Mompreneurs: true modern-day heroes
Just last week I found out there is a name for the lifestyle I chose. Apparently I’m a «Mompreneur». This discovery immediately made me feel less alone and more supported.
Wikipedia describes this concept as: «a neologism defined as a female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur.»
But I like the description by TheMOMpreneur.com much better: «A multi-tasking woman who can balance both the stresses of running a business as an entrepreneur and the time-consuming duties of motherhood at the same time.»
There are literally dozens of aspects related to being a Mompreneur, all of them warranting a separate article. So I will touch here on just a few, which I have personal experience with, and there might be other business segments on this subject later on.
The bearing and the training of a child
Is woman’s wisdom.
– Alfred Tennyson (The Princess, 1847)
So here’s another revelation I had during my research for this article; it turns out that, as modern as I am, I still firmly believe in traditional family values, like the importance for children to have their Moms at home for as long as possible. But how is that feasible in this 21st century crazy competitive professional environment? Let’s find out the myths and realities of it.
The first myth: It’s going to be easy.
The reality: It’s going to be very challenging, but it will totally be worth it!
The Mompreneur idea emerged about 20 years ago, but got kicked into high gear when the maternity leave was extended to one year. Different kinds of Mompreneurs emerged, such as the employee working from home, the self-employed professional, the traditional business owner, and the home-business owner. They differ in many ways, among which, the level of flexibility.
And this, or the lack of it, is exactly what sent many corporate women running for the hills after starting a family. In this case, the hills being the greener pastures of entrepreneurship.
The second myth: 21st century employers really encourage the work-family balance.
The reality: If you want it, you will have to create it for yourself.
Now you’re thinking: «OK, but when.».
The suggestion I made to all the future Moms I helped start-up their business is to take advantage of the one-year maternity leave. Obviously the first few months should be devoted exclusively to taking care of the baby and of yourself. Then start observing your baby’s patterns and create a schedule around them. Now you’re ready to build your business.
Your next thought is: «OK, but how.».
My first tip to you is to find a coach or mentor that will help you choose a business, organize and build it. But I can tell you that the how will mainly depend on two things. The first one is the resources at your disposal for help and support in taking care of your baby. Do you have family members that can come over, a babysitter or nanny, a daycare, or activities and playgroups you can leave your baby at for a couple of hours?
The second one is your baby. Does he sleep a lot or barely at all? Can she occupy herself or does she always need interaction? Is he quiet or very active? Is she breastfed or bottle-fed? The way I see it, is that my son is my business partner. So we make all the decisions together; me from an adult’s perspective, and him from a toddler’s perspective. We compromise and make it work.
The third myth: a Mompreneur gets to spend all her time with her children.
The reality: There will be periods of time where you will miss them terribly, but if you plan your business right, in the long-run you will have a much greater quality of family life.
The biggest struggle for most Mompreneurs is making sure each moment spent away from our kids is used extremely efficiently, so as to maximize the results of this painful sacrifice.
And that is why I firmly believe that Mompreneurs are the superheroes of our times, a title which can only truly be recognized by other Mompreneurs, living the same daily challenges.
In fact, this article was inspired by a friend of mine. She is a self-employed acupuncturist, working out of three clinics, with a three-year-old daughter and a nine-month-old son. Please give two-thumbs-up to at least one Mompreneur you know, and send her this article to let her know you recognize the big red «S» she wears under her business suit.
I invite you to visit this page of our website to find out about one example, among so many, of the professional road that led a woman from Childpreneur to Mompreneur.
For more in depth and detailed information, Phoenix Alliance offers a FREE specialized «Tips and Tricks to be an efficient Mompreneur» seminar to its registered members.
Interesting outside link: « How to be a mompreneur »
