Working for a Startup: An Opportunity for Catholic Women to Grow and Flourish
“Be who God made you to be, and you will set the world on fire” (St. Catherine of Siena).
In the auburn evening light that fell through the bay windows of our rustic condo in downtown Minneapolis, I finished washing the dishes after a quick weeknight dinner and was preparing to sit down and breastfeed my six-month-old son. I was nearing the end of maternity leave, had just informed my prior employer at a Big Four accounting firm that I was quitting my job, would be starting my new role at a Fortune 10 company in a few days. On top of that, our condo was on the market as we looked for a new home to nestle our growing family into. Our life was changing that year, and one phone call that night would change even more for us.
My friend Bryan, with whom I graduated from the University of Notre Dame just a few years before, called me out of the blue. I yelled my son’s revised dinner plans down the hall to my husband as my phone rang: “Could you take the baby and feed him the breast milk from the fridge? I have to take this call.”
I answered the phone, and after some small talk and catching up on our post-grad lives, Bryan arrived at the point of his call: “My friends and I founded this startup called Hallow, and I’ve come onto the team recently as well. We’re looking for someone to oversee our tax and accounting work. Would you want to join our team?”
The question sat with me for days before I gave Bryan a definitive answer. On one hand, founding or working for a startup has always been a bucket list item for me. I could get in on this opportunity early and be part of a dream team with my friends, who all graduated from the same college as I did. On the other hand, my husband and I were already experiencing so many moving pieces in our lives that maybe it wasn’t the right time to accept a side hustle.
Ambitious as I was, I ultimately accepted the opportunity with Hallow, a prayer and meditation app rooted in the ancient practices of the Catholic Church. A year and a half later, I’m so happy I did, and I’ve learned many invaluable lessons about being a working woman at a startup.
Separate from the spiritual fruits that I have received by being part of the Hallow team, I have also received many blessings as a woman in business. It has become clear to me, however, that some of these blessings fall in contrast to what I experienced in my short five-year career up to that point.
The Corporate Life
Before Hallow, the companies I worked for were well-established players in their respective markets, which came with many well-established corporate practices, especially in my area of finance and accounting. It’s no secret that American business life (especially in corporate accounting) is dominated by men and is often demanding in its long hours. Traditional corporate players are also notoriously firm in their policies, even when criticized by the public. For me, the most significant downfall of that firmness has been my needing to accept relatively short paid maternity leave allowances.
Additionally, these corporate spaces can sometimes feel so large and daunting! While I love my current full-time corporate job and feel fulfilled in my role, I also have to acknowledge that if I don’t like something on an organizational level, I am only one of several thousand global employees, and I have a relatively tiny voice. The way corporations circumvent this common concern is to emphasize the micro-unit of the team, where individuals can share their preferences and opinions in smaller groups.
My team at my full-time job is supportive and accommodating, but they have limitations on how much they can offer me. Unfortunately, when it comes to issues such as maternity and paternity leave, schedule flexibility, or work-from-home options, the corporation often dictates policy from the top, leaving little wiggle room for employees in personal areas that really matter. For women, these personal areas can make or break both career and family decisions.
The Proximity of the Startup
When I joined Hallow and was first exposed to the startup industry, I realized that my role, while only part time, was much more significant to the performance of the company and the impression of the team than I had anticipated. For the first time in my career, I wasn’t one voice in 300,000 but one in 10. The things I discussed and the concerns I raised were literally heard by the founding members and the managing executives. The people who paid me were the same people who personally listened to my hopes and my needs. That proximity, especially for a female professional, is priceless.
If I’m at home sick, instead of leveraging my free time, this team will say, “Relax! Don’t worry about it this week.” If I’m traveling or otherwise busy and I’m not able to contribute as much as I usually do, it’s no problem; I help where and when I can. And Alex, Hallow’s chief executive officer, consistently calls me to ask, “Where are you in your career? Are you feeling fulfilled?”
Startups aren’t perfect; they’re still commonly regarded as a male-dominated industry and are always considered economically risky ventures. That instability could hurt women more than it helps them. But they also have the advantage of enabling the nimbleness, innovation, and social responsibility that well-established corporations inherently struggle with, which could open the doors for more productive conversations about questions many women ask when choosing a career: Can I help support my family doing this? Will the benefits of this job allow me to build the family I want to create and spend the important time I need in doing so? Will this team promote flexibility so I can be present in my home life? Can I feel uplifted by this job in every stage of my life?
If led well, startups could help correct the grievances that women often have regarding the corporate world. Maybe it’s what we need to curb women’s high rate of career exits, slow down mothers’ burn (and burnout) rates at their jobs, and transform more women into the promising professionals they’re called to be. If these startups are looking to disrupt entire industries, perhaps one of their next disruptions could be reimagining the role of, and repaving the way for, a woman in the workplace.
Julia Weir is a part-time accounting lead with Hallow, a full-time accounting consultant with a Fortune 10 company, and a freelance writer. She was raised in a Polish immigrant family in the ethnic community of northeast Minneapolis and is fluent in both Polish and English. Julia graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2015 with a major in accountancy and a minor in European studies. She currently lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two-year-old son, near her mother and sister.