Completing your early morning errands for the family, remembering to be on a 12:30 p.m. conference call for a potential business partnership, as you are trying to find an alternate route to your now 1:00 p.m. meeting that was originally scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Now do all this while drinking a nutritional shake as a meal replacement because you simply don't have time to grab lunch, plus it helps you to stay fit. Does this sound familiar?
This is all too familiar for many mompreneurs across the nation. Unfortunately, there is no magical genie that helps us keep up with everything such as family, our health, and business. Not to mention, there is not an app to download on iTunes or Google Play that assists with coordinating and managing our busy schedules. I have learned what works and what does not work the hard way, through trial and error. As a mompreneur, trying to manage everything can be quite the challenge and a concern for thousands of mompreneurs. Some believe that there is no such thing as true balance, however I believe that when you build harmonious relationships between family, health, and business, it tends to make things a lot easier and manageable.
Mothers who are entrepreneurs have been around for ages. Within the last few years, the name "mompreneur" has been in heavy rotation by mom entrepreneurs everywhere. This title is so catchy because it is concise, yet it speaks volumes in regards to our priorities, which are our children first and business second. It tells a story of a woman who is both a mother and entrepreneur, however the job itself comes with a lot of requirements and assignments.
According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, 8.6 million businesses are owned by women, with nearly 7.8 million employees with $1.3 trillion in sales as of 2013. Last but not least, it is reported that one in five woman owned businesses have revenue of $1 million or more. These statistics show that women entrepreneurs (many of which are mothers) are a success and have broken through the barriers that existed for many years. Long gone are the days of women not being able to own and run their own businesses like their male counterparts. It's a new day and the new mompreneur is definitely on the move forging her own way.
(Picture of my handsome son, Bron and myself at my book release party for the Amazon #1 Best Seller "Mommy Divas on the Move", September 2014)
The major challenge that most mompreneurs face is the balance between their babies, bodies and business. We know that our children are our top priority, however most of the time we neglect ourselves because we are taking care of our families and businesses. Health, wellness and fitness are components that are equally important along with self-care, so it is important to incorporate these three things in our daily schedules. Last but not least, the balance with the aforementioned categories along with running a thriving business can be a lot of work. Here are six easy steps to successfully balancing babies, bodies and business:
1.Plan out your schedule the day/night before: When you make plans in advance for the next day, you avoid running into schedule conflicts. Scheduling the day/night before instead of a few days in advance helps to keep everything for the next day fresh on your mind. It also allows you to properly gauge anything new that needs to be added. For instance, if it is something from that current day that you weren't able to accomplish, you can simply roll it into the schedule for the next day, where you see fit. That way, at the end of the week you won't be off schedule and would have accomplished everything that you need to get done. Taking it day by day is so much more attainable than trying to map out a weekly schedule, which is what most people tend to do.
2.Spend more time with the kids: Now that you have a strategy for how to map out your daily schedule, you should be able spend more time with your family. Whether it be taking the kids to the park, the movies or just simply going to the library for a fun activity, you should find more time within your day to have more "mommy and me time" with your kids, especially during the Summer months.
3.Research a wellness and fitness program that works for you: There are so many programs on the market that work! You just have to find the program that is right for you. I have tried many and although I won't make any personal recommendations, I will say that with proper research you will find exactly what you are looking for. There are programs that are customized for individuals who are busy and for those who have a little extra time each day. Whichever you choose, my only recommendation is to make sure that you read the reviews because maintaining a healthy and fit body is important to running a household and a business. When you are always on the go, it helps when you are in shape and fit.
4.Practice self-care: Self-care is very important and mothers especially mompreneurs tend to neglect themselves more often than not. Whether you get a manicure or pedicure bi-weekly or once a month, or visit a spa for a facial or massage once every few months, it is important to treat yourself and engage in "mommy time" by yourself. After all, a happy mommy makes for a happy family because when mommy is happy, everyone is happy (even your significant other or spouse).
5.Hire a virtual assistant: Long gone are the days when you have to spend tons of money to get help! Hiring a virtual assistant can save you time and money. With a VA you don't have to worry about them living in the same state, as long as you have access to them by email, text, phone and or Skype and social media, you have all that you need. Imagine getting the time back that you normally spend doing everything yourself when you hire your assistant. Now that is more time on your schedule to spend with your family and additional time to get fit with your new health and fitness program. It's a win win for everybody, especially you!
6.Become a mentee: They say that every good entrepreneur has a coach. What are the benefits? Well for starters, based on their years of experience, they have already been where you are trying to go. This is valuable because they can give their advice on what works and what doesn't to save you time. Yes trial and error does work as I mentioned earlier, but that takes time. If someone has already gone down the same road that you wish to travel, sometimes it is best to allow someone to make those mistakes for you so that you can avoid having to deal with those same pain points.
Please be sure to check out my anthology, "Mommy Divas on the Move: 16 Successful Secrets for Mompreneurs" available on Amazon. Myself along with my co-authors take a deep dive into the aforementioned topics on being a mompreneur.