As parents look for ways to make staying at home with the kids a viable option, more Mum entrepreneurs are starting their own small business. Juggling childcare and work is made easier when running your own business, in that you are only accountable to yourself and not your boss. Running a business from home has plenty of advantages, but it's not always smooth sailing. We've put together a collection of tips to specifically help Mum entrepreneurs with jugging business and family commitments.
Mum Entrepreneurs - Here Are 8 Tips to Make Your Life Easier
Forget the overwhelem and frustration of running a business from home while being a Mum! We've made a list of the top eight ways you can make being a Mum entrepreur really work for you and your family!
- Set yourself working hours - working from home gives you the flexibility a 9-5 office job never could. While it's hard to state the specific hours you will work on your business, you can give yourself flexible guidelines. These may be when the kids are sleeping, at night, when your partner is home or when the kids are at daycare.
- Network with other Mums in business - working from home can be incredibly isolating. Having the support of likeminded Mums who really get what you're going through is vital! We run a great online business networking group, plus also give you a free business listing in our NZ business directory to help customers find you.
- Delegate where you can - as much as you want to do it all, it's not going to be possible. Find things to delegate to others where you can. This could be hiring a local teenager to mow your lawns or having your groceries delivered to your home.
- Have a marketing plan - just like a business plan, a marketing plan gives you the direction about where you're heading and how to do it. You need a marketing plan in order to know how to promote your business. You then analyse your marketing efforts based upon their results, adjusting your plan as you go.
- Price wisely - there's always going to be pressure on you to lower your prices. In fact, you're probably tempted to do so to make more sales. The problem is though, a cheap product doesn't necessarily do your business any good. When factoring your final selling cost, include both the materials and your time into it.
- Build a support system - surround yourself with supportive individuals who back what you're doing 100%. Ignore those who treat your business as a hobby - you don't need that kind of negativity!
- Write a business plan - even the smallest and newest business needs a plan of where it's going and how it's going to get there! The Ministry of Business and Innovation has some wonderful free business plan templates you can use.
- Book in Me Time - starting up a business working from home can take its toll on both you and your family. Schedule time away from your business where you can relax, take a breather and enjoy the reasons why you became a Mum entrepreneur in the first place!
If you're starting up your own business, the best way to do this is to get everything correct at the very beginning. Take a read of our article How to Start a Business Working from Home as it contains the most important steps you'll need to do first.