Meet The Mothers & Daughters Celebrating Their Bond

The mother-daughter relationship is a much-examined cultural phenomenon; if slamming doors at home was your favorite teenage pastime, you’re not alone. But has it ever occurred to you that you might be sharing the TV remote with the potential cofounder of your future startup business? Some mother-daughter duos are defying the clichés, rewriting the business and creativity rule books, and getting along at the same time. Collaborating, it turns out, can be the best decision some moms and daughters have ever made, allowing them to challenge gender, career, and cultural stereotypes, all while doing what they love together.

In the spirit of Mother's Day, we dove into the worlds of three mother-daughter duos to discover how, with the help of some Samsung wearable tech and a large dollop of passion, they’ve transformed their family ties into a greater bond and helped each other realize their career dreams.

Lettie: “We started The Design Studio together about four years ago. I’d been wearing clothes my mom had designed to school, and people kept asking me where they were from. I started an Instagram account and used it as a simplified shop. It was mainly this really colorful jacket that was getting lots of attention. We were so small at that point. Everything was handmade, and we made a very exclusive run of jackets. It's just been us — mother and daughter — working and designing ever since.”

L: “She's always been my fashion icon. And we’re the best of friends. The fact that I have a mom who’s a fashion designer who can [bring] my sketches into reality and make what I dream up is incredible.”

Sally: “We work from home, so [we’re] in the same space all time, but we do have offices at separate ends of the house. We meet up for coffee in the kitchen!

L: “We go to the gym every morning before work and keep in shape, but we’re not slaves to this 'perfect' body shape. Working from home, it’s so easy to sit at a computer for hours. The Samsung Gear Sport watch tells us when we haven’t moved enough and when we should go for a walk and stretch.”

S: “Eight years ago I lost my husband; Lettie was only 16, and she lost her dad. We recently made a fanny pack in memory of him because he loved his fanny packs. A portion of the sales are going to Mind charity in memory of him.”

L: “I use my Gear IconX to listen to podcasts about other business startups, while my mom listens to the radio. I feel like I’m connecting with entrepreneurs worldwide from my desk when I listen to podcasts, which is really special.”

S: “We want women to feel confident and sure that no one else will be wearing one of our designs to the same event. We create fashion for all ages because we think you shouldn’t stop expressing your own personality just because you’ve hit a certain age. No one should have to conform. They’re spirited pieces.”

Kelly: “I got into it over a decade ago. I loved going with my dad when I was little. I’d watch the referees and think, I can do that. I saw an ad in a local paper about a six-week course to become a professional ref, and I [signed up and] passed.”

Abbie: “In Scotland, you have to be 16 before you can take the exam. I took it on my 16th birthday, which was a bit risky, but obviously I passed. My mom became a single parent eight years ago, and if she couldn’t get a babysitter for us three kids, we'd go and watch the games. I was inspired. People often mistake the two of us for one another.”

K: “When I started there were maybe a handful in Scotland. Now there's about 58 in the country.”

K: “We referee semi-professional games for men on Saturday afternoons and some of their supporters can be really, really bad. They can be shouting at you: 'Go home and do your dishes.'”
A: “You have to be very confident in your decisions as a result. You’re the expert. Your decision is always right. I’ve definitely cried in the changing rooms a few times, however!

A: “I drive my mom to her matches and we always call each other after a game if we’re not [working] together [to] just ask how the game was. We’re always wishing each other the best luck.”
K: “The job is tough but so rewarding. I wouldn’t let my daughter do the job if I didn’t love it. I’m so proud of her. She can hold her own with 22 men on the field and coaches and fans! Sometimes I just find myself looking across the field thinking, I created her!”

K: “To make history with my daughter is an overwhelming sense of achievement. We never set out to break records — we’re just good at what we do.”

K: “Abbie is my best friend. We do argue and we do fall out, but we fall back in very quickly. I find it sad when people say they don’t have the same relationship with their daughter. We’re very grateful.”
A: “When my mom’s busy working, I take over and look after my little sister. We’re a team.”

A: “My mom is very competitive! I’ve been using the Samsung Gear Sport to monitor my health levels so I can keep up with her. I find the heart-rate pacer very useful. I also keep check of my water intake so I'm never dehydrated when we're training together.”
K: “I love running every morning and the Samsung Gear IconX wireless ear buds have been a blessing. They fit so well and because I don’t even have to have my phone on me, I can be hands-free and take the dog along.”

K: “Believing in your own strength and confidence when you’re on a field with 22 men. I give myself a talking to in the mirror to say, ‘You’re worthy of being here, you're worthy of being at this game, you will make the correct decisions, you might make mistakes.'”
A: “Being a girl in a man’s world. You just have to remember that you’re the expert and you deserve to be there.”

Sanya: “Primarily, my mom and I wanted to spend more time together. We decided to go into the food industry because my mom’s real creative passions lie within creating gorgeous recipes. I wanted to help her get them out there, and I had so much faith in those recipes' ability to create a real disruptive storm in the food world.”

S: “I get to share all my successes with my mom firsthand. How amazing is that? If you think about it, when you get good news, often the first person you want to call up is your mom, who is your unrivaled, biologically pre-programmed cheerleader in life. But I get to work on building my dreams with her and sharing the successes with her, too. The feeling is sweeter than you can ever imagine.”

Kay: “Dividing up roles according to your differing strengths will help smooth out any one person working more than the other — a premise for potential conflict.”

S: “Most people we meet are surprised to learn we manage a business as big as Perfect Samosa and still have great banter together as mother and daughter. Our driving force is each other. That’s not to say our strong bond doesn’t come with its own set of problems, because it definitely does, but we have so much care, love, and respect for each other.”

S: “Any clothes, equipment, and accessories we choose to wear have to be functional and practical for us when we’re [working]. This ranges from wearing waterproof mascara when we’re doing a food festival outdoors in the rain to wearing the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro; it’s waterproof and pretty infallible in our busy day-to-day life preparing food and running the production side of the business.”

K: “Sanya and I are huge fans of running before work. We’re lucky to be surrounded by gorgeous beaches in Liverpool, which increases our sense of wellbeing and connection with nature. Sanya bought me the Gear Fit2 Pro for Mother's Day, and running with it is amazing — not only can we track our fitness levels, but it’s also completely practical. [Plus,] it has a step counter, which keeps us moving!”

K: “I’ve learned from Sanya about not taking no as an answer and being almost relentless to get what you want.”
S: “I’ve learned from my mom about dealing with things with grace, tact, and class.”

S: “Some of the toughest hardships we went through in our early days of business surrounded our finances. The financial hurdles always existed in our family, and my mom was having to deal with them on her own, being a single, widowed mother to two young daughters.”
K: “Since the inception of the business, any hardship is actually shared and worked on together.”

As these mother-daughter duos celebrate their bonds and drive, support, and inspire one another, their Samsung wearable tech is right there with them, offering gentle reminders to keep moving when they’re head-down, designing and creating.

It's time to ditch the spa treatments and flowers when it comes to buying a gift for your mom — instead, get her something unexpected that also opens her up to new worlds.