At networking events, people rarely ask about my professional accomplishments, although one might say I am fairly successful at what I do. I have started two companies from scratch. A few years ago, I sold one – an executive search firm – to one of the market leaders in Belgium. And I’m still going strong with my other venture: CVWarehouse, a software tool for smarter hiring. I’m also a fairly popular keynote speaker and blogger on entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship.

But instead of inquiries about the above, I get the same questions over and over again. “As a mother of three, how do you balance work and family? Do you get to see your kids enough?” etc. Not the topics I can overhear my male counterparts discuss a few feet away.

I often don’t bother answering. Instead, I try changing the subject to something I do want to talk about, such as scaling my business across Europe, or the challenges start-ups face in our region.

I also know what I would love to answer: “I’m not looking to balance my private and professional life. I’m just trying to have a great life. And I suggest you do the same.”

Ever since I started my first company in 2003, my professional life has been taking up a lot of my time. I have seen it all: success, failure, crises, expansion, new developments and the challenges of day-to-day management. Often at the expense of my private life. But don’t worry: I love my children just as anyone else. And I’m very much present when we do spend quality time together.

Sometimes a crisis forces me to skip a family vacation and often I’m home too late from work to tuck my children in. It happens to entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial, so I’m told. So I guess it can happen to women, too. Wouldn’t you agree?