Dear Ms Anonymous,
Are you a working mom? Do you constantly feel the pressure to give your all outside of your home, as well as inside your home? How about if you added being a mompreneur to that?
What on Earth is a mompreneur?
I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of the word – mompreneur. Actually, until a few moments ago I was pretty sure I coined the word. But, no, I didn’t. A mompreneur is a mom + entrepreneur. A woman with children, who also runs her own business. This is quite the balancing act, because both of these require so much time and effort! Especially to do them both successfully!
Of course, you don’t really have to choose to be an entrepreneur as a mom. But, imagine the freedom you would get to make decisions about your own time. Not having to ask an employer if you can take off to go see your child’s soccer game, or school play? I mean, these children only grow up once! It’s hard to feel like you have to miss every single milestone in order to put food on the table. Mom guilt is alive and well ladies.
Choosing virtual work
I had the pleasure of interviewing a woman named Nicole who is a virtual assistant. Before becoming a virtual assistant, Nicole worked as a teacher for 5 years. While being a teacher does have some benefits like summers off, or at least scheduled weeks in succession off, it’s not always the best for raising a child.
When Nicole got pregnant with her first baby, her whole life changed. Her purpose in life became to be the best mom she could be. Which to her meant that she would be able to see every single milestone that her child had, while working from home! Nicole decided to become a mompreneur, working as a virtual assistant.
She spent a lot of time doing mindset work in order to figure out who she is in the past year. Knowing that she wanted to be closer to her baby, she applied for and started a teaching job closer to home. With all of the stress involved with having a new baby, and a new job, she spent days crying, and realized that teaching wouldn’t be a great job for her any longer.
One day, while crying in the parking lot of Shoprite, Nicole came across an article about being a virtual assistant. She went home, started her business, and never looked back. Now she gets to spend her time with her baby, and husband, while making an income virtually! Being a mompreneur gives her the flexibility to go on trips, when she would normally be teaching during the school year!
Nicole is grateful that at her lowest low, she stumbled upon the online working world, and the supportive community of women she gets to work alongside every single day.
Growing pains of a mompreneur
I had the pleasure of meeting another mompreneur, who runs not one but two businesses! Janette found her self an entrepeneur after five years of advancing in a prominent company as a Hospitality and Event Sales Manager. With a two hour commute in each direction to do work that she really didn’t enjoy, she decided to find passion, instead of just a paycheck.
Working in a profession that didn’t bring her joy led to feeling unhappy. And that unhappiness started to trickle down into all areas of her life.
Janette’s first business, and original baby, is as a photographer. She is a wedding and family photographer. With the covid outbreak, Janette realized she had to quickly pivot her energy into a new passion as a virtual assistant.
Janette found her passion for helping other small business owners and entrepreneurs after hearing their intense need for assistants. She already had the skills and expertise, now she just had to put them to use!
Janette never regretted her choice to leave her stable career to pursue her passions. Not even as a startup when she wasn’t making very much money. She’s committed to entrepreneurship and to her that means – constantly seeking growth, support, information, and anything that keeps her aligned with her passions.
In a vulnerable moment, Janette disclosed that she actually ran into a giant wall when she became a mom 2 years ago. She was literally torn between her ability to be a good mom, and being good at running her business. Being a mompreneur is challenging, but it’s so worth it!
Now that Janette has found a supportive community she is truly happy in her life right now. They helped her learn how to operate a healthy hustle so that she could be present in her work and home life. Janette’s message to Ms Anonymous is don’t get discouraged by the hiccups and the hills. When things get hard, get help! Look for others who have paved the way ahead of you, and get on their paths!
Health, Wellness, and being a Mompreneur
My last mompreneur in this feature is Lauren. Lauren runs several online businesses, including an eCommerce Store – Naturally Made Essentials, three blogs, and a lead generation business. In the past 3 years she has launched and scaled each business to over 6 figures! (WOW) And she received the ClickFunnels 2 Comma Club Award. You go mompreneur!
Lauren found her passion for healthy living after she became a mom. And now, through her companies, she empowers other mothers and women to live healthy lives. She helps them find quality wellness products and information.
Lauren shared that she has silently struggled with feeling unheard, unseen and lost in her life. And she wants Ms Anonymous to know that you are not alone. Once Lauren realized that she didn’t have to struggle silently, she also realized that there are other women out there just like her!
Throughout her journey as a mompreneur, Lauren has learned to listen to her thoughts and overcome them! By practicing gratitude, recording her wins, and surrounding herself with positive people, her life has improved tremendously! Creating that community has empowered her to share her voice and her story. No one has to suffer alone.
Finding your purpose as a mom
Often as women we think we have to sacrifice our careers if and when we become a mom. Or that our purpose as a woman is tied to our status as a mother. And a step further, we should put down everything that we want to do for the good of our families.
The stories of the mompreneurs I shared with you today should feel inspiring! Because you get to design life the way you want it to be. There’s nothing wrong with having a career outside of the home, even if you have children. But, if you prefer to have more flexibility with your time, then you might want to consider starting your own business. One where you control how many hours you work, and you don’t have to ask for permission to take time off.
But the first thing you have to do is look inside yourself and figure out what your passion and purpose are. And after you do that, you can decide if becoming a mompreneur is for you! No matter what you decide, you’ve made the right decision.
With love,
Link up with these Mompreneurs for more tips!