Tips for mompreneurs will help you succeed in your venture. As a mompreneur you face more than the usual challenges any entrepreneur faces in making a go of a great business idea. All entrepreneurs need to have drive and focus and crucially, time. Moms also have to balance looking after the kids and running a busy home – and we all know how much time that eats up. Setting up and running a business is no picnic for anyone, but you stand a better chance of success with these tips for mompreneurs.
One of the best tips for mompreneurs is to simply love what you do. In the beginning, you will have to pull long hours for little return. If you can’t stand what you’re doing, you’ll only grow more miserable over time. You should be happy with what you do. Avoid trying to make the big bucks off of the latest trends. Think long-term. Ask yourself, “Is this what I really want to be doing for the next few years?” Are you passionate about this?
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a workplace. At home, there are endless distractions. Pick a space and make a home office. This shouldn’t have a TV or anything else that could distract you. It should be just like a workplace. Among the best business advice for mompreneurs is to treat your venture like a business. Don’t play around. You need a home office space to help you maintain your discipline, because there will be days where you don’t feel like working. Those home distractions will become irresistible but you have to overcome them. If you had a regular job, you would have to attend!
Let’s not forget you’re a mom. We always see tips for entrepreneurs focusing on time management. You have a bigger task. You have to map your day around your children. Schedule your time and stick to it to maximize your efficiency. Tackle the more complex tasks at a time where you won’t be under pressure. For example, don’t schedule a difficult task only an hour before rushing out to pick the kids up from school. Time yourself and be strict with yourself. Every lost minute is a potential lost dollar.
Anyone working in business understands you can’t always stick to your schedule. Things happen. And these things tend to happen more often when you’re a mom. Your kids might be sick, you might be sick, or you might have to attend a school event. This is no excuse for giving up. Get into the habit of rescheduling things. Remember, most tasks can be rescheduled for another time. It might mean the occasional all-nighter, but if you want to be successful, these are the things you have to endure.
If successful moms could go back and come up with tips for mompreneurs, they would say always make goals for yourself. They have to be specific and have a reasonable timescale. Making money is not a goal, it’s a want. On the other hand, making X amount of dollars this year is a goal. Set goals and set objectives on the way to that goal. Humans like logic. They want to map their progress when they’re feeling down. Creating goals is the key to staying focused.
The best business advice for mompreneurs is to fix problems now. As your own boss, the buck stops with you. Don’t go to bed with problems weighing you down. They won’t go away and you’ll struggle to relax. It doesn’t take any time at all to send a vital email or make a quick phone call. If you have to wait until after dinner, wait until after dinner. Don’t finish the working day until all available problems have been addressed to the best of your ability. Stay up an extra hour after your normal finishing time and solve the problems. You’ll feel better about it in the long-term.
Keep networking with other moms like you. All guides with tips for entrepreneurs extol the benefits of business networks. You may make new friends, form trade relationships, and even create partnerships to stave off competition. It’s all about giving back to the community, as well. Mentor other moms and form friendships that are so often lacking in the cutthroat business world.
Don’t let being a mum put you off being an entrepreneur. There are some super success stories to inspire you and just because you’ve got familial responsibilities, it doesn’t mean they are an immovable obstacle. Tips and advice for mompreneurs will help you work around those obstacles. I’d love to hear of some of the experiences of mompreneurs in our readership. Who has a story to tell or advice to share?