Meet Yael Benarroch, a mother of six with a recruiting agency for working moms

Yael Benarroch spent 17 years as a senior trade marketing and sales professional before leveraging her experience in a new entrepreneurial direction — while on parental leave with twins. An energetic mother of six, her boutique recruitment agency, MOMforce, is dedicated to helping professional women partner with employers who understand that women can commit to meaningful, demanding careers while raising families. She’s not only helping professional mothers thrive in the workforce by connecting them with world-class employers that respect work-life balance, she’s also helping employers achieve their gender diversity goals, bringing them loyal, highly-skilled talent. 

My first job ever was… a hostess at the Pickle Barrel.

The idea for MomForce came to me when… I was 9 months pregnant with my twins, and my (hard-working, talented) close friend told me that she was too embarrassed to tell her manager that she was pregnant, because she thought he may feel like she was “taking advantage” by going on maternity leave again. This (along with several other events) sparked my passion for advocating for professional mothers and expunging the taboo of pregnancy and motherhood from the recruitment/hiring process.   

I decided to be an entrepreneur because… I was personally affected by a problem that I quickly realized impacted millions of women. I wanted to do my part to help resolve it.  

I surprise people when I tell them… Considering the average family in Canada has 1.6 kids, nothing surprises people more than when I tell them that I have six. 

My proudest accomplishment is… Being able to manage my time between caring for my six kids, including my newborn twins, while launching a new business.

My best advice to people starting out in business is… There will be setbacks. Expect them. Focus on your mission and purpose to get you through those tough times.

The once piece of advice I give that I have trouble following myself is… being patient and being comfortable in the grey zone.

“Take every setback and feel confident that it’s part of the journey. Learn from it, gain strength from it, and let it propel you forward.”

My best advice from a mentor was… the biggest opportunities are sometimes disguised as challenges and hardships. Take every setback and feel confident that it’s part of the journey. Learn from it, gain strength from it, and let it propel you forward.

I would tell my 20-year old self… to keep working hard, have your priorities clear and straight and follow through with your goals — even if they take longer than expected to achieve, stay positive and stay on course.

My advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is… network, network, network. Connect with people that share a passion for your mission and/or are experts in the field. These people will help you navigate through the journey.

I stay inspired by… knowing that a service like MOMForce will help my 5 daughters feel confident that they can achieve their professional dreams while raising a family. They will be raised knowing that the two are not mutually exclusive.

My next step is… to continue making MOMforce a trusted service for both companies seeking top talent and professional moms looking for family-friendly organizations to maintain and advance in their careers

If I had an extra hour in the day, I would… slowly sip a hot coffee from start to finish without interruption.