How to Succeed as a Work At Home Mom

Probably one of the most important roles a women can ever have is that of mother, raising kids is certainly demanding enough to be considered a serious full time position, one which requires way more skills than many non parents would give it credit for. Despite that (or sometimes because of it), many mom’s feel the need to work on something a bit more self satisfying than the desires of their children.

Mompreneurs work hard to find the right balance between their family lives and their careers, but those that do find the rewards are well worth it. If you’re one of these entrepreneurial mothers, or even if you’re just hoping to be, I’d like to offer a little bit of advice to help you succeed in having a profitable business without having to give up being with your children.

Do what your good at

Most successful business models are operated by people who have a passion for that particular industry. Don’t try to shoehorn yourself into something you don’t really care about in an attempt to make money, as that is almost a sure road to failure. You need to come up with an idea for something you are passionate about. It could be something to do with your role as a mother (well thought out childrens products sell exceptionally well), or it could be something completely outside of the family sphere. As long as you are passionate about the idea, you should be able to find the drive to succeed.

Start at the bottom and build your way up

Regardless of whether you intend for your business to be product or service based, there are a few simple steps you can follow that will help get you started. The 10 step open start plan by StartUpNation offers some really great advice for mompreneurs hoping to get their own companies off of the ground. Other things to keep in mind are that you may need a license of some sort in order to run a business and its also possible you may need a permit in order to run it from your house. Make sure to check with the local authorities before you begin work to find out if that is the case.

Finally you should consider making sure you have a room dedicated to running your business from, one which you can seal off from the rest of the house when you need to focus on work. Working at home can be great, but it does provide a great deal of distractions which you will need to do your best to avoid when running a successful business.

Organization is the key

Organization is the key to any successful business, let alone one which is being run from home by an individual hoping to be both an entrepreneur and a mother. For example, Irene Tamaras, a successful mother and business owner says that “I literally carry my organizer around with me everywhere, plotting and planning my companies every move”. Irene runs Dynamic Pain Relief, a company which deals with providing medical products for those who suffer from excessive chronic pain. Through organization (and hard work) Irene is able to make more money than most people can even dream of, all whilst working from home and looking after her daughter.

Create (or join) a support group

Michelle Neujahr, writer of Hey Girlfriend! Live Passionately Real, suggests that women who want to succeed should cultivate a group of like minded females who are also on the road to entrepreneurial success. This gives everyone an opportunity to bounce ideas off each other, fosters a little bit of competition between members of the group (which is a good tool for motivation), whilst still providing a network of friends who will be able to understand the difficulties you are likely to face as you try to get your business off the ground.

The kind of groups let mompreneurs that they are not alone, providing invaluable feedback on how to maintain the delicate work-life balance and acting as a shelter from the storm when times get particularly rough. Only those who have been through the process of setting out to work for themselves will understand how tough it can be, this can of group can be invaluable when it comes to making it through your own rainy days.

In summary

Mothers who are also looking to be entrepreneurs do not have it easy. Opportunities exist everywhere, but then so do the challenges. There is a vast ocean of information out there, wanting to tell you this is the right way to make money from home while looking after a family, or that is the right way to run a business. Just remember the 10 step open start plan to business, stay organized and make sure you have an adequate support network. If you do that then you will be well on your way to setting up your own successful home based business.