Richmond Times Dispatch
January 24, 2010

Entrepreneur cherishes role as mom

By: Stacy Hawkins Adams

The skill and savvy that helped Lillian Lincoln Lambert thrive in business served her well as a mother.

Lambert, the first African-American woman to earn an MBA from Harvard University, worked as a stockbroker and corporate executive before starting a business that offered building maintenance services to major companies.

Her daughters were 2 and 4 when Centennial One Inc. was established in 1976, and Lambert from the start developed strategies to balance her career and family life.

"I was fortunate that my mother came to live with me when my first [daughter] was born," said Lambert, a native of Powhatan County who now splits her time between Mechanicsville and Sarasota, Fla. "That took care of the issue of having to take the kids out to a baby sitter."

Lambert worked out of her garage, which allowed her to spend time with the girls during the day. "My [now former] husband was very supportive. He took the night shift with the kids."

As the girls, and her mother, grew older, Lambert hired sitters and moved her business to an office space in the Washington area. Her mother continued living with her and helping out.

Lambert says she was never conflicted about working.

"I made the decision that I wanted a career," she said. "I tell a lot of women that you and your spouse must decide what's important to you. If you want to stay home, that decision is fine. If you want a career, good for you. Don't feel guilty about it. Know what's best for you."

Every choice demands sacrifices, she said.

"We didn't travel as much [when the girls were young] because I thought it was more important to use our financial resources to hire live-in help, so I wouldn't have to get up and take them out in the mornings. I could spend time with them.

"When I came home in the afternoons, I could spend time with them and not spend time doing laundry or [preparing] dinner. We lived in the suburbs of Washington and driving to [and from] work was about an hour. By the time I got home, it was time for dinner, baths and bedtime stories."

Lambert could be considered a trailblazer for implementing creative home and work-life practices during a time when many career women were just getting their footing. But being a pioneer wasn't her goal. She did what felt right for her family, just as she had done in pursuing her studies.

Regarding her stint at Harvard, "I wasn't trying to make history. My purpose was to get an education." That education helped her make Centennial One a success. By the time her daughters were in elementary school, the business had more than $7 million in revenue and eventually grew to $20 million in annual sales.

She became a single parent during her daughters' teen years. In 2001, she sold the company. She has devoted her time since then to sharing her story as a female entrepreneur.

Her recently released memoir, "The Road to Someplace Better," details her journey to success; however, Lambert urges women to find their own paths.

"I had live-in help, but not everybody can afford to do that. You may want to look at [the] things in your business you can contract out, so you can do what you do best. Set realistic targets or goals."

Lambert's daughters are now in their mid-30s; they live in New York, just a block from each other. Each has a pre-school age child on whom Lambert dotes. She sees them regularly.

"Overall, they usually tell me I did a good job," said Lambert, who remarried 10 years ago. "As every parent knows, there's no rulebook. That's what I would say to young mothers -- make the decisions you think are best and put the kids first or very high on your list."