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by Jill A. Chafin | Updated Aug. 5, 2022 – First published on May 18, 2022
Image source: Getty Images
Being a mom is tough. Being an entrepreneur is tough. What’s even tougher? Being a mompreneur.
Where did this term even come from? Well, it’s simply mom + entrepreneur slapped together. And yes, this concept of multitasking to the extreme can also be applied to dads, otherwise known as dadpreneurs.
The movement to encourage mothers to start their own businesses has been popularized by the innovative mompreneur magazine, now called RevolutionHER. There are countless blogs, forums, and websites now dedicated to sharing mompreneur business ideas and success stories.
A lot of successful mompreneurs stumbled upon their brilliant concepts as a way to address the needs of parents. Your idea can follow suit or it can be totally unrelated to parenthood; as long as you’re able to tackle it while simultaneously raising a family, it’s worth pursuing.
So, if you’ve been dreaming of ideas between diaper changes or while rocking your baby to sleep, now’s the time to bring those concepts to fruition.
Working from home has many advantages, such as being able to call the shots and squeezing in extra cuddle time with your kiddos. Let’s take a deeper look at how your life can benefit from the mompreneur lifestyle.
All parents will agree that raising kids is way more demanding than a full-time job. Depending on your kids’ ages, you may be up half the night or need to carve out time to help with complicated homework. The freedom that comes with being an entrepreneur means you can alter your schedule to fit your family’s needs.
Some mompreneurs work early in the morning or late at night. Others take advantage of their kids’ nap times. If your work is extra demanding, it may be necessary to hire babysitters or enroll your kids in preschool. Either way, you can design your routine to fit around pick-ups and drop-offs, sick days, and school vacations.
Not every entrepreneur mom is filthy rich. Sure, you can aim high if you have the time, energy, and resources. However, if your kids are on summer break or you’re craving some downtime, you can alter things as needed.
Plus, plenty of entrepreneurs utilize contract workers or employees. Scaling up the business doesn’t mean every single task needs to fall on your shoulders.
Consider hiring a virtual assistant if your workload is too grueling. That way your business can grow while you enjoy those precious moments with your family.
One of the top reasons parents pursue an entrepreneurial career is to allow more time with their kids. Especially now, during the time of COVID-19, it’s beneficial to have a way to earn money while stuck at home.
As your kids get older, you can involve them in the business. Have them help sort receipts, file paperwork, shred documents, or stamp letters. Not only will this allow your family more time together, but you’ll be able to role-model that entrepreneurial spirit — one your kids can hopefully use to pursue their own business ideas in the future (or even now — kidpreneur is a thing!).
Sure, you have to spend money to get a business up and running. But in the long run, you’ll most likely cut costs, such as not having to gas up the car for long commutes or invest in fancy business clothes. Plus, if you’re able to work around your kids’ schedule, you can save on full-time daycare or after-school fees.
Watching your own business flourish and grow along with your blossoming children is a very rewarding experience. You also get to show your children that it’s possible to have it all — a satisfying family life and a fulfilling career.
As the world moves to a more virtual domain due to COVID-19, the opportunities for digital entrepreneurship are exploding. So, if you’ve got an idea brewing, set aside some time and see where the dream takes you.
Below are just a handful of home business ideas. Start by discovering your inner passion, seeing if there’s a market for it, and then researching what others have done in a similar field.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to freelancing. Plus, more opportunities are becoming available every day as the world conducts more business virtually.
Here are some popular options to explore:
Start by joining a freelancer platform, such as Upwork or Fiverrr, to land your first freelancing gig. From there, build a stunning portfolio to showcase your amazing talent.
Once you’re well-established in your field, you can apply for more lucrative gigs and watch as your business booms.
You can teach almost anything online nowadays using popular video conferencing software, such as Zoom. Think about your unique skill set and brainstorm how to offer it online. You may need to do a training course first but after that you can expand your offerings and earn a steady stream of income all from the comfort of home.
Here are some ideas to get started:
Also, consider taking advantage of the “mommy and me” movement. These are classes or workshops designed specifically for parents and their babies or small children. You can do movement-style classes or an educational playtime where you offer ideas on how to stimulate babies’ cognitive development.
