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While she was expecting her first child, Anne-Laure Constanza wanted to give new impetus to her life, by creating her business. A few months after the arrival of her son, Envie de Fraises, her online maternity clothing store, was born.
“The birth of my son gave me the initial impetus”
It was at 30 that the desire to create my business was born. It must be said that this is a milestone in the life of a woman and it is also the age at which I had my first child. I already had a professional background behind me. I was first an employee of a company, then a freelance consultant between France and China. With the arrival of my baby, a new organization was needed. I had to find a fulfilling solution and that’s how the idea of Envie de Fraises came about. In fact, when I was pregnant, I realized the poverty of the ready-to-wear offer for mothers-to-be. At the time, we had the choice between high-end, expensive, or downright “cheap”. So I wanted to create an intermediate range to meet the expectations of young women like me. It must be said that motherhood increased my energy tenfold. The birth of my son gave me an impetus, a spirit of conquest. I was able to give birth to a child, so after that I was capable of anything. My pregnancy allowed me to take a step back and really know what I wanted and where I wanted to go. I had entrepreneurial desires for several years. Motherhood was a snap.
“We are independent women”
In France, the situation seems rather favorable to me to become a Mompreneur. It is no coincidence that we are European fertility champions. Reconciling professional life and mother’s life in France is not that complicated compared to other countries. We benefit from parental leave, aid for setting up a business … Even from a cultural point of view, it is not shocking to want to lead an ambitious career and raise your children. Seen from abroad, we have an image of independent women. Many of our European neighbors envy us. I have mid nine months to set up my business. In general, it takes a short year. But the start remains the most difficult. Very often, a young mother who embarks on the creation of a business is not taken seriously by those around her. When I created Envie de Fraises at Oscar’s birth, my relatives thought I was in the midst of postnatal delirium, especially since I was launching into ready-to-wear for pregnant women. The thinking ceased when my business started doing numbers.
“I have the freedom to arrange my schedules”
In the early days of Envie de fraises, I received suppliers at home, during my son’s nap. The first few months were a bit of a sport. I also worked a lot in the evenings and at night. Bad luck, Oscar slept relatively late! I spent six months at home before finding premises for my business. I had ambition. I wanted to hire, to work with people. Today I am the mother of three children, including twins. Fortunately, I have great support, both at home and at work. I first had an au pair to take care of my son and since the twins arrived I have hired a home nanny. I also have the freedom to arrange my hours at the office and take my Wednesdays to enjoy my children. I am fortunate to be able to rely on my team. Today I would say that I am very happy. Even though it’s difficult, even though I don’t get much sleep, I have created a successful business with a team that I love. And there, the arrival of my twins… it’s great!