If your first guess at seeing the word “mompreneur” is a mother who is also an entrepreneur, then you are absolutely right. Raising a child might be hard work, but it is also empowering, and mompreneurs are grabbing this particular bull by the horns. They refuse to choose between family and career and strive to be both a great parent and successful business owner.
The mompreneur experience can make you feel like you can accomplish anything. It also gives you the desire to provide your kids with a great life and do whatever you can to make the world a better place for them. So, if you’re wondering whether it is possible to balance work and family equally, the answer is yes.
And I will show you how to do so in this guide.
Key takeaways
- A mompreneur is a mother who successfully runs her own business while being devoted to her day-to-day family life.
- There are several business ideas for mompreneurs, some of which include baking, bookkeeping and fitness instruction.
- One leading challenge almost every busy mompreneur is faced with is managing their schedule.
- Being a Mompreneur requires a high degree of creativity, time management, organization, dedication, and emotional resilience.
Who is a Mompreneur?
A mompreneur is a mother who uses her knowledge, skills, creativity, and past experiences to successfully run her own business while being devoted to her day-to-day family life. Investopedia adds that “mompreneurs are a relatively new trend in entrepreneurship, and have come to increased prominence in the internet age, with the internet allowing entrepreneurs to sell products out of their homes” rather than relying on foot traffic to brick-and-mortar business.
Many people reject the labels “female entrepreneur” or “mom entrepreneur” and prefer to be called “entrepreneurs” without any gender or motherhood distinction.
Being a Mompreneur requires a high degree of creativity, time management, organization, dedication, and emotional resilience. Mompreneurship can be both rewarding and challenging as you try to meet the demands of your home as well as your business needs.
Challenges that mompreneurs face
Naturally, juggling looking after young children with starting and running a small business, is not without its ups and downs. Some challenges you might face as a mompreneur include:
#.1 Managing schedules
One leading challenge almost every busy mompreneur is faced with is managing their schedule. With little ones to look after, finding the time to get on with business-related tasks isn’t easy. Successful mompreneurs tend to work according to their biological clock.
For instance, if they are a morning person, they’ll get up early and work on their business before the children wake up.
#2. Switching off from work
Another leading challenge of mompreneurship is knowing when to switch off. Completely stopping work might sound counterproductive but it can prove a godsend in gaining a better work/life balance, reducing stress levels, and recharging your batteries for the next working session.
#3. Asking for help when you need it
Mompreneurs might be multi-tasking superheroes. However, with a million things to do each day, working moms must know how to ask for help.
Knowing when to ask for help, whether it’s having someone look after the kids for a few hours or outsourcing certain business-related tasks, such as bookkeeping and tax returns, helps multi-tasking mompreneurs to not only keep their sanity but maintain a more successful, sustainable business.
5 business ideas for mompreneurs
What businesses can you start as a mom? Here are a few mompreneur business ideas that are conducive to many different stages in a mom’s life:
Fitness Instructor
If fitness is your calling, you can turn this passion into a thriving business without even leaving your house. Competition is fierce, though, so identify a niche (Pilates, Zumba, yoga or strength training) and get certified from:
- National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
- American Council on Exercise
- National Academy of Sports Medicine
These places offer accredited certifications that cost between $425 to $550.
We recommend having a target market so you aren’t lost in the world of trainers. If you wish to focus your business on busy moms like yourself, direct your marketing efforts towards online and local mom groups and offer either private training or group sessions via Zoom.
Baking
You can start a home bakery without a pastry course certification, an expensive oven, state-of-the-art Kitchenaid or expert fondant skills. A profitable venture is possible with basic baking skills.
Get inspiration from shows like Unique Sweets or The Great British Bake Off. Keep a notebook handy to jot down new flavor combinations, techniques and baking styles you’d be most comfortable with. Next, identify the costs of your standard products.
From there, you can start making desserts for personal events and taking gorgeous pictures via your camera phone. Instagram is a popular choice for bakers as you can show off your style and creativity with pictures and videos. You can also tap into the growing food delivery market by partnering with delivery companies like Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Keep in mind, though, that food services businesses typically require a health permit or local licenses. Bizee’s free Business License Research Tool or your local chamber of commerce can help you identify the required licenses or permits.
