Running a small business of your own may not be quite as challenging as bringing up a child. But it’s certainly not far off! And without a healthy work-life balance, the joint demands of children and small business ownership can leave you feeling quickly exhausted and burnt out. These are just five tips for parents managing a small business, whether you’re just starting out or embarking on the next stage of growth for your brand.
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Work together
Having a partner can make the juggling act easier if you and they are able to split responsibilities between yourselves – if not with regards to your business, then with household and childcare duties
As a single parent, the challenge is harder, but don’t be afraid to reach out. If that means asking family and friends for some babysitting help (or an afternoon off!), take the help where you can get it.
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Value your time
Time is a valuable resource and one you should charge adequately for.
It’s extremely common in small businesses that the investment of the owner’s time is not factored into final costings, whether you’re delivering a physical product or a service.
A viable business model needs to be able to pay a liveable wage, so don’t price your skills too low. Set your costs at a level that means you can be paid what your time and talents are worth.
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Invest
Putting a margin of your profits back into the business is a great way to secure long term growth.
There are many ways to do this – one of the most innovative for businesses at current is digital marketing. With SEO, PPC and strong social media and content marketing campaigns, you can drive audiences to your products and services
For absolute beginners, an agency like Maratopia Digital Marketing can help you launch your campaign and decide which tactics are right for your brand.
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Be attuned to your own needs
When you’re juggling everyone else’s needs alongside the demands of a business, it’s easy to neglect your own self-care.
But it’s not optional – and in fact, it’s imperative that your needs are met to keep you functioning at maximum capacity.
That means maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The dreaded buzz phrase has become more common than ever since a huge number of the population began working from their living rooms, but by setting boundaries with your working hours and taking breaks when you need them,
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Seek inspiration
Inspiration is important when it comes to keeping your ideas fresh and your mind engaged.
And for those with little time on their hands, podcasts and audiobooks are a great way to take in new information, whilst countless free TED Talks are available on YouTube – many of these hold powerful lessons for new and experienced SME owners alike.
Wherever you seek inspiration from, don’t limit yourself to business and industry – personal development is just as valuable an investment of your time and will improve you as a parent and an individual too.
These are just five tips to help small business owners juggle family life with forward-thinking ambition.
Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.
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