Finding Purpose and Balance as a Parent + Entrepreneur

Hi. I am Rebecca Orlov. I am a Storyteller and Creative. I am an Optimist & Whole-Hearted. I am a Supporter, Sounding Board, Lifter-Upper. I am a Mom & Single Parent. I am a Dreamer &  Doer. I am an Entrepreneur, Business Owner, Founder & CEO.

Every single human has changed in some way due to the pandemic. And with change can come both strife and strength. I felt both calling and felt compelled and inspired to consider my current life path. I had put my creative brand and marketing consultancy on pause to go in-house as a full-time Director of Marketing. I did a deep dive into my personal identity and purpose, and recognized that I am many things and I want to do many things — and that is powerful knowledge. I made the thoughtful choice to jump head-first into entrepreneurship and re-launch my business, creating opportunities for a wide range of projects that align with my varied passions and strengths. With a completely new name, new visual narrative, and elevated services, Epic Playdate was reborn. Epic Playdate (epicplaydate.co) is a creative firm of storytellers, designers, strategists, and all-around good humans. We work with lifestyle companies to define and then translate their mission and model into visual narratives — Squarespace website Design + Builds, collateral suites, content generation, video suites, social suites, and more. We believe in kindness while creating epic experiences for our clients. We are agile and savvy and believe in relationship building and intentional work.

First steps

Have you heard the saying “you can’t chew an elephant in one bite?” A friend shared this with me when I was a brand-new mom, my daughter an infant in my arms — I instantly relaxed. Life is big and wonderful and busy and messy and no one can do it all, all at once. This revelation is just as applicable to launching a business as it was to finding my way as a new parent. I left a full-time, in-house marketing role to re-launch my own consultancy because I wanted to create varied, compelling opportunities for myself — but the key to creating a multi-faceted professional life is finding one path that travels through many different territories. To take the first step, identify your ideal customer, and ask yourself how what you offer uniquely solves their needs. I refer to this as “True North” when I work with my Epic Playdate clients — it provides a clear direction for all your hustle and drive, and will help many aspects of your business fall into place.

It takes a village

I’d like to share a secret with you that’s no secret at all — community is key when entering entrepreneurship and growing your business. While wearing “every hat” can feel daunting, you can absolutely get support through your communities. I have spent time discovering my own communities that align with my values and offer conversations that I am interested in — both from professional and personal perspectives. I am engaged, active, and willing to listen, learn, and support. I have sought advice, guidance, and inspiration while sharing just the same, opening my network of “doers” to community members who need it. 

Take Squarespace Circle, one of my robust communities that I engage in often to seek design inspiration, to meet great people, to learn pertinent product information, and to offer support if someone needs assistance. I’m also a member of an award-winning private community for best-in-class consultants. The ability to lean into such a group has given strength to my business in many ways, including new partnerships and opportunities with other members. I am building my own community with the Epic Playdate team, creating an open-space forum for creative conversations with each other and our advisory board of thought leaders. The rewards are outstanding and important to my growth. They include interactions and new friendships with wonderful, smart & kind people from around the world while getting support when I need it. 

Finding your balance

It’s no surprise that running a growing and thriving business takes a lot of time. Just as much time as being a (single) parent and just as much time as providing space for life, relationships, and self-care. With only so many hours in a day, I am very intentional with my work/life balancing act and I have a simple tip that helps me feel successful: Every day I establish at least one life micro goal. 

When I say “life,” I mean a goal that is related to work or personal time. When I say micro, I mean a small, attainable action that I can complete before the end of the day. Here are a few of my typical micro-goals: 

• sending an important email reply

• spending 20-minutes engaging in one of my online communities 

• making a healthy lunch

• doing a 30-minutes ride on my stationary bike

• reading books with my 7-yr old daughter

• having a phone date with a friend 

Each of these actions is part of my growth mindset. Cultivating your growth mindset gives you power and resiliency as you pursue your larger objectives as an entrepreneur. And, while I often get a lot more done in a day, accomplishing my daily micro goal(s) ensures that my mind is fueled to keep moving and keep doing. Sure, some days I’ve got this (#yes) and many other days, I simply don’t (#nope) but every single day I feel accomplished. I feel I can be a better professional, person, and parent by setting micro-goals and supporting my growth mindset. 

Identifying your true north, finding (and contributing to) your community, and incorporating the actions that feed your soul into your daily goals will all help you chart your path as an entrepreneur. And the vital lessons of parenthood will make that journey all the more satisfying: have fun, smile, laugh a lot, live with (and extend) dignity, grace and integrity and….work. This is life...happening now.

Rebecca Orlov is the Founder and CEO of Epic Playdate, a creative brand + marketing studio of storytellers, strategists, designers, and all-around good humans. Epic Playdate helps companies to define and then translate their mission and model into compelling and effective visual and audio narratives. Prior to founding Epic Playdate, Rebecca worked in advertising for 15 years, producing TV commercials and content for global agencies in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Rebecca lived most of her adult life in Los Angeles and New York — she now calls Las Vegas home.