Is there something you love to make or a hidden talent just waiting to explode? It could be knitting baby booties, painting canvases, making jewelry, or even whipping up delicious home-baked goods. Or, do you have a knack for finding high-quality clothes at thrift stores and flea markets? There’s a business hiding in all of these talents.
Selling unique T-shirt designs on Etsy is a solid business idea. Image source: Author
Here are some popular platforms to explore:
Every new parent is a little lost or overwhelmed when they first bring home their newborn. OK, some of us are really lost and overwhelmed. That’s why parenting blogs exist — to help parents navigate these trying times.
The most popular mom-blogs are the ones that are authentic, raw, and brutally honest. Image source: Author
Think about what special angle you can offer to struggling parents, such as humor-infused anecdotes, educational tutorials, or just a place to share the latest parenting trends.
Here are the top five blogging platforms to consider using when creating your blog from scratch.
Who knew that potty training could be a lucrative career? Well, Jamie Glowacki is one of many successful mom entrepreneurs who turned one of those challenging moments of parenthood into a booming business.
She blazed the way with her bestselling book Oh Crap! Potty Training and an informative podcast, as well as online coaching to help parents get their kids out of diapers. Now she employees multiple potty-training consultants.
If Glowacki can turn poop into gold, so can you!
You can offer support on a range of topics, such as one-on-one potty training consultations with stressed-out parents. Image source: Author
Think about what you or other parents are currently struggling with, such as sleep regressions, picky diets, resistance to potty training, and so on. Sure, there are experts out there with fancy books and endless advice, but parents often like to hear from struggling parents — the advice feels more down-to-earth and real.
So, take your experiences and train yourself to be an expert. And, of course, you don’t have to limit your consultations to just parenthood. For example, if you had a previous career as a business manager, you can now offer one-on-one training sessions for other business managers. Or better yet, write an e-book about the topic — which in turn will help strengthen your business’ brand and help gain more clients!
All right, now that you’ve got a few ideas brewing, it’s time to make something happen. But where to start? Well, we’re here to help you turn those dreams into reality, one step at a time.
Just think of your business as your babies — they start out so itsy bitsy small. Then they grow and grow and grow.
So, don’t tackle the biggest idea first. Get your toes wet by dabbling in your idea, seeing if you can successfully juggle the kids and the work tasks. If everyone is still breathing and you haven’t gone insane, then start branching out and expanding the business.
Let’s be honest, doing it all — motherhood, chores, earning a living — isn’t easy. In order to avoid burnout, you definitely need to ask for help.
Help may come in any of the following forms:
Post surveys and polls to see what others think of your business idea. Perhaps hold a competition for deciding the final business name — you want something catchy and unique but also easy to remember. Or, have fellow parents list their current struggles and headaches, giving you inspiration for untapped markets.
No matter how successful your business becomes, there’s always room for growth and improvement. Start by studying these 10 successful entrepreneurs as well as these 10 women entrepreneurs — behind every success is a great story!
Enroll in online training courses to gain more knowledge in your field. Also, it’s worth getting a women-owned business certification, which can help open doors to private and government contracts.
Above all else, don’t forget to ask your kids for their opinion! Who knows, they might have an innovative business idea right on the tip of their tongue. Or perhaps they’ll draw a painting that inspires a cool logo. Look to them — they can be your biggest inspiration.
There’s no denying that mothers are masters at multitasking. I remember a time when I nursed my baby while spoon-feeding my toddler while also shouting out a business voice-text. It is totally possible to do it all.
But at the end of the day, you still want to feel sane and alive. Working nonstop with no breaks is a sure way to crumble to pieces. This is why it’s important for all entrepreneurs to foster a proper work-life balance.
The bottom line: Hire help, create concrete schedules, and make sure to carve out quality family time. Once you find the balance, everything will work like magic. You can be a great mom and a level-headed entrepreneur — as long as you keep working that magic.
Jill A. Chafin is a small business expert writing for The Ascent.
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