The Fine Art of Juggling Business and Motherhood for Mom Entrepreneurs
Juggling mom responsibilities with business obligations is never an easy feat. But for mothers who also happen to be entrepreneurs, the endeavor can be daunting at best and downright impossible at worst.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways that entrepreneurial mothers can learn how to balance work and motherhood. We've listed some of our favorites below.
Get Organized
If you can't find it, you can't work with it. It's that simple. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" you're juggling as a mom-entrepreneur, streamlining your office space is a good place to start.
If you have a home office , make sure that clutter doesn't creep in and get out of control. Make lists of your daily and weekly tasks, organize your files and folders, and put all those business cards in one spot for easy reference later on.
If you work outside the home but need to stay on top of things at home or with your kids, consider investing in a portable file organizer or laptop file organizer .
These on-the-go solutions are ideal for moms who work from home and also spend much of their time shuttling kids to school, lessons, sports practices, etc.
With a little organizational savvy, you'll never have to search for another client's phone number or write another note to yourself again – allowing you the precious time you need to juggle your business and mom duties.
Learning to say no is also a critical skill for any entrepreneur who wants to see a profit at the end of the year. Every mother needs to accept that some things can wait. If you're not making any money or progress while juggling motherhood, take a step back, re-evaluate your marketing efforts, and start fresh.
If you're saying "yes" to every request and are starting to feel like you never have time for yourself, remember that being an entrepreneur is not a 9-to-5 job.
Be realistic with your work scope and expectations. You may have been satisfied with being a stay at home mom all these years but now would be the perfect time to make the transition into business ownership.
Start by taking on small projects until you find your passion for what you do best. Then slowly build up that workload one project at a time until it's manageable and not overwhelming.
Keep a moderate level of stress in your life and learn to love the idea of being an entrepreneur. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's a great way to develop your leadership skills, learn how to stretch yourself, and start your own business...all while raising a family!
When you do decide to join the entrepreneurial world full time, make sure you're well prepared for the lifestyle change. Here are some things to think about:
Consider setting your schedule around meeting with clients; scheduling time for social media marketing day; and building in extra hours for self-care.
Those hours between 5 pm and 8 pm will be your most productive time, so try and schedule meetings during those hours to save time.
When it comes to putting out fires, you'll have your wits about you in the evenings as opposed to if you were working during the day.
Make sure that all of your appointments with clients are scheduled in advance and never leave without a note of next steps and action items. Do not let anyone walk out that door without clear expectations.
If there is an emergency or someone has a real-time request or question, be sure to catch them on the phone rather than scheduling another meeting. You don't want to become known as "that flaky web designer.
Learn to multitask
Multitasking is a necessary skill when running a business and raising a family at the same time, but it can also be your worst enemy. Learning to juggle several tasks at once can help increase your productivity, but only if you're doing them all well.
Grocery shopping with one kid in the cart and another on your hip? Put a bungee cord on your phone so you can talk and drive without having to ask for help or hold the phone in your hand.
Doing something active with your kids? Try using an app like Evernote to keep notes of tasks and action items while playing outside or working on a project together.
Looking for a way to make those daily walks with the dog more productive? Download an app like TomTom or Verizon's new FiOS Mobile TV , which allows you to stream live and recorded TV shows to your smartphone. Now you can walk, run, jog, bike or rollerblade and watch TV at the same time!
If you're in the middle of something really important and realize that your child is in distress, use your phone as a two-way communication system. Let others know how long you'll be unavailable ("Ugh...she's throwing up everywhere – I'm going to be too busy cleaning up this mess to answer questions. I'll get back to you when I'm done.").
This is also a good time to utilize Google Chat or other instant messaging services so the important people in your life know what's going on.
Other tips for juggling business and motherhood include:
Plan "mommy dates" with friends. Get together with a group of mom friends every week to have some alone time, share stories and trade notes. Set up playdates at least once a month with a friend whose kids are the same age to help out one another. Make sure your clients understand if you'll be unavailable due to "family matters" on certain days of the week.
Learn to say "no." You don't have to do everything you're asked. It's okay to say "no" and stick by your decision. There will be an endless number of people who want a piece of your time and attention, but if you don't stand up for yourself you'll never get anything done.
Keep a calendar or planner where you can write down important appointments and take notes on projects in development. If clients are expecting a proposal from you, make sure it's ready before the due date; if your kids have homework due the next day, make sure it gets done during the times when others aren't trying to reach you for work (dinner time, bedtime).
You'll become more organized as you go, and your skills will improve over time. Remember, you can always ask for help if you need to so don't stress if things aren't running smoothly at first. You're building a business, a relationship with your children and still making sure that no one goes home hungry or angry. If you're doing all of these things well, success is just around the corner!
If you found this article helpful, share it with other mothers looking to build a business while raising kids. The more people who know about these ideas, the more successful we all can be.
We'd also love to hear from you on Facebook , Google+ , Pinterest and Twitter .
Conclusion:
As a woman, you now have the motivation to start your own business once you've done all of the necessary preparation. The idea of leaving a legacy and not having to work sense into it is appealing.
This part of your life will be exciting and intriguing at the same time. Your entrepreneurship mindset is one that doesn't involve employment or a nine-to-five life. You'll be able to follow your dreams on a daily basis and put yourself in situations that challenge you further as you learn how to balance family, passion for your business, time for yourself and all the other daily duties that go hand-in-hand with being a mom and entrepreneur.