There is a new trend among the working women!
After working a 9-5 mothers, wives, sisters and daughters all return home and put in additional hours as entrepreneurs. Hours that are put in long after their family and friends have ended their day. If they are lucky they are doing something they love such as journalism or making their mark in the fashion and beauty industries by producing and selling items.
No matter what you dedicate your time to, it is very intriguing and attractive to be your own boss. Nevertheless flexibility is required when starting and running your own business.
I’ve had the opportunity of speaking with a few friends of mine who share the same dreams of breaking away from the constraints of working for someone and becoming that somebody. One thing we all share in common is the understanding that a strong support system is needed when starting your business. I like to consider this support system as ‘mental employees’ because they will need to be there to have your back in more ways than one as your build your brand.
When taking on the task of building your business there will be many naysayers. The bottom line is people are afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone and they will impose those fears onto you. Don’t mistake them for haters. There is a difference between someone hating on you oppose to someone not wanting to see someone they care about fail. But you still need to listen to their fears because you overcoming their fears will be one of your greatest accomplishments. As you succeed and begin to accomplish some things within your business those same people will become some of your biggest supports, but if they still down talking you after your well on your way, then it’s safe to assume they are just some plain ol’ haters.
The next two things you will need to invest, and to me they go hand and hand, are your time and money. Wasted time is wasted money and wasted money is wasted time. Those are two things that you can never get back. A lot of women find it hard to balance family, a career, coming home to put in additional hours building their business, and keeping up with all the other responsibilities of being a of running a household. There will be times that you will need to miss events with your family or due to technology you might be physically present but you are consumed by your phone reading emails and taking calls; which if not handled properly can cause problems with your mate. As far as the money goes, don’t invest anything that you aren’t prepared to take a loss on. At the same time you can’t be afraid to take risks. One decision can make or break your business so tread lightly. And be sure to put plenty thought in the bigger picture of what you are trying to achieve.
I asked my girl PoshBarbie of www.poshbarbie.com, (a successful online boutique, check her out!), besides money what was one of the things needed for her start a business? She stated “The biggest thing I needed even more then money to start my business was self-motivation. I dedicate all my time to my business and my free time is spent working on my career.”
When I asked the same question to Mary Kay Consultant Jessica Young, she states, “One of the important things for me to learn was time management. I learned to keep a very detailed color coordinated calendar. I have specified blocks of time for my business, family and occasional sleep…”
So ladies no matter what it is that your tying to do, if its starting your own business or even just trying something new with your life, know that there will be obstacles ahead and it won’t be easy. But it’s important to set goals for you, stay focused and break through the negativity because it will be there. We are interested in your stories about starting your own business or if you are even considering it but haven’t taken that step let us know, we are interested in hearing your story.
-written by Mia Rogan
