Sophie Skipper

Meet Sophie Skipper, the dynamic founder of SALT, a thriving commercial studio and creative agency that has been making waves since its official launch in 2019. Sophie's journey into the world of entrepreneurship began even earlier, with her freelance career starting in 2016. With a small yet talented team of under ten people, including both in-house staff and freelancers, Sophie has built a business that excels in delivering creative solutions to a diverse range of clients.

As a mother of two young children—Fergus, age 3, and Mari, just 7 months old—Sophie expertly juggles the demands of parenthood with the challenges of running a successful business. In this interview, Sophie opens up candidly about her experiences in managing both roles, sharing valuable insights into how she maintains a balance between her personal and professional life.

Can you share your journey of entrepreneurship from the time you decided to start your business to where you are now, considering the significant milestones of trying to conceive, pregnancy, and post-partum?

In 2016, I decided to go into business on a freelance basis initially, with no real ideas or wider goals for the future, but with a deep-rooted desire for a sense of freedom, flexibility and limitless opportunity! Financial independence, as a woman, has always been a cornerstone value for me - therefore, this was another driving force from the start.

After successfully freelancing for a few years and supporting myself financially, I decided to try and develop my commercial photography business into a full-service studio / agency and began to hire staff. The team grew pretty quickly between 2019 - 2020, and we were a team of 5-6 people by late 2020 when I conceived my first child.

My partner and I were very fortunate in that we had no issues conceiving for either of our children, therefore, I didn’t have that additional strain / worry / upset that I know many couples experience. I also had two very straightforward pregnancies with no complications. It was the height of Covid during my first pregnancy, therefore, the business was in survival mode, commissions were very quiet and social gatherings non-existent. In hindsight, I feel quite fortunate to have had minimal commitments during this time, however the stress of covid, worries about the longevity of the business, and ensuring my staff were secure in their roles were front and centre in my mind.

My son was born in June 2021 - thankfully just as the final restrictions were being lifted. However, my birth was traumatic and I grappled with this for a long time after he was born. This also played a role, I believe, in me developing postpartum anxiety (undiagnosed, I’ve never spoken about it. I am very confident this is what I suffered with after he was born, and also after my little girl was born recently, something I’m still experiencing.)

My plan within the business after my son was born had been to take 3-4 months ‘off’. ‘Off’ meaning stepping back from the day-to day tasks at work and leaving the daily running of the business to two of my staff members. In all honesty, I found this incredibly stressful as I felt I could never switch off. I was constantly wondering what was going on and would be told about the occasional problem / issue, which would send me spiralling for days after.

I was constantly wondering what was going on and would be told about the occasional problem / issue, which would send me spiralling for days after.

Fortunately, the business continued to grow and we gathered a lot of momentum post-covid. We’ve experienced some significant challenges / changes in the business since, but we’re now in the best position we’ve ever been, with a small, but great team and some amazing projects underway.

Early on in my freelancing journey, I started to develop / fantasise over some really big goals / career dreams. I felt the sky was the limit and I remember I would often be driving and feel a sense of pure joy and elation that I had this incredibly flexible work-life, doing a job that involves so much fun and creativity, realising I was more capable than I had previously imagined. It would be true to say that those feelings have diminished significantly since my journey into motherhood. Since then, I have been in survival mode, keeping my head above water and trying to be adequate enough in each area of my life, never really thriving in any area, always feeling a deep sense of guilt. I’m sure many mothers can relate! 

Early on in my freelancing journey, I started to develop / fantasise over some really big goals / career dreams… It would be true to say that those feelings have diminished significantly since my journey into motherhood. Since then, I have been in survival mode, keeping my head above water.

I’m hoping that as my children get a little older, those feelings will start to return for me again. That I will actually have time to spend a day working ON my business, rather than in it. There are numerous other entrepreneurial and passion projects that I have stored away in my mind, all waiting to be started. I’m confident that I have the courage and ability to start all of them, just not the time or quite frankly, the headspace. 

What were the unique challenges you faced as a female entrepreneur while going through the process of trying to conceive, pregnancy, and post-partum? How did you navigate these challenges?

I would say the key challenges I’ve experienced all involve meeting the needs of others. Am I dedicating enough time to my team? Am I dedicating enough time to my children and partner? Am I distracted when I’m with my children? Am I distracted when I’m with my clients? Am I coming across as though I don’t care about this project because I’m having to wrap up this meeting on time due to childcare commitments? Am I the one holding my business back because I can’t seem to manage my time? Am I failing as a mother and a boss when instead I could be thriving if I were just one of those roles? The list goes on. 

