-time ninja.

I have so many ideas and things I want to create, but often only have nap windows to build my business.

At the same time, it’s also a gift.

Having limited time has made me more focused and intentional.

I often remind myself:

“I have all the time I need to grow my business.”

That mindset shift has helped me enormously.

Anything exciting in the pipeline?

Definitely my Done In A Day program.

I genuinely believe it’s going to change the way women, particularly mums, approach business.

It’s designed to show women that they don’t have to choose between having a career and being a present parent.

They can absolutely do both.

What’s your advice for someone wanting to start a business?

Just do it.

You’ll figure the rest out along the way.

Anything exciting happening personally?

A wedding in Byron Bay and hopefully a Bali honeymoon.

That’s pretty exciting if you ask me.

Discover Shani Timms