Running A Business With Baby in Tow

Ivana is passionate about travel, writing, photography and website design. Visit her at: www.web4business.com.au

Work (4) Business (1) Mumpreneur (1) Career (1) Working from home (1)

Something happens to a woman when a baby is born. It’s almost as if a switch is flipped and whatever your priorities were in the past, suddenly they are at the bottom of the list.

Many women who are used to working in a corporate career, feel the need to give up their 9 to 5 job and find an alternative way to make money, so they can enjoy their baby. A lot of new mums start online businesses or consult from home. But running a business with a baby in tow in not easy. You don’t suddenly become a superwoman who can juggle everything and still be smiling at the end of the day. Trust me, I know.

Mumpreneur, work from home, motherhood, career

Becoming a single parent when my son turned 2 was a shock to the system, but it was also a blessing in disguise. It forced me to re-evaluate what was important and gave me a kick up the butt to start my own web design business.

Looking at those early days, I was in a bit of denial … ok maybe deep in denial, thinking that I can do it all on my own and for a while I did. My survival instinct kicked in and I became focussed on two things – my son, and spending as much time with him as I could and making my business a success, so I could have the freedom to work around junior’s schedule.

Most of my friends were married, with supportive partners, so at times I felt like no-one understood what life was like as a single parent. I had never been one to complain and so I just got on with things. I did what I had to do, when I had to do it, drank a lot of coffee, ate way too much chocolate and worked when the little guy was asleep.

My house was never very tidy, I didn’t get time to exercise and money was tight at times, but I did get to spend a lot of time with junior and watch him grow, all the while trying to figure out how to grow my business.

I don’t have any regrets about that time in my life. The only thing I wish I had done was asked for a little more help or at least read some books about juggling motherhood and business.

Interestingly though, I had recently come across a great book called Business & Baby at Home written by Sarah O’Bryan a mother of three, who runs a graphic design business.

In the book, Sarah talks about the types of business to focus on and explains how to write your business plan, manage your time, money and how to adapt your business to your baby’s routine.

The book offers practical tips and also shares humorous stories from Sarah’s life as a mumpreneur. As I read the book, I found myself laughing at some of the situations she found herself in, mainly because I had gone through similar experiences. At times, I could feel a tear running down my cheek, as her advice hit a nerve.

If you find yourself faced with a decision about how to juggle your baby and business, I would recommend you pick up a copy of Business & Baby at Home. It will save you hours of looking for answers to questions, you may not even realise you need to ask. For more information check out the Business & Baby at Home website