Circumstances have blurred what was once a clear line between the working mom and the stay-at-home mom. These days, working mothers are looking for ways to spend more time with their families. In contrast, stay at home moms want to make money from home.
This has led to the merging of the two into what is now referred to as a “mompreneur” : a cross between a mum and an entrepreneur. But being a mompreneur is a challenging balancing act. Although fulfilling, it requires a lot of planning and hard work. So, if you are planning to be one, here are some essential tips for successful mompreneurs.
1. Do Something You Know and Love
Having a good business idea is never enough: you must also be passionate about what you do to be successful. By following your passion, you lower your likelihood of quitting when the going gets tough. You also have lower levels of stress through it all. If you have experience or expertise in the niche you intend to pursue, so much the better. The learning curve is less steep.
2. Plan and Manage Time Well
Being a mum or an entrepreneur is tough in itself. When you combine the two, you must either become supermom or have excellent planning and time management skills. The latter is more realistic, but it requires self-discipline. It requires having a daily schedule where you allot time to tasks based on priority. You cannot afford to waste time on menial tasks. Also, do not over schedule, leave yourself room to manoeuvre and rest somewhere in between.
3. Set Goals
Setting goals is just as important as having a schedule. While the schedule helps you get things done, goals motivate you and keep you focused. And don’t settle for small goals. Instead, set big goals and then break them into smaller goals that are easy to meet. This way, you are never overwhelmed.
4. Work Hard
Entrepreneurship and hard work go hand in hand. But do not let that scare you. Hard work does not necessarily boil down to working a lot of hours. The key here is to work hard and smart. This means integrating motherhood and entrepreneurship into your schedule in a way that does not stress you out. For example, work on your job when the kids are asleep or napping. By alternating the two, one aspect of your life does not intrude on the other.
5. Delegate
Don’t do everything yourself. Delegate some of your responsibilities to employees if you have a big business. And if you are just starting your business, delegate tasks to family members.
If you work online, use cloud services to store and manage your documents. You only need a pay a small fee to a web hosting service such as certa hosting. The beauty of delegation is that it leaves you free to focus only on what’s important. It also keeps the kids busy and out of your hair.
Many women fear running a business and being a mum at the same time. They think it is too demanding. In a sense, it is. But if you pursue your passion, manage your time well, set goals, and work hard, it is possible.
This is a guest post