Everybody from all walks of life faces different business challenges and it is how you overcome these which determines your success.
And when it's done right, you can achieve results like freeing up your time and being your own boss.
The best in the game like Emma Clarke, Tungsten Management Group, Fearne McCann, Herbalife Nutrition, Cara Sayer, SnoozeShade, Ioana Hardy, Fast Forward Marketing and Kyla Neill, Succeeding in Heels prepare for these same issues you face and achieve results through efficient planning and preparation.
They say always be prepared - and here is no different! Let's look under the hood at the biggest business challenge faced by many business people.
having the courage to start your own business
fear you do not know what you are doing
feeling guilty you are spending time on the business and not with the children
being pulled towards a career rather than parenthood
Having the courage to start your own business
Having the courage to start your own business can be daunting but it can the best thing that you ever do! If you read many of the blogs on our website they have a common theme that starting can be the hardest hurdle to overcome. You will get a lot of people who try to discourage you and most of this is out of care, but those who have the strength to start their own business are the ones who one day will have people asking you how you did it!
I started my own property business and have really propelled it forward when I became a mum in 2018. It was my co-founder’s idea to look to property as a new career and after being in the events industry for 12 years it took me a while to agree! But I have never looked back and cannot imagine working for someone else again and working 9-5. With my current life situation having my own business and specifically in property has given me the freedom I need. I am able to leave the team to carry out their roles so I can split my time between Kent and Devon where my family are. As I trust my teams I know that the business remains operational. It has not been an easy journey from full time event role to becoming a new mum and running a new business, but I would not have changed a moment. My advice is …. just go for it, it could be the best thing you ever did.
Fear you do not know what you are doing
It can be difficult having the courage to start your own business, and many of those close to you will try to put you off – my family and friends did! You need to think about many elements such as your current overheads, those telling you its a crazy idea, the current economic situation, but what about your dream, your passion and your happiness?
The great thing about business is you do not need to reinvent the wheel – you just need to improve it and give it a new USP. So copy other successful people or businesses such as Coca Cola and Pepsi who each have a slice of the beverage market. Research the ways they reached their success, research their hard times, the hurdles they overcome and who they associated or associate with today.
Ensure that you network with others so that you learn and bounce ideas off like minded individuals. You may also find your business sole mate who has all the qualities you do not have and they are also looking for someone like you with your skill set. This will give you power and confidence as you enter the market place, and remove some of the fear that you are in this journey alone.
Feeling guilty you are spending time on the business and not with the children
Having time away from my son has been the key to allow Tungsten MG to grow. When you are away from the children or from other family ties it allows you to concentrate on the business 100% and to not spread yourself to thin. You can check out the link below from Forbes who have some great tips on how to maximise the time you have to be most efficient.Â
But you do need to reset your thought process. You have decided to take an amazing step into business so that you can better your life and your families lives. This could be for financial reasons, wanting to spend more time with them, that you are finally living your dream job and many other reasons. But the biggest reason is a for a well balanced and happy family and your families future lives will be impacted on what you do now.
You also need to remember that your child will benefit greatly from being with a grandparent, with a trusted friend or at nursery. I am planning to sent our son to nursery in January 2021 as we think nursery is a step towards preparing for school, encouraging play, interaction skills and listening to others beyond family members. I think that having childcare is good for my son, myself and Tungsten MG.
Being pulled towards a career rather than parenthood
The parent guilt feeling is what all parents feel but is one that you can overcome with planning and having allocated time for each role. You can make sure you are productive in the time frame you have away from the family so that when you are together you can concentrate 100% on being a parent. There is no rule for everyone on what technique you can follow to achieve your maximum output as I prefer to work in morning, but Winston Churchill was a night owl when it came to work.
I created a blog in August 2019 on how productive is your commute which offers some great tips and advice. For me I only have childcare for 1.5 days of the week so I do the tasks that need my full attention and during the rest of the week I have adhoc working hours depending on my sons nap which are at random times and length. I usually do Tungsten MG admin tasks, jobs that require small time periods or household activities like making meals when he naps as the task can be stopped as soon as he wakes.
I am getting stricter on when I am a business owner and a mother. At the start I tried to be both all the time and it did start to wear me down. Now I try to be a mother/wife to be/home owner whilst he is awake so I play with him, help him with speech and learning and see friends but when he is napping, asleep or with he’s Dad or Nan I am a business owner. This allows me to dedicated 100% of myself, my mind and energy to whoever or whatever is in front of me, so I feel I have natured that thing to the best of my ability.
Are you facing any of these business challenge?
Do these problems resonate with you? Have you faced similar challenges? Why not leave a comment below and join the discussion - we'd love to hear from you!
