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7 Ways to Manage Your Life and Business as a Mompreneur

By on May 6, 2013 in Business Inspiration, Featured Post, Mompreneurs, My Recommendations

Ways to Manage Your Life and Business as a Mompreneur3 7 Ways to Manage Your Life and Business as a MompreneurSponsored post

Running a small business is hard work, especially for a “mompreneur.” In many cases, you are doing the three full-time of jobs of wife, mother and business owner all at the same time. Every day you are doing more with less and trying to figure out how to get it all done smarter, cheaper and faster.  But remember, on the airplane the flight attendant always says you must put the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping anyone else. This idea is true in your business and personal life as well. Here are 7 ways to manage your life and business as a mompreneur.

Start each day with meditation or prayer:  I run like the wind with my demanding profession as a small business expert on top of my mom duties.  It’s hard to feel like you are not in a race every day. To keep my one-woman circus under control, I pray each morning.  Yoga is another great way to practice meditation techniques.

Stop the never ending to do lists: To do lists leave me feeling overwhelmed.  Who needs that? Focus on getting five things done before 11 a.m. each day. Start each day with a plan and anything you accomplish after your top five is a gift.

Be present: Your family wants to feel like they matter more than your work. Limit your work hours. Don’t be afraid to hit ignore and turn the cell phone off at a certain time each day. When you pick-up the kids, talk to them – don’t be that parent in the carpool line on the phone.  Don’t be tempted to multitask at work. Focus on phone calls and face-to-face meetings.  People can tell when you’re mentally checked out.

Use one calendar: You have one life so you need one calendar for your family and your business. I suggest using Google Calendar as it syncs to your phone. Put all your family and work appointments in one place and you’ll be far more likely to make everything happen.

Take regular breaks: I use the app Coffeebreak to make sure I walk away from my computer every 90 minutes. Then every three months, I take at least a 48-hour break from everything to be good to myself. Think about the things you used to do when you had more time: fishing, gardening, hiking, golfing, jewelry making, etc. You need rest to focus.  Have you scheduled a summer vacation yet?

Workout at least 3 times a week: You might feel like you don’t have time, but think about working out in a different way. Use working out as a way to spend quality time with yourself. If you need to think about an important decision in your business, walk or run and think.

Get more rest:  I recently read a study that said the body repairs itself between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. when we are asleep. Do not get swallowed up in your work. You can’t get a lot done with a cluttered mind. Focus on getting more rest! You’ll be a lot more productive if you do.

Do you have any tactics to add to the list?

Join me Thursday May 9th at 8pm ET for a live QA sponsored by @FedExOffice on Twitter on Ways to Manage Your Life and Business as a Mompreneur. Use the hashtag #SMBMoms and sign into www.tweetchat.com to join in the conversation.

Disclosure:  FedEx Office compensated me to write this post and participate as a small business expert during their Tweet Chat program.  The ideas in this blog post are mine and not ideas or advice from FedEx Office.

Mother And Daughter courtesy of Ambro / www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About FedEx Office

FedEx Office, an operating company of FedEx Corp., has more than 1,800 stores and locations primarily in the U.S. and Canada, providing convenient access to printing and shipping expertise with reliable service. The company’s network features retail stores, centralized production centers, corporate on-site print centers, and on-site business centers at hotels, convention centers and universities. Services include copying and digital printing, professional finishing, document creation, direct mail, signs and graphics, computer rental, free Wi-Fi and corporate print solutions. In addition, the company offers FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipping, Hold at FedEx Location, and packing services backed by the FedEx® Packing Pledge. InformationWeek 500 recognized FedEx Office® Print Online and FedEx Office® Print & Go solutions with the 2011 Most Innovative Products award. Products, services and hours vary by location. For more information, please visit www.fedex.com/office.

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is America’s #1 small business expert. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. She writes a weekly column on social media for The New York Times. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. Her latest ebook, How To Become a Social Media Ninja; 101 Ways to Dominate Your Competition Online was released in 2012.

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Balancing Life as a Motherpreneur

By on April 23, 2013 in Guest Articles, Mompreneurs, Women in Business, Your Small Business

Balancing Life as a Motherpreneur 300x236 Balancing Life as a Motherpreneur

Guest Article

Following a keynote speech on creating a unique customer experience, I was approached by a guest who asked “How do you do it?”

