Kristin Richardson, founder of Sherah. (Credit: Courtesy of Sherah)
The Personal Assistant Service Answering Stressed Mothers’ Prayers
Kristin Richardson’s company, Sherah, taps into the most powerful resource available to help overburdened caregivers: Moms.
When Covid first spread to the U.S. in 2020, Kristin Richardson was an executive at a healthcare company with two small children. Her husband was occupied with trying to keep his new business afloat, and as such, Richardson found herself working from home 60-plus hours a week, while at the same time helping her children adjust to virtual homeschooling. Richardson told us, “I was dying as a working mom, and needed more support.” In an effort to find help, she tried working with several virtual assistant companies, but none of them were quite able to match her considerable needs. She found herself taking on the additional labor of explaining numerous tasks to folks who weren’t parents themselves, and therefore didn’t quite “get it” without her added insights. In 2022, Richardson turned her experience into the creation of Sherah, a personal assistant service that connects moms with fellow moms in need of flexible, home-based work who can help them with everything from finding tutors and planning birthday parties, to calendar management and groceries. Today, the Richmond, Virginia-based mompreneur takes pride in lifting up her fellow mamas – either by providing relief, or providing extra income through rewarding work.
Here’s our lightly edited Q&A, from The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project.
How is your business different from others in your industry?
Other assistant companies are staffed by overseas workers who have no local connections or knowledge of a customer’s area. And often, they are not moms or even parents – as such, they don’t totally understand the to-do lists and mental loads of being a mom. But when you say, “I need a birthday party thrown together for a 5-year old boy,” another mom will know exactly what to do.
Our technology also makes it very easy to delegate a new task and otherwise communicate with assistants – ones who not only “get it,” but can practically finish your sentences for you! Women are amazing that way.
Tell us about your biggest success so far.
When one of our members, a mother of two, told us that she had been promoted to Senior Vice President at her company — and that she could not have done it without the support she received from Sherah. In that moment, we knew we were onto something really special and important. Our mission at Sherah has always been to support women who are going after their dreams. We don’t want them to have to give up because of stress, burnout or lack of support.
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
It’s ironic that I’ve started a company to help women balance work and life when work/life balance is my biggest challenge. I use my own company – a lot – to get everything done for myself and my family. I delegate everything that I possibly can. But the combined stress of being a founder and a caregiver to two girls and several aging parents is significantly harder to handle than I thought it would be. Many days, it’s difficult to avoid feeling like a failure when life is constantly throwing you enormous, stressful curve balls.
And this year has been full of them. I turned 50, my dad died, and my oldest daughter started middle school. On top of that, I’m still growing a startup, talking to investors, running billing, dealing with website issues, and keeping up with marketing and social media. The list goes on – and on.
Recently, I stopped using the word “balance” – now, I focus on sustainability. Is this pace sustainable? Is this energy level sustainable? Is this stress level sustainable? Running out of steam and giving up isn’t helping anyone. So, if I’m tired, I listen to my body and take it easy. If I feel energized, I crank out as much work as I can. We’re humans and we’re not going to feel the same way every day – I extend myself that grace.
Have you experienced any significant personal situations that have affected your business decisions?
Last year, my dad’s health took a turn for the worse as I was entering my second year of running Sherah. I was participating in a startup accelerator program while driving three hours one way, to another state, to help take care of him. I was a mess. In the final months of his life, I barely focused on work. Of course, as a founder, “barely focused” means I was working roughly 30 hours a week, instead of the normal 50 or 60.
But the miraculous thing was, we had systems, processes and people in place one year in that allowed the business to run fine without me. Between Samantha Preddy, my director of operations and business partner, running the day-to-day, the team we’ve hired, and the technology we had already invested in building – everything was okay. The business didn’t grow the way I wanted it to, but it didn’t fail, either.
I watched my dad run his own business my entire life. He was barely be able to step away for a day, much less take a real vacation. Yet here I was, one year into building my own business, and I had already built a system that worked without me. That’s when I realized I could pat myself on the back and say, “You did well. Dad would be proud.”
What is your biggest tip for other startup entrepreneurs?
Find an attorney who can explain things in simple terms one can actually understand. I wasted thousands of dollars, and so many hours of my own time on an attorney who over-complicated everything – but I let my imposter syndrome get in the way of questioning him. I should have trusted my gut and found someone else sooner.
How do you find inspiration on your darkest days?
As I say to my kids: If no one is bleeding or dying, we’ll be fine. Keep everything in perspective. And when things are going wrong, find the things that are going right and focus on that.
What is your go-to song to get motivated on tough days?
“Love On Top” by Beyonce.
Who is your most important role model?
Women who are very different from me. They fascinate me, and I try to learn from them. I often find myself thinking, “What would Samantha, my business partner, do?” She sees the positive in everything, and her perspective helps. Together, we make a great team.
Instagram: @MySherah
Facebook: @MySherah
LinkedIn: @Sherah
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