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Who doesn’t want to be successful? Whether you have massive dreams about starting a huge and successful business of your own in the future, or whether you want to work from home as a ‘mompreneur’, the good news is that starting your own company today is easier than ever before. Maybe you’re planning to sell handmade goods, share your advice, tips and things that you’ve learned with others on a blog, advertise on behalf of some of your favorite companies, offer a service, or even come up with product ideas of your own. No matter what you’re skilled in – whether it’s web design, video creation, hairdressing, makeup, art, or even cooking – there’s a market out there for creating a successful business of your own if you put your mind to it.
And, the best part is that no two businesspeople are the same when it comes to how they ended up on their journey and reached their ultimate goals. What you end up doing to reach your business goals will depend on a number of factors, and there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to go about it – you could decide to study towards a business-related qualification, or maybe learning as you go along is going to be the best option for you. Either way, navigating the ‘getting started’ stage can often be one of the trickiest things to do, so we’ve put together some top tips from successful ‘mompreneurs’ that you might enjoy.
#1. Improve Your Knowledge:
If you don’t know the last thing about starting your own business, then you might want to consider investing some of your time and energy now into doing so. This will ensure that you personally have the foundation that you need to create, build and grow a successful company and are at a lower risk of getting caught out by trial and error and simple mistakes along the way. If you’re juggling working with looking after your family at the moment, an online business degree can be one of the best ways to boost your business knowledge and skills without having to take on any other large commitments that you’ll need to leave the house for. Yes, you’ll need to find some time to study online, but you can easily do it from home when the kids are in bed.
Even if you already have any business knowledge or experience, it’s a wise idea to build even further on this. If you are interested in learning more before you get started to put yourself in with the best chance of success, then you may want to consider these MBA programs in Michigan, which will give you a great opportunity to learn more about every facet of business. In fact, MBA graduates are so high in demand around the world that even if you change your mind about running your own business in the future, you should have absolutely no problem walking into a lucrative career.
#2. Get to Know Yourself:
Starting your own business as a mom is no easy task – and that’s why it’s so important that anybody looking to go down this journey should take some time to really get to know themselves. Ask yourself some important questions, and be honest with yourself – why do you want to do this? What is your ultimate goal for yourself and your business? Can you realistically manage to start and successfully run your own business on top of everything else you’re committed to? Can you get help, and where from? What do you need to work on first? What are you good at? What aren’t you so good at?
Being honest with yourself when it comes to the answers to all these questions will be the foundation that you need to put together a strong plan for both preparing yourself for the journey ahead, and getting your business started. Knowing yourself well will help you determine what kind of business you should start, what help you will need to ask for and who from, and what you’ll need to personally work on before you get started – whether that’s improving your knowledge, or practicing better soft skills like time management.
#3. Choose Something You’re Passionate About:
There’s a reason why many moms with businesses have chosen to start a business that heavily involves their kids – what are you more passionate about than your own children? Starting and running a successful business involves a lot of hard work and dedication, and it’s always easier to give a lot if you’re truly passionate about and enjoying what you are doing. So, if you know that you want to start a business but aren’t sure where to start or what kind of business to choose, sit down and think about all the things that you’re passionate about.
For example, what are your hobbies? If you love keeping fit, then a business in the fitness niche could be a great option for you, whether you’re putting together diet plans for other busy moms who want to get healthier, offering personal training sessions in your area or even designing fitness clothing for people like yourself. Or maybe you are into art – you could start a business offering art lessons, start an online art gallery, sell your own paintings or even take commissions from customers. It doesn’t matter what it is – for any passion that you have, there’s probably going to be an opportunity to start a business somewhere.
#4. Plan Ahead:
Having a solid plan is absolutely crucial for anyone who wants to be successful in business, but even more so if you are a busy mom who’s juggling school runs and everything else. Not only should you sit down to put together a well-thought-out business plan, detailing your short- and long-term plans for your company, goals, objectives, and strategies, but also come up with a plan for the day-to-day for yourself as well.
