Five Essential Tips for Moms on Starting Their Own Business

There’s a lot that moms and entrepreneurs have in common: mainly that they are the CEOs of their respective areas and have to put up with a lot, but they persist. Balancing work and home life can be tough, but it’s becoming more and more common for moms to start their own businesses. Here are some essential tips for those about to travel down this difficult but rewarding path.

Think of your experience as a mom as an advantage, not a disadvantage

It’s easy to fall into the mindset that being a mom puts you at a disadvantage to starting your own business. It really hasn’t prepared me for owning a company, or I simply won’t have what it takes to cut it in this sort of cutthroat world.

In reality, being a mom likely prepares you for starting your own business just as much as – if not more than – other lines of work. As a mom, you develop skills like multitasking, dealing with strict budgets, organization, delegation, and more.

“I don’t know about you but I’d put my money on someone with these skills rather than a new college grad,” notes single mom and CEO Angela Benton to Entrepreneur.

Even if you work from home, try to keep work and everything else separate

You may have to wake up earlier or go to bed later (for a while at least), but it’s important that you try to keep work separate from all of your other household responsibilities. When you’re working, work. When you’re spending time with your family, leave work for the next day. People that have a hard time keeping a healthy work/life balance often fail because they blur the lines so much they can’t differentiate between the two. Check out some solid advice on keeping that balance from other CEO moms who found success.

Let your online presence handle a lot of the work for you

Even if you have a brick and mortar store or office, your true storefront will be your online presence – most importantly your business website. A slick, well-designed website not only attracts customers and is basically free marketing, it also allows you to accept orders, appointments, consults, etc. at any time – like when you’re away at the lake with your family, for instance. Your social media presence (think Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) does some of the same things, but it’s the website that is truly irreplaceable.

Think of money spent on wellness as as business expense

A healthy, focused you is your best asset. So anything that makes it easier to have more time to work on your business, spend time with your family, and get healthier should be seen as a business necessity (within reason, of course). That means you shouldn’t be stubborn when it comes to seeking help. Whether it be a babysitter, fitness coach, housekeeper, yoga instructor, or a massage appointment – you not only deserve it, but you truly need it as well.

Don’t put yourself in a box

There’s nothing wrong with starting a mom-oriented business if that’s you passion, but don’t put yourself in a box out of the gate. Your experience as a household director combined with your other education, skills, and interests mean that you can pursue whatever sort of business you think will be successful. The main point: don’t listen to anyone else’s idea of what you should do. Only you know what works for you and your family.