Woman Behind The Brand – Anna Jacobs
I met Anna during a press trip with Volvo to Gothenburg. We were the only women in the group of journalists and had a thousand points of connection. My apologies to the people in front of and behind us for the candid stories. That’s what you get when you have two women who both built a business with small children hanging on their pant legs. Anna has the platform How About Mom, which includes an app, book, newsletter & socials.
So Anna, you became a mother, had a hundred questions and found no answers, so you thought: gap in the market, I’m going to do this? Is that how it went?
That’s right. In those first weeks, I thought so often: ‘Could someone have just told me this?!’ From bleeding to engorgement, from getting used to your new body to mood swings… They don’t write about that in those cheerful baby apps or books. I needed a place where I could go for reliable information, honest stories, and some recognition in this whole new world of motherhood.
From bleeding to engorgement, from getting used to your new body to mood swings…
You run How About Mom together with your sister. How did that come about?
We are indeed not only sisters but also have been partners for over 15 years. First in a company focused on the digitization of healthcare (SmartHealth) and for the past five years within How About Mom. We complement each other very well, and I enjoy working with her every day. We live close to each other, and our kids are growing up together. Isn’t that special?
You have two children, Olivia and Jacob, and you are work-wise involved with child and motherhood topics. Are you ever completely done with it, or is that manageable?
Haha, I certainly can’t deny that. I think it helps that within your own business you have so many different tasks to do that it never really gets boring. It’s also important to have hobbies besides work and parenting. Things that make you happy and recharge you, and preferably have nothing to do with your job or family. For example, I love to cook, play tennis, travel (with and without kids), and write a novel.
I recently read a quote from Eva Jinek’s manager – Kristien van Dillen – who said: “Sometimes you just have to start. Don’t think; it has to be better, it’s not quite how I want it yet, but just take that first step and then make it better.” I found that wise because the urge for perfection can also result in you not doing it at all.
Was it the same for you; I just start and we’ll see?
100%! We were telling about ‘How About Mom’ at a big pregnancy fair in 2019 while we had nothing yet. Our app was still in development, we had 150 followers on Instagram, and the website didn’t amount to much either. But we had a mission – more attention for the woman becoming a mother and everything that comes with it – and we wanted to convince everyone of that. That became a bit easier in the following years with the app and book included :-)
Tell us about How About Mom, what can I find there and who is it for?
From baby wishes to pregnancy, from childbirth to the toddler years: we want to be your guide in this special and challenging phase of your life with How About Mom. You will find practical tips and medical information (for which we collaborate with a team of 50+ medical experts), but also a lot of honest and personal stories, blogs, and interviews with other women.
You also wrote a book that is already in its fifth print and has sold over 10,000 copies. How does it feel to be a bestselling author?
Occasionally someone tags us in a photo, and I see How About Mom lying somewhere in the Netherlands on a nightstand. Such an image makes that number of 10,000 sold copies suddenly tangible. That our book is on so many nightstands, coffee tables, or in bookshelves of women is incredibly cool.
How do you combine How About Mom with motherhood?
I work 4.5 days a week, and Friday afternoons are mom-time. Although that looks different now that they are both getting older. Just when you’re ready with coloring pages and pancakes, they suddenly both go play somewhere else. Great.
I find my work very important, but I also find being an available mother very important. Going to swimming lessons or the hockey match, being present during performances or viewing afternoons at school (even though those are always at crappy times). The routines with them in the evening and the conversations you have when they are finally in bed and the whole day comes by. So valuable. Just those cozy and simple habits we have together. Ultimately, that is the essence.
What is your education?
Media & Culture (direction New Media) at the UvA.
Besides being a writer, I also wanted to be a captain
Did you think as a young girl that you would do this later or did you have totally different interests?
Entrepreneurship and writing have always been in me. Together with a friend, I had a museum in our backyard, including a museum shop and entrance tickets. I also regularly sold at the door in the village where we lived. Bunches of flowers, homemade cookies, that kind of merchandise.
While cleaning out my parents’ attic, I found dozens of filled notebooks and self-produced booklets. Later stacks of diaries, freelance writing work, and endless notes on my phone. I can’t imagine a life where I’m not writing.
Besides being a writer, I also wanted to be a captain. Now I am always incredibly happy on a boat, but a profession in shipping suits me less now, I think ;-)
I think I already know the answer to this, but do you keep work and private life separate or does everything blend together nicely?
Nope, it indeed blends together nicely. I try to consciously put my phone away during the evening rush and not be busy with work, but I’m not a saint in that. I try to really save the weekend, especially now that the kids are getting older, for family time. But my mind never really turns off…
What is your favorite work moment? (Working in the evenings when everyone is asleep and no flood of messages is coming in)
I do indeed love the evenings. Peace in the house, nice music on, coffee or a glass of wine: wonderful. It’s also a pitfall. Because I can find it very hard to go to bed, especially when I’m in the flow of writing. I can easily be typing until 2:00 AM. Then that alarm at 7:00 the next morning is quite painful.
