According to dictionary.com, mompreneurs are women who run a business in addition to caring for her young child or children. Basically, you balance your role as a mother and entrepreneur. I’ve been doing this for almost 3 years now with one child but we are adding another one by the end of this month (if he/she sticks to the due date). While my lifestyle looks different from a mom who has a career outside of the home, and entrepreneurs who aren’t moms yet, I found a way to thrive as a mompreneur. I’m sharing this for all my ladies out there who are in a similar place or thinking about this lifestyle.

Here’s what you need to know about being a mompreneur:

1. Morning Routines are a must. Setting time aside to read, meditate, journal & set your intentions for your day will impact the kind of day you will have. My days/weeks vary and bedtimes fluctuate often which is why I don’t have a set schedule every day but I do have a routine that I stick to. This helps me visualize what I want to accomplish and how I want to enjoy my time with my daughter.

2. Husband’s support is everything. If your husband supports you 100%, you will have a go getter attitude about what you do. At the beginning, my husband and I struggled because we hadn’t figured out what worked for us yet. It took a lot of conversations, outsourcing and ‘business meetings’ between the two of us to get into a groove. His unconditional support motivates me to work harder because I want to make him proud. When dishes are in the sink after a rough toddler day, he comes home from work and does them. We are on the same team!

3. Outsourcing is a sign of strength, not weakness. Ok, so I talked about having support from your spouse, but what if you are a single mom? Outsource. I was raised by a single mother who outsourced a plethora of things including the cleaning of our house. Think of the tasks that drain you and plan to outsource. Is it bookkeeping? Is it responding to emails? Managing social media? You can’t do it all and still keep your sanity. So why don’t you start letting someone else handle it for you? Knowing what you can handle and what you can’t makes you a better entrepreneur. Heck, you don’t even need to go grocery shopping anymore. Someone will do it for you and deliver it.

4. Time Management is not negotiable. I’m an artist. I hate planning. I hate schedules. I hate agendas. Give me all the moments to be spontaneous and create without time restraints. Or maybe you are Type A and love all these things. Regardless, time management is not your enemy. I drag my feet with it but I can’t be productive and efficient without it. Start by tracking how long it takes you to do tasks. The biggest task that I had the hardest time with was editing. You can waste your life behind a computer editing. I’ve outsourced it before but decided to find ways to improve how much I spend behind the computer. I found that I could cut my editing time by 80% if I created a workflow and timeline to finish a session or wedding. I can tell you how many projects I can take on in a year because of this. Manage your time to thrive as an entrepreneur and a mom.

5. You need community. Find a place to belong outside of your home. Postpartum depression is real and I almost fell to it had I not found BSF International. It required only 1 1/2 hour of my week. While I was being loved on by a community of women, my daughter was making friends and being loved on herself. I left encouraged and strengthened, I connected with other moms and I allowed myself to breathe. The mundane can get lonely and isolation will drive you insane, especially with a newborn. Nowadays, I also go to story time at my local library and try to have lunch once a week with a friend. I’m an introvert that recognizes that community is essential to grow and thrive. Find it.

6. Naptimes are sacred. I dedicate the first portion of my day to my daughter. I may post on IG or read an email or two within the first hour of our day together but I limit work because I want to be present. She deserves it. We have breakfast together, we go on a walk, we play, we watch an hour of Daniel Tiger & then we do an artistic activity. Days vary, tantrums and meltdowns happen, potty training is where we are now, and yet I know that motherhood is a creative act that God has called me to. I refuse to see the hard moments as opportunities to have a pity party. Eventually, naptime will come along and she will rest while I get work done. We both need the break. Sometimes she doesn’t nap at all but at least she has quiet time. Heck, sometimes I do chores instead of business work, it happens. Consider being intentional about naptimes/quiet time to get things done.

7. Allow yourself to fail. If you’re not failing at something on a regular basis, are you truly growing? Imagine if someone gave you a success plan to doing this whole thing. You have everything figured out and if something comes your way, you wouldn’t be prepared to deal with it because you don’t know how. To have success you must learn from mistakes. Don’t punish yourself for it—work through it and move on. I am a judgement-free zone but I don’t do pity parties, only celebrations of success! I don’t complain at the things that didn’t get done, I celebrate and give thanks for the things that did. I didn’t get to an email or wrote a blog post? Well, I did get to see my daughter dance to a song she heard the first time, and I did finish uploading pictures to a gallery. I’m so thankful for that! Tomorrow is an opportunity to start again. Maybe once I do those things, I can celebrate with a donut. Or meeting a friend! See how failure can launch you into the mindset you need to thrive? Here’s a podcast resource to listen to.

8. Work from a place of rest. This is how you avoid burnout. I can hustle all day long but if I’m not setting time to rest and enjoy what I’ve accomplished, what’s the point? For me, this means that I have days off on a weekly basis. We take getaways after long periods of work (for my husband, it’s after he plans the most events of the year; for me, it’s after a wedding season). You can’t afford a getaway? Go to your favorite local spot for a treat. Take a drive somewhere. Disconnect from work and rest. It is unhealthy to work relentlessly without rest. You will end up resenting your lifestyle and those you are sacrificing for. Don’t allow yourself to get there.

9. You never have it figured out. Thriving will look different with each season that comes your way. I’m constantly tweaking and finding ways to be more efficient, to find what works better and work smarter. This lifestyle is a journey, not a destination. All you can do is prepare yourself for the ride. Reach out to someone you know that you admire and ask questions. If you can hire a mentor, don’t even question if you can afford it—just do it! They will be part of that team that helps you reach your highest potential. Make time to read books about parenting and entrepreneurship at the same time (I always have a list to share if you need recommendations). You can do this. How do I know? because I am doing it and killing it.

Hope this resonates with you to make changes so you can thrive. It’s not just possible—YOU CAN DO THIS.
I’m always here to be a resource if you have specific questions or comments so send them my way! I’m on your team.