Being a mom is a full-time job. Throwing in running a business and adding in the title of mompreneur can sometimes be overwhelming. I began my mompreneur journey in October 2021 and have been an online business owner for a year. Today I’m taking some time to reflect on my first year of business and have decided to share four lessons I have learned during my first year as a mompreneur. These lessons were critical to the growth and success I have experienced in my business. So whether you’re a new or seasoned mompreneur, today’s blog has some nuggets just for you.
Click here to listen to the Mama Turned Mompreneur Podcast episode 1, where I share all about the four lessons I learned during my first year in business.
1. Finding Your Niche will be Your Greatest Strength as a Mompreneur
When I started my business in October 2021, I started as a virtual assistant. My business was called The Savvy VA Mama, and I offered a buffet of services. It was literally a one-stop shop. My services included blog copywriting, newsletter creation, social media management, and virtual administrative support. I also offered other services that I didn’t openly advertise. This included writing website copy for businesses geared towards children and families and WordPress website design.
I literally did all of the things. Although this was a great way to gain experience and try new things, it was not sustainable as a business owner. Not having a clear picture of who I was serving and how I was serving them kept me at $2500/month and lower (also, pricing my packages low played a role, but we will dive into this in a bit). It did not make sense that I had a full client load and barely made $2500/month.
After six months of hustling and running myself into the ground, I knew I needed to do something different. I needed to find something I loved and genuinely enjoyed doing. I needed to identify my ideal client and know them like the back of my hand. I needed to find my niche. Feeling burnt out and ready to throw in the towel led me down the road of podcast management. I can’t remember exactly how I got into podcast management, but I remember I found Lauren Wrighton’s Podcast Manager Podcast, and I was hooked. I binged her show in a matter of days and knew I needed to become a podcast manager.
In April 2022, I decided to niche in podcast management. I took Lauren Wrighton’s Podcast Manager Program and stuck to my goal of completing it before giving birth to my daughter. In a matter of a few months, I landed a couple of monthly management clients and a launch client who also signed up for monthly management. As a result, I was able to work less while earning more. I no longer dreaded client work. Instead, I now look forward to editing my clients’ podcast episodes and handling all the behind the scene tasks of their podcasts.
2. You are the CEO of Your Business
One thing I have seen many mompreneurs struggle with, myself included, is moving away from an employee mindset to a CEO mindset. When you have a CEO mindset, you set boundaries with your clients. You’re not available to them 24/7. You take vacations and days off without feeling guilty. I was forced to learn this quickly because after having my daughter, I realized that as a mom of two, I could not work Monday – Friday. My kids are home with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I need to be fully present for them on those days.
I had to decide to change my hours and my availability. It was a tough decision, and I ended up going separate ways with a client, but I had to do what was best for my family and me. When you have a CEO mindset, your entire perspective changes. You know your worth, and you walk in it. You don’t stress about losing a client that does not align with your business philosophy. Instead, you set the rules for your business and stick to them.
3. Charge Your Worth; Not What You Think People will Pay for Your Services.
One thing I often see in various mompreneur Facebook groups is mompreneurs asking how they should price their packages. Trust me, I get it. I did the exact same thing starting out. We question whether or not we are pricing our packages too high and question who would even pay that price. The thing is that you have a skill set that people need. You are worth the investment. Many factors go into pricing. I’m not going to go into those here (I will have a podcast episode and blog post on this in the future), but one thing you have to consider is how many hours a week you want to work and how many clients you want to serve a month. These two factors, amongst others, need to be considered when setting your prices. Your services are a business investment, and you only want to work with those willing to invest in your services. Your services are saving clients time and energy and allowing them to focus on the aspects of their business they enjoy and thrive in.
4. You Can Be a Successful Mompreneur without Sacrificing Motherhood or Your Sanity
Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship is hard, but it is possible. When you have both in-person and virtual support as a mompreneur, you can navigate this mompreneur journey like a pro.
In-Person Support vs. Virtual Support
In-person support looks like outsourcing home and business-related tasks and asking for help from your husband and/or family. So maybe you hire someone to come in once a week to maintain your home or send your littles to daycare a few days a week. Perhaps you hire an assistant to handle the admin side of things or a personal assistant to run errands and manage all those minor tasks that take up lots of time. You can talk to your husband and ask him to take care of the kids’ nighttime routine or have him take over cooking dinner during the week. Maybe you have retired family members (i.e., grandparents) who would love to help out with the kids during the week. Be resourceful and seek paid help or talk to your family and friends to see how they can support you.
Virtual support looks like outsourcing business-related tasks to contractors and connecting with other mompreneurs. If there are any tasks in your business that you absolutely dread doing or takes up way too much of your time, then it’s time to outsource. You may be thinking, “Andria, I’m a new mompreneur. I’m not making enough to outsource these tasks in my business.” However, there are many freelancers new to business who are looking to gain experience and testimonials. Start with that or bringing on an intern, and then once you are making enough to hire paid help, then go with that. Also, this mompreneur life can feel lonely, so you need other mompreneur friends. You need a village that will support you during both the highs and lows of being a mompreneur.
As a mompreneur, there are specific changes we have to make in our business; however, it starts with our mindset. When we make these mindset shifts, we will begin to experience the life we desire as business owners and moms. So, if you’re looking for your online village, join me in the Mama Turned Mompreneur Facebook Community!
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