Running an at-home business with young kids

I honestly don’t know what it would be like NOT to work from home because I’ve been doing this for 11 years. One of my favorite types of blogs, youtubers, podcasts, articles, books, audiobooks, etc is hearing how other moms do it. So I wanted to share how I do it – running an at-home business with young kids.

I’ve been a business owner since my first-born son was 6 months old. He’s now 11 years old and I have two more boys. My second son was born as my photography business was booming. My third son was born as I was getting started as an online entrepreneur and fizzling out my photography business. Here’s the 5 major aspects of how I run an at-home business at home successfully with my young kids.

Set your intentions

I’m definitely the go-with-the-flow type of person. As much as I like this trait of mine, I also know it can be a trap. By going where life is taking you, you miss out on where you truly want to go. For me, I find greater life satisfaction and happiness by going after what I want life to be and look like. This is why it’s important to set your intentions and goals.

Setting intentions of WHY you want to work from home helps to see a bigger picture. Personally, I have always told myself that I would be home with my kids. This value of mine is my highest intention. I strive to be present with my children. They are my #1 intention, not my business.

I also want to give them the tools, experiences, and success so they can reach their highest selves in this life. Being home with them, showing them what hard work and dedication look like, and enjoying the fruits of those labors are very important to our family’s growth.

Set your intentions of your motherhood and the place your business will take part in it.

Set Goals

If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get anywhere? Setting goals is one of my favorite things to do. There is a difference between setting a goal and activtely persuing it though. I can write down goals all day long but until I actually get started on it, it’s just a dream written on paper.

Do you struggle getting from the goal setting to the goal achieving? In the last year, I’ve learned a lot about growth and goals. Here’s some tips I’ve learned that may help as you set and pursue your business goals:

• Focus on one goal at a time
  • Overwhelming yourself with ALL that you want to do with spread you thin and exhaust you. Focus on the one thing that will help get you to your goal more quickly
• Break down your big goal into bite sized pieces
  • Take your big goal (having a 6 figure business for example) and break it down into bite size pieces that you can work on every day (work on marketing every day, reach out to 5 potential customers every day, etc.)

For more information on goal setting see this post here about how I plan my goals and day-to-day tasks for success.

Be scheduled and flexible

Speaking of day-to-day tasks, it’s nice to know how to fit those tasks into your day, right? I’ve been keeping an actual physical planner for 3 years now and it’s totally changed how I run my business and achieve my goals. I love having the physical planner because I can see everything in front of me at once and what I need to do.

After filling out my daily plan tasks sheet, I work those tasks into my planner. That way, I have a guide of what I’ll be doing that day.

But there’s a kicker… running an at-home business with young kids will mess with your daily plan. I pretty much guarantee it.

You may have an amazing schedule planned with lots of productivity. You’ll just be getting into the groove and your child will call from school that he’s sick. Maybe your kids are fighting that you need to break up. Or someone clogged the toilet with a toy car. Or nap time didn’t last as long as you hoped it would. You get the idea.

The point I want to make is to give yourself some grace. Schedule your day and do your best. At the end of the day, as long as you tried your best to reach your goals, that’s all you can do. Be proud of it. You’re doing amazing things. Running an at-home business with young kids is not easy!

Embrace the chaos

Next tip I have for you is to embrace the chaos. Like I point out above, life happens. Interruptions will abound. It is chaos. Rolling and embracing with it helps me SO much.

A couple years ago, I fought the chaos. I wanted everything to go as I planned and when it wouldn’t, I found myself frazzled and frustrated. Then I heard the term “embrace the chaos” and fully embraced it. It’s been such a great mind shift! I know life will change and evolve and unexpected situations will come up. So giving myself and life a little grace breathes more light into it all.

Have cheerleaders

My final piece of advice to help navigate running an at-home business with young kids is to have cheerleaders. Not literal cheerleaders of course, but someone or a group of people that can cheer you on. Join a facebook group, find like minded people in your local area or online, involve your spouse/friends/family.

For me, I’m incredibly blessed to have a spouse that supports my endeavors one million percent. He’s there for me during the struggles and the highlights. My mom is also an incredible cheerleader. Never does she judge the way I do things in my home.

We live in a connected world where it is possible to find that cheerleader, even if they’re half a world away. I love social media and the internet for this reason! And if anything, I am your cheerleader. You can do this and create the life you desire.

Have I missed anything? What would you add? What helps you in running an at-home business with young kids? I’d love to know! Comment below or send me a message or comment on facebook, instagram, or youtube!

Please Share!

My blog is trying to grow! Would you do me a HUGE favor and share this on your favorite social media platform? I would so appreciate it! Thanks so much!