Aside from getting married, two of the biggest events that can happen for most of us are having a baby and starting a business. But what happens when these two milestones coincide? You might be tempted to postpone fully becoming
an entrepreneur, but believe it or not, it’s possible to ease yourself into business ownership – even as you adjust to life as a new parent.
Entrepreneurship Tips for New Parents
Today, My Girly Names share a few tips for enterprising new parents.
Start-Up Strategies
Starting a business takes lots of research, and even more hard work. But there are a few things that you can do to make it a slightly easier process.
- Do what you know. You’ve heard a million times to do what you love, and, as Strategic Coach notes, this advice holds true. However, you should also do what you know. Having a baby will take a lot of your time, and you may not have the mental energy right now to devote yourself to learning something new.
- Settle your name and structure. Before you get up and running, you have to have a business name and, ideally, your business structure set up. For your name, you can easily set up a DBA, which allows you to do business under a name separate from your company. This is great if you plan to market different services and want to differentiate them from one another. But first, find out how to start a new company with ZenBusiness.
- Get a grasp on marketing. Speaking of marketing, you’ll need to also have a great grip on the advertising process. In today’s digital age, this means using the internet. Start with social media, but don’t neglect your website and blog.
- Get help. Whether you hire someone part-time or contract with a freelancer to achieve a specific goal, there’s no shame in getting help, even if it’s a few hours per day so that you can take a nap with your little one.
Parenting Tips
Aside from running your business, there’s still also the very important matter of getting used to parenthood. Although it doesn’t seem like it now, you will settle in!
- Take time for your baby. It can take several months to fully bond with your baby. UK-based parental support agency Bounty asserts that the best way to get close is by spending time together. Sing to your little one, and keep the visitors at bay for now. Remember, your time is already split between the new gig and your bouncing bundle.
- Workaround their schedule. Although your baby requires lots of hands-on attention, the good news is that babies sleep a lot. In the first few months, your little one may sleep up to 18 hours. However, they’ll also want to eat every two hours or so. Learn to follow your baby’s sleeping schedule, get your own rest, and then work a bit at a time in between.
- Get help. Even if you are already getting help for your business, don’t be afraid to ask your friends, family, and partner for assistance with your little one’s needs. You can also outsource cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping.
- From the moment your baby is born, you will find yourself in the middle of an experiment to keep them happy and healthy. As it pertains to you working now, look for ways to keep your little one asleep longer and entertained. This might be a rocker, music player, or other safe slumber tools. Ask your local moms’ groups for advice.
Having a baby is a huge milestone, and so too is starting your own business. If you want to do them both at the same time, be prepared to work overtime all the time. But, although it’s overwhelming in the early days, you will acclimate, and your two biggest priorities will soon become second nature.
Written by :
Dana Brown