Become a mom influencer
Do you enjoy posting on Instagram and wonder if you can be a social media influencer? The one-word answer is yes. It starts with identifying what you’d like to post and areas you can share your knowledge on. The most popular mom influencers create content around the following:
- Kid activities
- Working from home
- Meals
- Fashion
- Post-pregnancy body positivity
As with all content, your success comes down to the authenticity and value that you’re adding. The startup costs, while low, depend on the type of influencer you desire to be — TikToker, blogger, Instagrammer, etc.
By the way, you don’t need to have a million followers to start seeing the revenue. Micro-influencers (with 1000-10,000 followers) typically earn $100-$500 per post.
Bookkeeper
Bookkeeping is one of the tasks that other small business owners frequently need help with. It’s also a business that doesn’t require a finance or accounts degree.
Depending on your budget and goals, you can consider getting a bookkeeping certification. Two of the most well-known options for bookkeeping certification are:
Alternatively, you can get software certification from QuickBooks or FreshBooks or undergo a free course from Bookkeepers.com. Market your business by becoming an advisor with the local Small Business Development Center, signing up on freelance bookkeeping sites like Trulancer or Freelancer and attending bookkeeper Meetup groups.
We advise you to get liability insurance, though. As a bookkeeper, this will protect you in case you make any mistakes on a client’s books.
Grant Writer
Grant writers are in high demand by schools, nonprofit and community organizations. This line of work can be incredibly rewarding, and you can expect to earn anywhere between $35-$125/hour.
Getting a certification can go a long way in building trust and credibility for your business. Nonprofitready.org offers several free courses on grant writing. CandidLearning and the Grant Training Center have online and in-person courses, too (pricing starts as low as $25).
You can then start by offering your grant writing services to local nonprofits and regional fundraising committees.
Read: How to Become a Grant Writer
Check the video below for more business ideas that you can adopt as a mompreneur:
Benefits of becoming a mompreneur
Working from home has many advantages, such as being able to call the shots and squeezing in extra cuddle time with your kiddos. Let’s take a deeper look at how your life can benefit from the mompreneur lifestyle.
Setting your own schedule
All parents will agree that raising kids is way more demanding than a full-time job. Depending on your kids’ ages, you may be up half the night or need to carve out time to help with complicated homework. The freedom that comes with being an entrepreneur means you can alter your schedule to fit your family’s needs.
Some mompreneurs work early in the morning or late at night. Others take advantage of their kids’ nap times. If your work is extra demanding, it may be necessary to hire babysitters or enroll your kids in preschool. Either way, you can design your routine to fit around pick-ups and drop-offs, sick days, and school vacations.
Scaling up or down as needed
Not every entrepreneur mom is filthy rich. Sure, you can aim high if you have the time, energy, and resources. However, if your kids are on summer break or you’re craving some downtime, you can alter things as needed.
Plus, plenty of entrepreneurs utilize contract workers or employees. Scaling up the business doesn’t mean every single task needs to fall on your shoulders.
Consider hiring a virtual assistant if your workload is too grueling. That way your business can grow while you enjoy those precious moments with your family.
Spending more time with your kids
One of the top reasons parents pursue an entrepreneurial career is to allow more time with their kids. As your kids get older, you can even involve them in the business. Have them help sort receipts, file paperwork, shred documents, or stamp letters.
Not only will this allow your family more time together, but you’ll be able to role-model that entrepreneurial spirit. This is something your kids can hopefully use to pursue their own business ideas in the future. Or even now. Did I hear someone say kidpreneur?
Saving money
Sure, you have to spend money to get a business up and running. But in the long run, you’ll most likely cut costs, such as not having to gas up the car for long commutes or invest in fancy business clothes. Plus, if you’re able to work around your kids’ schedule, you can save on full-time daycare or after-school fees.
Enjoying a rewarding career
Watching your own business flourish and grow along with your blossoming children is a very rewarding experience. You also get to show your children that it’s possible to have it all — a satisfying family life and a fulfilling career.
How to become a mompreneur
Start small
Just think of your business as your babies — they start out small, then they beging to grow and grow and grow.
