*collaborative post*
I have been working from home for a good few years. Ow. My blog has been up and running since 2015 and for the last year I have been writing website content for a West Midlands based fostering agency. I love my job/s but I would love to have my own business, it would be a dream to make lots of money doing something I really love. Unfortunately I haven’t figured out the business plan or even the idea yet so being a super mom boss is a while off for me yet. If you are really considering setting your own business up and becoming a ‘mumpreneur’ todays guest post is just the post for you.
How to become a mumpreneur and inspire your children.
Anyone with children knows that looking after kids is a full-time job. This isn’t stopping an army of mothers from channelling their creativity, strength and resilience into running their own business. Between juggling, meal times and school runs, and all the other chores of being a mother to a young family, momtrepreneurs are holding business meetings, taking orders, increasing sales and bringing home an extra revenue.
There are lots of ways you can work a business around your family. However, you do need to understand how much sacrifice and organisation goes into it. You will need to be highly adaptable and be able to cope with changing situations. You need to fit a maximum amount of work around a minimal amount of time, and you need to be on your A-game even when you are completely exhausted!
Before you make the leap, you are going to need a solid business plan. This will act as a guide to help you navigate through all the tricky areas that will arise as you move forward. Spend a lot of time on this plan and use it to push you deeper and further with your research. Your business plan needs to be more comprehensive than a normal one because you are going to be up against it at every point of starting and running the company.
You also need to speak to an accountant – unless that is your business, of course – who can help you work out the numbers. Understanding if a company is financially viable and can offer longevity is vital before you throw yourself in at the deep end.
While you should embrace your role as a mum and business owner, you may want to use online mail box services to give your business a more professional looking address. This can help, particularly if you will be dealing with larger firms and want your company to stand out. Depending on which sector you work in, you may find that being a mum will make it harder for you to bring work in. Don’t let that put you off what you are doing; B2B relationships could be harder to nail down because of the misconception that being a mum might make it harder to meet your targets or responsibilities. Prove to them that being a mum is your superpower, it’s how you learnt how to multitask and be adaptive.
Don’t forget that you do need to find time for yourself between being your own boss and running a young family. It’s very easy to burn out. Even if this includes an hour each day where you take a long bath with no communications or interruptions, perhaps you could get out for a walk, without the kids, and clear your head. Whatever you do, time for you is vital to keep you on top of your work and mum game.
Being a Momtrepreneur is setting an incredible example for your children. It is teaching them the value of working hard and making sacrifices for your family. Go and inspire your children, supermom.
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Are you your own boss? I’d love to hear more about your business and how you got started in the comments.