November 10, 2026
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The Reality of Running a Business While Caring for Two Generations
Episode Summary
What does success look like when you're running a thriving business, raising young children, and helping care for an aging parent?
For Satta Sarmah Hightower, success has evolved significantly over her 12 years as an entrepreneur. After experiencing two layoffs, including a period when she worked for $10 an hour despite having a master's degree, Satta went on to build a multi-seven-figure solo marketing consultancy serving B2B technology companies. But reaching that level of financial success didn't eliminate the responsibilities waiting for her outside of work.
In this episode of The Building Well Podcast, Amanda Magho sits down with Satta, author of The Forever Freelancer, to discuss what it takes to sustain a business while navigating motherhood, caregiving, and the ongoing demands of entrepreneurship.
Satta shares how she uses AI, practical systems, and intentional boundaries to manage her business and family responsibilities. She also opens up about the challenges of building a personal brand after years of working behind the scenes, why she's becoming more selective about clients, and how her definition of success has shifted from earning more to creating a life she can sustain.
Their conversation explores the pressure entrepreneurs place on themselves to constantly produce, stay visible, and grow, even when their personal circumstances require a different pace.
Whether you're managing a growing business, supporting family members, or rethinking what you want your next chapter of entrepreneurship to look like, this conversation offers a perspective on building a business that supports your life rather than consuming it.
3 Key Takeaways
Your Definition of Success Can Change as Your Life Changes
After 12 years of entrepreneurship, Satta no longer measures success primarily by how much money her business generates. Raising two children and helping care for her aging father have shifted her priorities toward sustainability, flexibility, and having control over her time. Her experience is a reminder that a successful business should reflect the responsibilities and priorities of your current season, even when those look different from earlier years.
Systems and Support Help You Manage the Mental Load
Between client projects, motherhood, and managing her father's finances, Satta relies on practical systems to keep her responsibilities organized. She shares how AI serves as a second brain, how shared calendars and reminders help her family stay coordinated, and why she strategically outsources projects even though she operates a solo business. Building systems isn't about doing more every day, but about reducing the mental load so you can be present for the people and responsibilities that matter.
Growth Requires Visibility, but Not at the Expense of Your Capacity
Despite building a multi-seven-figure business, Satta spent years working behind the scenes without intentionally building her personal brand. Now she's learning to share her accomplishments, market her expertise, and pursue opportunities beyond client work while navigating the pressure to constantly show up on social media. Her journey demonstrates that becoming more visible doesn't have to mean adopting someone else's marketing schedule or sacrificing the boundaries you've worked to establish.
Guest Bio
Satta Sarmah Hightower is a former journalist, marketing consultant, and author of The Forever Freelancer. For more than 12 years, she has operated a solo marketing consultancy specializing in content strategy, thought leadership, and marketing execution for B2B technology companies.
After experiencing two layoffs early in her career, Satta transitioned into self-employment and built a multi-seven-figure business serving technology companies and their executives. Her work includes developing messaging frameworks, white papers, ebooks, and other strategic content.
Through her book, Satta shares practical lessons from her entrepreneurial journey alongside insights from female freelancers, solopreneurs, and business experts. She is also a mother of two and a caregiver for her aging father, experiences that inform her approach to sustainable entrepreneurship and work-life integration.
Resources Mentioned In This Episode
The Forever Freelancer by Satta Sarmah Hightower
Some links above may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission from purchases to support this show.
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