Home based business: Sharing with your kids

baby programmer!

If you have young children in your life, running a home based business presents a particular set of challenges. The key is to be super organised.

Here are a few extra tips for managing a home based business without neglecting your most important responsibility – your children.

Get ready first!

It is very easy to get carried away doing other things and then realise you are late. Don’t work in your PJ’s – get up, get dressed and ready to greet the world before you open your office door.

Prepare meals in advance

When making breakfast, make lunch for yourself and the kids while you are at it and put in an airtight box. Then clean the kitchen ready for the day. You will feel better, less rushed and will not have to do it again at lunchtime. If you are out that day then you can just take the lunchbox with you but even if you are home, you will always have something nutritious at hand.

Keep a spare on hand

Ensure there is a change of clothes, nappies or underwear and anything else you need for each child along with an empty water bottle for each child in a bag in the car – permanently. That way, if you are ever pressed for time you can just rush out the door knowing that you have all the supplies you need and can just fill up the bottles on the way.

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Use technology to your advantage.

Use voicemail when you can’t answer the phone or employ an answering service. With advancements such as BlackBerry mobile technology, important emails can find you wherever you are.

Be realistic in your scheduling.

Do an audit of how long it takes you to do particular tasks. You will be surprised at the results. This will encourage you to recognise what can be achieved in one day rather than setting yourself unrealistic goals that just create negative energy when they are not achieved.

Be careful with your time.

Conduct some meetings over the phone and only meet when absolutely necessary. When you do need to meet face to face then arrange all meetings for that period of time in one block and preferably around the same area. Invite your clients and suppliers to networking events that you attend. This is a great, regular way to keep in touch and provide that face to face contact.

Sweat the small stuff... but all at one time

Keep a small stuff tray and email folder and empty them once a week.

Do one thing at a time

Don’t beat yourself up about not being able to achieve everything you want to in your business on that day. These days you can outsource just about everything so create a quality network around you so you can offload certain tasks when you need to.

Remember that you are choosing to stay at home with your child/children for a reason. Make sure you can close the door to your office and focus completely on them.

What will you reflect on when your kids move out of home – how much quality time you spent with them or how much work you got done? If you are relaxed and organised you will actually achieve much more!

Kim McGuinness is founder of Network Central and the Businesswomen’s Breakfast Series. She is also co-author of Network or Perish. Network Central provides networking and support for businesspeople in most areas of their busy lives.

4 comments | Add your own

I work from home with a now one year old and our 6 year old at school. I snack on work, in between kids etc and do a few late night stints to catch up when i need to do work involving longer periods of concentration. Usually only 1 night a week.
I am doing this because a) I want to have my kids home as I believe it is the very best environment to bring them up in, we fell very strongly that we don't want to pass them into childcare for many many reasons....
and only b) priority i want to run my own business.
Running your own business means you can be home, but we do need my husband to work to be able to "live" at this stage.
I saw my daughters first step yesterday, not a childcare worker..wow! You just make it work, and it does work.
Hang in there all parents with kids at home/work, we are very lucky you know, luckier than those who have to put their kids in care and work elsewhere. So smile and be glad for it, I love it...! Kim Buchanan from Auckland NZ
This is a great article we need more like this I am am a stay at home Mum and find this information very useful Fiona Jauncey from Numeralla
Thanks for the advice and yes, more of these articles please! Your head needs to be in so many places as a parent. This just doubles when you add your own business into the equation. I'm sure there are many of us out there! Nadya from Brisbane
Many will know that I'm a mother of 5 daughters and they were the reason I began working at home many years ago. My youngest was 7 at the time so I was over the toddler stage, but they definitely still needed mum at home. The eldest was almost 13 at that stage.
Because the girls were old enough to understand 'reason' I was able to explain to them why they could not use the phone during business hours, and I taught them to answer the phone 'professionally' if another call came in when they were on the phone after hours. I have been complimented many times on how the girls handle the phone.
The office at home was always a separate room so the girls knew it was my domain and not home space to play in - they have learnt to respect that. They've also grown up with excellent computer and internet based skills which most of them now use in their daily work lives.
As money became something they appreciated, they were rewarded for their help in the office and I would often make sure I had things they could help with, so they could earn extra money. It helped them to learn that I valued their assistance and their time - children love to feel appreciated and helpful.
I have never regretted my decision to work at home and be here for my family. I have worked some late nights so I could spend time with the girls when they came home from school each day, but that has always been worthwhile - they knew I was interested in their lives. And I was able to be at the school helping with things and being a mum who was involved.
Women who can find a way to earn an income at home and look after their family are so blessed and they'll discover that once their children are grown, it was really appreciated by the children that mum was around - even if during their teens they act like it's a real pain. Kathie Thomas, A Clayton's Secretary from Melbourne

4 comments | Add your own

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