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Being a mum boss can sometimes be a tough road to travel. After all, you have all the responsibility for looking after little one and making sure they get all the attention and care that they need, as well as balancing the needs of your business. In fact, there are some specific issues that mum bosses can come across while running their own business that can be problematic. Happily, there are also some ways around them. Just read the post below to find out more.
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Childcare
One of the biggest problem mums that are running their own business will come across is the issue of childcare. This is primarily because everyone you seem to meet that doesn’t have a little one in tow seems to think it’s totally acceptable to do both at once. That’s right they just don’t see an issue with tending to your child needs while holding meetings, sending emails, and basically doing everything else to run a successful company.
However, back in the real world of being a mum, we know that unless you are lucky enough to have a magical baby that sleeps pretty much all of the time until they are of school age things are not that easy. That is why childcare is needed, so you actually have some time to think and get on with the work in front of you.
Unfortunately, the government do not include in this in deductible expenses. That means if you are going to pay out for someone to take care of Baby on a regular basis it will need to come out of your own funds. Boo!
Of course, as many mum bosses know you can always ask the extended family to get involved and muck in with childcare to save some money. Although this is dependent on your own parents and inlaws situation, and is, therefore, anything but guaranteed.
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Funding
Another problematic issue that many mums bosses, as well as other business owners, can come across when running their own company is getting enough funding to achieve their business goals.
Strangely, the issue isn’t always about getting the funding in place to start things up. Instead it about finding money to expand, develop, or keep the business running that can be the most difficult to secure. Perhaps because banks are only willing to fund a project once, rather than throughout a business’s life cycle.
Happily, there are some alternatives that you can use to get around this is you are a mum boss. One is to seek unsecured business lending instead of asking the bank for an additional loan. The advantage of taking this route is that you do not have to use your home or other assets to secure funding. Instead, a guarantor is used to validate you as a good prospect for the debt.
Time management
Working from home can be tough. It can be hard to maintain your motivation and get everything done that is on your list for the day. Add kids into this mix, and it can seem almost impossible to have the time you need to run your business as well, even they are attending childcare during the week.
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That is why time management is such an important issue to address for mum bosses. To do this, you may write out a daily schedule each morning. A plan that includes the essential tasks that must be completed each day, as well as any additional ad-hoc work.
Some people choose to use special systems for this, such as the Eisenhower matrix. This is especially useful because it helps you identify what is absolutely urgent and what can actually wait until later, as well as the things you can delegate to others.
Other people like to go the planner route and with so many attractive options like the Erin Condren (see the video below for a review of this particular type) and the Mambi Happy Planner it’s pretty easy to see why. You can even get some cool printable downloads that help you organised all of your business and home-related goals. Just don’t end up spending too much time on decorating them and making them look gorgeous as this kind of defeats the purpose of planning your time in the first place!
Work-Life Balance
Last of all, with so much on their plates it can be very easy for mum bosses to work too hard, and even become overwhelmed with all their responsibilities.
To combat this, you have to think of the big picture. Your happiness and stress levels are important because neither Baby or your business can thrive if you are struggling. That means making room for breaks, both to spend with the little one and so you can have some time on your own to recharge. Otherwise, you could find yourself going from a mum boss to a stressed mum very easily.