Q&A with tendercare founder and CEO Shauna Sweeney

Shauna Sweeney was an government at Meta, main international trade intelligence and advertising and marketing applications, when her dad was recognized with early-onset Alzheimer’s some 3,000 miles away. All of the sudden, she discovered herself as a part of the sandwich technology — a time period given to those that are elevating their very own households whereas caring for getting old dad and mom on the identical time.

Managing care and serving to her dad keep in his residence as per his needs introduced some challenges. This led to the creation of tendercare, an “AI-powered app that transforms caregiving from a crisis-driven, endless, too-late scramble right into a supported, manageable a part of anybody’s day,” Sweeney says.

Since founding the corporate in 2022 at her kitchen desk, Sweeney has left Meta to run tendercare full-time and has additionally expanded her household, on a regular basis chasing that ever-elusive steadiness for working dad and mom all over the place. (Already a mother and stepmom, Sweeney has one other little one on the best way.)

Working mothers are sometimes celebrated for with the ability to “do all of it.” However there’s a lot extra to the story of constructing a enterprise whereas elevating youngsters on the identical time. We caught up with tendercare founder and CEO Shauna Sweeney over e mail about scaling her firm, defending her time, and the psychological load of working mothers.

Inform us about tendercare, the enterprise you based.

tendercare is the lifeline I want I had once I first began caring for my dad. The app permits caregivers to securely maintain and retrieve all essential data required to take care of Mother and Dad throughout these moments [they] want it most — on the physician’s workplace, within the ER, in moments of transition or change — and share it with the remainder of the household and care crew. It’s the on a regular basis instruments that household caregivers desperately have to lighten the load, plus a method to rapidly uncover what trusted providers exist in your or your family members’ group. 

The aim is to ease the burden on households whereas giving them confidence to make the very best calls for his or her distinctive state of affairs, save valuable time, and priceless peace of thoughts. 

What’s the secret sauce to scaling a enterprise whereas additionally juggling motherhood? 

There’s a mythology to being a founder that’s usually constructed on a extra slim set of duties and an incomplete image of what residence life appears to be like like for many people, particularly girls. Among the finest realizations I’ve had is that my distinctive ache factors of balancing being a mother and an grownup daughter put me able to construct options with empathy and understanding for others. That being mentioned, I nonetheless imagine in focus, focus, focus. I’m ruthless with my time, so I will be one hundred pc targeted on work or my household once I plan to be, not pulled in 1,000,000 instructions making an attempt to juggle it concurrently. Each work and household time are defended throughout all seven days with equal vigor. 

Scaling a enterprise means dwelling by the philosophy of, “Do not let good be the enemy of fine.” We’re transferring quick and there’ll at all times be one other factor after the factor you’re engaged on. The key is not about working extra hours; it is staying anchored in your function and understanding what takes precedence at any given time. 

Credit score: Picture courtesy of Shauna Sweeney

Is there something about being a mother that has helped you along with your profession? Or vice versa? 

Tons. Having youngsters makes you determine all the things that issues for main a crew, constructing an organization (which is like having one other child), or just navigating life. Being an excellent mother is constructed on mutual belief, and the identical is true for having a high-performance crew. 

Listening, displaying up irrespective of how drained, not merely reacting to a disaster or massive emotion, being versatile, setting the instance, encouraging, and mentoring — all of these issues are transferable expertise between motherhood and government management. So is studying to run off much less sleep. 

What do you want extra folks understood about working mothers? 

We’re at all times working with an invisible load. The logistics you see are simply the floor; usually, there’s a lot extra occurring. There’s a psychological and emotional bandwidth we’re continuously managing. Relatively than a scarcity of ambition, it’s extra of a surplus of duty. 

Working mothers usually are not simply multitasking, we’re multi-dwelling. The psychological overhead is immense. Because the saying goes, if you wish to get one thing finished, ask a busy individual. It ought to truly be “ask a mother.”

What recommendation do you’ve gotten for different mothers seeking to launch their very own enterprise? 

Don’t anticipate permission since you gained’t get it. Your lived expertise is your market perception. Construct one thing that solves a ache level you deeply perceive, after which validate it. And keep in mind, success doesn’t need to appear to be scale; it may well appear to be sustainability. Begin small, take a look at continuously, and don’t underestimate the worth of momentum over perfection. 

Any ultimate phrases of knowledge?

It’s as much as us to construct the world we wish to reside in, and the world we would like our youngsters to reside in. Should you see one thing that might be higher, it most likely might be. It’s an issue that’s been ready simply so that you can come by and repair it.

This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.