1. Values, strengths and business case alignment (links to self-identity, purpose and flow)
It’s essential that you create your business direction and growth around your values and strengths while ensuring there is good market/customer interests. Mums who are working in their areas of passion and value alignment will not feel the same pressure, stress and strain from the hours they invest in their business.
A happy, balanced and profitable business owner is a healthier and more content mother and partner.
2. Manage, prioritise, explore self and delegation of your time (it speaks to your self-worth)
One of the best time management strategies is to explore what is actually important and put it first. Know thy self and delegate least preferred activities and chores to someone with more expertise, time and focus. We can procrastinate immensely if our work tasks do not align with our skills, nor interests. Mums need to be “jack of all trades” in some aspects of parenthood can become a limiting mindset, as you need to delegate, especially within your own business. Typically, women are not natural at promoting themselves or gain extra support with marketing and selling strategies. Professional support to enhance self-talk/esteem/belief/identity and confidence enhance your business success and reduce mothers’ guilt immensely. Make sure you delegate as many household related and non-fulfilling activities as you can, as they aren’t aspects that will grow your business nor your relationship with your children nor partner.
3. Parenting with honesty, openness and creating a family action plan (role modelling and self-validation)
Women that have confidence in their parenting and their work, life health balance are typically happy successful business owners. Business mothers need to feel proud of how they are managing their own business and their parenting responsibilities (self-validation is important). Businesswomen are role models for their children and if women are filled with self-doubt and guilt, children will often pick up on these. Communicating with honesty and offering assurance to our children are essential. Relaying to our families and fellow business mums, that we don’t always get it right and share the challenges of being a business owner and a mother is important. Children value authenticity and integrity as they are often very aware, and need their feelings validated and respected. Further brownie points can be gained from creating a plan (especially with your children) to create some changes in your work and parenting practices so that children and partners feel prioritised, especially around business commitments.
4. Phones, the internet, social media and parenting practices (healthy boundaries and prioritising self and family).
Consistently one of the biggest stress points in our modern time is screen time, social media, internet and mobile phone use. Most businesses rely on having efficient and prompt communication and being responsive to customer needs. One size doesn’t fit all in how to address this complicated issue, but I can suggest that most clients that I support within my psychological practice has something negative to say about technology. The first aspect that needs consideration is how realistic and important it is that someone is available 24/7, business-wise. If our business success comes from having genuine, sustainable, honest, committed and authentic relationships, it is important to state what is reasonable and creates healthy boundaries regarding working hours and expectations. Relationships are two way and need mutual agreement and clarity to be lasting and fulfilling. Research has shown that compared to men, women in business rely on having quality and ongoing relationships with their customers, and this grows from honesty and strong communication. Similar can be said of our relationships within the family regarding technology. Most families miss each other deeply when technology is being “over-consumed”. Families gain so much from collaboratively created weekly and monthly action plans, with day trips, social outings, meals out, holidays, trips to parks and sporting activities being scheduled in. Great for work, life balance as well as your social and emotional fitness. Imagine five years on, when you can reflect on the quality activities, events, moments your family were able to create and share. This can offer a lot of positive momentum to enhancing family, partner, social and self-care time.
5. Getting qualified guidance to grow your business, delegate and make it less reliant on yourself. (ask and receive)
Ask for help, get support and speciality assistance to guide and enhance your business growth. Investing in your own personal and professional development allows you to be at your best for your business growth, as well as enabling your growth personally and as a family. Women in business value flexibility, but often they allow their business to take more from them than give back to them. Gain clarity through guidance and regular self-reflection. Businesswomen need to be the directors of their business growth, do not leave it to chance, research, seek advice and invest in the direction that will give you the financial returns as well as the alignment with your business vision and values. Unfortunately for many families, women are still the key person in charge of the welfare of their children and house matters. Challenge the status quo, delegate tasks to others – be that through getting your partner and children to contribute, getting a cleaner and gardener and gaining more equality in the division of labour with the children and any domesticated chores such as shopping and cooking.
