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
– 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
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
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!
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SJ Barakony is a serial entrepreneur, futurist, & connector.
He lives in Ohio & is the Founder of Service Before Self Leadership: An Educational Solutions Provider.
He offers four highly customizable solutions to encourage families, individuals, faith institutions, & business owners to create & cultivate lifelong learning cultures in our homes & workplaces.
He’s been a guest on an educational podcast; been interviewed for an online small business community; is a guest blogger for Innovate NA; and has been an invited speaker five separate times for HECOA.
He believes strongly in youth & social entrepreneurship: He continues to serve two chapters of the YEA program (student mentor, mock judge, ad hoc consultant ) & has co-facilitated a session of the SeaChange Accelerator program.
He serves as the TDD for Cleveland & Columbus (Ohio) for the H7 Network.
He also recently became an educational advisor for Tessr.io, a startup in the exciting world of blockchain/cryptocurrencies that will be establishing a cutting edge educational foundation.
