Entrepreneur + Mom = Mompreneur. Not busy enough with kids? Start a business…or vice versa. 

All mompreneurs know that they have more than one “baby” in their lives. The business they created and the child (or children) they are raising. Unfortunately, both fight for attention in different – and maybe even the same – ways. Both “babies” need and deserve attention, and for mompreneurs, it can be tough to choose the right time to give each one their undivided attention. From one mompreneur to another, here are my 7 tips for becoming a masterful mompreneur.

1. Your Schedule Doesn’t Have to be 9 to 5
   The great thing about owning is business is being able to set your own schedule. Mompreneurs can interrupt their day to fit in feeding times, extracurricular activities, appointments and even playtime without eating up sick time or vacation days.
2. Efficiency Is Key
   Save more time to do the important things for your business and family. Find apps, organizational products, life hacks, tips – whatever! – to make your life easier, more organized and streamlined. We use a color-coded family iCal to make sure everyone is where they need to be and time is blocked out each day specifically for work or family. Do you have any apps you recommend?
3. No Matter How Hard You Try, Work and Family Will Collide
   Keeping work and family separate is a truly impossible task. Work will eventually be interrupted by appointments, sports practice and more. Similarly, family time will be interrupted by work meetings, phone calls and emails. If your office is at home, a kid will get into it. (Stay one step ahead by kid-proofing the office.) Toys will be next to your laptop; sippy cups will be spilled on your planner. All you can do is accept it and keep moving. We are all familiar with the viral video of the dad who gets interrupted by his kids while doing a live video interview…but have you seen the @jonoandben spoof of how a mom would have handled it? Too true.
4. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
   Your life will get much easier when you think ahead both at work and at home. Before you call it a night, look at what you have going on at work the next day. What can you do now to get ready for what’s ahead? Likewise, with family. If your children are school-aged, pick out clothes the night before – or if you’re super prepared, pick them out the week before. Get lunches ready – including your own – so the morning doesn’t turn into a rush. Heck, even get your outfits ready. My husband always says it must be exhausting to be me as I am ALWAYS strategizing and thinking 10 steps ahead.
5. Let Your Clients and Customers Know You Need Family Time
   Block two hours out of your day – every day – for family time. This will be time where you won’t answer calls, check emails or do any kind of work. Who knows, maybe your clients and customers will understand and even incorporate the rule in their own family lives. And most importantly, your family will appreciate the effort you put in to make time for them.
6. Take a Deep Breath and Say “I’m the Boss”
   Sometimes you get so caught up in the day-to-day aspects of your business that you forget that you are your business. You are the boss. At the end of the day, you get to choose how to run your business. The position gives you the kind of power and flexibility you wouldn’t otherwise have if you were working for someone else.
7. Always Remember Why You’re Doing What You’re Doing
   There’s a reason you became a mom and there’s a reason you became an entrepreneur. Don’t lose sight of either. When you feel like you need more than 24 hours in a day or when you have children crying while on a business call, think about the why. Remember how each brings a unique joy into your life.

The important thing to keep in mind is that despite what sitcoms and self-help books tell you, there is no way to really “have it all.” There is, however, a way to “have most” and balance all of the competing claims on your time and energy. I hope these tips are helpful. Now go out there and rock it like the momboss you are!

We welcome your feedback and would love to know how we can continue to improve our hands-free pumping bra designs and make your "mom life" easier.

Carey Bradshaw, Author (& Nursing Aficionado)