Motherhood is a full-time, lifetime position that requires passion, dedication and endless effort — and the same can be said for entrepreneurship. According to the State of Women-owned Businesses 2019 Report by American Express, about 42 percent of U.S. small businesses are owned by women, and one in three of those are owned and operated by moms, who are uniquely positioned to find gaps in existing markets and uniquely driven to make their own hours and earn their profits.
Yet, transitioning from motherhood to entrepreneurship isn’t always easy. Here are a few tips to help entrepreneurial mothers find success as they launch their first businesses:
Learn as Much Possible
Mothers might inherently have the passion and drive required for entrepreneurship, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the hard skills needed to build a successful business. Moms need to put time and effort into gaining aptitude in business fields like finance, management, marketing, communication and more.
Fortunately, it is easier than ever to gain entrepreneurial skills while maintaining a full-time mom schedule. Mothers can enroll in online education, either through a traditional degree program in a field related to entrepreneurship or through individual courses to fill the gaps in their business experience.
Moms can find valuable courses from top universities, such as a digital marketing course that ensures they gain the essential knowledge for launching effective marketing campaigns and running their own business.
Build a Trustworthy Team
No entrepreneur is an island — at least not for a significant length of time. To grow, businesses need teams of talent, which means mompreneurs need to be willing and able to hire employees to help get their businesses running.
This isn’t a free pass to skip the first step, learning as much as possible; entrepreneurs should have at least a fundamental understanding of every aspect of business, so they can develop a successful business strategy and communicate effectively with their team members.
What’s more, moms considering taking on an entrepreneurial role need to consider their social and emotional support system. Growing a business requires time and attention, which means time and attention will need to be taken away from other responsibilities, like their children, home, partners and friends.
It is critical that the people in a mompreneur’s life wholeheartedly support her decision to start a business and are more than willing to enable her in any way she needs.
Moms should be incredibly picky about the members they add to their team. Unlike other entrepreneurs, their time is remarkably limited, so their teams need to be reliable to the utmost. Similarly, moms might need to weed out any naysayers from her social circle, so she can surround herself with people who support her ambition.
Know When to Ask for Help
As it turns out, asking for help is also critical for entrepreneurs, who need to be able to delegate tasks to build their business. To prevent stress from becoming overwhelming and halting entrepreneurial dreams in their tracks, moms need to get in the habit of asking for help when they direly need it.
Though mompreneurs are often trying to have it all — a happy family and a thriving business — they need to recognize that it is impossible for them to do it all without help. Not only do mom entrepreneurs need a strong and trustworthy team of employees, but they might also need house cleaners and babysitters.
This shouldn’t be a source of guilt or shame; rather, help is something that all entrepreneurs need, regardless of their gender or the size of their family.
Remember to Unplug
Being an entrepreneur requires dedication, but that dedication shouldn’t come at the expense of a mother’s emotional health or her relationship with her children. Moms need to carve permanent space in their schedules for family time and self-care. This doesn’t mean multi-tasking, keeping half a mind on work-related tasks — it means fully unplugging from the entrepreneurial role and relaxing into one’s role as a mom and as a person.
Moms have unknowable amounts of energy, which is why so many of them aren’t afraid of stepping onto the entrepreneur career track. By channeling their energy and their passion in the right ways — toward education, team-building and their own well-being — moms absolutely can have a family and a business, too.
