Top 5 Survival Tips for Mums with a Business.
My Top 5 Survival Tips for Mums working a start up and raising the kids.
For those of you who don't know me, I ran a swimwear business called Rashoodz for 10 years. I created it from home basically whilst breastfeeding and sitting in the playroom with toddlers and babies crawling all over me. At times, I would think to myself, what the heck am I doing!!! But at other times, I would think, this is great, this gives me something to do whilst being home with the kids. It wasn't easy but a few things I learnt as I went I'd love to share with you.
1. Be Mobile.
I know in this day and age, be mobile is basically everyone. But as a Mum staying home with the little ones, you need to be EXTRA mobile. This means get everything on your phone. I pretty much had a laptop for a while but it was just easier to do everything from my phone. When looking at suitable programs for accounting, graphic design, content, marketing and planning: if it didn't come with a suitable app on my phone, I would keep looking til I found one.
2. Use the time that you find.
Planning is a wonderful thing for those of us who have 5 hours kid free. But in the world of stay at home Mums, there is no such thing as telling your 2 year old if they could just wait 10 mins while you finish your latest blog. Things with kids are never timed perfectly so you need to plan for using the time that you find you are gifted during the day where everyone is happily playing or sleeping or eating. So grab your phone and respond to those 5 emails in your inbox while your bub is happy chewing on Sophie the giraffe. Or jump in and create a quick quote to share later on your graphic ap, while waiting in the waiting room at the doctors surgery. Squeeze every spare second you can get to do micro tasks done. You'll be surprised how many things actually get done by the end of the day.
3. Banish Mum guilt to time out.
You will always feel guilty! Wether you are a stay at home mum, full time mum, part time at home mum or any mum for that matter. You will always think you are not doing enough. If you schedule time in your day to give your full attention to your children this will help. But you need to understand if you are starting a business because you are starting to go crazy out of your mind and need to do this, you are in fact making sure you stay sane and in turn keeping the household sane. My girls learnt a lot about business and work ethic from watching and learning with me. I learnt a lot from watching my Mum too. So banish the Mum guilt, you are helping your children in many ways by creating and working on your business.
4. Automation is your best friend
Automation is all about setting up systems that will save you time. This means auto responses to Frequently asked questions. It means setting up sales email funnels, that will channel your customers. It means thinking about the tasks you do DAY in and DAY out that are repetitive and simple and finding ways to get this done automatically. Scheduling social media, email marketing and accounting automation will give you more time to work on your business instead of in it. Or it will give you more time to chase your little one around the kitchen bench trying to get the dogs chew toy from their clutches.
5. There are no rules
There are no rules in the world of working from home whilst raising the kids. So you just make whatever works for you. Try you hardest to look at your day, and look at what needs to be done and figure out how to fit it in. It isn't a race. You don't have to be an overnight success, and lets face it no one ever is. With kids at home you might have to slow your pace compared to other start ups, but it doesn't matter you run your own race and enjoy your kids and the pace.