Tips for Running a Business as a Mom
Tips for Running a Business as a Mom
My intention for you today is that you walk away with some cool strategies and tips that you can use, but also that you know it is possible to not only grow a business, but to successfully run a business as a mom, especially if you have young children. I'm going to give you my tips so that you can show up as a woman, as a business owner, and still have time for your little family.
Before I dive into those tips, I want to tell you about a really cool upcoming masterclass I'm hosting on five simple steps to creating authentic brand that allows you to grow your community with ease and leads to more clients. You can sign up here: brandmerry.com/authenticbrand
A little backstory before we dive into these tips because I think it's really important that if you are a mom, you are watching this, and you know that I get you, that I'm not just coming in and sharing these tips, and I don't actually know what it's like to be a mom, because even though my son's not running around right now, he is very much a piece of my brand and my business. I actually decided to create an online business just one month after my son was born. I spent the next six months trying to figure out what that looked like.
I would wake up early and work before my 9:00 to 5:00. I would brainstorm ideas in the middle of the night during a feeding. I would work a little bit late after driving home in traffic. I really just dove into my business as a way for me to leave my 9:00 to 5:00 so I could create a life of freedom that allowed me to be home with my son.
I've been there, I've done it, and in just one year of creating my business, I actually created a six-figure business, and it's continuing to grow. The entire time that I'm doing it, I'm able to be there with my son, to work alongside my side and have the beautiful freedom that I've always wanted as a mom, so I get it. It wasn't always easy-breezy. There were some hard times, and I'm excited to share with you my top tips today.
1. Scheduling your time
Now, I know this might seem like something you hear all the time. I totally get it, but it's so important. When you're running a business, it's really easy, we're creating a business from home, it's really easy for you to put it on the back burner, for you to say, "Oh, I'm not going to do that because I need to do laundry," or, "I need to clean the kitchen," or, "I need to do X, Y, and Z," but I want you to really get in the habit of creating your business even if you're in the beginning stages and just researching ideas, valuing that time and giving that time the scheduled time it deserves. Whether that's an hour a day or four hours a day, really saying, "Between this chunk and this chunk, I'm dedicated to my business."
Now, I will give you a complete disclaimer that I have worked alongside my son since day one, so I also know that sometimes you have to stand up and go grab a snack or a kid climbs on your lap. I totally get it, but if I set my intention that during that time that's when I'm working on my business, my son has actually learned that. My son says, "Mommy's working," and that's great. That's amazing. We're still in the same room together, but he knows, hey, I'm going to play with my train tracks while mom is writing an email. It's really great to set those boundaries early on, not only with yourself, but with your family.
2. Be Present and Compassionate with Yourself
I always recommend this, when you aren't working on your business that you are present with your family. I'll be 100% transparent with you. This was hard in the beginning because my business was like a second baby to me, so I really had to be aware that when I wasn't, during my scheduled time with my business, my phone was away and I was present with my family. That helps a ton when it comes to those times when you might feel a little guilty, I totally get it, and just knowing that you are giving so much love.
Also, being compassionate with yourself and knowing that you are a woman, that you have many passions, you have many loves. Being a mother is one of those pieces, but you also want to create a thriving business. Compassion with yourself and knowing that, "I'm working on my business now, and I'll be with my child in just a little bit," or, "I'm going to be very present with my son or my child now, and I'll be able to work on my business tomorrow." Really honoring yourself, honoring your desires, and knowing that you can do and have it all.
3. Bulk Scheduling
Number one, we talked about scheduling your time, really carving out chunks of time for you to work on your business. Number three is my favorite thing to do. It has saved me time and time again in my business, and it is bulk-scheduling. If you're an online entrepreneur, 9 times out of 10, you're probably showing up in social media, maybe emailing your list, making YouTube videos like this, and it's really awesome and helpful for you if you can carve out a chunk of time, maybe kid-free if that's available to you, to get all of those done in one setting.
For instance, today, I recorded four YouTube videos back to back while my husband plays with my son in another room, and I'm good for two freaking months. It's really, really amazing. Any way you can bulk-schedule your content, whether that's bulk-writing emails, blog posts, writing and scheduling your social media posts, recording YouTube videos, anything that you can do in big chunks of time will free you up to spend wonderful time with your family and honor yourself as the woman and mother that you are.
4. Include Your Family in your Business and Brand
I did this really early on, and I'm so thankful for it. While I know it's not an option for everybody watching, it has been really powerful for me, and so I want to share with you how I've done that.
For instance, when I started my business, live video was so stressful because I had a new baby, and I couldn't go live in the middle of the day if he was crying, or so I thought. One day, I got the idea to put him in his little carrier and just set up my tripod and do my live video. It has been one of my favorite live videos to date. I even saw many clients who said, "I saw you with a baby on your back and knew it was possible."
In that moment, I knew, me showing up authentically, me showing up as a mom, including my son in a live video, whether he's on my back or on my lap, having him in my branded photos, talking about him openly in my brand really allowed me to make a deeper connection with the women that I wanted to work with and remove the stressor of trying to come off as this perfect person which never happens, kid or not.
That's a really great tip I have for all of you. Any way that you can, and at the comfort level that you feel comfortable with, include your family, your children in your branding process. It not only makes you more real in the online space, but also makes you more relatable.
I totally get it. You're a mom. You're a mom who's running a business, and sometimes, it can be really crazy and a little bit hectic, and know that you are so not alone. In fact, my private community Authentic Brand Builders, we have tons of moms who are running businesses, and we're often talking about what that looks like. I think it's really important to be compassionate with yourself, to make your business a priority, and know that you are really doing and running your business so that you can be the best woman and mom to your children.
You can watch the whole video for a more in-depth version of this and several bonus tips below!
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Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>
