Growing business and baby: managing both, neglecting neither
Gail Kirkegaard, 1993 (then Gail Corte)
Interested in combining a home business with child rearing? You might be among a growing number of displaced corporate clones. Are you worn out with pleasing the boss when your sick child needs you at home? Have you missed too many of your baby's little milestones? Maybe you simply realize the significance and joy of raising your child far outweigh that of raising shareholder's equity.
Nurturing the children
There are many ways in which a home business can promote a richer relationship between parent and child: nurse your infant on demand; lunch with the children; bandage boos-boos and wipe tears; take walk breaks together; learn their habits, favorites, sensitivities and fears.
When you are the one to provide their needs, you also become much more attuned to them. You can sense when they need a heart-to-heart talk. They entrust you with their embarrassing incidents and teasing they endured at school. You earn that trust, because you prove your interest and involvement by being there when they need you.
I have adapted to working with my seat only halfway planted in my chair. I have days when I jump up to attend to the kids every fifteen to thirty minutes. This is frustrating, because my concentration is broken. I have to pick up an article where I left off, only to lose it again within a few minutes. If I remember my purposes for working at home, it is easier to endure the inconvenience.
Nurturing the business
When you first begin your business, you need to discover your most effective marketing strategy. Don't worry about getting too much business! Since you are the boss, you can decide just how busy you want to be. I'm not very aggressive with my marketing, because I have enough to do with my subscription newsletter and a handful of clients. If I lose a client or two I will have to scramble for more work again.
If it looks like additional work will complicate things, you are free to reassure your prospects that you will be happy to serve them, but it might not be for two weeks or a month. Otherwise, you can tell them that you're not receiving any new clients at this time, but you'll be happy to take their name and contact them whenever an opening occurs. You risk losing them that way. Do keep in touch with them. Put them on your newsletter mailing list. Be sure they receive your business card and other promotional material, so your name and business do not escape their minds.
Time for children
Coordinate your schedule as much as possible with your children's naptime, school hours, and household responsibilities that you can't drop for a great length of time. My kids have learned that there are days when Mommy must be at the computer for hours at a time. They play on the swing set, with their Barbie dolls, their pet rabbit, or entertain themselves creatively by practicing a play or puppet show to perform for Mommy and Daddy.
It took them months to get accustomed to this. I had to reassure them often that eventually we will have an opportunity together. I have to hold up my end of the deal! If I promise to take them hiking in the foothills when I complete a project, I cannot start another project until the girls get their hike.
If there is no pressing deadline, I will read to the girls, go outside and watch them swing, play a game or just visit with them. I find this to be a relief whenever I have writer's block, to get my mind off work for a while.
Time for business
Mysterious time consumption is just built into entrepreneurship. I believe that for every child under the age of five, you can double your work time estimate. Because of the frequent interruptions to serve snacks, break up fights and so on, what normally should take me a couple of hours will often require a whole day. Every year the children become more independent, and the time I can spend at my business increases accordingly.
Keep your perspective on business and baby. Remember why you want a home business. Try not to let either the kids or the work overwhelm you. As the children get older, so does the business, so it gets easier to coordinate the two.
www.gailkirkegaard.biz