Angela’s Little Bites: The role of family

This week, our special interview series with Angela Santiago, CEO of The Little Potato Company, continues. (Here’s the inaugural post in case you missed it.)

Angela co-founded the company in 1996, along with her father, and has led its remarkable growth ever since. She is an incredible leader for so many reasons, and extra special to staff for always finding time to talk with us and offer encouragement. This despite her incredibly busy work schedule—not to mention the demands of being a mom to four kids! In this installment, we ask Angela how she balances it all.

What role does family have at work? 

Well, we’re a family-run business, so family plays a big role in our company. One of our core values is the Importance of Family. We respect the central place that family has in employees’ lives, and we encourage people to strike a meaningful balance between work and life. Personally, I draw my strength and my grounding from my family, so family is a very important part of my life. It also makes me better at my job.

What work-life balance challenges do you face as a mom of four?

Travel is my worst enemy. I have to travel a whole lot in my role, and it’s hard to balance that with four growing kids. You feel guilty for not always being available. But I counter that by making the most of my time when I am home. When I’m home, I don’t work long hours and I don’t work weekends. I try to be as present as I can.

How do you stay involved with your children while traveling?

I just have to say, thank goodness for FaceTime! I call home a lot and ensure I’m getting in some face-to-face time. I try to really be there for my kids, even when I can’t physically be in the same room. And when it’s possible, I make an effort to take turns bringing a child with me on a trip.

If you had to give other moms some tips on how to maintain balance, what would you say?

Involve your family. A healthy work-home life balance can’t be done alone, but it can be achieved as a family and as a couple. I’d say be intentional about balance—remind yourself often of where you are with your kids, your spouse and yourself. I have a vision-balance board at home that visually displays my “life buckets.” There are separate buckets for business, family, spouse and myself. I walk by the board every day, and it’s a visual reminder for me to assess where each “bucket” is at. I have learned from experience that it’s importance to make sure each bucket is getting filled and doesn’t get empty.

Interested in creating a vision board for your own family? Check out some tips from the artful parent. And stay tuned for more “Little Bites” from Angela when this interview series continues!