Build the Damn Thing: A Newsletter from Kathryn Finney
Build The Damn Thing
Motherhood and Entrepreneurship w/Laurence Basse
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Motherhood and Entrepreneurship w/Laurence Basse

Balancing the beautiful chaos of motherhood with the demands of entrepreneurship can be a real challenge. In this episode, Kathryn is joined by fashion designer and Project Runway alumnus Laurence Basse to discuss the joys of motherhood and entrepreneurship. 

“ I'm a rockstar mom.” 

Having your child be part of your work life can give them more insight into who you are and what you do when you’re not being Mom. For Kathryn and Laurence, having their kids around when they work means that the kids better understand what they do and why. 

“I never felt very connected to regular mothers because I feel like when I was supposed to go out and, and have fun and be a kid, I was already a mom.”

Laurence knew she was an artist from a very young age. When she was accepted to fashion school at 16, she discovered she was pregnant with her son. She quickly had to learn to balance the demands of motherhood and her education.

“I had a nice little career modeling, but I got bored. I did everything I wanted to do with that, and I needed to create.” 

While still in design school, Laurence became a successful model. But modeling wasn’t enough; she still wanted to create the clothes other models were wearing on the runway. So she left her support network and moved to New York as a single mom to chase the dream of opening her own studio. She did everything with her son, including all the travel needed for her work.

Guest 

Laurence Basse: @laurencebasse 

Discussion about this podcast

Build the Damn Thing: A Newsletter from Kathryn Finney
Build The Damn Thing
No more excuses. No more procrastination. If you’re ready to take your business, side hustle or idea to the next level, then this is the podcast for you! The podcast is hosted by Kathryn Finney, one of the most influential women in tech (INC Magazine), one of the first Black women to sell her startup, and Managing General Partner at the Chicago-based venture firm, Genius Guild.
Based on Kathryn’s bestselling book “Build the Damn Thing: How to Build a Successful Business if You’re NOT a Rich White Guy”, Build the Damn Thing is part storytelling, part mix tape and designed to teach you how to bring your business to the next level. The podcast features lessons and tips from leaders and entrepreneurs who have “Built the Damn Thing” themselves. From serial entrepreneurs to those who take risks to solve problems both abroad and locally — it's all here on the show!