Inside: Tips for starting a business with young kids. Collaborative post.
Got dreams of starting a business? Having young kids needn’t get in the way of your dreams. Juggling the roles of entrepreneur and parent can be challenging, but many people do it successfully. Below are a few tips on how to launch a successful business when you have young kids.
Work out your childcare strategy
Arranging childcare will allow you to focus on your business when you need to. If you can’t afford to hire babysitters, you may be able to arrange something with a partner or family member. It’s worth creating a schedule that you can stick to from week to week so that you can make work and family plans in advance. Once your child starts going to school, you may be able to focus your work during these school hours.
Plan and prioritize
It’s important to plan things several weeks in advance where possible so that you can make childcare arrangements or make alterations to your business schedule if possible. Be wary that you will sometimes need to make difficult decisions – you may have to choose between taking on a promising client and going to a school play. Weigh up both of these carefully in order to make the right choice.
Outsource help
Don’t try to do everything yourself. Where possible, outsource tasks that are time-consuming or not your strength. If you don’t have much time for marketing, consider hiring a PPC management company or a social media marketing company. If accounting isn’t your strong point, consider hiring an accountant. If you often struggle to answer the phone, consider outsourcing a phone answering company to take all your business calls for you. Of course, you do need to stick to a budget when outsourcing, so don’t outsource too much!
Take it slow
The faster you attempt to grow your business, the more time you’ll have to dedicate to it – which may not be possible if you have young kids. Don’t be afraid to grow your business slowly. You might be eager to launch your own physical store with staff, but consider whether it might be better to build your business up from a small online store first. By doing this, you’ll reduce the stress of launching your business and you’ll be able to focus more attention and energy on each stage of your business growth.
Make time for yourself
If you’re not careful, you’ll spend all your time looking after your kids and your business and will have no time left for yourself. Make sure to schedule free time each week so that you can relax, socialise without kids and focus on hobbies. Having a schedule allows you to plan activities so that you can make the most of your free time – whether this involves going to the gym, seeing friends or taking a relaxing bath. Make sure that you’re not sacrificing sleep in the process.