I've been in the
corporate world for nearly 10
years. I recently lost my job
and am now planning on using
this pretty permanent
"lay-off" as an opportunity to
turn my obsession with
designing, sewing pillows and
other home dec items into a
business. I have tons of ideas
and I just purchased your Home
Study System which I am have
just started. But my biggest
problem is working around my 2
kids. Now that I'm a
WAHM or
Mompreneur do you
have any words of wisdom or
tips for how I'll ever get
anything done with a busy
toddler and a 1st grader? Kim
A. Plano, Texas
Dear Kim,
First of all,
congratulations on turning
lemons into lemonade.
I personally think there is no
time like the present for
starting your own business.
With corporate America cutting
jobs it's time for
entrepreneurs to come out of
the woodwork and show their
stuff.
I can only speak from the
experience I had in managing
my family life while starting
my company from home. When I
launched my first business
over 20 years ago, the
internet was barely existent
and certainly not what it is
today. I think there was no
such word as "mompreneur" and
I had no idea what a WAHM
(work at home Mom) was. Though
some of my friends worked
outside the home most of them
had given up their careers to
raise children (at least for
the short term). Most people,
including my friends and
extended family, did not in my
opinion, take my business
seriously or respect that I
was creating my empire.
Currently you can find
many forums, blogs and
information on the internet
about Mompreneurs and
WAHMs. There is a
great support system out there
where you can find tips. I
will list a few of my
favorites at the end of this
article.
Here are my quick tips
for what helped me to move my
business forward while still
being a great Mom, great wife,
and the glue that keep our
family going during the time
when my husband was terminally
ill and after his death.
1.
Create your own space for
working - Even if it
is tiny corner or table - make
it your own. My husband built
a table for me in our
basement. It was really long
and very high. I had to sit on
a bar stool chair to work -
and the kids could not reach
it, at least for a few years.
2. Keep a Schedule.
I'm a creative person so I
love spontaneity and
flexibility. But kids in bed
at a decent hour, nap times,
dinner time within a range and
other activities planned out
allows you to carve out
working times.
3. Make the most of
your working time with as few
distractions as
humanly possible - no TV in
the background, no surfing the
internet without intent... you
get the idea here.
4. Hire a VA (virtual
assistant) to do
administrative work at the
very least. If you're
resistant to this idea please
read Tim Ferriss's book,
The Four Hour Work
Week and you'll get
why you must delegate certain
activities if you're ever
going to get the important
things done. A VA can get more
done quickly than you can and
do things you don't like to do
which means you can work on
the crux of your business.
Words of wisdom from my
husband John, "Do what only
you can do and delegate the
rest."
5. Build systems for
EVERYTHING you do.
Systems will give you freedom,
save your life, your marriage
and your children. I almost
always have my students read
the classic book by Michael
Gerber, The E-Myth.
Check out information below
about my friend Beth Schneider
who is the ultimate systems
person having formerly worked
with Michael Gerber.
6. Get a virtual PBX
phone system so your
own home phone or cell phone
will announce a business call.
Makes you sound like a bigger
company and screens calls for
you.
7. Plan your weekly
menu in advance and shop
accordingly. I
personally love to cook and
I'm good at it. But when I'm
cooking at the last minute
trying to decide at 6:30 what
we're going to have
for
dinner, it just doesn't work
well. A Menu Plan will save
you time & money and have your
family eating healthy food
which is good for everyone.
And one more thing:
Eat together at the table as a
family! It keeps
everyone connected and happy.
My son Chris wrote an essay
entitled "Everything I Know I
Learned At the Dining Room
Table".
8. Get a copy of
Side-Tracked Home Executive
by Pam Young & Peggy Jones. I
love my mother dearly, but
organization is not her forte,
so this little book (now very
shop-worn) was the start-up
for me developing systematized
processes. The "SLOB" sisters
are still around, and
www.flylady.net is a
reincarnation of their their
original ideas.
9. Set goals for your
business: weekly,
quarterly. yearly. I'm in
the habit of writing a time
frame next to each component
part of my goals and I measure
it in terms of time I
anticipate for each. It might
be 15 minutes or 3 days. No
matter, it gives me a good
idea of how to plan each task
and chunk it down into bite
sized pieces.
10. Dress like you're
going to work. I
know, I know...you're home
with kids. But honestly you'll
work better when you dress
better because you feel
better.
Here are a few of my favorite
resources:
Carrie Wilkerson,
"the Barefoot Executive"
an incredible Mom with 4
children and a successful home
business has a free download:
Finding Your WHY
I hope these tips help you in
your new exciting venture -
you're going to love it!
Love and Success,
