Balancing your business as a lash entrepreneur and motherhood

We are so multitalented as lash artists; we are creating social media managers, marketing directors, receptionists, and accountants – and for many other lash artists and me, we do all of this in addition to our primary role as mothers. Working from home may be challenging regardless of whether or not you have children. It is essential to establish limits for yourself and your family to provide the kind of service and experience you want to provide your customers.

Many of us can come up with original solutions for our working environments; some of us have a shed in the backyard, while others have a couch tucked away at the end of the living room.

You own your workspace regardless of where it is located. Make it be, whether functional, pretty, professional, or even flexible so that you can fold it all away and have your living space back when you’re not working.

The positive aspects of working for yourself as a lash artist!

• There is no need to commute. Therefore there is more time for making money. There are minimal overhead costs, as there is no need to pay additional rent on a workspace.

• If you have a no-show or a cancellation at the last minute, you can put a load of laundry in the dryer or enjoy a cup of tea while sitting on the couch in the comfort of your home.
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• Spending the day at home with your animals while also avoiding the costs associated with daycare.

• The ability to select your hours of work whenever possible. No designated salon days are specified by someone else.
• Working from home can be a much more upbeat way of life, especially for people who suffer from social anxiety in the workplace.

The disadvantages of working as a freelance lash artist!

• Turning off your brain and separating your life at work from your life at home are both things that can be challenging to do.

• It is possible for customers to take advantage of you or to believe that the company you manage is not real. They are totally and utterly incorrect!

• Noise from family members or youngsters can sometimes make it difficult to focus, which might affect your client has
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• If you do not have a separate room for your workstation, it may invade the area designated for living.

Important advice for people just starting on the path to becoming self-employed!

• Establish some limits.

• Make it clear to your family that they should respect the time and space you need to concentrate on your profession.

• You should keep children’s toys away from the entryway so customers won’t have to step over things like tractors and Barbies when they come in.

• Learn to recognize oneself when it is appropriate to leave work and resume one’s role as a mother.

Even if you can’t close the door to your workspace, you should still consider cleaning up after your last customer to be the same as punching out of work for the day. This will help you feel more accomplished.

Striking a Balance in Childcare

Being with children, particularly young children, all day may be taxing. You must make the most of the time you have at your disposal. For instance, many opportunities are available to us today for our children.

Family

If you are blessed with family members willing to provide free child care, you should take advantage of this opportunity. Utilize the time to your advantage and make the most of the opportunity, even if it will not be long-term or regular. This will allow you to save some money on nursery fees. Make your appointment times flexible for your customers, and put that extra time to good use by planning social media postings, building your fan base, or catching up on messages.

Nursery

Most nurseries will accept newborns from a very young age; some only operate during the school term, while others are open all year round; this is something to consider.

The costs associated with a nursery can be rather high; however, if you want to retain some money in your pocket, you could put your child in care from nine in the morning until one in the afternoon a few mornings a week. Schedule appointments from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, then pick up your child from daycare, return home, and put them to bed for sleep before booking another appointment during their nap time.

Childminder

Childminders typically provide a cozier, more homey environment for the children in their care and may also organize activities such as field trips. I found that the environment provided by a childminder was better suited to my children’s requirements and more flexible in terms of the hours required to be there.

Preschool

Preschool is available to children as young as two years and nine months of age. Thanks to this activity, they will get a wonderful opportunity to interact with others and become used to their school environment. While some preschools are simply a continuation of a nursery setting, others are completely autonomous. Daisy, my oldest kid, attended childcare until she was old enough to start preschool. When it came to Rosie, on the other hand, I put off putting her into full-time childcare until she was old enough to attend preschool. In the meantime, I worked throughout Rosie’s nap times and spent many evenings working. And before you ask, the answer is yes, I was worn out!

Funding

We are fortunate to have options available as working mothers to assist us in funding childcare for our children, and we must make the most of this opportunity.

You may receive 15 hours of free childcare for your 2-year-old child, but this is contingent on the amount of money your family makes and whether or not you receive any benefits. It is important to remember that the funds will not become available until the beginning of the school year following your child’s second birthday, which might be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. If you work at least 16 hours per week and your family’s annual income is less than £100,000, this will grow to 30 hours for your 3-year-old child. However, this is only the case if your family income is less than that.

School

When your kid is old enough for school, you win the lottery because you no longer have to pay for child care. This provides us with working hours between 9 am and 3 pm; to extend these hours, you can enroll your child in after-school activities, allowing you to have longer days once or twice a week.

We can tell you with absolute certainty that it took me a significant amount of time to discover a work-life balance suitable for my family, and even now, there are some weeks in which it is not suitable. But that’s not a problem! The most important thing is to determine what works best for you, and if something doesn’t work for you, you should alter it. If necessary, you should change it again. This is your company, your life, and YOU are in charge.

Here are some of the most helpful hints for juggling work and parenthood.

• It is simple for us to try to cram in too much, and we may feel inclined to keep working right up to the moment we have to leave to take our children to school. Before you take on your role as a mother again, you should make sure that you give yourself half an hour to decompress, do some housework, and grab a cup of tea.

