No Perfect Split

There is no manual for balancing motherhood and career. For these two entrepreneur moms, it was a combination of small wins, long days and nights, and the determination to build something meaningful. Their stories remind us that balance is different for every woman

- by SHANEEN NOBLE

SHANTE HUTTON, PHOTOGRAPHER AND CONTENT CREATOR

Oprah once famously said: 'You can have it all, just not all at once.' For entrepreneur moms, the idea of 'having it all' often feels like a daily negotiation trying to reach the ever-elusive work-life balance. Between building businesses and raising families, balance isn't something they achieve once, but continually redefine.

For Cape Town-based photographer and mother of three, Shante Hutton, that journey has been anything but linear.

Born in the UK to a British mother and South African father, Shante's childhood was documented through her dad's ever-present camera - a habit she once resisted. 'I swore I would never pick up a camera,' she laughs. Yet years later, photography would become her life's work.

After relocating to South Africa and building a career as a wine writer, photography found her almost by accident. Capturing candid moments at events sparked something unexpected, and when her first daughter was born in 2016, that instinct deepened into a lovely obsession with documenting life as it unfolded. Her husband said, 'Don't go back to work, let's give this three years and see what happens.' So, she took a leap of faith and started her creative path.

A decade on, her business has bloomed into a sought-after photography brand, with loyal clients returning year after year, some even travelling internationally for her work. But behind the glossy images is a reality many working mothers will recognise: a full, demanding, and rarely neatly balanced life.

'Sometimes, I wish photography was my only focus,' she admits, although she loves having creative outlets that also bring in extra income. Alongside her business, she manages marketing for her husband's three businesses and creates content online. She describes their household as one with 'many eggs, many baskets'.