By Tamiko Smith

Summer is often romanticised as the perfect season for relaxation, sunshine, bliss and cool island breeze. 

However, for entrepreneurial mothers, especially those balancing solo parenting, summer is far from a break; it’s a season of strategising. It’s about stretching your time, energy, emotions and the big M, money.

It’s where you have a profound appreciation for your children’s teacher, it’s where that beautiful laughter and little footsteps ring in your ear, just as much as hearing how hungry they are throughout the day.

This is the untold story of the entrepreneur running a business with a child by her side, big dreams in her heart and back to school on the list. It’s real, raw and it’s a season that demands resilience.

With children at home full-time, routines get tossed out the window. Entrepreneur mothers often have to pivot their business hours, reevaluate their service offerings or take the children into their work world.

How do you handle this hectic yet demanding season? The key is flexibility, communication and grace. Some moms can lean into adjusting their work schedule, while others can lean on the trusted village for support or create a structured system to get tasks done. The reality isn’t picture perfect; however, pivoting is the most powerful tool at play for the summer.

The thought of back to school looms….a new kind of pressure kicks in, back-to-school prep, uniforms, school supplies, tuition. The emotional load doesn’t ease up.

For ‘mompreneurs’, this can often be an additional clash as this often collides with business planning for O3 and Q4.

Feeling overwhelmed is real and validated, but so is the opportunity to reset, realign and act in a timely manner. This transitional period is the ideal time to revisit business goals, set new boundaries for you and your children’s life and create a schedule that supports being an actively involved parent and profits.

It’s a season where some days are really about shutting out the world and the chaos, and going to grab an ice cream and explore the lovely island with your little one. Some days simply require laughing uncontrollably with your children, a form of self-care for you and them.

Here’s the truth most moms don’t say out loud: self-care feels like a luxury when survival is the priority.

But it’s not a luxury — it’s a necessity! You can’t pour from an empty cup, and your business will suffer if you’re burnt out. Thriving in business and motherhood doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your well-being.

Self-care in this season doesn’t have to be spa days, though those help; this season, you will need to be financially mindful. It’s as simple as taking a 15-minute breather to relax the mind. It’s journaling before bed to wind down. It’s saying NO to anyone and anything that tries to drain you and yes to what makes life easier, safer and smoother. It’s acknowledging that you are not just a business owner or a mom, you are a woman, a human, who deserves to be valued and nurtured.

The balancing act isn’t about perfection

This season isn’t about having it all figured out—it’s about learning to dance in the chaos, and still choosing to show up.

Some days will feel like wins. Others will feel like survival. But every step forward, no matter how small, is progress.

So, whether you’re managing a toddler while launching a new service, prepping back-to-school while finalising invoices or carving out time to breathe before another week starts, know that you are not alone, you are not behind, and you are doing better than you think.

Reset, refocus, reclaim

This season is your reminder that you can build your business, raise your children, and still find moments of peace in between.

Let this be the summer where you didn’t just survive — you adapted, you prepared, you prioritised you, and you enjoyed the giggles of your little one.

Tamiko Smith is a self-care advocate and the owner and operator of TamikoTS Beauty and Spa Jamaica.