How to Be a Mother and Entrepreneur

Is it possible to be a mother and start a business?

Being a mom and an entrepreneur simultaneously can seem like an impossible challenge, as there are many aspects to juggle, like taking the kids to school, going to doctor’s appointments, and attending to clients all at once.

However, while it may be difficult, it is possible to manage both roles and enjoy both tasks. It’s just a matter of good planning and time management to ensure everything gets done.

Real examples of entrepreneurial mothers

One successful example of a mom and entrepreneur is Sonia Catalán. This mother of three decided to take a new path and reinvent herself after motherhood, starting from scratch in the real estate sector. She is part of the Engel & Völkers team, and for several years now, she has been her own boss as a real estate agent.

This job gives her the freedom to achieve a perfect balance between work and personal life.

Benefits of being a mother and entrepreneur

Normally, a strict work schedule dictates our lives. However, being a mother while developing your own business is an exceptional opportunity to live according to your needs. Here are some of the advantages:

Work-life balance

Some jobs don’t allow for quality time with your children, and this makes many mothers uncomfortable. But fortunately, working independently offers many benefits, and this is one of them.

With entrepreneurship, you can organize your time according to your needs, ensuring it doesn’t interfere with your relationship with or care for your children.

Be the owner of your time

You have the possibility to structure your work as you need. For example, you can work at night—if your business allows it—or during the hours your children are in school. You might even have a much shorter workday than usual.

Professional development

Starting a business and being your own boss will help you grow professionally, as you’ll develop many skills that you may not currently have, such as sales or finance.

Increased income

One of the advantages of being a mother and entrepreneur simultaneously is that you’ll have higher income, as all profits will be yours. This will help you achieve a better quality of life.

How to start a business while being a mother

If you’ve made up your mind and want to balance being a mom and starting a business—to achieve professional fulfillment—but don’t know where to start, here’s a brief step-by-step guide to help you make the right choice.

Find your passion

The first step is to find that activity you’re passionate about and motivates you, something you enjoy doing so much that you wouldn’t mind doing it for free. The more passion you feel for it, the easier it will be to stay motivated over time.

Moreover, you’ll have more confidence that you’ve made the right choice and that this is truly the work you want to do.

Choose a flexible business

There are many jobs with flexible schedules that give you the freedom to organize your time as you like. Choosing a job that doesn’t require a strict schedule will help you balance work and motherhood without sacrificing time with your family.

Create your workspace

Once you’ve defined your business, it’s important to set up an optimal workspace to carry it out. You might create a dedicated desk or home office where you can manage your tasks comfortably and separate your personal life from your professional one.

Develop an appropriate strategy

Once the decision is made, it’s time to get to work and create a business plan to achieve the results you want with your venture.

Tips for being a mother and entrepreneur

If you’ve already started your business—or are about to—you’ll probably want some advice on how to manage both tasks simultaneously without feeling overwhelmed or leaving anything undone, as this is a significant challenge. Here are a few tips:

Plan your time

To be able to fulfill both your role as a mom and business owner, it’s important to learn how to manage time through proper planning. Having an established schedule will help you organize your tasks and ensure you get everything done.

Set boundaries

Having a schedule isn’t always enough. Sometimes last-minute clients or issues arise. In such cases, we recommend learning to say no so you can disconnect and still accomplish your other personal tasks.

Disconnect

To avoid taking work home or dealing with last-minute issues, it’s best to know how to disconnect. For example, turn off work-related notifications. This is the time to be a mother and focus your attention on your children.

Don’t forget to make time for yourself. This will help you unwind from work, relax, and take care of both your physical and mental health.

You’re not alone

Entrepreneurship can sometimes make you feel lonely or misunderstood, but luckily, there are many support groups today on social media, the internet, or even in your city where you can chat with other entrepreneurial mothers.

This can help you stay in touch with others who have started their own businesses and find support from those who fully understand how you feel. Don’t forget your family circle either. It’s important to build a support network and ask for help from those closest to you if you can’t handle all the tasks.

Delegate your business

If you’ve reached the point where your income allows it, consider delegating some of your work to someone else. It’s time to have a team that eases the workload. This way, you can reduce the daily pressure and dedicate more time to being a mother.

Embrace imperfection

Often, much of the frustration for entrepreneurial mothers comes from the constant pursuit of perfection. You need to accept that it’s not possible to excel in every aspect of life, including entrepreneurship and balancing family life.

There will be times when you can manage all your work as an independent worker and as a mom, but other times it will be more difficult. It’s also possible that things won’t always meet your expectations. Give yourself a break and lower your expectations. It’s always better to finish the work than to constantly strive for perfection.

Celebrate achievements

One thing that many entrepreneurial mothers forget—along with business owners—is to celebrate small victories and milestones. Yes, even the smallest achievements count and deserve to be recognized and celebrated. This will help you stay motivated and positive. Be kind to yourself.

Invest in education

Even if you’re mastering entrepreneurship, it’s important to consider continuing your education. Knowledge and expertise in a sector will help you stand out, improve, and more easily achieve the success you’re aiming for.

Or perhaps you just need financial or administrative training to improve your work performance.

In conclusion, being both a mother and an entrepreneur is possible as long as you choose a job that allows for it and you manage your time well. A great example—as mentioned earlier—is being a real estate agent, which undoubtedly offers numerous advantages.

At Engel & Völkers, we’re eager for you to join our team so we can provide you with the tools necessary to balance and grow as an entrepreneurial mother.