• Make sure you have some time to yourself at least once in the morning or afternoon. Ensure you give yourself enough time to refuel, get organized, and relax.

• With an online booking system, you will save time and effort, and your customers can take care of their appointments.

11 Ways to Balance Entrepreneurship and Motherhood

Working mothers confront a wide variety of obstacles. Many women feel the pressure to care for their children while still being financially responsible for their families, and as a result, many are looking for work outside the home.

Women are increasingly eschewing the traditional 9 to 5 workday in favor of the world of entrepreneurship, which involves running their small enterprises and transforming the talents they gained in the corporate world into chances in the marketplace.

Many women point to the independence of working for themselves as the primary motivation behind pursuing non-traditional employment. Still, others have the goal and vision to fill a niche in the market with a product or service that enables them to make a positive contribution to their communities while also improving the lives of other women.

Entrepreneurial mothers face a unique set of challenges when it comes to achieving a healthy work-life balance; the following are some strategies that might help them be successful in both areas of their lives:

Create a Schedule That Is Determined By Your Priorities

It may feel as though every activity needs to be completed immediately if you are simultaneously expanding a small business and caring for young children. Prioritizing your day-to-day responsibilities, on the other hand, might help you break down more involved activities into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Put aside five minutes first thing in the morning to think about the things you need to get done. Making it a habit to see to it that the most important requirements of both work and home are satisfied can be initiated by establishing a schedule in which “urgent” chores are completed first.

Having some wiggle room in the “work part” of your day can be a lifesaver for mothers juggling the demands of a busy business with parenting responsibilities. This is especially true when there is a parent-teacher conference, a field trip, or a doctor’s appointment. In your daily routine, you should be sure to schedule a time that is not only dedicated to your work but also to your family.

Make two schedules

 The first thing you need to do in order to juggle being a mother and an entrepreneur successfully is to make two distinct schedules—one for your life at home and one for your life at work. Every Sunday night, you should make it a goal to plan out the entirety of the upcoming week, including both your personal and professional life. When you begin with a spelled timetable, it is much simpler to say no to things that come up along the way that aren’t necessary. This is because things will come up, and plans will alter.

Establish attainable daily goals that leave room for flexibility.

You can divide your work responsibilities into the following four categories:

• You have to do things, even though you do not want to do them.
• Necessary things but that you would rather not do.
• Activities that are both desirable and necessary for you to complete.
• You would like to do things that aren’t required of you.

Your daily routine can also include when you will schedule time for working – without interruptions – and when you will schedule time for your family – also without interruptions – such as mealtimes, playgroups with young children, and homework supervision. You can use the time in between to take care of item number 4, while the hours designated as “work only” are reserved for chores two and three.

Set realistic goals.

You know that your company may not exceed seven figures in revenue during its first year of operation. Moms interested in starting their businesses should examine their place in the market and look closely at what they can anticipate success. Most entrepreneurs stress to prospective business owners the importance of understanding that launching a new firm requires a lengthy “ramp up” before it can become profitable.

Make sure that the work you are doing is something you are deeply enthusiastic about and love. This is the most crucial thing you can do. Doing this will encourage you to get out of bed every morning and concentrate on developing your craft so that you may continue to scale it up.

As a final step, you should make sure that you create a roadmap that describes the milestones that you aim to attain along with specifics of how you will assess success along the way and the timeline in which you plan to accomplish these goals.

Make your band of people.

When you start your own company, you must make many connections (also known as “networking”) and look for a market to launch your endeavor in. Putting your goods on the market while raising children will keep you busy. This is true whether you own a tiny bakery trying to acquire new customers or a custom apparel design business.

In many towns and cities, the local Chamber of Commerce hosts small-business-focused seminars, luncheons, outings, and networking mixers where local entrepreneurs can meet and greet one another. Participating in these events can assist you in making contact with other “mompreneurs,” which will increase your visibility in the target market and provide you with vital business connections.

According to Julie Aigner Clark, the founder of Baby Einstein, one of the most important aspects of running a successful business is surrounding oneself with people who possess skills complementary to one’s own. In an ideal world, enterprising mothers could simultaneously advance their businesses and care for their children.

Perhaps you take turns watching the children when one of you has an important client meeting or a deadline or simply needs a few hours of peace to focus on a project. In this scenario, you would switch babysitting chores. Sometimes you’ll find someone with a skill set that dovetails into your business demands; for instance, a freelance web developer and a graphic designer can join together to offer a more comprehensive package to new clients. When this happens, you’ll want to hire both of them.

Reaching out to others helps new mothers feel like they aren’t alone, and it may also help a new business develop faster — more hands and extra skill means less work. Reaching out to others can make new parents feel like they aren’t alone.

Be Flexible Yet Mindful

Many stay-at-home parents who decided to start their businesses had to learn how to take life as it came. Adapting to unforeseen circumstances, such as a business meeting that must be rescheduled to a phone call because one of your children is ill, or responding to emails while your child is at soccer practice, might be the deciding factor in whether or not your company is successful. If you clearly understand your priorities, it will be easier for you to be flexible as a business owner.

