Mum’s the word…

It’s not easy to start up a new business, especially in an economic downturn – however it is even harder for a woman with children to start a business in an economic downturn – keep the following tips in mind when starting up your business.

Childcare: You won’t be able to stay sane while starting up your business with three children around your ankles every minute of the day - you need time for yourself if you want to succeed.

You need to make sure that you have a trustworthy childcare system in place – ask family and friends if they can help you out for a few hours each week.  Check out the nursery services in your area and look for a nanny – basically you need to do something that will give you enough time to give towards your business.

Make sure you are comfortable with the situation.  You won’t be able to concentrate if you are sitting there worrying about the safety of your children so make sure you get it right!

Flexibility: You will find that your world will be turned upside-down when you start your business.  It will fill your thoughts every minute of your life and you won’t be able to forget about it in a hurry.  You could be working from 6 in the morning to 11 at night…but don’t worry…

You could find that you are working all the hours that the day provides on one day and then another day you can give yourself some more time to do other things.  That is the beauty of starting your business and so you have to stay flexible and deal with each day as it is served up.

A mixture of late nights and early finishes can take a bit of getting used to but you’ll find that you have more spare to time for non-work related things, like spending time with family when you finish your day early.

Research: A business will collapse if it hasn’t taken the time to understand its target audience.  Identify whether there is a need for the service or product in your target market because if there isn’t then you are wasting a lot of time and money.

Find out whether there is competition in the market and whether you will be in a position with your business to be competitive and be better than those that you are up against.  The most important thing you need to discover is whether you will be making money with your business and the best way of discovering that is by doing research.

Remember…

Don’t panic and stay focused on what you want to achieve.  Don’t let obstacles stop you in your tracks and remember to stay motivated even though it can feel as though you are up against a brick wall.

New businesses take time and patience so remember to take your time and get it spot on.

What about you?

Are you a mother thinking about starting up your own business?  Have you managed to create a business whilst dealing with your children?  Leave a comment and let us know what you think…

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