I find myself delving into a victim mindset very often, which I hate, because I feel exhausted and responsible for the people around me. Sometimes, I just want sympathy. I’m hoping others can relate to that desire!!! But I think that is the consequence of burnout - wanting someone to pick you up and just take you away from it all. 

I wouldn’t even know where to begin when it comes to childcare, this is a constant stress. I would look at mothers in employed roles with a 12-month maternity leave and be filled with envy, even though I’m aware maternity arrangements come with their own challenges. However, I craved that time to just soak up my baby and be a present mother who could really settle into that role. I sourced a nanny for my son 1-2 days a week when he was 4 months old, and from there he went onto a childminder, and then eventually to nursery just after he turned one. I was privileged enough to be able to afford it (just about), but the mental load of childcare planning is something that realistically only I carry.

Despite having a supportive partner, it’s always been a given that he will get up and go to work each morning. The flexibility of my role isn’t always a good thing, as it’s the flexible worker who is expected to pick up the vast majority of the childcare, despite me having just as much work to do as my partner.

How did you manage your business responsibilities while dealing with the physical and emotional aspects of pregnancy and post-partum recovery?

I’m a sensitive person, therefore problems at work often affect me on a deeper level than I’d like them to. Throw in the hormonal rollercoaster of pregnancy and post-partum and I become quick to break down emotionally. I’ve always considered myself to be a capable problem solver. I can jump onto any problem and find a solution. However, I listened to a recent podcast by an idol of mine, Esther Perel, who pointed out that those who consider themselves ‘problem solvers’ are often just people who cannot cope with the discomfort of a problem or issue around them, therefore, strive to fix it as quickly as possible. Not her exact words, but I think this is a fair description! I’ve resolved every issue, dealt with every problem, kept on top of everything that needed to be done and kept the business moving forward, however, it would be very fair to say there’s a cost to me on a personal level, and me as a mother.

Did you experience any changes in your entrepreneurial mindset or approach during pregnancy or after becoming a mother? If so, how did these changes manifest?

Yes, as mentioned before, in a way it’s stifled (but not totally eradicated!) a lot of my ambition and desires for my career, feelings I hope will return. On a more positive note, I have become more resilient and to put it frankly, less open to bulls**t! I definitely used to worry about how I would come across if I was firm with a client on something, or said no to a request that I didn’t feel was fair, or we were being paid adequately for. Now that my time is so restricted, I value time a LOT more, and subsequently the time we spend as a business. If I feel I’m being spoken down to, or if I get the sense that the same things wouldn’t be said to a man in my position, I’m quick to stand my ground. 

What support systems or resources were most beneficial to you during your journey as an entrepreneur navigating pregnancy and motherhood?

Urm… I’m struggling to think of any?! During my first pregnancy, I would google “How to run a business with a small baby” and then I would read blogs written by other mothers navigating entrepreneurship. I would honestly say these were the best resources for me at that time. I don’t feel there is any government support for female entrepreneurs raising children, that is my honest opinion. Hearing from other women going through similar experiences were the best and only available resource in my view. 

Reflecting on your experience, what are some successes or achievements in your business that you attribute to your journey through trying to conceive, pregnancy, and post-partum?

Ironically, productivity. As a mother of two small children, thrown into and trained in high-stress, fast-paced, multi-tasking scenarios from day one of parenthood, I can now complete a task that used to take me a day in a few hours, and to the same standard. Procrastination is a thing of the past! 

I would also say that I’m really proud of our approach to flexibility within our team. I have a lot of empathy and understanding when it comes to the personal circumstances of my staff and I am as flexible as possible, whenever I can. I hope they would agree!

Conversely, what were some of the biggest obstacles or setbacks you encountered as a female entrepreneur during this period? How did you overcome them?

Overall, I would say the biggest setback is the limited time and opportunity to grow my business. Had I not had children, I expect we would be further forward as a company than we currently are, that is just the reality. I am itching to have whole days back where I can just lock myself away and brainstorm ideas, plan the execution and push us further forward. Those days simply aren’t available to me at the moment.

Similarly, I would have grown the team, however, I never feel I have the resources / time to spend with new staff, and I’m very reluctant to hire when I can’t do this. I don’t want people joining the team and then feeling set aside or feeling like they have a lack of support. I’m yet to overcome the above to be honest, but I try to remember that it’s temporary and when push comes to shove, my family comes first, and I want to look back and know that I prioritised them. 

In hindsight, what additional support or resources do you wish you had access to during your journey through entrepreneurship while being pregnant and a new mother?

