Torn Between Family & Work: The Balancing Art of Liberian Mumpreneurs

Jacqueline runs a home-based snacks enterprise that serves as a self-employment opportunity for this mother of one

In Liberia, a country recovering from a civil war that spanned nearly two decades, for many women entrepreneurs, starting your own business may not be a choice, but a necessity. Hundreds of them work in what could be considered just above the lowest ebb of the economy, vending wares that are the dietary staples of their society.

There are scores of them – predominantly single moms – who dare to  establish and operate full-time a home-based enterprise. However, they soon find themselves unconsciously allotting more time and even affection to their business than their families. Balancing work  and life thus becomes a real sticky issue.

They are called ‘mumpreneurs’, (a conjunction for moms and entrepreneurs), women who are organized, enterprising, in charge, determined to succeed, full of faith, often scarred and overworked. Their sole motivation is to give their families a fighting chance beyond mere survival.  But there’s also one strict rule: when it is time for business, family members – or family matters for that matter – better not interfere, or else everyone will feel the pinch. 

Patience and Jacqueline, both of whom are single moms, operate their home-based snack businesses on these very principles. They both deal in popular Liberian snacks, chips made of plantain and coconut, respectively.  And because they go the extra mile to add value to these food products, they have been able to establish themselves among a niche clientele who regularly purchase these products.  It follows that, with such clientele, there is a high demand for product quality, especially in food production, which requires meticulous supervision and zero-margin for error.  And then there are the kids who express an equally high demand for attention and care from their parents.  In addition, some even want to participate in what their parents are doing. But like every responsible parent, Patience and Jacqueline believe that children must have their place. 

Journey of Faith Chips

For Patience, dealing in chips production became the easiest business to do during the war

Patience Suah, founded both Faith Chips & Big Sis Chips enterprises in 2003, during the heat of the Liberian civil war. A resident of the Kessely Boulevard within the Gardnesville suburb of Monrovia, this 31-year old high school dropout first began her business at the lowest ebb of the snack business, selling the L$5 plantain chips.  For her, it was the easiest business to do during the war because it never required much investment. With as little as L$1000 (roughly US$17 at the time), this mother of five children was able to setup her chips enterprise. That fund enabled her to get the needed ingredients: vegetable oil, table salt and green plantains. Gradually, she became a road-side vendor at the corner of Capitol Bypass in central Monrovia, the Liberian capital.

Though she added very little value to her product at the time, her craft still caught the attention of an influential neighbor who initiated a partnership with Patience. This woman enjoyed both influence and contacts with the various supermarkets in the city. The deal was that Patience would be paid US$50 at the end of each month, but the chips get produced for her business partner. Unfortunately, after a year and a half with no success, Patience negotiated her way out of the deal and began her own value-added chips production. This time, she managed to secure a US$100 loan from a local business entity to infuse capital into hers.  The Plantains are: peeled, sliced, tiny bit of salt added and fried into crunchy chips. The chip can be preserved for a month.

Jacqueline's Productions: Innovation Beyond Convention

At least one  bag of 100 coconuts, now sold at L$1800 (US$25), is used per  production

However, for Jacqueline Dekoee, establishing a home-based snacks enterprise served both as a self-employment opportunity, while affording her a chance to add value to popular Liberian snacks that were being produced only the conventional way. This 29 yr-old mother of one founded the Jacqueline's Productions – specializing in coconut chips among other snacks – in 2007. A resident of the Zubah Town, Duport Road in Paynesville, Jacqueline returned to Liberia some five years ago from Togo where she had been living as a refugee with her parents. They sought refuge in that West African country during the onset of the Liberian civil war. After settling in, Jacqueline decided to put herself to work by conducting a supermarket survey to find out which local snacks were missing from the shelves and why.

“I spent an entire year searching for employment but never got one.  So, I decided to put my hands to work the way I knew since my childhood,” she said. Few days later, Jacqueline found out that most sought-after snacks were being made the traditional way and sold only by road-side vendors. “...so I told myself, I need to add value to these snacks by being creative with them. I then noticed that Liberians had only one way of eating coconuts – they ate it with raw cassava. I began transforming coconuts into chips, sweets and making oil out of it,” she said.

With only L$100 (roughly US$1.5), Jacqueline bought a cup of sugar, four coconuts and a knife to begin her business. By then she used recycled bottles to package her products. However, she now imports high quality professionally sealed bags labeled with her company brand. Her major customers are top hotels, the various supermarkets, the various government ministries.   A bag of 100 coconuts, now sold at L$1800 (US$25), is used per  production. The Coconuts are: cracked, peeled, salt, sugar, lemon and ginger added before they are toasted into crunchy, sweet chips. They can be preserved for three months.

 

Business-Life-Balance

These women make ends meet through their services to Jacqueline's Production

Many women entrepreneurs in Liberia often assume that establishing a home-based enterprise will mean flexible work arrangements to enable them to both actively participate in their business and fulfill their family and lifestyle commitments and desires. However, the reality is that they actually invest more time in their work-life than in their family-life. Both Patience and Jacqueline have limited time in meeting their work-life and family-life commitments. There is an imbalance – work-life gets more time, attention and even affection than the family-life. 

For instance, Patience's strategy is to make sure her kids have something to eat to get their attention off her, while she produces her wares. She sends them away, to go play on the other side of the yard, well out of the way of her production space. 

For her part, Jacqueline simply sends her six-yr-old son off to watch TV or ride his bike. 

The dichotomy of satisfying their kids' desires for affection at the crucial time of production can force mumpreneurs to sometimes numb themselves in favor of the latter. Unfortunately, the production process is an entire day affair and that runs throughout the week.  And by the time they are done – either by 7p.m or 12 a.m – their kids are already fast asleep and they themselves are rather too exhausted to entertain any child or be involved in a romantic relationship. Even after school, the children get home and receive very little attention from their moms because they are busy over the fire – producing snacks. 

An all-time crunchy plantain chips ready for distribution to the various supermarkets across Monrovia

Jacqueline, however, feels her son understands her situation and has learned to cope with his mother’s schedule: “The production process takes an entire day – from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. By the time I'm done, he's already sleeping and I'm also very tired. Sometimes during the heat of production, my 6 year-old comes around, wanting to touch mummy.  But because I'm so busy, I tell him to go watch TV or ride his bike.  But I think he understands and has learned to cope with it that way,” she said.

Even Patience did not mince her words when described the tediousness of the plantain chips production process. “...it's indeed a hectic job. Peeling the plantains, slicing them and spending an entire day – normally from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. – over the fire frying the chips. By then the kids are already in deep sleep,” she said.

Sumptuous coconut chips produced by Jacqueline

The cases of Patience and Jacqueline are not unique. Many Liberian mumpreneurs find it very challenging keeping set work hours - so they know when it's time to down tools and tend to another aspect of their lives. This is also tied to their struggle of establishing a clear boundary between their businesses and their lives.