18 tips To transform from Mom to Mompreneur

Transitioning from being a 9 to 5 mom to mompreneur isn’t easy. Mompreneurs are popping up left and right and rightly so. As more mothers are getting tired and frustrated with working unfulfilling jobs and missing time away from their family, many are jumping at the opportunity to work for themselves. Many now realize they can chase their dreams and create a business while still raising their families. To transition from mom to momprenuer, requires constant mindset work for growth.  

But is it all 4 hour work weeks, coffee dates, and play dates with friends? 

That would be nice, but combining entrepreneurship and motherhood is challenging, overwhelming, yet extremely rewarding. It is estimated that mompreneurs are three times happier than other women. 

I am extremely proud and happy that I can be a visionary for both my business and my family. I am raising babies and business intentionally, on my terms, without too many sacrifices. 

After three years of working for myself all while raising two girls under the age of three, I wanted to encourage and share some words of wisdom for my newbie mom to mompreneur friends. 

For this, I decided to reach out and seek advice from very successful mompreneurs that I respect and admire. These mom bosses are the CEOs of their businesses, their homes, and are earning six-plus figures doing work that lights them up.

Mindset For Mom To Mompreneur

This is the time and space you have been given to focus on your dreams. As mothers we live to make our children’s, partners and extended families goals, hopes and dreams come true often forgetting about what is important to us as women on a basic human level. We sometimes feel like we are existing while everyone else is living, almost as if we are bystanders in our own story. As a mother of 4, a podcast co-host, and an online retail business owner I have learned we must put ourselves in rotation, and now and again it is essential to move yourself to the front of the line. It will help you be a more productive and less resentful mother, person and entrepreneur. Tiffany Washington, Happy Business Building, http://www.letstalkham.com

Give yourself grace! There’s going to be hard days, but no use in being hard on yourself. There’s no blueprint to parenting and there’s no blueprint to building a business while parenting. Grace will get you through! Tabitha Wiggins, Natural Hair Influencer, https://cocoabrowncurlsxo.com/

Make personal growth your number one priority, spend time in God’s word, read personal development, get outside of your comfort zone and find ways to add value. You are worth it, your family is worth it and God deserves your best. Do your best, let God do the rest. Sindy Love, Blogger and Influencer, @livelovedmom

If you have a passion that you know can add value or even transform someone’s life, start putting it out there for the world to see. Don’t wait until the stars align to get moving, take one step at a time, but start moving towards a future in which you are the designer of what it can become. Dr. Terra Smith, Owner, TS Consulting Services, LLC, @tsconsultingservices

At the outset, mindset work may seem abstract and an unnecessary part of your mompreneur journey. I encourage you to embrace mindset work early on even if it seems woo woo at first. Your willingness to hang out with your mind is one of the most powerful keys to everything great locked inside of you. Glenda Houston, Purposed Professional Services, LLC @mzpurposedprofessional

Share some of your business building experiences with your kids—at a level that’s appropriate for their age so they know it’s possible to make a career change, that women can start their own businesses and speak freely about money and that entrepreneurship has its ups and downs. My daughters see becoming a business owner as a VERY possible option for their futures and I know that’s because they have been living and breathing it through my work for years. Rachel Garrett Founder of Rachel B Garrett Coaching @rachelbgarrett

My advice is to never let your setbacks or your successes slow you down. So many want to take a break and celebrate a victory or take a break to grieve a setback. If you let both highs and lows fuel you, you’ll keep the momentum needed for true success. Nyisha Chu, Independent Consultant, Regional Vice President with Arbonne International, @nyishaloraine

Advice on Productivity

Dedicate a block of time each day to work on your business. Choose a time where you won’t be interrupted by the kiddos, whether that‘s waking up before they do, during nap time or even after they go to bed. You can get so much more done when you’re not interrupted by “I’m hungry”. Champaine Abney, Digital Content Creator http://www.atoasttochampaine.com @AToastToChampaine

Find a schedule and stick to it. If everyone knows what’s supposed to be going on it makes life easier. Tasha Stewart, Blogger www.thecrohniemommy.com @thecrohniemommy 

If you are anything like me, it’s hard to work while your child is home. I recommend asking your partner, grandparent, or caregivers to leave and go to the park with your child. Those 2 to 3 hours of quiet guarantee that you will get WAY more done while the home is quiet.  Megan Williamson, Pinterest Strategist & Expert https://www.instagram.com/meaganawilliamson/ http://www.meaganwilliamson.com

