Whether it’s blogging, drop-shipping, or craftship, starting a business is hard. When you add in kids, household chores, and lack of sleep, juggling everything while remaining sane can feel like an impossible thing to do.
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When my daughter was born back in 2018, I had a great job that I loved. I worked as many hours as they would allow me, I was surrounded by amazing co-workers and it felt like family there! Starting a mom business never crossed my mind up until that point.
When I realized that I would not be able to afford daycare to continue working my full-time job (more on this later!), and decided to quit, I realized… I loved being a stay-at-home mom!
Honestly, that had always been my dream. I always imagined that once I had kids, I would love to raise them, and be with them as often as I could.
However… money started becoming an issue. Saving money was not an option anymore. And not only that but being a home mom started feeling… lonely.
Mom business ideas? I thought of them all!
While I absolutely loved and love being a stay-at-home mom to my kids, I started missing doing things that were not kid-related. I missed alone time, quiet time, doing something that didn’t involve cooking or cleaning, or picking up toys.
So, I Googled all kinds of businesses to start and run from home. Virtual assistant, social media, freelance writer… nothing seemed quite right for me.
That was when I realized that was because all of those amazing jobs would require more of my time and attention than I was willing to give.
I wanted my primary occupation and overall priority to be being a mom. I wanted to be there for my kids and do all of the things I was doing, and so what I was looking for was something that I could do while juggling motherhood, being a wife, and a homemaker.
My choice? I started a blog.
Later down the road, I would love to share with you the ins and outs of starting a blog in 2021 – when it seems like there are zillions of them out there (yes, you are right, there are!).
Starting this blog has been an amazing experience, but also opened my eyes to something I had never realized before: it is much more difficult work than I ever thought it was.
But for today, I want to focus more on working the new business while being a stay-at-home mom.
And if you guessed “that seems impossible”, you are almost right.
It’s not impossible, but it is hard. And I mean… HARD.
Between cooking 5 meals a day, cleaning, laundry, playing, running errands, bath time, bedtime, there are days that don’t seem to have enough hours to complete everything.
Pair that with dedicating time for my husband and overall taking some time to breathe and gather my own thoughts, it doesn’t leave many minutes, let alone hours, to work on a new, starting business.
Despite feeling exhausted, I can confidently say that my mom business brought back this one feeling I was missing: that I am still a person beyond being a mom.
The main reason I chose this niche for my blog was that I wanted to engage with other moms like myself, who are proud and happy stay-at-home moms but also feel like that’s all they are: moms.
And sometimes, it’s easy to trap ourselves into this guilt trip of simply feeling ungrateful or plain terrible for missing what we once were.
For myself, in my own journey, I don’t think I will ever go back to the “regular workforce” with a 9-5 schedule as long as I have kids under 10 (maybe even then!), unless I have no other choice.
That is because, again, I love being home with my kids, and that’s what works best for my family.
But, not only starting a mom business is something that can bring in additional income to my household, I also like knowing that I have “my own thing” going on outside of momming.
Things to keep in mind when you start a mom business, whatever it is you choose to do:
I think it’s important to note that starting a business is a hard job. I’ve said it before and I will repeat myself: it is hardcore, sleep-depriving, and even mood-altering at times.
That is because, of course, that’s not all you will do. It will demand discipline, sometimes a tight schedule, and lots of patience.
Businesses in any area don’t grow overnight. And that is especially true for hustling moms. I, for one, have started about 10 “blogs” in my lifetime, always secretly hoping one of those silly posts would simply go viral and I would become rich out of the blue.
That’s not how it works, obviously. The amount of hours that go into growing a business is something you need to take into consideration before you start.
– Are you starting a mom business because you want to, or because you need to?
It’s important to have that straight in your head.
Starting a business can come from many different needs: additional income, something that is “yours” and is not related to your kids, fulfilling a dream, or a long-term goal like buying a new home or traveling overseas.
Those are, in fact, valid reasons to start a new business and have the power to keep you motivated through your journey.
Wanting to start a business without a deep, enrooted reason for the “why”, can become frustrating really fast. And that is because we are humans. What we want today may not exactly be what we want tomorrow.
We change our minds quickly about so many things. And if you don’t have a substantial reason motivating you to push through the beginning stages of growing a business, you will most likely not stick with it very long.
– What does your day-to-day look like? Are you able to squeeze in the time that is needed to start a business?
