Why I Stopped Valuing Speed: My 'Founder Mom' Tech Stack
There is a common misconception that becoming a "Founder Mom" means slowing down. But for me, the ambition hasn't changed, only the schedule has.
I’m not working less, but my hours certainly look different these days. Gone are the clean, uninterrupted 9-to-5 blocks. Instead, my work week is broken up into nap-time sprints and deep-work sessions long after the baby goes to sleep.
I might be handling nap time at 2:00 PM, but I am back at my dashboard at 10:00 PM.
To make this "non-linear" schedule work without dropping the ball on my partners or my team, I realized I couldn't rely on brute force anymore. I couldn't just "hustle harder." I needed a way to keep the business moving forward during the day, even when I was offline.
But to do that, I first had to unlearn a bad habit.
The "Quick Fix" Trap
For the first few years of my startup journey, I fell into a common trap: I valued Speed over Systems.
I wasn't "manic", I was just practical. Or so I thought.
When a potential partner needed a follow-up, it felt faster to just fire off a quick email myself than to spend hours building a complex automated sequence. When a new task popped up, it felt faster to just ping the team on Discord and manually update Airtable than to pause and build an integration that would update it all at once.
I always had something I could "quickly do right now." And because I could do it quickly, I did it manually.
But this created a debt. I was so busy doing the work of sending emails and scheduling meetings that I never "had the time" to build the infrastructure that would do it for me. I was efficient in the moment, but unscalable in the long run.
The Catalyst
Then, I got pregnant.
Suddenly, looking at my to-do list, I realized the math didn't work anymore. It wasn't a question of capacity, it was a question of ROI.
I needed to protect my window of focus for high-leverage strategy. Sure, I could manually send 50 emails, but that wasn't building anything permanent.
This led to my biggest realization: Sending a fast email is a task. Building an automated sequence is an asset.
I had to stop prioritizing the immediate "check-off-the-list" dopamine hit and start prioritizing the "build-the-machine" deep work. I had to be willing to be slow for a week (building the system) so I could stop focusing on the mechanics of the work and start focusing on the impact.
Here is the "Founder Mom" tech stack I built to replace my manual work, allowing me to focus on real relationships instead of admin tasks.
1. The Relationship Builder (CRM & Email)
The Old Me: Manually typing "Just checking in!" to potential partners throughout the week and physically tracking who needed a reply in a notebook.
The New System: I built a 5-step sequence that runs in the background. The system monitors the conversation, and if a partner doesn't reply, it automatically drafts the follow-up email for me. I still review and edit every email to keep it personal, but the mental load of "remembering to follow up" is gone.
The Tool: Apollo
Why I use it:
It replaces my memory: It tracks every open and reply, so I don't have to hold "who needs a response?" in my brain.
It decouples "Working" from "Sending": I can process these drafts whenever I have a free moment (like 10 PM or during a nap), but schedule them to send during prime business hours.
2. The Gatekeeper (Scheduling)
The Old Me: Playing "Calendar Tetris" in my inbox. I used to interrupt my workflow just to check my calendar and manually type out: "How about Tuesday at 2? No? Okay, what about Wednesday?"
The New System: I automated the negotiation. I set up specific "Meeting Blocks" inside the software that align perfectly with my childcare and deep work schedule. I send the link, and the partner chooses what works for them.
The Tool: Calendly
Why I use it:
It protects my focus: I don't have to switch tasks just to check my availability.
It removes the "People Pleaser" element: I don't have to feel bad saying "no" to a time slot. The link only offers times that actually work for me.
3. The Project Commander (Team Ops)
The Old Me: The "Quick Ping." I used to just type requests directly into Discord. It felt fast in the moment, but it created triple the work: type it in chat, log it in Airtable, and remember to update the status later.
The New System: I stopped being the "human sync button" between apps. I set up an automation so that when I create a task in my Airtable To-Do list, it auto-notifies the team in Discord. The best part? When the team marks the task "Done" the system automatically deletes the Discord message.
The Tool: Zapier connecting Discord & Airtable
Why I use it: It creates a self-cleaning communication loop. My team knows that if a message is in the channel, it needs attention. If it’s gone, it’s done. No noise, no old requests cluttering the feed, and no manual status updates.
4. The Financial Autopilot (Invoicing & Books)
The Day 1 Decision: I knew that "manual invoicing" was a trap that kills cash flow, but I also didn't want to pay high monthly subscription fees just to send a bill. I wanted a system that was "Lean" but fully automated.
The System: I use a hybrid stack. I use Stripe for the actual invoicing because there is no monthly fee, I only pay a transaction fee when I get paid. Then, I have it auto-sync to QuickBooks Solopreneur for the actual bookkeeping.
The Tools: Stripe (Invoicing) + QuickBooks Solopreneur (Accounting)
Why I use it:
It protects my margins: I don't pay a monthly subscription just to have the "privilege" of asking clients for payment.
It decouples revenue from memory: Stripe handles the auto-reminders and recurring billing automatically. My business keeps funding itself whether I’m at my desk or changing a diaper, and QuickBooks captures the data in the background so tax season is a breeze.
The Result: The "Guilt-Free" Founder
Now, when I’m with my baby, I don't feel guilty that I'm not always glued to my desk, because I know my system is working in the background.
I didn't automate my work to do more. I automated it so I could be more present.
If you are a founder (or just a busy human) feeling the pressure to be "fast," I challenge you to stop. Speed is a young founder's game. Systems are how you scale.
Have you found a tool that saves your sanity? Let me know in the comments!
