WHY MOMS MAKE THE FIERCEST ENTREPRENEURS
Raising children and running a business at the same time sounds daunting. However, many of the skills you’ve picked up along with all those toys off the floor will serve you just as well as you dive into what you love and make money from it.As a mother, you know what it’s like to love your child fiercely and be willing to do anything to ensure their wellbeing and happiness. Starting your own business actually uses similar talents, which means being a mother can make you a better entrepreneur.You’re a good negotiatorMothers, especially those with multiple children, learn expert negotiating and mediating skills. Closing a deal is simple compared to persuading a toddler not to draw on the wall or two teenagers to share a bedroom! You’ve learned the art of persuasion while going through the school of hard knocks, so it’s time to turn those skills into money-making success for you.Starting your own business has never looked as promising as it does now. In The 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, employment at men-owned and equally-owned firms has decreased, while employment at businesses owned by women is on the up. The same report shows that firms created by women have increased at 1 ½ times the average growth rate of all firms since 1997.You’re tenaciousNothing stands between you and your child. You’ve learned how to fight for them, and now you can use that tenaciousness to fight for your business, to make every day, every sale, and every employee worthwhile. You don’t have time for things that aren’t important, so you focus on the right things and go after them with a singlemindedness and confidence that will bring home to investors and customers your absolute devotion to your chosen work.Jennifer Fellows, a founder of Academized, states, “I was a young mother when I started an online business tutoring ESL students. Having Jack by my side as I worked gave me all the motivation I needed. One look at him and I knew exactly who I was working for.”You’re organizedWith all that passion and creativity, you need to be organized as a mother, as well as an entrepreneur. Combining motherhood with running a business means that you have to find creative ways to keep the plates spinning. A great place to start at saving time and making your life more efficient is Mogul Mom’s own Freedom Tools: 15 Ways to Get More Hours out Of Every Day. “After becoming a stay-at-home mom in my thirties, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to use my PhD again. But in this digital age, I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was relatively straightforward and easy to set up my own online business. Now that I’m doing what I love and spending the time I need to with the kids, I really do feel I’ve got the best of both worlds.” – states Dr. Andrea Kirkpatrick, a founder of Paper fellows community.You have passionAlong with that tenacity comes a passionate vision for the future. You envision what you want your children’s future to be like, and you know that your entrepreneurial business will not only help provide them with that future, but will show them first-hand the value of hard work and skill. Motherhood refocuses your whole life, in the same way, running a small business does. Both require so much of you, but the rewards are astonishing and marvellous.You’re creativeSeeing the world through a child’s eyes can reawaken your creative spirit. There’s nothing like a child asking “Why?” a hundred times to really get you thinking! These days online writing resources make it easy to publish your own book or launch your own blog and get your thoughts out to a wider audience. I believe every mom has lots to tell others about their motherhood journey. Fortunately, these days there are plenty of sites like Grammarix to check your grammar instantly, can provide useful help as you embark on your blogging journey.Mothers are their children’s first teachers, after all, and what you and your child learn might well be applicable to a wider audience. For example, AcademAdvisor, which was created by teacher mom to bridge the gap between understanding what you’ve learned and teaching it to others.Whether you want to blog about recipes, about your entrepreneurial journey, or about your child’s early life, State of writing puts a wide variety of writing resources right at your fingertips. Getting your message out, whether in blog or book, or even just in social media for your business, can give your confidence and your professional image a great boost.To make sure your message is on-target for word count, try using Easywordcount, a way to check how many words you’ve written in a couple of seconds, minutes and days. Whether you’re composing a quick tweet, or a chapter in your book, or your latest article, it’s important to keep count of your words so you can stay consistent. And if you need to cite studies or other articles, Citeitin is a great way to make sure you’re doing it correctly.Your ferocity and tenacity, your passion, your vision, your organizing and negotiating skills learned in motherhood will all stand you in great stead as you move forward into the future of starting up your own business. If you’re ready to take the plunge, start with Mogul Mom’s Five Tips for Women Launching Their Dream Business. Go forth in all your wisdom and skill, and make your business dreams a reality!