Balancing parenthood and running your own business

Toy on a wire

It isn't easy juggling the demands of parenthood with those of running your own business, but it can be done.

If you are running your own business you know that there are many challenges to confront you on a daily basis.

But if you’re also a parent who is responsible for the daily needs of a family, running your own business as well as a home presents its own set of ordeals.

Often people assume that if you have a family, you’re not really serious about your business. You can avoid this misconception by sticking to a professional history when you first meet with a prospect.

Once you have worked with them and shown that you have what it takes, you can develop the relationship further and get to know your client a little better. You will often find that parenthood becomes a common ground for strengthening your business relationship.

When you are considering running your own business, you really need to think about how it will fit in with your family now and in the future.

The most important thing is to be realistic about what you can achieve and whether you are prepared to encroach on family time to achieve it. It’s a good idea to have working days and family days. An answering machine with a business message takes care of business phone calls on family days.

Sometimes you can’t avoid doing work on family days. If you need to, make sure it doesn’t become a regular thing and try and arrange for some fun time for the children, either while you work, or when you have finished.

Meeting clients on a family day can be stressful. Try to keep all your appointments to days when the children are at their normal care. You don’t need to mention to your clients and prospects that your day is filled with playdough and the park. Just say that your calendar is full on that day and suggest an alternative.

Being a business parent means that there will be times when you just can’t avoid parental responsibilities, especially when children are sick. If you have a large network of family and friends to call upon, this may not affect you too often. But if, like me, changing your timetable or trying to find an alternative carer is like being a member of the Olympic Organising Committee, sometimes you will have no alternative but to rearrange meetings. For the most part, people will be understanding and will appreciate your honesty. If they do decide to take the work elsewhere as a result, the business relationship probably wouldn’t flourish anyway.

Balancing parenthood with running your own business can be overwhelming, and you have to be made of strong stuff to pull it off. Treat your business like one of your children by giving it some of your undivided attention and letting it grow at a pace to fit in with your family.

If you can meet the challenges head on and be realistic about your goals, when your children have moved on to bigger and better things (like Kindergarten for instance), you will still have something rewarding to nurture each day!

Karen Morris specialises in business to business communications using clear, straightforward language to deliver the right message directly to an audience.

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A great article, I have a 5 year old at home (pre-school) 5 days a week and am also trying to build a graphic design business. I have had to take her to many a meeting as I don't have care or a support network I can call on. I have at times found it very hard to switch smoothly between my business head and my mother head without seeming stressed or unprofessional.
Luckily I have had no complaints from clients as yet as many have been in the same situation. So often I will meet them at a local park or play gym so we can have a more productive meeting, the kids get to play and everyone feels relaxed and peaceful. Kiralie Allan from Helensburgh NSW Australia
I was in your position about 20 years ago ... I didn't have any support network either. Nor was there any childcare. So I ended up looking after a child who was a best friend of my daughter (her mum went back to work.) They amused each other, played beautifully and pretended to "work" whilst I did. They had their own corner in the studio with painting materials and colour pencils etc. I even had a special wall for their displays and they could run and play safely in the yard and studio. It was actually easier to do this than to have just one child to occupy.
I tried to conduct most business by phone in those days. Now it's more by the internet and phone.
It's worth persisting. My almost 23 year old recently told me how much she appreciated that I had "sacrificed to work from home so I could attend her school functions and be there for her when she needed me". I felt like I'd received a pot of gold. Karen from Springwood NSW
Karen & Kiralie,
Thanks for your positive comments about my article.
It's great to see how others have approached the issues of trying to be two different people at the same time, and managed to make it work.
I hope that when they're older my sons have the same feeling of appreciation for me being able to be around for their achievements before and throughout school. Though, I have to say that I don't feel that I'm making a sacrifice at all. I feel supremely priviledged to be able to do something that I love to do and still be able to enjoy being with my children.
Because I can decide how much or how little work to take on, and when to do it, I don't have to feel guilty about letting anyone down. Karen Morris from Sydney, Australia | Read my articles
Karen,
Loved the article " Balancing Parenthood & Solism"... I'm heading off on maternity leave in 4 weeks and hope to work from home in the secretarial field. Julie Cliff (nee Mitchell) from ASHBURTON VIC
Karen, Loved the piece! Such an inspiration to so many mothers! Dee from Baulkham Hills
I have flown solo from a home office for over 15 years, and raised 2 kids alone in the process. One is a successful year 5 architect student. The other is about to take off to study an international business degree. So many things have been put on hold while I tried to spread myself between business and kids . But I have made the distance. My kids are proof that single parents aren't all doing a bad job. My business has prospered modestly all the way and continues to grow slowly. I am really looking forward to a future where I can give more to myself and grow my business more effectively. Just have to get that formal dress finished first. Kerrie Smith from Port Macquarie

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