The short answer here should always be YES if you are starting a mom business. But in order for that to happen, you will need to… you guessed right, prioritize.
I can’t remember the last time I watched TV. Or did anything in my “spare” time that didn’t involve my website – from posts to ads, to design, to contact form, to content creation (other than writing), to “backstage” things like LLC-related documentation, tax forms, online courses.
Every minute that I am not momming, supporting my husband, or taking care of my home, I’m working on my business. Because I want this to be an actual, tangible business.
Sometimes, I work while I breastfeed. Other times they are tearing the house apart while I’m on the computer (watching them). I try not to take too much time away from them and usually work when they go to bed or during naps… but that is not always possible.
– Do you have any money to invest?
This is the question that haunted me the most.
When I decided to start a blog, I wanted it to be a business. And I found out that, in order to make this into an actual “career”, I’d have to invest.
From buying a domain to designing the website, every penny adds up, and when you are not prepared for it, it can bring you to a halt.
My most honest advice for you when it comes to investment is: do your research. and I really mean that. Don’t just read one “guru” website page or watch one super successful youtuber telling you this business will change your life forever.
Go deeper, read stories from people starting out and what they are going through, listen to “feet on the ground” podcasts that give you the honest truth, and then decide if you still want to go through with your business.
There is nothing worse than being stuck with a pile of debt you dumped into a business you can’t take further.
Find true inspirers
If your mom business dream is in the form of a blog, I highly recommend you check out this free blogging course from Mimosas & Motherhood. Siobhan gives such honest, smart approaches to blogging that will, honestly, help you a lot!
Not only that, but she is a very approachable, kind blogger who is always nice enough to answer questions and to just talk to you during your journey.
Another blogger I highly recommend, not only for her amazing content but also for simply being the sweetest soul, is Melissa from A Solo Woman Traveling.
Melissa was such an honest blogger to talk to, and was so willing to help me when I was feeling so lost! She has lots of good advice for women wanting to dive into self-care: whether it is by traveling or just taking the afternoon off! Definitely check out her page and shoot her a message on Instagram!
Apart from blogging, that is my biggest advice for you: do your research and listen to real, honest people in your niche/area of work.
Gurus are great to give you an extra pump of motivation once you have already gone through the process of deciding to start a business. But they can also “convince” you to do something you are not prepared for through sales tactics and such.
Know it’s OKAY to feel overwhelmed with motherhood at times and wanting to do something for yourself.
As I saida, I personally would not want to go back to a 9-5. But I still want to spend some time doing something I love that is for me.
When I started this business, I bought one motivating thing to look at every day: this. Such a simple thing, but reminds me to keep going and enjoy the climb.
Thankfully, I got amazing support from my husband from the beginning. Being an entrepreneur advocate himself, he was more than thrilled to see me going for a business.
And that was part of the reason I was even able to do this, honestly. I realize that is a good situation and it will not always happen like that for every mom.
So, talk things through with your husband. Seek his support and encouragement. Ask for help on moments you need assistance with the kids or household.
Doing this has made me so much more aware of motherhood and marriage in general, even if I get so stressed out at times.
I hope you are able to go for your dreams, too!
Lexie Martinez says
This is actually very helpful! I have been debating starting a business for months now and what you said about what you call gurus make so much sense. One of them sort of convinced me to buy a 2 thousand dollar book collection for a marketing idea I had and the business sank because it was a bad idea. I wish I would have read this post sooner to get some perspective . Do you mind if I message you please
evelynrountree says
Hey! So glad this helped you! Yes, we should always be careful with listening to gurus! I think they are great once you’ve gone through the process of researching and deciding if the business is a good idea for yourself as they add motivation and optimism! But I always recommend only going to them once the decision has been made. And of course, message me away! I’d love to connect with you! xo
Grace says
I never thought of that until now! its true i love gurus and they help a ton but its much better to go to them once you have already figured out if you can do it or not. whoa thank you! i loved all the tips here!
evelynrountree says
Totally agree! I absolutely love gurus and how motivating they are – we just gotta be careful 😉
Bianca Floore says
Happiness lies within finding a balance between dedicating yourself to be an amazing mother and also doing something that makes you happy. Well said! This is the final push I needed to go for it, I’m gonna start my etsy shop. thanks so much!
evelynrountree says
Absolutely agree, Bianca! And YOU GO GIRL! Feel free to share your Etsy Shop when you start!
Xo