Dealing with Kid-Related Emergencies
You have a huge day of work planned, but your son is sick and can’t go to school. You are about to leave for your big proposal and realize your daughter created a beautiful crayon work of art on your presentation. You can’t make it to a meeting without your baby because you’re a nursing mom. Any of these sound familiar?
Mom entrepreneurs encounter unique emergencies and challenges that most business owners don’t have to face. No matter how much help you’ve arranged, the reality is that you’re first and foremost a mom–and that can sometimes get in the way of running your business the way you want to.
Most of you probably became mom entrepreneurs because you wanted a career that was more compatible with motherhood. It’s important to keep that in mind when things start to fall apart at the seams.
If you could focus only on your business–free of kids, a house, a husband and a dog–you would probably do a better job, right? Maybe not.
Here are some tips that I find useful in handling the challenges I encounter as a mom entrepreneur:
Break the rules. Having your own business gives you the opportunity to break traditional work rules. I have brought my baby to meetings, booked appointments at my home office during my kids’ nap times and hired babysitters to watch my employees’ children just so I could meet with them. Work smart. If you only have a limited number of hours away from your kids, use that time wisely. Have a back-up plan. When you absolutely know that you can’t miss a meeting, have a plan B. Consider doing babysitting exchanges with another mom entrepreneur. Photo by Erik van der Neut.
No comments yet.
Leave a Reply