When you’re a mum, you find that your life revolves around the little ones in your life. They take priority, as they depend on you for their every need. It can feel like a juggling act to keep everything running smoothly. This feeling compounds when you’re a working mum.
For some mums, earning an extra income is a necessary part of keeping their household afloat. Once, this meant paying for childcare or finding a willing family member and going out to work. However, the rise in remote working has opened up avenues for mothers to work from home.
Why Set Up a Home Business
The great thing about home businesses is that there is a wide variety of business options for you to choose from. You can find work that takes up only a few hours each week, so you still have plenty of time for your child or children. You don’t have to worry about finding childcare because you can work with your child in the room with you, or while they’re napping.
One of the best things about working from home is the flexibility it allows. When you work for yourself, you can set your hours. So you can work around your family, not the other way around. Get a couple of hours done in the evenings and on the weekends.
As your children get older and less dependent on you, and especially when they start school or nursery, you will find your time opening up again. However, most jobs still make it difficult to make the school commute. If you work from home, then you can fit this into your schedule and work during school hours.
Tips and Tricks
While there are plenty of reasons to set up a home business, working from home has its challenges, especially when it comes to working with children in the room with you. You may get distracted, particularly if your children are young and rambunctious. Or you may struggle with your work-life balance.
But there are some ways to mitigate these challenges and help your home business to succeed.
Create a separate office space. While it’s not always possible to have a room to yourself for working, you can at least take up a corner somewhere with a dedicated desk. Working from the sofa or even the kitchen table is a quick path to back problems.
Use a virtual address service. If you’re shipping things to or from your home, you may not want your home address to be made public. Or, if this isn’t something you worry about, then a virtual business address can still provide a measure of professionalism and legitimacy to your business.
Use a schedule. You may try to just work when you have time, but the problem with this method is that you’ll never have time. There is always something to do as a mum, so you have to set aside time to get work done. Even a couple of hours a day is something.