Passion is Not a Substitute for Math! Cyndi Thomason on Why She Wrote Her New Book

Are you pulling your hair out trying to manage your business and your family?

Cyndi Thomason knows the feeling well. 

In fact, she’s written a book about it.

Find out what inspired her below and some of the nuggets of wisdom to be found within the pages.

Motherhood, apple pie, and all that happy horsesh*t

At the launch party for my new book, Motherhood, Apple Pie and All That Happy Horseshit, a mom entrepreneur talked about the importance of having good financial data to manage your business. 

She concluded her remarks with “Passion is not a substitute for math!" 

The ten moms on the panel that were sharing their mom and business owner journeys agreed enthusiastically with their shouts of “Yes!” and “Amen!" 

As the founder of bookskeep, an ecommerce accounting firm and A2X partner, I understand how important accurate data is to all business owners. 

As a mom that was raising a daughter while starting and growing my business, I also know how challenging it can be. That is what inspired me to write the book.  

The book covers the critical components of designing your mom and family life alongside a resilient business. In the book I dive into the nitty gritty of what is important to save your sanity and enjoy the journey. 

Some things I cover are: 

• Sacred space and tapping into your inner strength  

• Support in both personal and business roles 

• Time management and accountability 

• Money management for both family and the business using Profit First 

• Personal Values drive the business culture 

Flexibility is the driver for many mums in ecommerce

All the moms I interviewed for the book noted that to have the family life they wanted, they needed flexibility. 

Many of the moms knew that after maternity leave, they could not continue in their corporate roles and have the time and scheduling freedom they wanted to make their lives work. 

Ecommerce offers flexibility in its business model.  

Many bookskeep clients chose to enter the ecommerce field for this reason. 

I also love that some of our mom clients jumped into ecommerce because they saw issues with products that were currently available or needed products that didn’t exist. They took that time with their babies and their creative energy and built some incredible brands.  

Flexibility and my personal values were extremely important for me to create the role of mom that I wanted and to ensure my business supported that role. 

I chose to work exclusively with ecommerce professionals in 2015. I realized that local businesses expected an in-person presence and support. This expectation required me to find babysitters and restrict my travel to see family across the country.  

By working with ecommerce clients virtually, I was able to work when and where I wanted just as my ecommerce clients were able to do. 

But flexibility doesn’t solve everything

However, just because we have passion and can see a business model that integrates with our personal values doesn’t mean that everything is going to be sunshine and roses. 

I have seen some ecommerce clients that have significantly added to the stress in their lives with poor financial decisions. 

For a mom considering leaving a corporate role to stay home with children, I know that additional financial stress will be overwhelming.  

In the book, I address the importance of financial planning and sound cash flow management. 

The worksheets in the book allow the reader to build and test their financial plan.  

In addition, we build Profit First into the equation, so that paying themselves is not an afterthought and financial viability is ensured from the start. 

Support is also key

Finally, a key chapter in the book is about building your support network, both for your business and for your family. 

I recently held a workshop for Mompreneurs where I asked them to write down the three people they could call if they had a family emergency and the three people they could call on for business support. 

The only rule was they could not include their spouse or partner. 

After about 10 minutes I could see they were struggling. Support is so critical because “sh*t” happens! 

In the networking time after the event, I encouraged them to find someone in the room that could be their support “buddy”. I also encouraged them to talk weekly and develop an accountability relationship.  

Being a mom is hard! Being an Ecommerce Entrepreneur is hard! Look for people to support you along the way.  

A2X helps moms build resilient businesses

Support and time savings can also be achieved with your systems. Bubble gum and shoestrings are an ok place to start, but growth requires you to shore up your systems too.  

That’s one reason we love A2X. 

While it is a time-saver for our clients and our bookkeeping team, the software will support the business as it grows. It provides the ecommerce business owner with accurate data so they can do the math, and not just rely on rose colored glasses and passion.  

If you’d like to learn more about integrating your life as mom and entrepreneur, check out my book, Motherhood, Apple Pie and All That Happy Horseshit.  

If you’d like to learn more about the Profit First method of cash flow management for ecommerce business, check out my book, Profit First for Ecommerce Sellers. You can learn more at  CyndiThomason.com.