Many mothers are drawn to work-from-home or flexible income-producing opportunities that allow them to be full-time hands-on parents while still fulfilling their professional ambitions. The key is to find the right opportunity and ensure you maintain a healthy work-life balance that includes making time for self-care.
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Deciding What to Do
The first step in establishing a successful side hustle is to evaluate three things: What are your skill sets? What type of work do you enjoy? What type of product or service has high enough demand that you can make it a worthwhile venture? According to Niche Pursuits, some mothers look for opportunities that align with their education, training, or prior professional experiences; others opt to monetize hobbies; still, others consider franchise opportunities or home sales parties or take advantage of whatever the most in-demand gig jobs are at the moment.
Establishing and Promoting Your Business
Even the hottest business concept needs customers to be successful, and that means a marketing plan is essential to launching your gig. Tap into your existing personal and professional networks, ask for leads and referrals, and utilize social media to build your brand identity. Hire freelancers as necessary to get your business up and running. In this vein, be sure to tap into other affordable resources to help launch your venture. A site like HubSpot offers a wealth of business plan templates, while a formation service can help you set up a Texas LLC, which includes filing a Certificate of Formation and applying for an EIN.
Managing Your Time
If you’re looking to effectively blend work and child-rearing, you’ll need exceptional time-management skills, both in your home life and in your professional world. This is especially important if you’re trying to work around your kids’ school schedules, sports, or extracurricular activities. It all starts with setting a work schedule that has firm parameters and sticking to it. For example, if the school pick-up time is 3:30, your schedule ends at 3:00 without exception. You simply block this time on your calendar just as you would any other important appointment. Not only is this approach good for your family and your work but also for your mental health!
Getting Family Buy-In
Being a working mom is a lot easier when you have full-family buy-in and support. This might mean divvying up household responsibilities among other family members, hiring help when necessary, and setting boundaries between work and home. This is critical when it comes to self-care measures. Taking care of yourself means you’ll be more available to your family and your work. Take intentional steps to eat nutritious meals, get plenty of sleep, make time to exercise, and build in leisure time to unwind and recharge.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Look for ways to add efficiencies or lighten your load. For example, choose clothing that keeps you comfortable while looking professional for online meetings. Outsource chores if you can afford to, like hiring a cleaning service once a week or a nanny for a few hours a day. Always look into using online tools that can help you manage projects, track your time, and send invoices quickly so you’re not bogged down with details.
Having a side hustle is a great way to earn an income while still having flexibility and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Don’t forget that you are your business, so caring for yourself is an investment in your venture. Don’t feel guilty about setting aside time for a spa day, getting a trendy new look, or otherwise doing things that make you feel good about yourself. It will make you happier and more productive, which in turn, will help your business thrive!
