A lot of people tend to become self-employed when they’ve had children, it is believed that it is easier to work from home and take care of the children at the same time. The reality is being self-employed, and owning a small business can take a lot more work and energy as well as time. So here are some ideas that will help you save time, money, and energy when being self-employed as a parent. Tapping into your resources, and creating an excellent routine for yourself, will ultimately benefit your whole family. This, in turn, makes sure that your business is thriving, as well.
Challenges
Depending on where you are in your parenting journey, it can make a big difference to the types of problems you face. If you have a new baby and you are just setting up a new business, already have a business in place, you will find there are challenges such as sleep deprivation, and lack of time. The lack of time and energy that you may feel with having a new baby is really going to make you think about how you run your business. If you’re at the point where you’re able to outsource and share the load with others, then this will be the time that you should do that. If, however, your children are a little bit older, you may find that their activities are eating to time that you need to spend working. Getting the balance right can seem a little bit difficult to start with. But the benefits do outweigh the negatives, and being able to work from home and be able to take the children to their activities in the first place, is a blessing. Of course, when you work for yourself and the business relies solely on you to get it right, there is a huge responsibility involved.
But obviously the children must always come first, and their responsibility to them will feel much more critical once they arrive. Your children may even be the inspiration for your small business. You want the best for them, and if you have an idea, a dream, or experience in a particular field, then trying to make this a successful business is a good challenge. It’s also something that many people aspire to do, but only if you actually take it that step further, and are brave enough to try. Other challenges being a self-employed business owner, who has children, are the holidays, and events. Sometimes you may need to be away from home, to go to tradeshows, or hold stalls that will promote your business, and this can be a little bit difficult to deal with. Especially if one of the big reasons for becoming self-employed is to be around for your children more. But all of these things can be quite easily overcome, and many people before you have tried and tested ways of keeping the balance right. Being a parent and a business owner isn’t for the faint-hearted, but those of us that do take it on must do so with our eyes open.
Outsource
Been able to prioritize your work can be one of the most significant steps to become a successful business owner. If your business isn’t working for you and isn’t running smoothly, then some things need to be done to improve the situation. Outsourcing a lot of the day-to-day tasks that you aren’t explicitly required to do, such as accountancy, and maintenance of tools will help you free up time and enable you to work hard in the areas that you need to. Even just freeing up a couple of hours a month will help you get one step ahead when you need to. A lot of people choose to hire a cleaner for household chores So that you can focus more on parenting and your business. It isn’t easy to dedicate your work when the success of the company is on your head, but accepting help when needed is also an essential step in business. The great thing is you’re in control of who and when you take this help, so you have a large amount of input into how that is managed.
Self-care
Many people report that when they start their own business or become self-employed that mental health takes a little bit of a beating. This is because of the enormous responsibility, the amount of energy that is needed, and the brainpower alone that running the business takes. Taking care of yourself and ensuring that your mental health stays stable during this busy and chaotic time is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Ultimately you can’t pour from an empty cup, and you will need to ensure that you are taking time out for yourself regularly. Taking a bath, reading a book for an hour, or even just going on a walk with the family can really help keep your mind balanced. Also, Exercise is key to increasing those endorphins and making sure that you are happy, Exercise is also an excellent way of ensuring that you are getting enough energy. It sounds like an oxymoron, but the more Exercise you do, the more energy you have, and of course, when we are rushing around trying to create and sustain a successful business, the more energy, the better!
Schedule
Losing track of an appointment or double-booking yourself with a Child’s activity can leave you feeling upset and annoyed with yourself, it also causes problems for your business. Children thrive on routine, and having a schedule in place such as https://getsling.com/blog/work-schedule-maker/ for your work needs, (plus for your home responsibilities), will really help everyone know exactly where they stand. Ensuring that everyone knows what’s happening and when it can help prevent miscommunication when running a business from home. Children need to have their expectations managed, and if you aren’t sure about where you’re going to be and when this can upset the balance. Even scheduling chores such as hoovering, and cleaning the bathroom, will help take the mental load off. Giving the children their own responsibilities as well will benefit everyone, it will help you find more space and time, and it will help the children learn about responsibility and house management.
Benefits
It’s a reason that so many parents decide to start their own small business quite frequently, this is because there are many benefits to owning your own business and being your own boss. Many of us know how it feels to have to ask a manager to be able to leave and pick up a child who is poorly from school. This can feel different in each workspace, and even though flexible working is becoming more popular with employees now, nothing beats the ability to drop everything and pick your child up when they need you. There are other benefits such as all profit being received directly, and you making all of the decisions at the end of the day, which can reduce frustrations when you’ve worked for other businesses and can see how you would do things differently. This isn’t to say that you are going to be right every time from the beginning, but it does mean that you have a more substantial element of control, and you can work things around your family life. Of course, there is an element of risk involved, but ultimately as long as you do your research, Don’t take any silly chances, and are well prepared, you should be fine if you know your market and what it is you are offering.
Resources
There are seemingly a million resources available to small business owners these days, this is due to the rise of small business owners in general, and many of them can be incredibly useful. For time management, a tomato timer is a great idea to ensure you don’t get distracted. They are online calendars, and so many pieces of software to keep your accountancy and your contracts all in place. It can be daunting at first. Still, luckily, there are so many different websites created specifically for small business owners to help with the day-to-day running and with plenty of advice, hints, and tips that could be very useful, especially if you are just starting out.
Starting from the beginning, with good intentions, and ensuring that you are careful with your time and energy, will help you become a fantastic business owner without sacrificing your parenting and family time. Many people have phone success this way in the past, and there is nothing to say that you won’t be another one of them. If you have the determination, the time management skills, and the research to back you up, then look forward to having a great time, being your own boss, and still being a fantastic parent at the same time. It can be a daunting task, but once you know what it is, you need to do it is secure.
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