She Got Laid Off on Maternity Leave and Built a Business Instead

Growing a family and building a business at the same time can feel overwhelming, but for Sydney Mulligan, it was an opportunity to do both - after she was laid off while on maternity leave. Yes, you read that right. Sydney shares her journey of founding EMMIE Collective, a marketing and revenue operations agency. She walks us through the challenges she faced as a new mom starting a business, how she balanced career and motherhood, and how she leveraged her layoff to advance her entrepreneurial goals.She also shares the unique perspective of growing a business while caring for young children, the importance of support networks, and her approach to building a flexible, family-friendly work environment. Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Meet Sydney Mulligan(05:01) Building an agency-ish as a "third child"(07:22) Why 12 weeks of paid leave isn't enough(07:57) Navigating return-to-work inequity(13:49) Job hunting for 6-month parental benefits(18:04) Getting laid off while on maternity leave(21:37) Networking strategies during a leave of absence(23:14) Choosing entrepreneurship over a W2 role(26:23) Scaling EMMIE Collective’s freelance model(27:44) The risks of planning your own maternity leave(34:25) How to backfill roles during parental leave(37:04) Solving for a systemic lack of parent support(42:27) Save of the weekConnect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/Connect with Sydney Mulligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneymulligan/Check out EMMIE Collective: https://www.instagram.com/emmiecollectiveProduced in partnership with Share Your Geniuswww.shareyourgenius.com