We were lucky to catch up with Joi Sears recently and have shared our conversation below.

Joi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

You can either be a great employee or a great mother, but you can’t be both. At least that’s what I think these days.

This became painfully clear when I was forced to make a decision between going back to work after giving birth to my second daughter, Journi, in 2021 or becoming a full-time work-from-home Mamapreneur. I ultimately decided to leave my position as a college professor that I held for half a decade so that I could care for my little ones in the midst of the pandemic.

As a single mom, I knew that there was no one to pick up the slack at home while I was busy at work. Who would stay home with my kids when they were sick or pick them up from daycare on the days when I was stuck at work? Additionally, I knew that I would struggle to advance in my profession or even make tenure one day when I was unable to go the extra mile to participate in extra-curricular activities, do research or join committees. Even with just one toddler at home, I was doing just enough to get by at work – so what was I going to do with two? Forget climbing up the corporate ladder, I was hanging on by my fingertips.

The expectations placed on working mothers these days are entirely unreasonable. They expect us to work like we don’t have kids and raise kids like we don’t work. It’s inevitable that there will be a moment when you have to make a choice. You’re going to have to miss that meeting to pick up your sick kid from school or miss that baseball game to make a deadline at work but at one point or another, you will be forced to make a decision about how you spend your time. And that decision could either land you in the unemployment line or push your children into therapy.

But time is not the only factor. The mental load that it takes to raise kids and run a functional household is heavy. There are doctor’s appointments, meal plans, and piles of laundry that need folding. And even if you are “lucky enough” to work from home it’s a struggle to actually get work done without pumping your kids full of fruit snacks and unlimited screen time while they walk by the screen in their underwear.

Motherhood is hard, no matter how you shake it. But I find being an entrepreneur gives me the flexibility to do the work I want to do on my own terms while taking care of my kids to the best of my ability. I’m able to set my own hours even if those hours are between 10 PM and 2 AM. I can manage and adjust my workload as needed. I can even take a week or two off if one of my little ones gets sick.

I’m not saying it’s easy. Sometimes the pendulum swings a bit too far in one direction and it’s difficult to find balance. Some days I meet my client’s deadline but my house is a mess and my kids eat boxed Mac and cheese for dinner. There are also periods when I’ve struggled to make ends meet financially when my kids have been sick for an extended period of time or I struggle to find time to work on specific areas of my business like sales or marketing.

But at the end of the day, I find that I’m much happier being an entrepreneur. I find that doing work I’m truly passionate about in a way that makes sense for my lifestyle has helped me become a healthier, happier, and more purpose-driven individual.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My mission is to leave the world just a little bit better than how I found it – one idea, one project, one brand at a time.

Over the span of the last two decades, I’ve worked to carve out an interdisciplinary career that spans nearly every continent and combines my passion for creativity, human-centered design, and social innovation.

I went on to get my graduate degree from NYU in Creativity and Social Change. I traveled to Southeast Asia to earn a certificate in Designing for Social Innovation and Leadership from the United Nations University of Peace.

I was one of twenty social entrepreneurs from around the world who was offered a fellowship designing sustainable packaging for H&M Germany. I developed a creative placemaking project in Amsterdam, launched “The Green Store” in my hometown, and won the World Summit Youth Award in São Paulo, Brazil.

Now – I work with dreamers, doers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to create purpose-driven projects that push the world forward. As a Creative Strategist and designer, my work spans a variety of different sectors from artists, non-profits, and small businesses to NGOs, educational institutions, and big brands.

My areas of expertise are Human Centered Design, Brand Strategy + Design (incl. Brand Identity + Website Design), Content Strategy, and Digital Products. Every project that I have ever taken on addresses at least one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Have I ever told you the story of the little girl who put the world back together?

I can hear my Dad’s voice coming through the phone like it was yesterday. I was standing outside a subway station in Brooklyn NY, tears pouring down my face. I’d had a really tough day as a teaching artist at a rough, inner-city school. I wasn’t getting through to the kids and was taking it really hard.

‘No’ I whispered pushing back tears. “Once upon a time there was a little girl who woke up early one Saturday morning and wanted to play with her mom.” my Dad began. “She ran to her mother’s room to find her putting on her slippers and getting ready to start the morning’s chores. ‘Mom, will you play a game with me?’ she asked with her sweetest smile.

The Mom could not bring herself to disappoint her baby girl but she had a long list of things to do so she needed to buy some time. “Let’s make a deal -” said the girl’s mom glancing at a magazine on the coffee table. Do you see this picture of the world? I’m going to cut it into little puzzle pieces. When you’re finished putting the puzzle together, we’ll play. “Okay!” said the girl, excited about the challenge placed in front of her.

Surely that will keep her busy while I start the laundry, clean the kitchen, and make breakfast, the Mom thought. But before she could even put the sugar in her morning coffee, the girl ran into the kitchen with the page ripped out of the magazine held together by tape. “I did it!” she exclaimed.

Her mother was in disbelief. “How did you manage to put it together so quickly?” she asked. “On the other side of the picture of the world was a picture of a girl,” she explained. “I put the world back together by putting together the pieces of the girl.”

“You see Joi,” my dad said, “You can’t change the world. It’s simply not in your power to do – but what you can do is change one person, fix one problem, solve one challenge and those small changes add up.

Even if you inspire just one kid in that classroom, you have done your job.

This became my mission in life – to leave the world just a little bit better than how I found it – one idea, one project, one girl at a time.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

There are three key things that have helped me build a reputation within my market:

1. Staying true to my mission of doing work that makes the world a better place in whatever form it takes. Although my business, brand, and offerings have evolved over the years, I have been committed to taking on projects that address at least one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. I’ve been a social entrepreneur from the beginning of my career and am known for “doing good”.

2. My reputation for doing high-quality, aesthetically pleasing, and engaging work. People tend to think my work is beautiful, creative, and cohesive.

3. My credentials. I’ve had a fellowship with the DO School working with H&M Germany, I earned a certification in Designing for Social Innovation and Leadership with the United Nations University of Peace, and I’ve earned a number of awards like the “World Summit Youth Award” in Brazil for the work that I’ve done around the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://4freepeople.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.comm/4freepeople
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joimsears/

Image Credits
Shoott