Being A Mompreneur
10 Tips for balancing being Mom & Business Queen
Being a mom is tough enough on its own, but then you add a business into the mix and you’ve got yourself a serious handful. I would be lying if I said I have everything figured out. Working on my business from home with a teenager and a six year old running around can make life pretty crazy pretty fast. I’ve learned to manage my emotions while parenting and conducting a business call simultaneously. Not an easy thing to do when there are children involved. Sigh. But if I can do it you can do it, too! It just takes a little time and discipline. Here are the top 10 tips that I give every mom out there who’s building a business.
Establish a Routine
Life becomes much simpler when you know what your next steps are and a routine allows you to have that structure in place. Not to mention that a daily routine keeps you on track and your family aware of your work vs mom schedule. This means scheduling fun, snacks, and playtime, that way the kids (and needy hubbys!) know at what time you become available for the assault of a thousand questions. This doesn’t mean you can’t take a few times out of the week to be spontaneous, it just means holding yourself accountable for a manageable routine.
2. Create A Shared Family Calendar
With business meetings, softball practice, chello practice, family obligations, and a whole lot more, your weeks never look exactly the same. Make it easier on yourself and create a shared calendar that every family member contributes to! Add upcoming test dates for your kiddos so you remember to be available the night before in case they need some extra help and support. Schedule far out reminders for the dentist and eye doctor so you never miss a check-up. When you make a calendar like this digital you’re able to easily sync all of your work, school, and business lives with your personal.
3. Keep The Communication Open
Talk to your family about why you’re building a business. Be open and honest about the benefits and downfalls of running your own business, and explain that it's worth taking a chance on your dreams, despite setbacks. Then show them that the dream itself isn’t enough, you have to nurture and work at it every day, even when you don’t feel up to it. When you’re able to talk to them about your hopes and dreams, you’ll inspire them to continue to work towards theirs. Together you’ll find inspiration and motivation in those conversations and it’ll add extra fuel to the fire to deliver on your promises.
4. Include Everyone In On The Business Fun
Whether it’s a simple task of shredding paper, mailing out direct mailers 3 times a week, creating fun social media graphics, or being a taste tester, have the fam help out! They’ll learn the value of hard work early and you’ll not only get extra help on tedious tasks, but you’ll also get additional time together despite your busy schedule. Additionally, if you’re doing it correctly, you might be able to minimize your tax liability. Just make sure you talk to a professional accountant who can help you figure this part out instead of making assumptions. Either way, so many great things that come from working together and teaching your kids the importance of hard work.
5. Invest In Your Future
Personal futures look differently for women than they do for men. We live longer, take on more parenting responsibilities, are more likely to provide caregiving money to our parents, and yet we’re paid less and have less perceived access to financial investing. You need to invest in your future so that you can have long-term sustainability in your business and in life. This means taking some time to lay a financial foundation you can build off of, not to mention find security knowing that you have all your bases covered. Take a look at my blog on investing to get a quick look at the tools you’ll need to start protecting yourself and your family financially.
6. Teach Your Kids About Money
Teach them how to save their money! This is one of the best things any parent can do for their child. Saving money is something that has become outdated in most of America today and it’s causing a large percentage of our society to be financially insecure and unstable. Open a savings account for your kids and teach them about the banking system. Then you can start to give them a commission for tasks like reading a book or learning a new skill. You can have a certain percentage of that money go into a savings account while the other portion can be used for whatever they’d like. You’ll be teaching them to save but to also letting them enjoy life before they have to really work for their money one day!
7. Find Out What Personality Type Everyone Is
I’m not kidding, this will save your sanity! I remember when I first started learning about personality types. It was life changing, painful, and honestly sometimes just plain sucked! Why? I realized I had to change a lot of my reactions, interactions, and the way I said things to each family member. I learned a lot about myself and the way that I respond to others, and once I understood myself better it became much easier to learn about my spouse and kid’s personalities. It was groundbreaking. Then I set aside time for us all to learn each other's personality types together and take time as a family to consider how each of us responded to certain scenarios. You can find many books and articles on personality types, but we took the GEMS personality test created by Dani Johnson and it was incredibly insightful! It truly changed our lives.
8. Learn When To Tell Them No
Okay moms, I know this can be a hard one sometimes. You want to give everything to your family and your children. They stare up at you with those puppy dog eyes at the store and ask for the newest video game console, that shiny red bike, or an entirely new wardrobe for the school year. You know how happy those things will make them and how important new consumer goods feel to them. But you also know that money could be used for something else right now, like a really good tutor for the math class they’re failing in. Sometimes we have to tell our kids no and remind them that we’re always looking out for the family’s best interest. Plus, you can always tell them you’ll get them that sweet Xbox when they bring their math grade back up.
9. Seek Help When Your Stuck
I know that you’re a superwoman. That you juggle twelve things at once and do them all pretty flawlessly. It’s amazing, girl! But it’s also important to ask for help when you need it. There is absolutely no shame in saying you can’t do something alone. Your friends, family, and other support systems are there for a reason- to support you! Lean on them when you need to and never feel lesser for doing so. The same goes for hired help in your business. If you need an accountant or a social media manager, then hire one! There is no point in working yourself to exhaustion when you have resources at your fingertips.
10. Do What Works For You & Yours
When it comes down to it, at the end of the day, you know what’s best for your family and your business. Like I said before, please seek help when you need it, but also know that you don’t have to take every piece of advice that comes your way. If you read a blog about family care and think, no way would that work for my daughter and me, then don’t do it! If you see a business influencer on instagram telling you that you have to hire so-and-so for your pinterest account but you know that they don’t fit your brand or morals, don’t hire them! No one is going to look out for you and yours like you and your partner do.