IT HAS always been a struggle for working mothers to strike a balance between their professional and family lives.

And even more so for mums who own their own businesses.

But as The New Paper on Sunday found out, being able to take their children to work is one luxury these women have, and it allows them to go about their job with peace of mind.

"Being able to bring the kids to work with me is definitely a perk of having my own business," said Ms Rita Kusumadi, 40.

The Indonesian has five children - Kieran, 13, Gillian 12, Keagan, 10, Meghan, five, and Kenan, three.

She runs Bumwear, a cloth diaper boutique that she set up eight years ago. The retail outlet is currently at United Square.

This sentiment is echoed by Ms Maryann Koh, 36, who started The Studio Loft in 2006, a photo studio specialising in kid and family portraiture.

"From day one, the reason for starting my business was so that I could have more time to spend with my kids," said Ms Koh, a mother of two boys aged five and two.

Ms Koh added that she doesn't have a maid and wants to bring up her children on her own.

She had wanted to breastfeed her boys instead of expressing her milk, so they had to accompany her almost everywhere.

"They'd come to work with me until they were old enough for day care," she said.

Her elder son Kayden is in kindergarten and younger boy Dylan will be starting day care in September.

For Ms Kusumadi, the reason for starting Bumwear in 2002 was her third child Keagan - or rather the toddler's allergic reactions to the chemicals found in disposable diapers.

Initial years

During the initial years, Ms Kusumadi would work when her older children Kieran and Gillian - then five and four - were in school.

The juggling was easier, she said, as Bumwear was an online business then.
Ms Kusumadi found help in "a great mother-in-law who was always willing to babysit the kids as long as I take them to her place".

There was also a reliable part-time maid to handle the household chores, and both sets of the children's grandparents more than pitched in.

Ms Koh said: "If I have shoots scheduled in the studio, one of them will come down to the studio to care for them while I work. My staff are pretty good with the boys too!"

Both mothers acknowledged that the teething years of the business - also the time when their children were younger - required lots of juggling between work and parenting.

But as the businesses grew, the women were able to employ staff, which eased some of the burden.

Ms Kusumadi had one full-time staff member when she opened her retail outlet.

She said: "Kieran was in Primary 1 then and his school was just across the road from the shop. I'd spend about an hour in the shop then go pick the rest up from kindergarten."

Ms Koh has hired two photographers.

"Lately, I have more time to spend at home. I guess the best way to balance work and children is to make the effort to allocate time for both...and don't feel bad if you need to ask for help."

Ms Kusumadi treasures her days off and holidays.

"The oldest three kids sail competitively and we'd travel to neighbouring countries for regattas. We take it as short family holidays," she said.

As for Ms Koh, occupational hazards - taking snapshots - have to be put aside.

She explained: "I used to make capturing great pictures of the kids my priority when we were on holidays.

"Nowadays, I will try to limit my photo-taking to a few minutes, then put the camera aside and enjoy my time with the boys."

This article was first published in The New Paper.