Being attentive is another strategy successful businesswomen use to balance parenthood with their other pursuits. Many people report that even when spending time with their kids, their minds are still on work-related matters. When they are trying to run their company from home, their minds are preoccupied with thoughts about the chores they need to complete around the house or their concerns about their child.

When you decide to practice mindfulness, you choose to live here and now. When you are with your child, you should clear your mind of work-related concerns and give them your undivided attention. Pay attention to what you’re doing and strive to do each activity to the best of your ability.

Put 100 percent of your focus into whatever you’re doing at the moment, whether it’s something for your job or your family. You’ll discover that you are a better parent and have more success with your company when you do this.

Be Aware of Your Limits

Some boundaries must be respected even by the most adaptable, thoughtful, and well-organized mother who also runs a company. Understanding when you need to pull back and where to stop to relieve some of the pressure of starting a new business may quickly dominate all of your waking hours. Many people who own their businesses know the need for perseverance and the reality that hard work may overcome natural ability; nonetheless, the most important thing that can be done is to ensure that one takes the time to enjoy both the process and the trip.

Amy Kaye O’Brian, a single mother and the owner of a franchise business says that restricting the times that you are “at work” and that you have devoted time to your family will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed. In addition, she recommends setting limitations to prevent burnout, which is a common issue for those who work from home.

You Should Not Ignore the CEO

You put a lot of effort into growing both your company and your family at the same time. Do you find yourself completing minor work activities or squeezing in chores around the house whenever you have a few moments of downtime? The difficulties of becoming a new parent and starting a new business are almost as stressful as the loss of a close family member or divorce.

Your mental and emotional well-being can benefit tremendously from your effort to practice self-care, whether it takes time working out, meditating, or simply settling down with a relaxing pastime or a good book. Preventing burnout and maintaining your passion for your new business and family life can be significantly aided by setting aside time in your schedule on purpose – even if it’s just thirty minutes – specifically for quiet time and self-care activities.

Being a full-time parent and operating your own business simultaneously has several hurdles. Still, with proper planning, perspective, and equilibrium, it is possible to be successful at both. You, too, can successfully juggle the roles of mom and CEO by, for example, ensuring that you have a firm grasp on your company’s priorities and designating specific periods as “family only” times.

Be sure to look for yourself.

 Do you know what saps your strength of will and depletes your energy? Being sleep-deprived. Not consuming things that are wholesome and nourishing. Or you could simply stop eating. Continue to work even though you are sick and should be resting. Taking better care of yourself is going to be an absolute must if you plan on juggling motherhood and business owner roles successfully. Be sure to obtain between seven and eight hours of sleep each night, eat well, stay active, and take some time off. The greater care you take of yourself, the more able you will be to bounce back when things don’t go as planned. If you want to increase your productivity, you shouldn’t put your personal health, well-being, and sanity at risk because, in the end, doing so is only asking you to become exhausted. 

Find other moms who run their businesses so you can get some support.

One of the fundamental components of both individual and professional achievement is receiving emotional support. Research has indicated that “poor social support has been linked to depression” and that “loneliness has been shown to increase the risk of depression, suicide, alcohol use, cardiovascular disease, and altered brain function.” In addition, having positive social support can lead to healthier choices and behaviors, increased resilience to the negative effects of stress, and improved motivation. The support of one’s family is also very important to one’s success; however, establishing a community of other entrepreneurs with similar goals and aspirations will allow you to tap into the “Mastermind principle” and truly harness the power of positive social support. You can network with other mompreneurs in your area by attending local business meetups organized through meetup.com.

Learn when and how to say “no” in the workplace and at home.

The tendency to agree to everything presents one of the most significant challenges for moms who run their businesses. You don’t want to disappoint anyone, so you pack excessive activities into your schedule until you’re completely worn out. And many are STILL feeling disappointed. Saying no to everything that isn’t essential to achieving your goals should be your primary emphasis, rather than trying to please everyone and winding up disappointed. That means turning down invitations to lunch, opportunities to volunteer, and declining offers to assist friends with their businesses for free. People can infer what is truly essential to you based on your priorities. If striking a balance between being a mother and an entrepreneur is important, you need to start saying no to other things.

Make weekly family rituals.

Creating weekly family rituals can be one of the most helpful things you can do to help strike a balance between being a mom and being an entrepreneur. You might not be able to make it to every soccer game or play date, but if you establish weekly rituals like supper or a movie night, you will be able to get that quality time with your family every week while still accomplishing your professional objectives. Just keep in mind that once something is written down on the calendar, it becomes a commitment, and show the same level of deference and esteem for your family’s traditions as you would for an important business call or proposition.

Final Thoughts

The fact that we can pave our road, be whoever we want to be, and leave our stamp is one of the most attractive aspects of our sector. You can work from home or construct a lovely salon; you can serve as your employer or hire staff members.

The best aspect is being able to witness the development of your children while also having them present to witness the expansion of your company. We hope you will be able to show your children how to be confident, self-reliant women by the example you provide them.