Managing a small business when you have kids at home comes with a unique set of challenges. What if your spouse and you are running separate businesses? And you are having not one but more than one small kid at home?
Running a small business is rewarding and gives you flexibility and a purpose that is quite different from what you get from the typical 9 to 5 office job. It is just not for the faint of heart, not even close. But if you feel like it, there is nothing else in the world that compares.
Being a mompreneur is difficult. While you are passionate about your work and enjoy the additional freedom, you carry a lot of weight on your shoulders as well since there is always so much to do. Business owners or entrepreneurs often tussle with time management and prioritization. Throwing kids into the mix makes it even more of a challenge. Some mothers feel guilty about always being strapped to their business and find it extremely hard to prioritize.
Does that mean you cannot become a mompreneur or you won’t be as prosperous if you have kids at home? No, absolutely not. It comes down to having the exact schedule and being able to chart out your time efficiently. Here are a few smart things you can do to better manage your time as a mompreneur or business owner with kids.
Get on a Schedule
A schedule is key if you are running a business and want to balance it with your personal life and family. Knowing what you are going to do when you get up each day is important so that you shouldn’t waste your time and energy. You should chalk things out in your calendar so you have realistic expectations for the entire day.
Establishing a routine can make your day predictable, but it can also get you to do a lot. Planning the day also helps you know when you have time to spend with your family and unplug. It is exhausting when you do not have a specific and clear schedule to follow.
Put the Kids on a Schedule
After sketching your work schedule, you should also give your kids a schedule to make sure their days are busy and organized. Children respond extremely well to structure and educational institutions help with that, but when school is out or the children are under school age, things get pretty hectic.
What helps keep things afloat is chalking out a specific schedule for both kids and parents. Putting kids on a schedule will allow you to knock out some work-related tasks while they are being entertained and busy, allowing both parents and kids to spend time with one another later in the day.
Maintain Some Flexibility
When creating the daily schedule, it’s necessary to have some flexibility as anything can happen to modify the course of things. If you wake up and find out that your child is sick, obviously being a parent, you will not be able to complete everything in your daily schedule and they will have to adapt.
Being one’s own boss gives one the freedom to do this. You can create schedules around your kids and schedule downtime the entire day in case you need them unexpectedly.
How to Run a Small Business Being a Mother Share on X
Slow Down and Be Present
When you are juggling a business along with parenting, it is easy to want to rush through each and everything, but you may feel totally drained at the end of the day. Hence, you should make it a habit of slowing down and focusing on everything you are doing so that you can be completely present and aware. When it’s family time, you should disconnect fully and pay attention to having meaningful conversations as well as creating memories.
You might not have all the time in the world when it comes to spending time with your kids, but it is always about quality over quantity. Whatever you do, you should give your 100% on it so that you won’t feel guilty, be it business or parenting.
The Bottom Line
Being a parent is awesome as well as being a mompreneur, and being both at the same time is more than you have ever dreamt of. We hope these above-mentioned ideas and tips will help you when it comes to balancing business and motherhood.
For more such amazing ideas on being a successful mompreneur in Canada, do not forget to subscribe to our monthly CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.
