While I led my company through a $150 million acquisition, my husband handled the parenting. Here's how we make it work in our house.

"I was entirely on my own when I was 19. While I was enrolled in college, I worked full-time at night in the call center of a fintech company, Jack Henry & Associates. It was a gritty, hands-on role, but an exciting time to be with the company, which was growing quickly. I didn't have a typical college experience. I worked a lot so I could pay for my car and home. At work, I put my hand up any chance I could. I was never the smartest person, but I worked really hard and was always willing to figure out problems. Even if I'd never done something, I would figure it out. I couldn't afford to fail, personally or professionally."

"At that point, I was a wife, mom of five, and had been a foster mother to seven children. I live in Missouri, but my reputation was so strong that the team at Fingercheck, a New York-based HR platform, approached me about scaling the company with a goal of acquisition. I started traveling a lot, and spending two weeks in Brooklyn at a time, with a week at home in between."

Tiffany Haynes began working full-time nights in a fintech call center at age 19 while enrolled in college, supporting herself by paying for a car and a home. She consistently volunteered for responsibilities, solved unfamiliar problems, and developed a reputation for excellent execution coupled with empathy. After 20 years at Jack Henry & Associates she rose to vice president. Fingercheck recruited her to scale the company toward acquisition, a role that required extended travel while her husband managed childcare. Over three years she helped scale Fingercheck, which was acquired in October 2024 for $150 million. She and her husband co-founded a school; he works there without taking a salary.

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