As I started re-summarizing my speech she interrupted and said, “No, no, no – How do you balance your work and home life? You seem like you have it so together!!

I have been asked that question endless times and as my career advanced to the corner office – men and women – became even more inquisitive.

The truth is – my answer has always been the same: there is no such thing as “balance”.  Life is not a zero sum game or an equation that needs to be solved. You do not have to choose between being a great wife and mother and being a career woman. The answers that you are looking for are not in some magic checklist, but rather within yourself, if you will just take the time to look for them. But you also must have the confidence to reach for them and believe they’ll be there.

In the last few weeks this subject is being talked about in every office, home, blog and media outlet.  Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, has taken the conversation to a whole new level and kudos to her!  She is encouraging women to participate, raise their hand and “lean in”.  I know many women who do just that – but they still go home at night and grade themselves a “C” for their performance at work and home.  Erin Callen, the former CFO of Lehman Brothers, in her New York Times article, shared her heartfelt story of how she “leaned in” too much and forgot who she was.

Neither answered the question “How can I have success at work and home?” I couldn’t take the mother out of the career or the career out of the mother and I don’t think you should either.  You can use both to your advantage.

Searching for the mythical “balance” leads to frustration, guilt and disappointment – causing career women to step back or step out of their company.  At one point I believed that I could not go on anymore, my career was demanding and my two boys needed me, I must choose one or the other. I loved my work, my husband and my children and I could not find peace with it all.

What I needed was one life and one calendar!  So, that is what I did. I integrated, instead of bifurcated.  I took my home skills to the office and I took my office skills home.   Yes, I took my boys to the office on Sunday morning when nobody was there and yes, I sometimes had strategy meetings in my house.

You really can’t have success in one area of your life without having success in the others. Above all, make your home life a priority. If your personal life is a mess, you’ll never be your best at work.

Stop striving for “balance” and live!  It is ok if the kids order out pizza once a week and you send store-bought cupcakes to the school event. You can also turn off the I-Phone for an hour, work will still be there.

Teresa Taylor 224x300 Balancing Life as a MotherpreneurTeresa Taylor is the former COO of Qwest Communications and author of a new book The Balance Myth – Rethinking Work-Life Success.  To learn more visit: http://www.teresataylor.org

Life Balance Signpost courtesy of Stuart Miles / www.freedigitalphotos.net

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Dear SmallBizLady, I am working around the clock in my business. Help?

By on May 28, 2012 in Ask Smallbizlady, Mompreneurs, Women in Business

Dear SmallBizLady,

I am a Mompreneur working around the clock in my business and I feel like I am getting nowhere fast.  Can you help me?

spa woman 300x199 Dear SmallBizLady, I am working around the clock in my business. Help?Many of us running our small businesses are working hard, real hard. We are doing more with less and trying to figure out how to get it done smarter, cheaper and faster each day.  I ask, how long can you run at this pace?

If you have a family on top of your work responsibilities, it’s even tougher. You get to bed and wake up tired most days. My six-year-old son participates in swimming, little league and piano, and I run like the wind with my demanding profession as a small business expert on top of my mom duties.  It’s hard to feel like you are not in a race every day. There are two critical things that have helped me get my one-woman circus under control.  First, I do not believe in never ending to do lists. That always leads to feelings of overwhelm and guilt.  Who needs that? I focus on getting 5 things done before 11am each day. Second, every 90 days I take at least a 48-hour break from everything. You need rest to focus.  It’s May, have you scheduled a vacation yet?

Thomas Edison, best know as the inventor of the electric light bulb, used to take mini-retreats to read, meditate, and enjoy solitude. He considered it a strategic advantage in his business. What was the last thing you read that had nothing to do with work?  One of the perks of working hard is supposed to be that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Think about the things you used to do when you had more time: fishing, gardening, hiking, golfing, jewelry making, etc. Make time to get back to doing a hobby you enjoy.

Do not get swallowed up in your work. Focus on getting more rest! It pays major dividends.

What are you going to do to get more rest?

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also bestseller author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.

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