Young Polish mothers create jobs to suit themselves

If the state or private sector won't give you a job, create one yourself. That is increasingly the experience of Polish mothers after giving birth. "Establishing my own firm was like a breath of fresh air," said Malwina Kazimierczak. "I knew from my own experiences what young mothers needed: going out of the house, contact with people. I worked in a corporation in the hotel industry. Eighteen months after my daughter's birth, I went back to my job. But the atmosphere was terrible. From the beginning I had to prove that I could do my job, that I even still wanted to work." Kazimierczak and her boyfriend opened a cafe for mothers with young children: Fiku Miku Cafe. "We invested all our savings and took out loans. An architect friend designed the interior: the first room for kids, the second one for mums. "We started organising lessons to prepare children for pre-school. And that's how it took off," she said. "Mothers visiting us proposed more and more lesson activities for kids: music, exercise and language classes. My daughter, Mika, attends all the lessons and tells me if they were cool. We dream of opening another place, this time not for kids." Julia Bakowska also found the new world of parenting opened her eyes. "I heard that black and white objects stimulate the development of a small child. I looked around shops for kids: everything was in pink or blue. Something must be done about this, I thought to myself.." Bakowska studied political science and worked in sales, but had fallen out of love with 12-hour days. With her friend Patrycja Szymichowska, she developed a range of black and white products. Orders came flooding in. "A newborn baby sees only black-white contrasts. Black and white objects stimulate his brain and develop him. He can start seeing colours somewhere in his fourth month, first red, then yellow and green. We asked a designer friend of ours to propose some patterns and consulted each of them with a psychologist. Our products are meant for healthy kids and those with sight problems." Anna Dobrzycka went back to work part-time in PR after her first child was born. "I wasn't satisfied and neither were my clients. After deciding to have a second child, I felt it was time to start something on my own." She opened an online furniture shop for people "who don't want Ikea" but cannot afford expensive brands. "The online shop started growing fast. There were situations when I would be breastfeeding and strangers would be knocking at my door saying they were visiting the shop. They had found the address of our firm and wanted to see the furniture. We soon had to open a traditional shop. I care a lot about my business, it's like my third child. Thanks to it, as of 4pm, I can devote all my time to my kids." Ola Sza?ek worked in PR but lost her job after her second maternity leave. She started writing a blog on flexible working. "After two years the blog turned into my own online service, pracujflexi.pl, and from it flexi-mamy. We organise trainings for mums. Girls who want to start businesses and are looking for an idea, or who need information regarding PR or telemarketing. "A flexi community is being created – mums who want to work and raise kids." Sza?ek says she likes to flexi-work and feels as productive as ever. "I write books and do many things because work doesn't bore me. And when it starts to, I look for something else to do."