4 Tips For Navigating Life as a Mompreneur
Photo: Belle Imagery Portraits
Hey Glow Getters! I’m sharing on a topic that I’ve learned a lot about first hand over the past 8 years — balancing motherhood and business. Now, I’ll be the first to say, a perfect 24/7 balance is a myth to me. However, I wholeheartedly believe that women can be amazing mothers and pursue their passions. I’m doing it, and so many other mamas I know are, too. Is it always easy? Absolutely NOT! But is it possible and worthwhile? Absolutely!
The reality is — there will be days when everything is running like a well oiled machine, and others where you might be stressed. I’ve recently learned to embrace the good with the challenges, rather than fight it and have the expectation that everyday is supposed to be perfect or resemble a stranger’s highlight reel. I aspire for most days to reflect productivity, peace of mind, and being present. so to minimize the moments where I’m on the struggle bus it comes down to a few key things. Here are 4 essential tips that have been paramount on my mompreneur journey that I believe will be so helpful for you, too, whether you are an entrepreneur or not:
1) Plan, Prioritize, and Pivot When Necessary
We have one life to live. ONE! We get to decide how we want our lives to be. While outside factors can impact us, we ultimately have the choice to run our lives or let them run us. When we look at it from that perspective, it will hopefully help us make choices that will be fruitful and in line with the life we want.
Action Item — analyze your life currently as it is and then set a clear vision on what should remain and what should change in order to be successful and maintain or achieve happiness and efficiency. I created a vision board back in December, which has been useful in keeping my vision and goals front and center on a daily basis.
It is important to me for my family to feel my love for them daily, so giving them my undivided attention when it’s “family time” is something I try to be mindful of. Fact is, they see me working from home and my attentiveness to that, so although it’s so tempting to check an email or Instagram, I try to resist that as much as possible when it’s their time. For some families, implementing a no texting and social media rule during dinner, will allow you to better enjoy that time of connecting with one another, free of distractions. For running my business, the quality of my service is a priority, and not the quantity of events I plan and design. Therefore, to give my clients the best of me and better fulfill my company’s mission, I put a cap on the number of events I will lead in a given month/year and work with an amazing team to share the workload.
Once you determine your key priorities, safeguard them! I know first hand this can be hard at times when life tries to pull you in different directions, but again, remember, you choose the life you want. Take ownership of that — I’ve had to many times when my choices have conflicted with my life’s goals. We all have the power to say yes and no in life, we just have to exercise the will to do so and the wisdom to be led to the right choices.
It’s so helpful to create a schedule and routines that are in tune with your priorities. I love using my Google Calendar to note ALL of my family’s schedules, business meetings, client bookings, to do lists and more. My client scheduling system literally populates over to Google Calendar automatically, so everything is ultimately in one place. I also use Google Tasks to note my daily, weekly and monthly priorities. Scheduling and prioritizing will help you minimize overcommitting and becoming overwhelmed, so that you avoid presenting a frazzled and worn out version of you.
Lastly, pivot when necessary! Life doesn’t remain the same, so adjust your plans and priorities accordingly. One season of your life might call for you to grind in your business, and another might call for you to make adjustments to your schedule, so that you can cheer at your child’s sports games. One season could be self care focused, another could be traveling the world with your family and exposing your kids to new things. The point is you don’t have to boxed in to doing life the same way forever — pivot as necessary.
So again, plan, prioritize and pivot. Oh, and one more p — PRAY! With God, I’ve personally learned that ALL things are possible. There is power in our prayers and in our relationship with God. Our time here, our families and our businesses are to ultimately fulfill God’s purpose in our lives. Be open to being used for a purpose greater than what you had in mind.
2) It takes a village — don’t be afraid to call on yours
We grow up wanting to be superwoman or superman, but even superheroes need help saving the day. You have to embrace that you can do a lot, but you can’t do everything. I have and still preach that to myself. We’ve all heard the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child”, but adults need a village or support system, too.
My first line of support is my husband, and together we divide and conquer the responsibilities for our family. Some days that looks like him handling the kids and dinner solo, while I have a business event. Other days, it looks like me homeschooling and working from home during Covid-19, while he has to go in to work. There are of course times when we also work side by side, and give each other space for me time and friend time. Supporting each other and raising our family all boils down to communication and caring — communicate your needs and schedule and work together to figure out a rhythm for your family.
Whether you are married or not, have that village to help with your children. I know first-hand sometimes guilt creeps in if you need help or pride stops you from asking. But you have to throw that out the door if you want to be successful at both business and motherhood. There is no way I could do both without help! Whether it’s a spouse, co-parent, grandparent, friend, or hired sitter, don’t be ashamed to ask for help when you need it.
Likewise in business, having those who help support your business goals is important. A circle of support could be in the form of: employees or contractors to work alongside you and manage the workload, a virtual assistant to get some remote support, social media manager, copy editor, graphic designer, business buddy group, accountability group, business coach, and many more. For budgetary reasons, many will try to go solo for as long as possible, and I get it. However, sometimes it’s better to have help before you need it, than to wait until you are completely burnt out. Additionally, a network of good support can only help and not hurt.
Lastly, the village can also include service providers that take things off your plate so you can better balance business and home. Some great supporters include: a housekeeper to help keep home in tact, tutor to help with the kid’s homework, meal prep service to help with dinner, and the list goes on! Mamas, don’t be ashamed to pay for help, if you have it in your budget and are struggling in a particular area. It doesn’t make you weak, it makes you smart!
3) Weekly Self-Care Practices
Sometimes we get consumed doting on our spouses, having fun with our kids, and building amazing businesses and platforms, that we put ourselves on the back burner. Family and business are priorities for sure, but don’t forget the other things that make you “you”. I personally believe that I’m even better to everyone and everything after I enjoy some good ole “me time”. Whether it’s a trip to the spa, doing yoga, reading a book, or enjoying some Ledo’s pizza that I don’t have to share, it’s essential for me to have those moments where I’m simply Shalyce with Shalyce.
You have to make time for rest, fun, healthy habits and daily inspiration, so that you have the energy and optimistic mindset to conquer each day, run your business and keep family first. The days where I’m on the struggle bus all have in common that I didn’t do the 4 things above. Incorporating multi-vitamins, prayer, therapy, inspirational and upbeat music, monthly outings/virtual meetups with friends and forcing yourself to get sleep are great ways to get a boost and confidence. Also, try taking yourself on a date once a week, and it can be as simple as sitting down and grabbing coffee. The key is to be good to yourself, and in turn it will make you better for your family and business.
4) Give yourself grace
Last but not least, give yourself grace! Things won’t be perfect all the time, especially given that many of us are working and momming 24/7 during this pandemic, with little breaks. Again, give yourself grace during this time and beyond.
We are our own worst critics and most of the time, the things we fret over aren’t so monumental. There might be times when you’re short with your spouse because your mind is preoccupied, or you’re too tired to take the kids to the playground because you had a crazy day at work, or you didn’t book the client or gig that you wanted. It happens! The goal is not perfect, the goal is progress. Own and learn from mistakes, throw mom guilt and any form of guilt out the door, stop comparing your life to people’s highlight reels, and commit to growing and glowing everyday! Remind yourself often that you’re doing a great job and that you got this!
I hope these tips are helpful mamas! Share below any other tips you would add to this list.
Have a glowing day!
Xo,
Shalyce