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Mompreneurs Educating Kids by @SBSLEducSoltns

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So, you’re a mom with a business …  

… & you want them to understand your why . 

 

Aspirations

 

You’re already the CEO, COO, & CFO of your household. Yet, you desire to create a legacy, being remembered as more than just a mom-preneur who provides a product/s, service/s, or specialized knowledge to the marketplace.

So you resume the role of primary educator; you’re on a mission to educate your kids on why you don’t have to go to “work” like their friends’ moms do.

Yet, the school that you’ve entrusted to prepare them for adulthood isn’t cutting it when it comes to discussing business principles & your value system; so, what should you do?

 

Values & principles 

 

How would you answer?

“What values and principles led you to become a mom-preneur?”

 

  • Autonomy ( I like to make my own hours, pick my own clients )

  • Mastery ( my prior experience in “Y” industry is enough to be confident in my abilities )

  • Purpose ( I am driven to be a difference maker on “Z” ; I am ‘called’ to serve “X” )

  • Maximizer ( I’m not paid enough by a 3rd party to do all that my family wants  )

  • Independent ( my personality & social style align with owning a business )

  • Quality time ( I needed to spend more hours w/ family )

 

Family Culture 

As someone who embraces entrepreneurship & leadership/professional development, you might be familiar with the late Peter Drucker’s attributed quote about culture.

Having defined culture, you can better explain your decision to be an entrepreneur as not only best for yourself, but one made in the best interests of the family; including your child(ren) will enable them to buy in 

Congratulations!! You’ve taken a huge step in ensuring that they will better understand if a client calls on you at an inopportune time or if you have to adjust the family’s budget due to ups & downs in your income.

 

Family Vision

Many entrepreneurs choose to start a business based on where they see themselves going after leaving the nest of an employer = a wise step!

While Stephen R. Covey has passed, the shadow left by his legacy is so large, he’ll always be remembered for his 8 habits

 

Of them, Habit 2 [ ‘Begin with the End in Mind’ ] is foundational.

 

“Covey says that all things are created twice: first, the mental conceptualization & visualization and a second physical, actual creation.

Becoming your own creator means to plan & visualize what you’re going to do and what you’re setting out to accomplish & then go out and creating it.”

 

Apply this truth to your household; then answer these Success Law questions …

 

Why are you in business?

Do you have multiple income streams?

What dreams have you put on the shelf due to a previous decision to trade time for money from an employer?

 

Insightful Infographic 

 

How mompreneurs balance …

–  h/t to @99designs for this –

 

Visuals tell more of a story than words alone, so your impressions gleaned after studying this one will further aid in self-educating your kids.

 

School falls Short

I often advise mompreneurs of this fact; it’s a somewhat inconvenient truth:

When you send you kid(s) to a conventional school, private (secular or faith based), or public (default option), the curricula, testing, mindset, & counseling offered for ‘careers’ almost always fails to include entrepreneurship.

 

Fill in the [Swiss Cheese] Holes

Think of a “C.A.R” when it comes to addressing the above …

 

C = Complement

 

Find mentor(s), online curricula, &/or teach your kids from your own experience about business to parallel what schooling doesn’t include.

 

A = Add on

 

If your kids are in their late teens & about to/or have graduated from HS, please discuss all 12 options besides college with them.

Or, if you truly want her to get a degree, ask pointed questions of the university re: if they teach about the “E” pathway

 

Bypass the holes; find or carve a clear path

The final letter in the acronym is a bypass …

 

R = Replace

 

Creating an end-around to conventional school can be done through a co-op w/ other parents ( your own school startup ) , or personalizing your kid(s) education by home schooling.

Both of these offer far more flex to include business concepts rarely, if ever, taught in default classrooms.

 

Dealing with Doubters

 

As Rocky passionately shared, the world [of entrepreneurship] certainly isn’t all ‘sunshine & rainbows’ …

… so for those fellow moms in your neighborhood who still “go to work” for a paycheck, for a spouse who isn’t quite on board with your business, or maybe you haven’t yet ‘closed the deal’ with your kid/s …

What do you do to quell cynics & critics?

There are many answers; I’d first encourage you, as someone who has built thousands of business relationships, to be the best version of yourself.

Simplistic? Yes, however, true leadership isn’t complex; it begins w/self.  Remind yourself of this by reading the inscription on the tomb of the Bishop at Westminster Abbey.

 

Suggested Follows 

 

The MomPreneur

 

majestapatterson

 

Mompreneurs in Heels

 

Mompreneur Show

 

Inspiring Mompreneurs

 

Top 40 Mompreneurs

 

In the pursuit of knowledge 

I encourage you to review the additional resources below. A blog of this length leaves the door slightly ajar; please empower yourself to kick it wide open!

 

10 Mompreneurs Who Are Crushing It

 

Mompreneur Magazine

 

The 25 Best Business Ideas …

 

Mompreneur $

 

10 Inspiring Tips …

 

Mompreneur Media

 

In short

  • Moms with businesses & kids are trailblazers
  • Your values & principles
  • Culture into Vision
  • School needs supplements …
  • … or choose a parallel path
  • Staying the course
  • Add’t resources for you, Mrs. Mom-Preneur

 

Thank YOU for reading!

____________________________________________

Social Workplace Bonds – “Soft and Fluffy” or the Key to Success? by @SkyeMorag

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Social Workplace Bonds – "Soft and Fluffy" or the Key to Success?

by Morag Barrett

In an article, the Harvard Business Review found that social bonds were the major predictor of team success. The other two were “initiatives to strengthen relationships” and “leaders who invest the time to build strong relationships with their teams.”

If team success (and individual success) is dependent upon social bonds, then it would follow that spending some time getting to know the team you work with, and articulating the rules of engagement with them would be a good investment of our time, right?

Alas, the perception that building relationships is “soft and fluffy” leads us to undervalue the time to focus on the interpersonal side of business – and creating these social bonds is much easier said than done. With the advancement in technology, email has become ubiquitous, to the point of actually undermining performance!

Even when teams get together to plan how they’ll achieve a goal, many times they simply go through the motions of creating working agreements, clarifying goals and roles, only to promptly ignore them when they get back to their desks. Time is of the essence – and our inboxes continue to demand attention.

I remember being told early in my finance career, “This is a business; there is no place here for emotions or personal connections.” With such a philosophy it’s little wonder that trust within teams declined and the confidence in the team leader was diminished.

We all know when the rules of engagement have been broken. We sit in meetings drumming our fingers, clenching our teeth in frustration. We vent to our families and friends, but we remain silent at work.

We don’t air our concerns for fear of the repercussions, or for fear of making an already stressful situation worse. We justify and excuse the situation because no one else is speaking up. We believe it is the way it has to be, and we don’t want to go against the grain. We avoid the tough conversation with the very people who could effect change—our colleagues . . . and even ourselves.

Invariably, the inability to “talk it out” causes the situation to worsen until the relationship is so damaged there is little hope for reconciliation, at which point one or both parties leave the organization.

You’ve seen it happen—perhaps in your own career.

Rules of Engagement

Asking for what you need to be successful at the start of each relationship or project means you can more easily course-correct when things go off track. Notice I said when, and not if!

I’ve had the opportunity to work for managers (and with colleagues) who assumed I could read their minds, only to have them come down on me like a ton of bricks when my sixth sense fizzled. And I’ve been guilty of this myself.

Articulating the rules of engagement sets you up for success, both on the good days when things are going well and, more importantly, during the turbulent times when many of us revert back to inappropriate behaviors (micromanaging, command and control, or passive-aggressiveness, to name a few).

Rules of engagement could include the following steps:

  • Ensuring that the two parties are in agreement regarding the objectives to be achieved.
  • Agreeing on the levels of authority and decision-making responsibilities.
  • Articulating roles and responsibilities.
  • Understanding individual personality, communication, and decision-making styles, where these are in alignment and where they may be different, and the implications for how values and behaviors will be important to success.
  • Meeting cadence—where and how often will meetings occur?
  • Escalation process—when and who to ask for help and provide warnings of impending disaster.
  • Feedback and coaching expectations.

Try these for your next project. By learning to set expectations, you find clarity about who you can rely on for advice, and who can be a filter for tough decisions. Your team will also know who can be called on when you don’t know how to solve a problem.

Remember: business IS personal, and relationships DO matter.

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Morag-Barrett Morag Barrett, MA HRM, Chartered FCIPD, is a sought-after speaker, trainer, author of CULTIVATE: The Power of Winning Relationships, and the founder of SkyeTeam, a leading HR consultancy. With 25+ years experience in senior executive coaching and developing high-impact teams and leadership development programs across Europe, America, and Asia, she intimately understands the challenges of running a business and managing people. Happily established in Broomfield, Colorado with her husband and three sons, for fun, you can find Morag playing in the Broomfield Symphony Orchestra, where she is the principal bassoonist. In case you were wondering: her name is Scottish, and means “great.”

Women & Skilled Trades: A Perfect Match [Infographic]

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The skilled trades can provide women with everything they need to be successful in their professional lives. Women who enjoy challenging, rewarding, and exhilarating work will likely find that the skilled trades deliver these benefits and others that can make industries like electrical maintenance, HVAC, and welding extremely attractive.

The Time is Ripe for Women to Enter Skilled Trades

Demand is high for skilled trades workers, and qualified women and men are needed to fill positions. An infographic developed by Tulsa Welding School clearly demonstrates the lack of women in the skilled trades: currently, just 8.9 percent of workers in the construction industry are women. Many of the skills that the trades demand are ones that women typically possess; in welding, for example, workers need excellent math, science, spatial, and artistic skills. Women also tend to have patience, good hand-eye coordination, and steady hands, making them ideal for the precise and detailed work of welding—and that is only one example.

Skilled Tradeswomen Enjoy Financial Freedom and Flexibility

Women can take advantage of the growing demand for skilled workers like welders, electricians, and HVAC technicians. Not only is work in the skilled trades meaningful, it’s financially rewarding as well. While women who become entrepreneurs with their own skilled trades businesses are more likely to enjoy higher salaries and greater flexibility, even those who stick with being employees may earn 20 to 30 percent more in the skilled trades.

Interested in the skilled trades and want to learn more? Check out the infographic below.

Women & Skilled Trades: A Perfect Match

 

5 Things I Wish I Knew In My Teens by @SandraDawes

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Find-out-what-you-likeby Sandra Dawes | Featured Contributor

I’m working on putting together a job fair in the fall and one of my goals is to help high school students explore their career options beyond the traditional professions. Since this idea has been kicking around in my head, I’ve been thinking about what I wished I’d known a few years ago (ahem), when I was in high school 🙂

  1. Entrepreneurship is an option
    Maybe times have changed, but I don’t remember much conversation about entrepreneurship as an option when I was in high school. It’s possible that I was just talking to the wrong people. Career day never had someone who owned their own business. I know that the Richard Branson’s and Bill Gates’ of the world aren’t the norm, but wouldn’t it be great to light the fire of entrepreneurship at an early age?
  2. A degree doesn’t guarantee a job, never mind a high paying one
    While I was in high school, I had a standing summer job at my mom’s warehouse. I started there making $8 an hour, working 40 hours a week. Not bad for a 15 year old! By the time I left there I was making about $16 an hour. Imagine my horror and dismay when my first job after graduation paid me $10 an hour! Sure, I wasn’t lifting heavy boxes and wearing steel toed boots, but it was still a letdown. Even my parents couldn’t believe that my education didn’t command higher pay.
  3. You don’t have to figure it all out now
    I don’t know about you, but what I wanted to be when I grew up isn’t what I want to be now! Before becoming an entrepreneur, I averaged three years at any job. How can you possibly know what you want to do when there’s no way you’re aware of all the options, especially at the age of 17 or 18? I used to roll my eyes at people who needed to take a year off to “find themselves”, but now I totally get it!
  1. Follow your passion and the money will come
    I used to think that there was no way that you could do something you love and get paid well for it. My father was a truck mechanic and loved his job. I believed that he was the exception to the rule. When you so many people working jobs that brings them no joy, you begin to believe that’s just the way things are. When you love what you do, you’ll spend the hours needed to master your craft, whatever it is. It’s not easy to commit to something that you’re not passionate about.
  2. The concept of “work smarter not harder”
    There was a time when I was working a full time job and a part time job. I remember being on a flight to Las Vegas for work and chatting with the couple I was sitting next to. I was talking about my lack of time for fun when the wife told me that I had to learn how to work smarter, not harder. It was the first time I had heard that, and I thought she was crazy. I totally get it now and no longer believe I have to exchange my time for money, as an employee or a business owner. There are only so many hours in a day and I don’t know about you, but working 24/7 doesn’t sound appealing to me!

What advice would you give students graduating from high school? What words of wisdom would you share with your younger self if you could? I’d love to hear your thoughts! ♥

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Sandra Dawes, Founder, Life Coach, Embrace Your DestinySandra Dawes is a recovering control freak and excuse maker, as well as founder of Embrace Your Destiny, her life coaching practice. Her work involves teaching women how to stop making arguing for their limitations so that they can create the life that they want. Sandra’s inspiration to help others in this area comes from her own journey and experiences in dealing with the heartbreak of losing her father. She published her first book Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve, a story that outlines her personal journey, in November 2013.

In her down time, Sandra loves to read, do yoga and spend time with her partner Satnam and their dog Lulu. For more information on what she does, visit www.embraceyourdestiny.ca.