"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare they are difficult."
Seneca

A Mother's Dilemma
Should you start your own home business with children at home?
By Ann Condon
Published by Cape Cod Parent and Child

"Teeny, honey, please go play."
Margaret was exasperated with her young daughter, as she'd hoped to make some business calls while Zack was napping. Being at home with a four-year-old and an infant was not conducive to business calls, she thought ruefully.
Teeny rang her bell set next to her mother's ear and giggled.
"Teeny!" Margaret yelled. At this rate the whole afternoon would be wasted, and sure enough, there went Zack's cry.

Beginning an at-home business
(when you have youngsters!)

If that imaginary snapshot sounds anything like your potential at-home-business environment, my message is for you! Perhaps you jumped into starting a business at home because you thought you could earn some income and save money on childcare at the same time. Maybe you got very excited about an idea and jumped headlong into a business figuring all the details would work themselves out. Maybe you wanted to keep up your job skills and accepted a consulting job figuring you could make calls while your young ones napped or played quietly. And maybe you forgot to ask this one very important question: Is working at home when I have young children right for me? A good reality check can help prevent stress and failed plans.
When considering starting an at-home business as a mother of young children consider the following areas or topics carefully and with a clear eye for your own reality.

  • Do you really want to start a business with the time and effort it involves?
    (Please spend some time on this one particularly, talking to friends and family. Be open to changing your vision, shifting and refining until you have something that can and will work for you.)
  • Do you have office space?
  • Do you have ultra reliable childcare?
  • Do you have at least a bit of a financial cushion?

Let's call the above list "legs". Your business is like a table in this sense: both must have four legs!
In my opening snapshot, you can see that Margaret's business plan is missing at least half of these legs. She doesn't have childcare (at least on the day we peeked), and she doesn't have office space (at least at the moment we peeked).
Margaret is trying to work at a two-legged table and that's about like rowing with one oar! No can do!

Baby steps

You don't have to look far for examples of how to assess your potential work environment. You may have some little ones actually taking baby steps with their own two little legs- now you can learn from them! So let yourself be coached by your kiddos.
Notice how your young children carefully check out the environment before they even move! Maybe they're checking for obstacles, or a helping hand, (remember they only have tow legs!) or even a toy at the end of the journey. For you, a mother of youngsters, that environment check needs to be a lot more sophisticated!

Your Business Legs
Your Vision

You must start at the very beginning with a plan and vision for your business. Get things down in writing. Please take a piece of paper and write some thoughtful answers to these questions. Take your time. This is not a test; this is self-exploration.

  • What is my business vision? (Send me a SASE at: Ann Condon Coaching, PO Box 58, Centerville, MA, for forms to help you clarify this and some of the other topics below.)
  • Who are my ideal clients?
  • Do they need what I'm providing?
  • Can I consistently provide what they need?
  • And, will your business allow you to "...move through life excited and exhilarated because you are giving the gifts you were given at birth?" (From www.howmuchjoy.com)
If you are satisfied with the answers to these questions, you are moving toward solid footing. Now consider these next "legs".

Creating a business environment

First, ask yourself where you can create a private space to be in for your business at home. Maybe an empty bedroom, maybe a finished room in the basement. It probably won't work to use a dining room that can't be closed off and where you regularly eat meals. A desk in the kitchen? Nope! You need privacy, away from the children to be on business calls, write a letter or a press release, or even a business plan. Interruptions can be fatal to these essential business activities. The room will work best if it has soundproofing (especially if you have a Teeny, as Margaret does!) and a door that can be locked, to keep exploratory little jam covered fingers out!

A checklist for your workspace

  • Is it a pleasant space where you will enjoy spending time?
  • Do you have a dedicated line for business and a home line extension?
  • Are there plenty of electrical outlets? and a cable modem?
  • Is it free of distractions?
  • Quiet?
Look around your personal environment and list what may need to be changed.

Childcare

The children's play area should be away from your work area. Unless you're writing the great American novel from midnight to three AM, you will need childcare for a set number of hours a week during the time when you plan to work. Maybe three hours mid-day if you're doing a lot of telephone work, maybe later in the afternoon. Three days a week, five - it's up to you. If you have a Zack, you cannot rely on baby's naptime to get calls made. You see what happened to Margaret! Also remember you do not automatically have the "freedom" to complete your work at home as you might in an office out of the home. At home, you must create that freedom.
So, let's see, we have three legs identified and sketched: your vision, your space, and childcare. Next time we'll fill those in with more detail and begin on the fourth: your financial cushion, as well as discuss the upside of working from home. We'll look at what else your children do once they begin those baby steps and see what else we can learn from them.

If you want to email me with questions I'm at thejoyofsuccess@comcast.net. I'm always eager to learn from others.