Many home-based businesses are born through a hobby or sideline that catches consumers’ interest and rapidly grows.
Unfortunately, some mumpreneurs cannot cope with this sudden popularity, leaving their family life to suffer as they work long hours to keep the business going.
“People prepare for failure more than they do for success,” says McGee. “Their businesses take off but they can scale them and they struggle.”
“It’s all about planning to succeed. Stop and take stock about what you are doing. Where do you want the business to go? How will you remain flexible to cope with the changing business and social environment?”
“The key is to not panic and to think of work/life as a flow, not a balance. Have a flexible business plan and think of contingencies, so that they don’t overwhelm you if the worst happens.”
Unsurprisingly, mothers who start-up from home will often launch with an idea inspired by their experiences with children – whether that’s Babes in Arms’ baby slings or LoseBabyWeight.com.au.
If you go down this path, make sure you take full advantage from the at-hand market research you can do with your own children.
But don’t let your family set-up become so enmeshed in your business that you lose sight of what the wider market wants.
You may love your idea for selling baby t-shirts online, but what of the many other businesses doing the same thing? Your kids could be big fans of your range of children’s iPad games, but what do others think?
“Use your family, mothers’ groups and Facebook friends for intel on your business,” advises McGee. “Think about using a co-working space and joining a networking group, Keep on top of the trends out there and be super flexible.”
According to McGee, many entrepreneurial mums are reluctant to take on outside help, leaving them at risk of being swamped.
“Mumpreneurs want to be heroes and do everything, but they shouldn’t be afraid to pick up the phone to someone to ask for help, whether that’s to help pack stock or send some emails,” she says.
If you outsource smartly, you’ll be able to cut your workload while increasing your focus on the key drivers of your business that really matter – such as sales and new business opportunities – while having some time left over for your family.
Gunsberger has 12 members of staff, all work-at-home mums who put in 10 to 20 hours of work a week, lightening the load on the busy founder.
She says that it’s important for mumpreneurs to treat their homes like a business and realise that they can’t do it all.
“I outsource things like cooking and cleaning so that I have the time to do the fun stuff, rather than washing,” she says.
“It took a few years to not feel guilty that I wasn’t cooking my children a great organic meal from scratch every day, but they don’t appreciate the time I spend on it. They just want a good meal, so I found someone who could deliver to us.”
“The expense of outsourcing some tasks is more than worth it as it gives me more time and allows me to focus on the important things.”
