Mompreneurs: Are You Making These Common Mistakes?

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Mompreneurs-Chispa Magazine-Mavian Arocha-RoweBeing a work-from-home mom is a tough task, but get it right and you can enjoy levels of freedom you never knew existed. However, there are a few things that many new mompreneurs get wrong; and they can cause serious issues. The idea of being a mompreneur is to give you the best of both worlds. You want the ability to make a decent living and also look after your kids. So, if you recognize any of these common issues, it should signal alarm bells. Read on, and then fix your problems sooner rather than later.

Too Much DIY
Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. This simple fact goes two ways. First of all, asking for help is not to say you don’t have the skills or knowledge to succeed; it just saves you time. So, if you can outsource any tasks to concentrate on the money-making side of your business, then you should go ahead. A virtual assistant might come in handy, for example, or a bookkeeper to keep your taxes in order. The second point is just as important. Is your husband or your kids doing their bit around the house? You might work from home, but that doesn’t mean cleaning and cooking are your sole responsibility. Again, ask for help if you need it, so you have the time to excel in every aspect of your life.

No Boundaries
One of the biggest problems faced by anyone working from home is there are some blurred boundaries to deal with. The office needs to be an office, just as it would if you were traveling 20 miles to get to work. Everyone in your family needs to understand that when you are working, you need peace and quiet. If you start losing ten minutes here or twenty minutes there, you will end up losing productivity and working all hours to catch up. This is not the point of being a mompreneur; it’s about achieving the right work-life balance. Make sure you define your boundaries and you will reach that balance quickly.

No Business Plan
As we all know, being a mompreneur can be a tough job. It’s vital, then, to create a business plan and roadmap to help you steer through to your goals. There will be many distractions on the road ahead, and family life will get in the way. Without a robust business plan, you might find your work starts to get disjointed and messy. It’s vital that you can spend every minute working on progressing your business, not spending a half hour every session trying to figure out where you are. Only a business plan and a roadmap that outlines your goals will help you achieve mompreneur success.

Working in Pajamas
OK, so we all know the joke about people working from home doing so in their pajamas. But there is a more serious point to understand, here. If you want to be successful and professional, dress like it. Getting dressed just as you would for an office job will set you up for the day, and help you get focused. It’s also going to help you define those boundaries we were talking about earlier. If you look professional, you will feel professional. Sure, the odd pajama day isn’t going to harm you, but on the whole, you should treat your job as you would in any other environment and smarten up!

Lack of Technology Knowledge
You are going to have to learn a lot about technology if you want to succeed at working from home. Your computer is a fantastic tool, so make sure you are exploiting it to its fullest. Learn about using collaborative tools so you can share and work on files with other people. Do a spreadsheet course so you can take care of your finances and invoices. Check online backup reviews to find the perfect product for storing your data and files in a secure place. And, keep on top of the latest blogging and website trends so you can keep pushing your business forward.

Working When You Can
It’s not sufficient to catch ten minutes of work here and twenty minutes there. It’s inefficient, and you will never get anything finished. You have to allow for blocks of time if you want to make any progress. Be specific, too. Set yourself essential tasks to complete on particular days of the week and you will find you achieve a lot more.

Photo by Cathryn Lavery

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Mavian Arocha-Rowe

Mavian Arocha-Rowe

Editor-in-Chief at Chispa Magazine
Mavian Arocha-Rowe is known as an asset to the business and communications industry and is motivating and advocating “your authenticity should be your strategy,” for all women, regardless of their season and roles. For the past 20 years she has directed magazines, plus multiple art and marketing departments as creative director and brand manager. What supersedes all of her great career moves is her role as wife and mother living in Atlanta. Challenging herself to discover and bravely pursue the calling for her life, Arocha-Rowe helps other women discover and pursue their life’s assignment. She is a passionate, and loud-laughing speaker on the topic of purposefully redeemed, and mentors young women so they can exercise a mind that is doctrinally pure, along with a heart that beats toward sanctification. She will almost never turn down Marlow’s Tavern double-tavern cheeseburger, a cooking-demonstration from Leaning Ladder, or any opportunity to head to Miami to spend time with family.
Mavian Arocha-Rowe

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Mavian Arocha-Rowe

Mavian Arocha-Rowe is known as an asset to the business and communications industry and is motivating and advocating “your authenticity should be your strategy,” for all women, regardless of their season and roles. For the past 20 years she has directed magazines, plus multiple art and marketing departments as creative director and brand manager. What supersedes all of her great career moves is her role as wife and mother living in Atlanta. Challenging herself to discover and bravely pursue the calling for her life, Arocha-Rowe helps other women discover and pursue their life’s assignment. She is a passionate, and loud-laughing speaker on the topic of purposefully redeemed, and mentors young women so they can exercise a mind that is doctrinally pure, along with a heart that beats toward sanctification. She will almost never turn down Marlow’s Tavern double-tavern cheeseburger, a cooking-demonstration from Leaning Ladder, or any opportunity to head to Miami to spend time with family.