I’ll catch up on the ‘missed’ hours tonight
Of course, no workday is the same, and you probably can’t speak of an average workday, but maybe it’s nice if you describe your last workday for us.
This morning I took the kids to school and then went to the tennis court. What a privilege to be able to do that ‘during work hours’. I have breakfast behind my laptop and work through some emails. Within How About Mom, I’m involved in collaborations with partners, and today I’ve mostly reserved for that. Around lunchtime, I drive ‘just’ back and forth to Wassenaar for a meeting with a potential new partner for How About Mom. Those kinds of meetings are usually digital, but sometimes it’s so nice to see someone face-to-face. It was a successful meeting. In the car, I call Frederieke to discuss some new plans, and back at the office, I do some of the more boring tasks. I’m stopping a bit earlier today because I promised the kids to go picnic by the water. I’ll catch up on the ‘missed’ hours tonight.
They say that every successful entrepreneur also has a miss, something that didn’t work out. Do you have that too?
For SmartHealth and How About Mom, I also had a really nice business with my husband, Dirk: a jacket label, JCBS. We designed the jackets ourselves (a mix between Chanel tweed jackets and those embroidered Isabel Marant jackets that were so trendy in 2012), had them made at a workshop in Hong Kong, and sold them online. We transformed our house into a photo studio (I was also our own and only model, haha) including a fan and white cloth against the cupboard to take professional photos. Ultimately, it turned out that running a clothing label is quite complex, so JCBS is no more, but it was all very educational and above all fun.
What do you wear on an average workday?
I would say my clothing style is comfy but neat. You can draw me in black jeans or trousers and a white T-shirt (I think the ones from Uniqlo are the best) or sweater for years. Boring, right? I always wear jewelry: a gold bracelet, my (engagement) rings, earrings. Even if I don’t have appointments that day, I always dress as if I have to go out. But I must admit that on very busy days, I sometimes stay in my sports clothes from that morning for too long…
And I’m particularly curious about your beauty routine and the perfume you wear.
I have been wearing the same perfume since I was sixteen: Ambre Narguilé by Hermès. I have never smelled a scent that suits me better than this one. It’s really my signature scent, haha. I do occasionally switch it up with the lovely Baccarat Rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian or Fleur de Peau by Diptyque when I want to wear a heavier perfume for a party, for example.
At How About Mom, we often talk about topics like self-care and making time for yourself as a mother. Although I’m really bad at that from time to time (the faucet is leaking at the plumber’s after all), my skincare routine is sacred. In the morning, I first use a nice cleanser, then a vitamin C serum, followed by a day cream with SPF. A good friend gave me The Beauty Of Joseon Relief Sun a few months ago, and I think it’s a fantastic find. Factor 50, but feels so light on your skin. Really top and very affordable. My makeup routine is less extensive: a bit of concealer to hide those few hours of sleep, mascara, and some blush. I really like the Multi-Stick from ILIA, both for your cheeks and your lips. By the way, I swear by the old school pot of Vaseline for my lips; nothing beats that. Unless you want shine, then the lip oil from Clarins is nice.
My evening routine always takes place, regardless of the time. Micellar water, Chanel makeup remover, night cream, and eye cream. Occasionally a face mask that I leave on overnight, for example, from Drunk Elephant or Sisley.
I also have those guasha massage tools lying in my cupboard, but I don’t take the time to do anything with them. I wish I would. Just like daily flossing…
For me, the week is too short and my head is too full of plans and ideas. What would you still like to do if you had all the time in the world? A podcast, a comedy series?
I think my biggest wish and passion project at the moment is my first own novel. I sometimes fantasize about writing a children’s book (together with my kids), would love to produce a film or documentary, want to write a cookbook someday, would also like to start my own publishing house, or organize trips with Dirk… So relatable.
Can you share three important lessons you have learned over the years?
1. Before I started with JCBS, my father advised me to first read Lijmen/Het Been by Elsschot and learn from the mistakes of Frans Laarmans. Although I wasn't immediately charmed by the dated book, I later understood why I received that tip from him and I hereby pass it on to you.
2. Fall in love with the problem, not with the solution. So first try to really understand what the problem is before you attempt to solve it, and then don't get too attached to your first idea or solution. Many people or teams come up with a solution that they think is great, but become blind to signals that the problem might be different than they initially thought, or feedback from users who are not enthusiastic. By falling in love with the problem, you remain curious and critically investigate what the real pain point is and you are open to adjusting your solutions or even – the horror – throwing them away if necessary.
3. Invest in a good network and/or a good team. Surround yourself with people who possess talents that you do not have and let them do their work. Spend time and effort maintaining relationships with people who are important to you. It is so valuable to have people around you whose advice you trust and whom you can rely on.
Last but not least… profit on paper is nice, but cash flow determines whether you make it to the next month.