Remember your why. Why do you want to work for yourself, what drives you?  Take care of yourself, make space for changes and shifts. Reach out to your community and explore your needs. Help others and share your gifts. Sarah Watson, Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Sex Therapist http://www.sarahwatsonlpc.com IG: @sextherapywithsarah

“Balance” as a Mom to Mompreneur

Self-care is so important, take time for yourself even if it’s just 30 minutes a day. Read a book, watch one of your favorite shows. Something that relaxes you and rejuvenates you so you have the strength to keep going, but you are taking the necessary time out to take care of you, which is most important. Naima Ince, Writer, Director, Producer, Blogger Website: nyiproductions.com\blogsbynyi  IG: https://www.instagram.com/naima_callmenyi/

My second tip is to schedule “no work” times that you are JUST with your child/family. I got into the habit of always partially working… and it wasn’t nice for anyone. So now I am either working or having a “mommy Kieran day”. Meagan Williamson, Pinterest marketing strategist and expert https://www.instagram.com/meaganawilliamson/ http://www.meaganwilliamson.com

Advice to Overcome Mom Guilt 

New mom’s advice- it is going to be okay. Reach out to those around you who are doing something like you desire to do and ask them out to coffee. Most others are willing to discuss how they got started and what worked for them. Then write it down. Write down what you want, what your goals are, what this means to you to get started essentially you are figuring out your why. Hang that up so you can see it every day. Take one step at a time and set small goals. Remember you can do it. Reach out and network and develop a support team, business on your own can be lonely but that is a choice on your part. You are capable. 

In this time of COVID, it’s tempting for the mompreneur to scale back and fill in all of the childcare coverage gaps—without even being asked by a partner to do so. We naturally fall back and de-prioritize our careers and our businesses because that’s what our culture expects us to do. Resist, ladies! Your business is important. Your gifts need to be out in the world. Prioritizing your career right now is showing your kids that women’s careers matter. That we did everything in our power to make sure we didn’t fall back into age-old gender norms when crisis hit. We worked through it. That is the lesson I want to teach my children and so I’m turning up the volume instead of backing off. Rachel Garrett Founder of Rachel B Garrett Coaching@rachelbgarrett

Don’t let mom guilt kill your entrepreneurial dreams. Oftentimes as moms, we feel the guilt of spending time working on our vision versus spending every waking moment with our kids. The truth is, we all need a break and we all deserve to sow into ourselves. And quiet as kept, your kids love the break too. Let them explore a hobby or activity that makes their soul happy, while you steal away and bask in your entrepreneurial lane. Everyone will survive and honoring yourself and your joy of doing business is the best way to honor and be an example to your children. Hang up the guilt and live! DeJuana Golden, Business Coach, Job Suite for Mom http://www.jobsuiteformom.com @jobsuiteformom

There’s never a good time to start. You’ll worry about missing important moments if your kids are babies, toddlers or teens, so it will be tempting to postpone starting a business. If you have the urge to start a business, start right there and then by taking whatever small steps you can to move towards your goal. You’ll have some small pockets of time you have to work on the business and those little sprints will add up. Mary Grace Gardner, College Admissions and Career Coach, theyoungprofessionista.com @theyoungprofessionista

Don’t feel guilty about getting help. You can hustle a lot alone, but won’t be able to scale your business. Hire people who can help you in your business and in your home life, whether that be an assistant to take on work tasks or a babysitter who can watch your kids as you get some dedicated time to focus. Mary Grace Gardner, College Admissions and Career Coach, theyoungprofessionista.com @theyoungprofessionista

Final Thoughts

These tips are so amazing and so helpful in transitioning from mom to mompreneur! I second all these tips and would like to add one more. 

Surround yourself and immerse yourself with other successful mompreneurs who have been there before you to lean on, learn on, and grow with. They say you are the sum of the people you spend the most time with. Being in a community has proven effects on how you show up for yourself, your business, and your family.

If you cannot surround yourself with other like minded women right now immerse yourself in podcasts! Find a few inspirational business podcast that will serve you and help you become a better version of yourself. If your goal is to become a successful mom to mompreneur earning 6 figures then get into a community with those types of women. 

This year has been a powerful year of growth for me. By investing in community with other women of color entrepreneurs, I’ve been able to confidently transition from mom to mompreneur. Regardless of where you feel you are in your business, it’s never too early to invest in a membership community or a mastermind. This environment will propel you toward your goal so much faster than if you try to go it alone.  

Where do you struggle in your business? What hopes and aspirations do you have for your business?