Running your very own business can be very challenging yet very fulfilling. You get to take charge of your own time and run your business at your own pace. You get to spend time and be hands-on with your children while you manage your business from home.
Many women are starting their hands on their own small businesses. Whether they are selling their own creations, professional services, baking cupcakes, blogging, freelancing, event organizing, selling insurance, tutoring kids, or selling on Amazon, more and more women are dabbling into the world of entrepreneurship.
Even full-time mothers are joining the club. The term mompreneur was coined to refer to a mother who is also a full-time entrepreneur. You’ve seen mothers in your social media network do it. They start with a small online business, such as a pre-order cake or pastry business. Soon enough, you see their business skyrocket, and they start offering their services beyond their circle of friends.
A survey by Vistaprint showed that women are more likely to start a business after they get married and have their own children. These women also tend to consider their start-up business as their baby. While maintaining a household and raising children, they are also running and managing a business on top of it.
What Makes Moms Great Entrepreneurs
How do they do it? How do these women muster the energy to take on multiple hats that take all their time and energy?
- Women are generally optimistic.
While it is true that small business owners are mostly optimistic, research shows that women have a more positive outlook when it comes to their business.
Besides detailed planning and research, you will also need a positive outlook when starting a new business endeavour. Why would you start a project when you are not even confident that it will succeed? A positive outlook will kick-start your business on a positive and more hopeful note.
- Women are mission-driven.
For most women, running their own business is not just for profit. They are driven by the desire to help their community and to have a better place for their children.
When something more profound than profit drives you, you will find that mustering the energy to do what you need to do is not that hard.
- Women value interpersonal relationships.
Sometimes, running a business is not just about selling your products and services, and women are well aware of this. Building meaningful relationships are also necessary for ensuring the success of your business.
When your relationship with your customers is built on trust, customer loyalty and retention are not hard to achieve. A network of people who believe in your services is worth more than you can imagine. They are your walking advertisements, and their positive recommendations about you can help you reach more target customers. They are the living and real testament to your excellent customer service.
- Women are great organizers.
Running a household and taking care of children are no easy tasks. They require an all-seeing eye to everything that happens inside the home. Running a business also requires the same eye for detail. As a business owner, you must see and manage things from end to end.
The act of organizing can come in handy when managing multiple hats, and moms are no strangers to it.
- Women are natural empathisers.
Empathy can come in handy when you want to be relatable to your target audience. In running a marketing campaign, your campaign must speak to your target audience. Of course, you can seek the services of data management companies to analyse the data that you have about your target customers for your campaign to be more targeted and effective.
Perfect Start-Up Business Ideas for Moms
If you are looking for inspiration for a business idea, here are some common business endeavours for full-time moms. Of course, you may want to assess your talents and interests as well.
- Blogging
- Freelance Writing
- Amazon Selling
- Food Service Business
- Event Planning
- Soap Making
- Cake or Pastry Making
- Rental Properties
- Tutoring
- Bookkeeping Services
- Daycare Center
- Real Estate
- Social Media Management
- Pet Sitting
- Home Cleaning Services
- Personal Shopping Services
There are many other business ideas that you can explore, depending on your skills and capabilities. Your budget and time availability should also be considered in your choice.
Challenges That Mompreneurs Face
Of course, being a mompreneur does not come without its own set of challenges. It can be difficult to balance being a wife, a mother, and an entrepreneur when self-care becomes impossible. Some will even work after they have put the kids to bed.
There is also the challenge of not being taken seriously by their peers. Women are sometimes stereotyped as the more emotional sex, making them incapable of making necessary decisions for the success of their business.
However, many women entrepreneurs are making waves in their chosen industry and business. More and more women choose the flexibility and freedom that running their own business brings to be better spouses and parents.