Having a regular timetable that you can stick to which allows you to fit caring for your family and building your business nicely together will make it easier for you to get everything done and help you avoid becoming too overwhelmed or stressed out. Take some time to sit down and think about everything that you have to do on a regular day or week, and figure out where you have some time that could be spared for working on your business. Everyone’s routine is different, and it doesn’t really matter when the best time for you is – whether it’s first thing in the morning after the kids have gone to bed in the evening, or during your lunch break.
#5. Schedule Time for Yourself, Too:
Starting your own business is no easy feat – and when you’re balancing it all delicately with the demands of being a mom and making sure that your children are getting the best start in life, then it can be easy for everything to start getting on top of you and overwhelming you. So, be sure to put yourself first at times – many moms get so used to having to be there for everybody else that they forget that looking after themselves is just as important, if not even more so! Regular me time will ensure that you are at the top of your game, not only for your business but also for your family.
You don’t have to do anything extravagant – although a child-free weekend vacation with your friends is a great idea every once in a while – do schedule a little bit of time each week to do something just for yourself. Meet up with a friend that you’ve not seen for a while for a coffee, plan a date night with your partner, book yourself in for a massage, a facial, or a mani-pedi or go and get a new cut and color for your hair. Remember that looking after yourself will make you feel good, and it’s not always about how much money you’re spending on yourself – if relaxing in a lavender oil bath or curling up in your duvet with fluffy socks on to watch a rom-com makes you happy and relaxed, then take some time to do that. Remember that having a break is just as important as working hard – and when you do return to your mom duties and your business responsibilities, you’ll feel so much better for it.
#6. Spend Time with Family:
For many moms who start their own businesses, it can sometimes become difficult to spend all the time that they would like to with their kids. Of course, you don’t want to miss out on anything, but there simply isn’t enough time in the day. So, that’s why it’s important for both you and your kids that you are able to spend some quality, uninterrupted time together without the pressures of your business or anything else to worry about. Maybe take a few hours on the weekends to do something together as a family – have a family movie night, go to the park, or play games together – you’ll appreciate the time away from your business and your children will grow up happy and healthy when they’re spending regular quality time with mom.
The last thing that you want is for your work to take over the most important thing in your life – your kids. While you may be working on your business for your kids, remember that the main thing they want from you is your presence – how much money you can make or what you’re able to buy for them won’t matter if you’re not around.
#7. Build Your Support Network:
It’s perfectly okay to admit that you’re going to need a lot of support if you’re a busy mom trying to juggle raising your family, studying, working, and building your business – it’s certainly a lot of work to take on. So, don’t just concern yourself with building a network of contacts who can help you when it comes to improving your business and meeting your professional goals; build a support network of family and friends that you can turn to for practical or emotional help, too.
Sometimes, talking to somebody is all that you need to put things in a different perspective – seeing your situation through fresh eyes can be very useful for deciding what you need to do next to make things work. So, don’t ignore your friends and family; they are there to help you and they want you to do well. If you need to call your mom or your best friend to vent about your situation and ask for advice, then you should do! If you have friends or relatives who’ve offered to help by taking the kids for a while when you need to focus on working, take them up on their offer.
#8. Reward Yourself:
Finally, it can be all too easy to focus on the negatives and be too hard on yourself when things don’t quite go to plan, but remember that everything you go through will be a learning curve. It can be a good idea to keep a diary that you can use to reflect on everything that you have done so far and remind yourself of how far you have come when you’re in need of some motivation.
And, when you do something well, don’t focus on how it could have been done better – just be happy that you have achieved what you set out to. Often, it can be so easy to get caught up in what could have been improved that we forget to be proud of ourselves for actually putting all that hard work in and achieving something. Practice positive affirmations on a daily basis and make sure that you are giving yourself praise where it’s due – and accepting it from others – rather than getting overwhelmed with the small details.
Starting your own business can be a great way for moms to make money, but it’s not always an easy ride. Keep these tips in mind and remember that you can do it!
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- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
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- Yummly
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- Skype
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