I’ve thought on this a lot, as I think it’s one thing to acknowledge the problem, but it’s important we think about what a practical solution would actually look like. I feel that ‘time off’ from my business isn’t exactly what I wanted or needed, and more often than not, if you’re running a small business, it isn’t possible anyway (if you don’t have multiple people in managerial roles to fall back on / delegate to.) 

When I think about what would have helped me, I think a bursary / grant that could have been used toward childcare costs prior to my baby turning 9 months old, to enable me to continue running the company in some capacity. It’s naive to think that most business owners can take 9-12 months off from their own business, even if they’re able to financially support themselves during this time. It’s also naive to think that a mother can put a newborn baby in just any form of childcare. The only childcare I would have been comfortable with for my very small baby would have been a family member or a nanny of some kind (that’s my personal view on it, I appreciate others may feel differently). Therefore, if I had been offered some funds that I could have allocated toward the childcare option of my choice, I would have taken it without hesitation and it would have relieved a huge amount of stress and exhaustion. 

It’s naive to think that most business owners can take 9-12 months off from their own business, even if they’re able to financially support themselves during this time.

It’s important that our society and those in positions of authority recognise that we as entrepreneurial mothers are not only providing the future workforce, we are creating jobs within our communities, a significant contribution. When are women and mothers going to be openly celebrated? Championed? Appreciated? Validated? Supported? Instead of feeling like a constant nuisance because we can’t always fit into the 9-5 construct in a way that makes everyone around us feel comfortable. How many more children would grow up watching and learning from an entrepreneurial mother if we as a society offered more support to women? As a child, to watch your mother create a business, run it, grow it, lead it, push boundaries is nothing short of inspirational. How many of those children would also grow up to be entrepreneurs and innovative contributors? 

I can’t help but feel the potential long-term positives would outweigh the financial cost a hundred times over.

How did you balance the demands of entrepreneurship with the needs of your child during their early years? What strategies or techniques proved most effective for you?

I’m not sure I would call it ‘balance’, as it feels a lot more chaotic than that. However, I have some day-to-day strategies that work ‘okay’ for us at the moment. It feels impossible to do any focussed work whilst my kids are awake, so I’m often tied to nap times and evenings.

My current setup is that I have one day a week where my 3-year-old and my 7-month-old baby are being looked after elsewhere, so one day per week alone to work. Then I have 2 days per week where my 3-year-old is in nursery and my baby is with me.

Then 2 days per week, I am on my own with both kids whilst my partner works in London. So my work week is 3 days (+ most evenings!), but 2 of those days, I also have a 7-month-old with me. I log on during all of her naps (a lot of which are in the car as this is where she will sleep for the longest - I just received a parking ticket from where I’d parked up in a petrol station to work for 1.5 hours…), which subsequently means I have next to no time for any personal tasks / life admin. I try and achieve any tasks / projects that involve a lot of thought during the day (when my brain is relatively awake) and then as I’m shattered by 7pm from parenting, I tend to predominantly edit in the evenings, as I can now do this on auto-pilot - therefore at least I can kind of relax and pop something on TV at the same time…! 

Looking ahead, what advice would you offer to other female entrepreneurs who are either considering starting a family or are already juggling entrepreneurship and motherhood?

Invest in your birth experience. If you’re about to have a baby, inform yourself in every aspect of pregnancy and birth. Don’t underestimate the potential physical and emotional consequences of a traumatic birth experience. Not all trauma / negative experiences can be avoided, sometimes situations arise that you could never have prepared for or anticipated.

The trauma I experienced, however, from my first birth, was due to a number of medical interventions that were thrust upon me without my informed consent, and this was fundamentally down to my lack of knowledge and inability to advocate for myself in that moment. Knowledge is power and this is particularly true when it comes to women’s health. However you choose to give birth is great as long as it’s just that, your choice and an informed one. Get a doula if you can! It’s an investment for sure, but it was a great one. 

1. Know your own limits. I don’t have many boundaries at the minute around how and when I work, due to necessity and current childcare circumstances, but the moment I can reintroduce these, I will be. I’m not someone who can get up at 4am and get a few work hours in before the parenting day begins and still function. Be VERY creative with your time - work out when you will have the most energy for certain areas of your work. Try not to be influenced by the schedule of others.

2. Transparency is honest and brave. Something I still struggle with, being transparent with clients about my situation. I struggle to say “I’m sorry I can’t do that shoot / meeting because I have my two kids”. I still hold the worry that I’ll be judged for it, that we’ll lose work over it, that people will think I’m no longer capable because I’m a mum. I’m trying very hard to be more open and fearless around this! They can like it or lump it!