SUCCESSFUL and driven, she seemed to have it all. Ms Carina Lee, 36, an associate director at a local bank, was earning about $90,000 a year.

But success came at a cost. Juggling 10-hour work days and caring for her daughter, Caelyn, two, and son, Kieran, eight months, often left her feeling stretched.

So she quit her high-flying job to spend more time with her kids.

Her dilemma then: What to do next?

Recalled Ms Lee: "It was a turning point because I didn't know what to do with my life. My job had been part of my identity, so I needed something to call my own again."

Two months ago, she attended a Facebook marketing course organised by Mums@Work (MAW), a new career portal for mothers.

Ms Lee decided to set up her own online business, Patticake, selling "diaper cakes".

These are assorted baby products like stuffed toys, clothing and diapers packaged together to resemble a cake.

"It was useful. I picked up skills and learnt how to market myself using social media, especially since it's an effective and low-cost way to market the business," she said.

Apart from her own website www.patticake.com.sg, she has set up a Facebook page where she runs online promotions to whip up interest.

She has also attended events like the networking day organised by MAW earlier this month, where she showcased her wares at a booth and attended talks on branding and networking.

Ms Lee said: "It's great getting to know other mums in a similar situation. You realise that you are not the only one, that you have a peer group you can relate to."

MAW, set up in April by Mrs Sher-Li Torrey, 33, aims to help women strike a balance between their careers and motherhood. It now has 500 members.

The portal (www.mumsatwork.net) offers career coaching, job listings and workshops for women who are interested in flexible working hours or starting up their own businesses.

Mrs Torrey quit her manager's position at the Singapore Management University's office of career services in March and was looking for jobs that would allow her to spend more time with her two-year-old daughter.

'Mompreneur'

She said: "In the US, the concept of 'mompreneurs' (mothers who are entrepreneurs) has been around for a long time, but in Singapore the concept is still fairly new.

"There are not many organisations that support working mums and most jobs with flexible hours are either multi-level marketing or administrative positions."

But women can get around inflexibilities by running their own businesses.

She cited the example of two mums, Madam Rachel Teo, 34, and Madam Pauline Wong, 37, who set up myplayschool.net, an online resource for parents who want to find out more about home learning for their preschool kids.

Mrs Torrey said: "It just goes to show that mothers can be very creative with their business concepts."

Making the switch to spend more time with her daughter Clarissa was not without its challenges.

Mrs Torrey said she now earns only half of what she used to, but declined to reveal how much.

She said: "Money-wise, we are meeting costs, but even though it's challenging, I have no regrets because I now have that work-life balance.

"I want there to be more awareness in Singapore's work environment, that women increasingly want more flexible work arrangements. I hope to make a difference in that way."

Now with her own business under her belt, Ms Lee is optimistic. She earned about $600 in her first month of business and has an average of an order a week.

Ms Lee said: "If the orders continue to grow, I should be able to break even in the next two to three months."

Most importantly, her new half-day workdays allows her more time with her kids at their home in a Bukit Timah condominium.

She said: "I now get to spend precious time bonding with my kids. Kids grow up so fast. "You can never get back this time with them."

This article was first published in The New Paper.

More stories: