I have people ask me, usually men, how do you do it all?  How do you take care of the family, and your business, and be so management oriented?  Did you study business management in college, get an MBA?  No sir, I did not even finish high school.  I even worked at McDonalds as the French fry girl 10 years ago, now I run a multi-million dollar company.

Shhh, my Secret!  I had to work really hard, re-train myself, be willing to admit failure, be willing to change what was not working, and develop skills that I never knew I had.

It is not easy!  Let me tell you, however, once you have the skill set, anything is possible.  Here are my 5 tips and secrets that I use EVERYDAY, to do it!

1) Make sure you have a very clear to do list. I cannot function without it jotted down, even on a scrap paper.

2) Enlist people to can help you do these items, or that can do them for you.

3) Do not overload your schedule. I know that after I drop my kids at school, I have from 9 AM to 3:30 PM to get my things done. Because as you know, once the kids get home there is a host of activities going down i.e. dinner, homework, chores, and don’t forget you and daddy time! That is a whole other blog to write about. I have been successfully married for 20+ years, so I guess I can claim to be an authority on how to make it all work.

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Kirk

A: This comment got me to thinking. Although my sweet mom isn’t with us anymore, her lessons live with me still, and now that I think about it, they even apply to business. And my wife, the great mom to my kids, not only teaches them well, but me too in the process.

Isn’t that what moms do? They teach and help and share and give. If you think about it, I bet your mom’s advice might also apply to your business:

“Look both ways before crossing the street”: What is she really saying? What mom means is that it is a dangerous world out there and you have to careful.

That is certainly true in business, is it not? Before doing a deal with someone new, before taking out that line of credit, before opening that second location, look both ways before crossing the street. It might just save your business life.

“Play nice”: In business, this sage piece of advice could have many meanings:

·        It could mean, be kind to your employees, and be a good boss

·        It might mean, in a negotiation, think win-win

·        Maybe it means, remember that business is about more than just the bottom line

However you want to interpret it, playing nice usually means your business will be more fun and more fulfilling than if you don’t play nice.

“Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do”: This is something my mom used to tell me (like maybe when I knew my Aunt Rhoda, bless her heart, was going to place a big lipstick kiss on my cheek.) It is advice that has always served me well, in life and in business.

In business, sometimes you do indeed have to do things you don’t want to do: Let someone go, pay a bill for services poorly rendered, do your taxes, that sort of thing.

The good news: Doing the unwelcome thing means that you can then go back to the fun things.

“There’s always a solution”: This is something my wife always reminds my kids. It’s good to learn, and true. No, the solution is not always easy or simple, but guess what? Sometimes it is, you just have to look harder. The important thing is to remember that solutions are out there.

“Eat your vegetables”: Really Steve, this has to do with business, really? Yes, I think it does. What is the underlying point of ‘eat your vegetables’? Isn’t it, be well-rounded, be healthy? That, I think we can all agree, is in fact good business.

“Have fun!”: Good moms are not just about teaching life lessons, they also want their kids to enjoy themselves ( safely, of course.) Well, this certainly is some great business advice. You have to keep things fun, especially in this economy.

Whether that means being a good boss and giving yourself Wednesday afternoons off to golf or whether it means keeping things light and playful around the office is of course up to you. Just be sure to have some fun.

“Because I said so”: It used to drive me nuts when my mom said this, but needless to say, now that I am a parent, it is a sage saying. Sure, it is good to listen, but the bottom line is that you are the boss.

“Clean your room”: Mom knows that it is hard to work in a messy place. She also knows that impressions count, and the cleanliness of your room (or office) matters.

“Actions speak louder than words”: How many people have you met in business who talk a great game but can’t seem to deliver when push comes to shove? Many, I bet. We don’t want to be that guy. In business, your word is your bond, or it should be.

“Remember to say please and thank you”: I am amazed how often people with whom I do business forget their manners. Please and thank you are basic, essential, and make a difference.

Moms: What would we do without them? To my mom, and the mother of my kids, and to all the moms out there – thanks for everything!

Today’s Tip: MasterCard has a nice program for small businesses called The Easy Savings Program. It provides cardholders with automatic discounts, savings, and rebates when they use the card to buy products and services from a wide variety of participating merchants, such as the U.S. Postal Service, Dunkin’ Donuts, Avis, Budget, DHL, Monster, Administaff, McCormick & Schmick’s, and so on. You can learn more here.

Set boundaries – If you’re going to work out of your house, you’ll need to let family and friends know that even though you’ll be home, you won’t always have time to talk on the phone or over coffee. If you don’t set clear boundaries in the beginning, you might find that your day is consumed with chit chat and pop ins. The same goes for your kids and husband too. If you’re making a business call, they can’t interrupt you like they usually do, or call loudly to someone else in the background. “Work time” at home needs to be respected as such, or else what should only take you two hours to do will end up taking five hours.

Create a workspace – It’s hard get into work mode if you’re typing on a laptop at the kitchen counter. There are just too many distractions to pull your attention away from the task at hand. To make the most of your work time, between taking the kids to the park and going to the grocery store, set up an office space for yourself. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have an entire room to devote to your business (yet), for now a desk in the corner of the guest bedroom will do just fine. Have everything on the desk that you’ll need to squeeze in some work during naps or in the evening.

Plan a rough schedule – Face it, being a mom and a business owner means it will be nearly impossible to have a fixed work schedule every day. Kids will need a shoulder to cry on, or an afternoon snack, whatever. So, instead of trying to force a regimented schedule into your day, be flexible with a schedule that moves with your day. Plan out when you think you can realistically get some work done, maybe 6am-7am (before the kids wake up), then 1pm-3pm (during naps) and then 6pm-9pm (after dinner). Of course, the kids may wake up earlier or sleep later, a nap may not happen and dinner out takes up the night shift. But, don’t fret, with a flexible schedule you can make up the time: maybe you’ll wake up at 5am or work until 10pm the next day, perhaps you’ll work during naps on the weekends. The point is, be flexible with your work schedule, because trying to stick to specific work hours will end up making you frustrated and stressed.

Make weekly task lists – What can be helpful to moms who own a business is having a weekly work “to do” list. It not only brings structure to your week, but it also gives you an incentive to work more efficiently (so you can clock out early and take everyone out for ice cream)! You can also use it to your advantage when trying to get some work done: “As soon as I finish everything on my list, I’ll be done working and we can have some fun”!

Enlist help – Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, either for your business, or running the household. An overwhelmed mom is bound to be less productive, both at home and at work. So, make a list of babysitters, housekeepers, and temporary office helpers that you can rely upon with short notice.

According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, there are 10.6 million women business owners in the United States, earning $2.5 trillion in annual revenue. So, what are you waiting for, claim your share and become a mompreneur today!