If you’re a mom and interested in running a business from home, a few things might be getting in the way of that dream becoming a reality. As it is, you have more things to accomplish in your day than time to do it, but hold fast to your aspirations, there is a way toward it! Consider the following mom-friendly tips to running a business right beside the box of diapers, grocery list and dozen cupcakes you made for the Girl Scouts!
1. Put priorities in order. As a mom you have a million priorities to address each day. Prior to launching your home business, make a thorough list of these priorities and schedule your hours of professional operation around them. If you need to pick up kids after school lets out, make sure nothing interferes with that mom-task. Whatever your family obligations are, accommodating them consistently will not only enable you to run your business more smoothly, but it will also avoid resentment of the business by those who need you, and by you yourself if you end up being pulled in too many directions at once.
2. Create an office conducive to work. Your office area should be organized, professional and have ease of use. If it’s cluttered with sippy-cups and Hot Wheels, your efficiency and business mindset will be compromised. Have a place for everything in your office, make it off limits to others and you will find your ability to function and thus succeed unhampered by family matters.
3. Set boundaries between work, family and play. Just as your children and spouse should respect your working hours, so should your clients respect your family time. Politely let both sides know what time is dedicated to them, to avoid confusing and counterproductive crossovers. Unless the situation is critical, you don’t want a customer calling you up during family game night, and you don’t want your spouse asking what’s for dinner during an important meeting. By respecting the boundaries you set, those around you are facilitating your success.
4. Let technology be your assistant. Things like smartphones and social media can really provide you with endless solutions to business challenges. Pay a little extra for a great smartphone with an accompanying plan that keeps you at the forefront of your business enterprise. You stay in touch and and on top of things before they might get out of hand. Use social media technology as an extension of your professional personality; you can reach out to the masses continuously if you prep a great profile and update it frequently. Social media allows you to check back with customers at a time convenient for you, and can avoid them constantly interrupting your flow of progress.
5. Schedule some me time. No matter how limited, there must be time in your day for yourself. Being a mom is already a full-time job, and now you are more pressed for time than ever, but you cannot burn the candle at both ends forever. If your priorities are set, your office a well-oiled business machine and people respect the boundaries you have set forth, then you should have some time, somewhere in your schedule for yourself. Enjoy a soothing cup of tea or foamy latte on the back porch, or spend a moment with Mozart at the end of every business day. This time will refuel and re-energize you, to work another day.
Balancing your home business amidst all of your other mom and spousal demands is tough work, but well worth it if a home business would be a dream come true for you! Sit down with pen and paper, and play with the above tips until you have determined the best and brightest ways to become the proud owner and operator of your own home business, while still being the great mom that you are!