Teaching by Example Mothers and daughters discuss the impact of entrepreneurship on their relationships.

As women entrepreneurs continue to make giant strides inbusiness, they strive to be positive role models to their children,particularly their daughters. Here, two business owners and theirdaughters speak candidly about their relationships and howentrepreneurship fits in.

"When the school would call and tell me I had to pick[Laurel] up because she was sick, I sometimes had to set up asleeping bag in my office for her to rest on until I could go home.She remembers these things as 'normal' and does not feelslighted, while I reflect upon them with a great deal ofguilt," recounts Yvonne Tocquigny, 48, president of TocquignyAdvertising, Interactive and Marketing, a $5 million firm inAustin, Texas.

Growing up along with Tocquigny's 23-year-old company, herdaughter, Laurel Pantin, "saw the struggle of myentrepreneurship as a limit to our freedom," Tocquigny says."She saw me tired and worn down many times. But she also sawthe positive side-the celebrations of our success, the parties inour home for employees, and the happiness it gave me when thebusiness was working."

"Since I was a little girl, I have always imagined [mymother] as a superhero in a little black suit, taking on theproblems of the office and stunning the clients with her superhumancreativity and intelligence," says Laurel, now 17. "[She]is a major role model to me because she was able to do everythingshe has done on her own."

"I try to be a [good] role model by living a life thatdemonstrates that anything is possible," says Marjorie Brody,58-year-old founder of $2 million-plus Brody Communications Ltd., abusiness training and executive coaching firm in Jenkintown,Pennsylvania. "As a single parent, [my daughter] saw that Iwas excited about what I was doing. And it afforded a lifestyle wewould not have been able to afford otherwise. The downside was thatshe saw I was working a lot and was not always available to do thethings she wanted to do."

"I remember my mom talking about work all the time,"says Brody's 28-year-old daughter, Julie Muchnick, anenvironmental consultant. "I remember her wanting to talkabout projects, although I wasn't always interested!" Nowthat she is an adult, Muchnick has a greater appreciation of whather mother has accomplished. "I think she's awesome. Idon't see her in everyday deals, but I see what she hascreated, and it is inspiring."

While both mothers and daughters describe their relationships asstrong and positive, they are also open about the challenges. ForTocquigny, being too consumed by her business was a problem in thepast, leading her to spend too little time connecting with herdaughter. "I sometimes had a difficult time adjusting to theslower, gentler pace of home and was impatient and less nurturingthan I should have been," she says. Tocquigny says having abusiness coach for the past year and a half has helped her betterbalance work and parenting.

Brody, for her part, admits her daughter may have been resentfulof the time she spent nurturing younger employees at the business.And she acknowledges that she tends to "over-advise"Muchnick, who says, "[I wish she would] sit back a little moreand let me live my life and make my own mistakes."

Though both daughters spent time helping out at theirmothers' businesses, neither plans to work for her mother."It's not that I don't want to be in the familybusiness," says Muchnick, "but I've got to do whatI've got to do-find my own passion." Perhaps that'sthe biggest lesson an entrepreneurial mother can pass on to herdaughter.

Aliza Pilar Sherman (www.mediaegg.com) is an author, freelancewriter and speaker specializing in women's issues.