So, don’t tackle the biggest idea first. Get your toes wet by dabbling in your idea, and seeing if you can successfully juggle the kids and the work tasks. If everyone is still breathing and you haven’t gone insane, then start branching out and expanding the business.
Hire help
Let’s be honest, doing it all — motherhood, chores, earning a living — isn’t easy. To avoid burnout, you definitely need to ask for help.
Help may come in any of the following forms:
- Childcare. Don’t let the term mompreneur be misleading. Every successful businesswoman still relies on childcare, whether it’s babysitters, part-time daycare, preschool, help from your partner, or extra screen time. You need quality “me” time to get stuff done.
- Virtual assistants. Farm out tasks to an online assistant, such as having them create email newsletters, manage social media accounts, or design online ads. Alternatively, use social media software, such as Sprout Social, to take away the extra brain work.
- House cleaners. Keeping the house running smoothly is part of the motherhood gig. Go ahead and delegate some chores so you have extra time for your business and the kids (or better yet, get the kids to clean the house).
- A business partner. The pressure of running a business can be downright exhausting. Consider partnering up with another mom who possesses entrepreneurial skills — ideally in areas that complement yours.
Get feedback
Post surveys and polls to see what others think of your business idea. Perhaps hold a competition to decide the final business name — you want something catchy and unique but also easy to remember.
Or you can have fellow parents list their current struggles and headaches, giving you inspiration for untapped markets.
Keep learning
No matter how successful your business becomes, there’s always room for growth and improvement. You can start by studying these other successful mompreneurs — behind every success is a great story!
Enroll in online training courses to gain more knowledge in your field. Also, it’s worth getting a women-owned business certification, which can help open doors to private and government contracts.
Above all else, don’t forget to ask your kids for their opinion! Who knows, they might have an innovative business idea right on the tip of their tongue. Or perhaps they’ll draw a painting that inspires a cool logo. Look to them — they can be your biggest inspiration.
Below is a checklist of the steps you can follow to get started on your mompreneurship journey:
How to become a mompreneur
Tips for aspiring mompreneurs
Acknowledge your strength
Women possess unbelievable inner strength. When you become a mother, that strength becomes otherworldly. Everything changes. Your why changes. As you become newly cognizant, your entire awareness of the world changes. Your understanding gives you strength, and that strength is superhuman.
This strength inadvertently rubs off on your business. It’s arguably what gives you your competitive advantage, so own it and use it to your advantage, because it is your advantage.
Learn to master work/life balance
Never center your life around things that are more temporary than permanent. This means that, as a mompreneur, your family is the reason for everything you do. It’s your core, your nucleus, your center, your WHY. Everything else in your life revolves around that.
So, design your work schedule around your family and not the other way around. You’re the boss, so your hours are what you want them to be. There will never be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything.
Take time for yourself
As a Mompreneur, it’s not just rare to have “me” time — it’s a nonexistent concept. At every moment, there will be someone who needs you; whether it’s your children, your employees, your friends… you need to be aware of this and plan for it.
However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that making your time work for you means you can multitask. When you try to devote your time to two things at once, you’re really just doing both things poorly. Set aside time for work and time for family. Recognize that to be successful as a mompreneur, you have to carve out time for yourself, too.
No one can function without blocking off some time for themselves. Self-care is important, and your ability to function in both roles depends on it.
Build a strong support system
As a mompreneur, you are the go-to person for so many people. It’s important to have people in your life who are not only there for you, but who don’t judge you when you can’t stand up to your own ideal boss/mom standards.
Your family is your support system. Your friends and your babysitter are your support system. The people who believe in you and enable you? They are your support system.
You are who you surround yourself with. It is so critical for your happiness, success, and overall self-acceptance to surround yourself with people who believe in and inspire you. The kind of people who don’t guilt you for your ambitions and honor your “why” even if it’s not theirs.
Hold yourself accountable
As a mompreneur, in your moments of greatest need, you only need to answer to those that matter most. That’s a privilege and a blessing you can never, ever take for granted. The second you do, it becomes inconsequential and you lose sight of why mompreneurship is worth it in the first place.
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