The Mompreneur: Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship
- Akino Davis
- May 12, 2024
- 5 min read
This Newsletter edition is brought to you by SME Digital. Our Mission is to Develop and Empower the next generation of Caribbean Entrepreneurs to launch and grow successful businesses.
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“Building a business while building a family isn’t just possible—it’s a testament to strength, creativity, and resilience.”
Starting a business is a significant life event, much like becoming a mother is a life-changing event. Integrating these two different endeavors? Taking up such a courageous endeavor is something an increasing number of women are doing with courage.
The path of a mompreneur is fraught with one-of-a-kind obstacles that arise from the fact that she is simultaneously attempting to cultivate a new business and be a mother to her children. There is a lot at risk, the hours are long, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance frequently seems more like a fiction than a more manageable reality.
The Challenge for Mompreneurs.
A twofold demand on one's time is the most significant obstacle that mompreneurs must overcome. The ownership of a business is a full-time effort that requires continual attention, consistent energy, and consistent resources. The task of motherhood, which is equally demanding and fulfilling, calls for the same level of commitment.
It is common for people to have feelings of being stretched too thin, guilt for not being "enough" in either capacity and enormous stress dealing with the practicalities of both tasks when they are juggling two hard roles at the same time.
Furthermore, the contributions that women, particularly mothers, make in the economic sphere might still be undermined and undervalued depending on the expectations and prejudices that are prevalent in society. This cultural context may make the pressures that mompreneurs are already experiencing much more intense, which in turn makes the journey even more difficult.
Common Solutions and Their Shortcomings.
The advice typically provided to mompreneurs incorporates time management tactics like rigorous scheduling, delegating domestic responsibilities, or even reducing the scope of their commercial objectives to match their parenting schedule. These are all examples of time management strategies.
Even though these solutions are well-intentioned, they frequently fail to provide the desired results because they do not address the fundamental challenges of merging profound personal and professional reforms. In addition, they tend to simplify the emotional and psychological burden of juggling parenthood and business ownership to an excessive degree.
For example, delegating work might help ease some of the strain you are under. Still, it does not assist with unpredictability, such as when a kid becomes ill or when a crisis occurs in the professional world. Similarly, lowering corporate goals may help a firm remain manageable and modest, but it also has the potential to restrict opportunities for development and fulfillment.
My Recommendations and Solutions and Approach for Mompreneurs.
Growing up, I got my example of entrepreneurship from my Mom, who was an Entrepreneur all her life, balancing her life of entrepreneurship alongside raising five children, mostly as a single mother, in the Caribbean. I’ve witnessed firsthand, how mom managed to launch and grow several ventures, raising five children to adulthood, and seeing two of her children become entrepreneurs (I included) and three professionals in teaching, accounting, and protective services respectively.
As a Business Coach who now works with mompreneurs, I advocate for a more holistic approach that’s adaptable to this dual path. Here are several other solutions and approaches that I find useful:
Redefining Success: The concept of success is being redefined. Success does not always entail being a "supermom" or growing a business that is worth several millions of dollars. Setting individualized and attainable objectives for one's professional and personal life is most important. This may result in slower growth of your business during the early years of childrearing or the selection of business models that allow for greater flexibility.
Integrative Time Management: If you want to manage your time effectively, rather than rigorously segregating your responsibilities as a mother from those of a businesswoman, merge them wherever possible. This might take the form of activities such as incorporating your children into the business in ways that are suitable for their age or arranging work duties during times when the family calendar is less hectic.
Emotional Resilience Building: The development of emotional resilience is essential. It’s necessary to engage in regular self-care routines, support groups, or even therapy to manage stress and prevent burnout. It is possible to obtain both emotional and practical help by cultivating a strong support network that includes family, friends, and other people like you who are also entrepreneurs.
Leveraging Technology: Use technology to simplify both your professional and personal circumstances. Automate work operations wherever possible, use an online grocery or other service delivery app to save time, and digital calendars and applications to keep track of business and family responsibilities.
Continuous Learning and Adaptation: The path of a mompreneur is always changing and developing. Regularly evaluate what is working and what is not, and be ready to adjust your parenting and business tactics according to the results of these evaluations. An example of this would be modifying your business services, adjusting the working hours, or even integrating family members and children into the business.
Conclusion.
Being a mompreneur is not a route for those who are easily discouraged. Grit, adaptability, and a gentle acceptance of one's limitations are all necessary characteristics. Remember even the smallest of steps forward is a success. As your Business Coach, it is my responsibility to assist you in striking a delicate balance between the joys of motherhood and the objectives you have for your business.
Through guided efforts, you will be able to successfully traverse this intricate landscape, ensuring that you not only survive but also thrive in both of your crucially essential positions. Because you are both a mother and a business leader, the world needs your special contributions. Let us make sure that you are equipped with the resources, tactics, and support you need to provide them with self-assurance and delight.
It is important to keep in mind that this trip is just as much about the process as it is about the end, regardless of whether you are in the process of coming up with ideas or are in the thick of managing your business while juggling the duties of your family. Take pleasure in the insignificant victories, gain wisdom from the difficulties, and keep working toward a life that is both satisfying and well-balanced.
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