Being a successful business owner can be tough, to say the least. Being a mom can be even tougher. Running a full-time business and finding time for your family can be a truly tough challenge; which explains why there is a whole new coinage around this class of people: Mompreneurs- people who are full-time entrepreneurs while being moms.
There are no guarantees in the world of business but here are a few tips to reach successful milestones while still finding that valuable time for your young family. Multi-tasking with children takes skill and to be a successful mompreneur needs some savvy tricks.
With the challenges of juggling both roles, most moms are asking themselves: “How can I be a successful mompreneur?
Here are 12 tips to help you in your journey to becoming a successful mompreneur:
Build a tribe:
Invest in building a network of like-minded friends that are willing to help each other out. This might mean taking on babysitting duties or helping with business accounts or web design. It would depend on each of your skills, but every skill adds up when complemented.
Define boundaries
It may seem impossible as we say it, especially when work and home are at the same exact spot, but it is important to chalk out work and family time separately. Although this is very difficult you must practice setting work hours and concentrate on that area and then leave it alone once you are back in ‘family mode’.
Make time to unwind
One of the hardest things to do when you are on your own is to ‘switch off’. It can seem like your brain is running 24 hours a day and even in your sleep. Have you ever woken up to realize you dreamt about work or even what you would be doing that very same day? A 10-minutes meditation practise everyday will help you make the switch.
Invest wisely in business assets
Investing in a good website, marketing, SEO are must-haves for the success of any business. Depending on the nature of your business, your investment can range from investing in physical goods to paying for a good web designer or SEO services. There are plenty of tools available which allow you to leverage online retail platforms like Shopify or Etsy, and have helped make several successful mompreneurs.
Marketing and advertising
A marketing budget need not necessarily run into big numbers, especially when you are just starting off. There are ways to leverage affordable marketing options like social media marketing, online classifieds, local advertising, and other little tricks such as packaging and hang tags.
Use innovative marketing collateral
These are some of the simplest and yet highly effective ways to promote your product. You can either design these yourself or hire a local graphic artist. You could make each one individually but in this case, it makes sense to hire a professional company to print quality hang tags for you. These little pieces of advertising gold will be attached to your product and attract buyers. You will have already seen and looked at hundreds of these tags and without realizing it they will have influenced you.
They are simply a card (or other material) that is tied to your product and on that card is your logo, contact details, mission statements, and other interesting information. They can help a buyer decide between one product and another if used correctly.
Leverage social media
Combining print and digital media is a great way to reach all kinds of potential audiences. Printing your website address and adding calls to action on the tags can lead people to your online presence and then to sales conversions.
Also Read: This Mompreneur Built A Business From A Quiet Book On Music: Harini Rao of Busywings
Facebook, Instagram, and various other available social platforms are great methods to push your brand and products. You can build a page that you post to each day with updates to keep your followers interested. Adding links from your posts to your website is a great way to increase traffic and hopefully sales.
Hire help
If it is possible, do hire someone, even if just part-time. This could be for specific tasks such as customer service, dealing with social media, or updating the website. Alternatively, if you enjoy those areas you might want to bring someone in to deal with the accounts. Anything to release a bit of time for you. You may also find a second person is great for bouncing ideas around.
Run promotions and increase loyalty
You can also increase interest through promotions. Try loyalty cards or discounts for regular customers. If you do run a promotion make sure to check local legislation.
While mentioning this, one is you need to think of is company law.
Comply with legal requirements
There are many exciting parts to running a business, but the legal nitty-gritties may be a drag. Make sure that your company is compliant and registered legally as a business. You don’t want to hit a legal snap just when your small business is just taking off.
Take the help of your customers
Ask your consumers for feedback on those products. Introduce new merchandise and test market it. Look for something that is needed or not easily accessible in the current market and find your own niche. These are just some of the ways a determined mompreneur can push her business forward.
Lastly, stop beating yourself up:
Firstly, being a mom is a full-time position as is running and growing a company. It is extremely challenging to run both together and there is no shame in that. Give yourself a break and a pat on the back for sticking up to the challenge of being a successful mompreneur.
Also Read: Legendairy Milk: Interview with Entrepreneur Luna Feehan
Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels
