Del Toro is proud to celebrate mothers in our community who inspire us everyday. Each mother has built an incredible business and we encourage our community to learn a little bit about each. Join the conversations and get to know the second of four featured moms, Maria Mayer Feng (Founder - Studio Maria Mayer Feng).
Del Toro: What does Mother’s Day mean to you?
Maria Mayer Feng: Especially when you are a working mother, guilt is always on board. Taking too much time away from the kids for work or yourself is always on your mind. So mother’s day is the ONE day where I feel no guilt! It’s all about what I want, … and it’s even official!
DT: As an entrepreneur, we imagine that the lines between work and family time are even more blurred - do you have a secret sauce to balancing family and work?
MMF: I don’t have a secret sauce to make it work. If you find one, email it to me. But constantly revising expectations is important, and accepting that life is messy, too. Being an entrepreneur and a mother at the same time is a very fluid situation, you don’t work 9 to 5, you work when you can and you are always on call. Moms work hard. It’s amazing how much stuff they get done on an average day. Yet, if you ask everyone of us, I bet they will all say it wasn’t enough.
DT: How has the pandemic affected your business and family affairs? What sort of adjustments did you have to make?
MMF: I moved the main part of my studio to our home exactly one year before the pandemic, and in hindsight, is was the best business decision I could have made. Especially when the pandemic hit, it felt really great to be able to work full steam ahead in the safety of our home. It also felt great not having to hide the fact anymore, that I sometimes had a kid crawling around my feet while on the phone with a new client. All of the sudden it was socially acceptable and that was a huge relief. But my husband stepped up his game in childcare a lot during that time, and that was really helpful.
DT: Any words of advice to Moms out there that are contemplating starting their own businesses?
MMF: To all the moms starting a business… go for it! Nothing beats the liberties it can provide. It takes a few years to establish a successful business, so having great help and childcare is definitely key. And so is time management. It’s a constant juggle between the needs of your family, your work and your own needs. But in the end, it’s so worth it. The freedom it provides when you are the boss, adds so much life quality. And in the end, your kids will benefit from that.
Studio Maria Mayer Feng has been designing luxuriously custom made photo books and paper goods for over 14 years. Their clients have discerning taste and treasure the trust they can have to simply hand over their personal memories. Their mission is to always transform these memories in a book so bespoke and unique, that it almost feels like stepping back in time. The final products rival the quality of books you could have seen in a museum book store, except they capture their personal memories.
