Let me back up for a second.
I started blogging a year or so before our daughter was born, a sweet addition to her three older brothers. Blogging was a creative way for me to connect with others and do something separate from mothering (my first and favorite job).
When it began costing us money each month to run the blog, something had to be done to cover expenses. So we combined my husband’s online marketing know-how and tech skills with my creativity and style to grow an online business that now, nearly a decade later, fully supports our family.
For the past 10 years, I’ve shared my life on the blog. There have been updates to the house, a big four-month family road trip, craft projects, creative classes and connecting with readers over all the little life moments. We’ve been featured in magazines and have made dear friends through this strange, but wonderful online job. I have been able to stay home with my kids, volunteer in their classrooms, stay connected as a mom. The fact that all of this is how we make a living is pretty incredible.
So the idea of quitting was a big deal.
I didn’t quit, obviously, since I’m still here.
But it was close.
I became so caught up in what everyone else was doing and distracted by things that truly didn’t matter that I momentarily lost my way.
Believe me, it’s easy to panic and wonder if you’re missing out on opportunities. It’s easy to get lured into articles about how someone doubled their Instagram following in 30 days or scaled their business to six figures in six months and feel convinced you need to do all of those things, too.
Surely, we think, if I worked harder and did more and tried all the tactics and grew a bigger team and listened to all the experts, I would be more successful!
Yes, this could be true.
But is this even what you want? And at what cost?
The problem with most marketing advice is that it’s not made for moms.
It’s like taking parenting advice from someone who doesn’t have kids or comparing our post-baby bodies to fresh-faced 21-year-old supermodels. Apples and oranges, my friend.
If you spend your time listening to experts with completely different life circumstances than you (and maybe even completely different goals), it gets overwhelming pretty quickly.
Mompreneurs are different. We have limitations – and great blessings – other entrepreneurs do not. We split our time between raising our kids and growing our businesses and we want to do both things well.
We must stop comparing ourselves, avoid tactics that are unproductive, and focus on growing a flourishing business that still allows time for our families.
When I felt burnt out and ready to give up last year, I had lost sight of what mattered. I needed to shift my mindset, quiet the noise and refocus on the long-lasting business methods that work.
And I needed to be reminded that it is still possible to have a thriving business without all the hustle.
Let me show you what I mean.
Let’s go a little deeper and compare two mompreneurs. Tell me if you identify with either.
We’ll call one Amy and one Hillary.
Both Amy and Hillary are hardworking, they are creative, willing to learn, have good intentions and adore their children.
Their goals are similar, too. They both want to support their families, do something interesting and creative, and have the flexibility to work from home and make their own schedules.
But they differ greatly in their approach and as a result, only one is able to achieve work-life balance and success while the other continues down a path of frustration and burnout.
Amy represents the thinking and behavior of most modern-day entrepreneurs.
Hillary represents the mompreneur who knows she has to think and act smarter to leverage her time to build a sustainable business.
Where Amy struggles with overwhelm and jumping from tactic to tactic, Hillary has a calm about her. She knows what to focus on, how to spend her time and goes about it in a strategic, efficient manner.
Amy is wearing herself out doing all the things and feels frustrated by the slow progress.
Hillary, on the other hand, is growing her business doing only the most effective things so she doesn’t have to guess at what to do next.
Amy started by choosing a product to sell … but she’s having a hard time making sales.
Hillary began by learning about her ideal customer so she can tailor her messaging and product directly to her target audience.
Amy is spending way more time than she’d like on her phone posting to social media, responding to dm’s, trying to stay on top of the constant algorithm changes.
Hillary uses social media but doesn’t depend on it. She is growing an email list that has a much higher engagement level and isn’t consumed by her social media following.
Remember, both Amy and Hillary are smart, kind, loving moms. They have great intentions and want the best for their families. They work hard on their businesses, are willing to make sacrifices to get ahead and both desire great success.
They are just going about it differently.
Do you see yourself in either of these mompreneurs?
When you think and behave like Amy you might find momentary success, but you’ll likely end up feeling confused and disappointed in the lack of ongoing progress. Hustling on ever-changing tactics will burn you out. Do you feel a little like this in your business?
If you want to be more like Hillary, you have to think differently. You need to stay focused on longtime proven business practices that leverage your time, grow your traffic and build trust with your audience.
To be very clear, starting and growing a thriving business is not quick or easy. It takes deliberate effort, lots of time, sacrifice, strategy and a little bit of being in the right place at the right time. Hard work and dedication are absolutely part of the equation.
There’s not an easy button or a quick fix or magic tactic that will make your business an instant success. Nope.
There are, however, tried and true methods for growing a profitable business.
We’ll talk about those next.
