3 Principles to Survive being a Mom-Preneur

Well guys, it’s summertime!  And this is such a bitter sweet moment for all mom-preneurs!  I have 3 children.  2 of which attend school and one baby girl who I have a babysitter for twice a week.  I’ve been asked several times HOW I am able to juggle being a full time mom and a full time business owner.  I laugh because sometimes I don’t even know myself.  I will share 3 principles that keep me sane in the game of mompreneurship!

1. Something’s gotta give!  I had to learn that I can not do everything I want to do and can’t be everywhere I want to be.  I used to be very involved with a lot of things.  When you are creative or have any talent, people draw on that talent and because you love it so much you tend to say YES to a lot of things and then can not keep up with it all.  I learned that by saying YES to something-I was saying NO to something else.  So I learned to say NO, a lot more than I’m comfortable with.  I had to focus on the people that mattered first because most of the time work and home life will already take up so much of your time….add something else and either your work suffers or your home life suffers.
2. Remember WHY you started.  This one always brings me back to my purpose.  I started my business so that I can be a present mom.  I didn’t want to be tied down to an 8-5.  I wanted to be free in my creativity and expression while also available for my children and their needs.  Sometimes I struggle with mom-guilt and this principle reminds me and reminds my children….that yes, although I have to work in the office quite a bit, or whether I have to leave on a weekend, at least I’m home majority of the time and they have a mom who can be present at their school activities without question and a mom who can cook them home cooked meals….that’s more than many moms are able to when they have to leave.  I also have to be careful not to allow my work to cloud my thoughts, so this principle reminds me that they are the reason I started this journey and they should know that and feel that.  It’s not enough to say that my kids are the purpose and not show them that they are.
3. Scheduling and planning!  Ok, so I’m not by nature a very organized person….but I had to learn to be.  This is literally my saving grace.  I schedule everything when it comes to work/social media/deadlines/projects.  Everything is thought out a week in advance at least.  I sit in silence on Sunday night and I brainstorm for my week ahead.  This is literally the only way I stay active as an entrepreneur and active as a mom.  When you’re a business owner and you don’t have children, you can literally use your time in any way you wish, after all…it really is YOUR TIME.  When you’re a mom, that goes out the window…time is really of the essence.  The hardest thing for me was teaching people how to respect my time.  They assumed that because I own a business that I am flexible with my time, and although that is true, it shouldn’t be!  Your time is important-so you have to treat it like you’re clocking in on a job-otherwise you’ll find yourself giving your time away and never getting anything done.  Remember that if you had a “regular job” you would be clocking out at 8am and coming home at 5pm.  No one would be expecting you to be available in that time frame.  As entrepreneurs, we invest even more time than 8 hrs a day…so it’s important that you relay the message to people you love so that there are no hard feelings and so that you can be proactive.  We already have to be sleep deprived as it is working around the schedules of being moms in order to get anything done.  So use your time wisely.

In the end…remember to grace yourself.  Remember that some days are good days and some days are just BAD!  I mean, what can we do when our babies are sick and need our attention.  Nothing.  They want mom, so they’re going to get mom!  Grace grace and more grace.  It’s something you can’t understand unless you become a mom.  It’s exhausting but so rewarding.  I wouldn’t change it for anything.  I love being an entrepreneur and I love being a mom.  So both of those worlds just have to work.  And they do…they really do.  Happy Summer everyone!  Hope you have at least one vacation planned to get away from work and just enjoy your family!  I truly believe that living our own lives and making our own memories makes us capture other peoples’ lives better!