There’s no denying that juggling work and family life is tough. It’s even more challenging when you work for yourself, as the onus is on you to generate the income you need to pay your bills!
Many women wonder if being a “mompreneur” is possible – running a business from home while caring for their kids. The short answer is yes – it is possible. You just need to learn how to optimize your time and make it as efficient and productive as possible.
The following inspirational ideas, tips, and concepts will empower any stay-at-home mom to run a part or full-time business from home with children in tow:
Delegate And Outsource Some Tasks
Firstly, it makes sense to figure out which everyday functions you can delegate and outsource to other people.
For example, you could hire staff to operate a retail store on your behalf and use employee time clock software to manage their shifts. If you have an online-only business, you could use virtual assistants to handle incoming sales calls and customer emails.
Don’t assume that you must do everything yourself as a mompreneur!
Create A Daily Schedule
Next, you should think about defining a daily schedule for your business. Consider the hours where you’re least likely to get interrupted by kids or other family members if you’re working from home. For some moms, this could be early in the morning or late at night.
Whatever you decide for your daily schedule, make sure that you stick with it. That way, you and your family will get used to your new daily routine.
Help Others To Help You
If you own a business building, then you might want to ensure that you can cater to those who are struggling to find childcare. Try to add provisions to your business so that you can still hire the best, without worrying about children being the reason that someone doesn’t want to accept a job at your company. Offer childcare in the building with professionals throughout the day, and even go as far as to build small commercial playgrounds for the kids if you want to make it sweeter. You know how hard it is to be a mom and work, so help others to help you.
Set Boundaries
It’s worth having conversations with your family members and discussing boundaries that you’d like to set. For instance, if the door to your home office is closed, you can request that your family not disturb you unless there’s an emergency.
Likewise, you should also respect your family’s need for your undivided attention. Discussing boundaries together will ensure you develop a solution that meets everyone’s needs at home.
Take Advantage Of Automation
Today’s technology offers mompreneurs many solutions to make their lives easier. Therefore, it makes sense to look at how you can automate some of your daily tasks, such as repetitive ones completed on your computer.
Tools like Hootsuite can automate social media posts, saving you time on digital marketing tasks. And app-based bookkeeping software can auto-generate invoices for regular customers, helping you spend less time on accounting work.
Have A Dedicated Workspace
Finally, create a dedicated area in your home that only gets used for work purposes. Many moms may convert a spare bedroom into an office, for instance, and instruct family members not to use it for recreational purposes.
If you don’t have a spare area inside your home, consider building a garden office or converting an unused shed into one.
No matter where you decide to work from, if you’ve got a space that’s just yours, you can be a lot more productive – you’ll have space for all your paperwork and equipment, including things like an eddy current sensor which is vital if you’re working with electronics, but which you might not be able to have within easy reach if the kids are around. With your own space, you’ll get more done and you can be more professional because you won’t have to compromise.
Conclusion
Being a mompreneur will always be more challenging than entrepreneurs working 9-5 hours from an office away from their families. But when you take on board the above tips and advice, you can make things easier on yourself.
Good luck!