The Reality of Online Business and Being a Mom
In this industry, I’ve worked with more moms than I could count! Why is that? Owning a business online, working from home, making your own hours… (I’m sure as a mom myself, I attract moms for clients too). The flexibility you get from owning an online business is nearly unmatchable.
While that all sounds amazing, the reality is much more complicated.
Your online business is an additional responsibility to what you currently do for your household. For a lot of women that means working late nights, during naps, while they’re in school, or even multitasking all day long while trying to meet the needs of their kids.
It’s HARD.
The reality of working from home while trying to maintain your household will look different for everyone based on your schedule, your kids’ schedule, school, activities, your support system, etc.
To give you a little insight into what this could look like, here is an example of what a typical Monday looks like for me and my family.
7:00 am I wake up and cook breakfast
8:00 am Take my 4-year-old to his full-day preschool
9:00 am Take my 3-year-old to occupational therapy
10:00 am Go home, do housework, play with my 3-year-old, have lunch, etc.
12:00pm Take my 3-year-old to her half-day preschool
12:15-2:30 pm I work at a local coffee shop before I pick up my 3-year-old and go home.
2:30-4:00 pm I work at home with my 3-year-old.
4:00 pm Pick up my 4-year-old from school.
5:00-8:00 pm Is all for cooking dinner and family time before putting the kids to bed
9:00-10:00 pm Is reserved for self-care and things that bring me joy, but sometimes work does leak in there.
Phew. That’s just Monday.
My kids do not go to preschool every day. We have a couple of different activities scheduled throughout the week like occupational therapy and speech therapy, then add camping trips and swim lessons in the summertime…
So how do I, and all the other moms out there do this day after day?
While I can’t answer that for every hard-working entrepreneurial momma, I can share my experience over the years and what I’ve found works best for finding a balance between motherhood and entrepreneurship.
Use a personal and a work calendar
I cannot explain enough that you need BOTH a personal calendar and a work calendar that should be connected to each other. This can easily be done with Google calendar.
Use it daily and create a habit of checking your calendar before saying yes to anything. Another good practice is to put events in your calendar the second you know you need to do something.
If color coding is your thing, this is your time to shine. Example: I use green for anything that is virtual, and blue for anything that is in person.
There is something very satisfying about a beautifully functional calendar system. You’ll thank me once you are trying to juggle client calls, grocery pick-ups, doctor appointments, sports, and everything else.
PRO TIP: Create a master calendar that syncs all of your calendars together, then hook up your master calendar to your automated scheduler. This way people can’t schedule calls during your kids’ soccer practice!
Have quality time with your kids
If you don’t have a big support system and find yourself working while your kids are home, it is vital for you to have filled your kids’ “attention bucket” in order for you to get quality work done without the mom guilt.
It will break your heart to say “Sorry mommy can’t play now, I’m working”. But you can set yourself up for success by making sure their needs and wants are fully met before you sit down to work.
By having quality 1:1 time with your kid(s), you know that you are leaving them on their solo mission with the tools to not be like “mom, mom, mommy, mama” while you are trying to be productive.
PRO TIP: Set a timer, take 15 minutes with each of your children and do exactly what THEY want to do for that time. Do this as many times a day as you see your kids need it. You can spare 15 minutes of your time 😉
Get your kids involved in your business
Talk to your kids, explain what you are doing and how you serve your clients. As they get older, get them more involved and spark their creativity with entrepreneurship. Show them that your business is your passion and help them discover their passion.
Toddlers can color or “take notes” during your meeting, school-age kids can make a product to sell, and teenagers can do social media marketing strategy research.
The possibilities are endless!
On days when I have to get a lot of work done, I’ll give my kids age-appropriate tasks to keep them busy while I work. I even call them my little interns and introduce them to my clients. By letting my kids know I’m working with real people, they are more likely to respect my time.
PRO TIP: If you want your kids to respect your time while you work, respect their time in return by making the most of every moment you have with them.
Being a mom is often referred to as the hardest job out there, our kids are the future and we always want to do what’s best for them. Operating your own business while being a mom is not an easy task, but you are the best person for the job!
You got this mama 💪
A business audit Impact Day is a great way to see where your business is at, if you have any energy leaks, what should be delegated or where you need to be spending your time at.
