How Busy Mums Can Start a Business
With a house full of children, it can seem as if there’s no room in our lives for anything else. But for many of us, even though our hearts are full from being a mum, there’s still something missing. Especially if you were working outside the home before having children, the pull toward having something “for ourselves,” something that is outside of our roles as wives and mums, is so strong we can’t help but feel compelled to want to do something else. That’s where a home-based business can come in. How can a mum who is already swamped start a business? Read on to find out.
The first thing to do is to prepare yourself and your family for the changes that are to come. If you want to be treated like a business owner, it’s important to act like one and set some boundaries with your family. If your children are old enough, explain to them that mum’s work time is her work time, and that your work space is your space, not to be invaded by toys and other flotsam and jetsam of family life. This can be a challenge at first, as everyone adjusts to your new role, but soon it will become a new normal.
Being organised is essential for every mum wanting to have a successful home-based business. This isn’t going to be easy, especially at first, but it can be done. All it takes is a little planning. Set aside some time each week to plan for the coming week.
Small business expert Shaun McGowan from Lend.com.au advises, “Invest in a planner calendar, so you can keep track of your family obligations and your work tasks all in one place. In this way, you’ll be able to plan your work hours around your family’s needs, and vice versa. For example, if you have a big deadline coming up, you can schedule your family’s dental appointments around that. Or, if you know your daughter is performing in the school play on a certain day, you will know not to schedule a business trip during that time. Balancing your work and home life under one roof takes a bit of practice but being organised will help tremendously”.
If you’re the primary chef in your house, you may already know about the importance of having a meal plan. When you plan your family meals at week at a time, you can create a master grocery list for the entire week, shop once, and know that you have everything you need to prepare all the meals for the week in the house. This saves a lot of time as compared to shopping multiple times per week or going through the drive-thru when you run out of time or energy to shop for your family’s meals. As an additional time saver, save your weekly menu plans and grocery lists on your computer so you can reuse them. Don’t reinvent the wheel each week!
While you are in scheduling mode, don’t forget to pencil in a rough outline of your work obligations for the week so you have a general overview of what your week will look like as a whole, both in terms of your business and in your family and personal life. Schedule in some dedicated family time, too, because it’s so important to let the ones you love know that they are still the most important thing in your life, even though your time is now split between them and your job. Finally, don’t forget to schedule some time every week for yourself! Even an hour per week to rest, recharge, or do something that is just for you.
Finally, it’s important to know your limitations. This is in terms of not overworking yourself to the point of exhaustion, but it also refers to knowing when to ask for help. If you are feeling overwhelmed by trying to do it all, ask for help. Delegate. Lean on your family members to do more so that you can flourish. Running a home-based business is a family affair. You may be the one doing the actual work of the business, but each member of your family also has to do their part to help the business and the house run smoothly. Don’t try to be a hero and do it all yourself; you will burn yourself out. Knowing how and when to ask for help is just as important as knowing what you can handle yourself.
Article from S Hawk
