What’s tougher than being an entrepreneur who’s trying to make their business a success? An entrepreneur who juggles child nurturing and the need for a successful start-up.
It’s easier to start a full-fledged venture than to sign up to be a mumpreneur. Your roles as a mumpreneur are of a varied kind. You love the flexible hours and interesting projects to work on. But being a mum is seen as a full-time job and this gives you no space for uninterrupted work. You probably work when your child is at school so when he’s at home, your time is devoted to him. If you’re starting out as a mumpreneur or even if you think you need to change a few things in your current plan, try these tips that worked for entrepreneurs who are mothers and successful.
- Have a support system: A great support system goes a long way in uplifting you and walking you through your challenges. Many entrepreneurs have mentors they turn to who offer not just work advice but also help you through tough social and familial situations.
- Find work-life balance: When you work from home, it’s difficult to set aside time from looking after your child. But when it comes to starting a business, it’s crucial to be a little conscious of where your time goes. Start by understanding your child’s routine. In that way, you can work your schedule around their school schedule, naptime, etc.
- Strategize and seize the risks: Before you jump into your idea, make a plan. Once you have a plan on who you’re selling to and how you’ll sell your service to them, note down the risks involved. Anticipate the risks so you can work on avoiding them. This can also be done by looking at your strengths to foster them and your weaknesses to fend them off.
- Delegating is your best friend: Every entrepreneur knows that most tasks need to be delegated. Most entrepreneurs choose to do all the work on their own to save money. But having a dual role of a mother and an entrepreneur, you don’t have enough time to spare to do every single task by yourself. Instead, delegate work when it gets hectic so it will take a few things off your toppling to-do list.
- Trusty apps reduce your load: From creating invoices, reminding you of an important meeting to keeping track of the things you have yet to do, you can trust your phone to do a lot of the work for you. Apps like Wunderlist, Wallet and Invoice 2go will help you think less and act more.
- Block off some time for yourself: Create some time for yourself—half an hour or one hour—to do something that calms you. It could mean reading, knitting, getting a massage or going for a swim. Whatever your comfort hobby is, make it happen on a weekly basis. This ‘me time’ will not only help you unwind but will also get you pumped up for the next tasks in line.
Whatever way you choose to carve your path to being a mumpreneur, keep moving forward and never quit. A lot of businesses quit on the verge of success. If you try hard enough and persist through the initial rough stages, you will go into the next day looking forward to the challenges in your work as well as life.
