Meet Camila Rodrigues, a Portuguese scholar turned social innovator who transformed a precarious academic path into a bold movement for collective female empowerment. Through her project Mulheres à Obra (“Women at Work”), Camila is building a supportive space where women—especially mothers—can find their voice, their work, and their strength.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do?
I’m Camila Rodrigues, founder of Mulheres à Obra, a grassroots community that supports women—mainly mothers—who want to build their own income and autonomy through entrepreneurship. My background is in social sciences. I was working full-time on a PhD funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology when I became a mother.
Because of the fellowship rules, I couldn’t have any other income or paid activity for those years. Once I finished my PhD, everything stopped immediately—no salary, no transition, no support. It was a very abrupt shift. That’s when I realized I had to build something of my own. And Mulheres à Obra—which started as a Facebook group—became that something.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
I didn’t choose entrepreneurship—entrepreneurship chose me. When my fellowship ended, I had no income and no safety net. I was in my forties with a young child and zero savings. I had already co-created a Facebook group for mothers discussing work-life balance, and it had grown incredibly fast.
At first, we allowed small advertising in the group through a membership model. Then I officially opened my professional activity to issue receipts and started making a basic living from the group’s support. In the very first month after my PhD ended, Mulheres à Obra became my main income. It was never meant to be a business—but it became one because there were thousands of women like me, needing support, needing space, needing hope.
What were the biggest challenges in your transition to entrepreneurship?
The hardest part has been the lack of structural support for women solopreneurs. We don’t have unions or associations that represent us. Our reality is invisible to policy-makers. And the tax system is devastating for small independent businesses.
I’ll give you an example. In the beginning, I was making about 500 or 600 euros per month. Then I was suddenly charged over 1,000 euros in advance tax based on a projected income I didn’t even have. It wiped me out completely. I had booked a vacation with my daughter—but during the trip, we ate canned sausages every day because we couldn’t afford anything else.
We ran a community survey, and most of the 1,200 women who responded said the same thing: taxes are designed for big businesses, not tiny ones like ours. Even now, I have 100 sponsors, multiple Erasmus+ projects, and a national project… and I can barely pay myself 1,000 euros before taxes.
How are you addressing these challenges, and what advice would you give to other women starting out?
The only real solution is collective representation. We must organize ourselves and defend our interests as a group. The myth of the “self-made woman” isolates us. Entrepreneurship is not just personal—it’s political.
When we first contacted an association for micro businesses, they dismissed us. They said we were just another online trend. But we proved them wrong. Mulheres à Obra is here, growing stronger every year.
So my advice? Don’t build your business in a bubble. Connect with others. Form alliances. Think long-term. Your success isn’t just yours—it’s ours. We need better conditions for all of us.
How did you manage entrepreneurship and motherhood at the same time?
It’s incredibly hard. My daughter was born in 2014. When COVID hit, schools closed, and she stayed home with me every day. Her father didn’t take her even once during that year. I also cared for my elderly mother, shopping and delivering food to her.
I remember doing live community events while my daughter was yelling from the bathroom: “I just pooped! Come wipe me!” Or throwing slime at my face during meetings. She once climbed onto my head during a Zoom call.
I had to buy a piano so she could continue her music lessons at home—but she didn’t stay in front of the screen. She would wander off, and the teacher would be alone on Zoom. It was chaos.
Still, I was lucky—I could work from home. I could stop everything when needed. Employed mothers didn’t have that flexibility. So yes, entrepreneurship gave me some control, but it was still overwhelming.
Do you believe motherhood has equipped you with valuable entrepreneurial skills?
Absolutely. I’ve learned patience, negotiation, conflict resolution, and how to manage chaos. My daughter is very determined—sometimes bossy—and I’ve had to learn how to compromise while holding firm boundaries. That’s leadership training, right there.
I also learned to let go. To delegate. To trust others even if things don’t go perfectly. These are essential skills for entrepreneurs, especially when managing teams or partnerships across borders.
What would you say to a mother who’s considering entrepreneurship but doesn’t know where to start?
Start small. Don’t quit your job immediately unless it’s unbearable. Test your idea. Try freelancing on the side. Make sure you have some financial cushion—because your business might take years to become profitable.
Also, diversify your income. I’ve seen women combine part-time jobs with self-employment. That’s smart. Flexibility is key.
And look at your support system. If you don’t have family support, build your own network. Join communities. In Mulheres à Obra, we host weekly online networking meetings—40 or 50 women show up every week, supporting each other. You need that.
What has been your greatest satisfaction as an entrepreneur?
Definitely Mulheres à Obra. We built it with zero funding. It’s a true bottom-up movement. And it works. We now collaborate with partners across Europe and Latin America. We run Erasmus+ projects. We host 100+ online meetings per year. And all of it is grounded in real solidarity.
What makes me proud is that I used what I studied and lived—especially my work with migrants and my academic training in social movements—and transformed it into something practical and alive.
What message would you like to share with other mothers who dream of becoming entrepreneurs?
Don’t try to run your business like a household. That’s a big mistake. Many women stay in their comfort zone—they only trust people they know. But entrepreneurship is public, not private. You need to work with people who are different from you. Who might not share your values. And that’s okay.
There’s a concept I love: the strength of weak ties. It means that the people you don’t know very well can become your biggest allies. You don’t need to agree with everyone or be best friends. But you need to collaborate. That’s where the power is.
So to all mothers out there: believe in your skills, step out of your comfort zone, and build the world you want to live in. Not alone—but together.
