Building business as a mum
As a mum and business owner, I’ve experienced first-hand the unique challenges and rewards of building a business while raising a family. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Emma Sidney, a business designer and fellow mum entrepreneur, on my podcast “Many Hats of Business.” Emma shared valuable insights on building a business as a mum, and I’m excited to share these with you.
Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/many-hats-of-business/episodes/008-Building-business-as-a-mum–Emma-Sidney-e2kv017
Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/acP5urP0udg
Building business as a mum timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Many Hats of Business
00:55 Meet Emma Sidney: Business Designer
03:00 Balancing Business and Parenthood
04:09 The Importance of Flexibility in Business
07:15 Email Marketing and Funnels
08:55 SEO and Website Strategies
12:47 Creating a Sustainable Business
16:29 Membership Models and Scaling
30:16 Process Improvement and Efficiency
42:12 Personal Development and Book Recommendations
44:05 Conclusion and Farewell
Book recommendation:
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People: Revised and Updated: 30th Anniversary Edition by Stephen R. Covey and Sean Covey: https://amzn.to/3RUrqYL
The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months – by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington: https://amzn.to/4eWkFzz
Connect with Emma Sidney
Website – https://www.sparklesociety.co.uk/sparkle-society
Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/feelgoodfunnels
Products link - https://menu.sparklesociety.co.uk
Meet Emma Sidney
Emma Sidney is a business designer and founder of the Sparkle Society. Originally from the Midlands, she now lives in Exmouth, Devon, where she enjoys coastal living with her husband and toddler, Ember. An enthusiast of alpacas, cake, Christmas, and Masterchef, she brings her vibrant passions into her work.
At Sparkle Society, she empowers solopreneurs and small business owners to excel in email marketing and crafting captivating offerings. With a mission to dismantle barriers of tech and time, she champions feel-good funnels that resonate with authenticity. Her goal is to ensure service-based women in business can thrive, balancing impact and lifestyle effortlessly.
The Realities of Building a business as a mum
Emma, like many mum entrepreneurs, faces the daily juggle of business and family responsibilities. She candidly shared how her daughter’s recent cough had affected her sleep and, consequently, her work. This honesty highlights a crucial aspect of building a business as a mum: the need for flexibility and adaptability.
Key takeaway: Embrace the unpredictability of balancing business and family life. Be prepared to adapt your schedule and expectations as needed.
Designing Your Business Around Your Life
Emma emphasizes the importance of consciously designing your business to align with your personal goals and family life. As a business designer, she helps her clients achieve their income goals while loving their lives and making a positive impact.
“It’s not just one thing,” Emma explains. “It’s about how you can achieve your goals and love your life now and create a framework that works for you rather than the cookie-cutter approach.”
Key takeaway: When building a business as a mum, prioritize creating a business model that complements your family life rather than competing with it.
The Evolution of Business and Childcare
Emma’s journey in building her business has evolved alongside her daughter’s growth. She started with just one day a week of childcare when her daughter was born and has gradually increased her working hours as her child has grown older.
This gradual approach allows mum entrepreneurs to scale their businesses at a pace that feels comfortable for both their professional ambitions and their family responsibilities.
Key takeaway: Don’t be afraid to start small and scale your business gradually as your family situation allows.
Overcoming the Pressure of Perfection
One of the challenges in building a business as a mum is the pressure to appear perfect and have everything figured out. Emma advises against comparing yourself to others, especially on social media.
“We look around, we see all these people doing successful things, we look back, we almost do a time travel with them to their past and it almost feels like they’ve been doing the same thing for years,” Emma notes.
Key takeaway: Remember that every business journey is unique. Focus on your own progress rather than comparing yourself to others.
Designing Your Business for Long-Term Sustainability
Emma emphasizes the importance of creating a business model that is sustainable for you as a mum entrepreneur. This might mean limiting the size of your audience or the scope of your services to ensure you can maintain a balance between work and family life.
“I want to have a business, an intimate business, a space where I know people and they get to know me,” Emma explains. “I don’t necessarily want 5,000 people in a challenge that I run.”
Key takeaway: When building a business as a mum, consider what scale of business will be sustainable for you in the long term.
Adapting Your Offerings to Suit Your Audience
As a mum entrepreneur, it’s crucial to understand that your audience likely faces similar time constraints. Emma found that offering self-study options alongside live workshops allowed her to cater to other busy mums who couldn’t always attend scheduled sessions.
“Interestingly, more people took up in my audience the self-study option than took up the live option,” Emma shares.
Key takeaway: Consider offering flexible options in your products or services to accommodate the needs of other busy parents in your audience.
The Importance of Self-Awareness in Business
Building a business as a mum requires a deep understanding of your own needs, strengths, and limitations. Emma stresses the importance of self-awareness in creating a business that truly serves you and your family.
“There is a huge, I want to make a difference,” Emma says. “But I know that when we want to have that, when we have that mission, we can again, still lose track of ourselves within that.”
Key takeaway: Regularly check in with yourself to ensure your business is still aligned with your personal and family goals.
Embracing Imperfection and Continuous Learning
As mum entrepreneurs, it’s easy to feel like we should have everything figured out. However, Emma reminds us that building a business is a journey of continuous learning and evolution.
“I’m a prolific learner,” Emma shares. “I might do some like personal development or business, you know, I might go and do a training or something.”
Key takeaway: Embrace the learning process and don’t be afraid to evolve your business as you grow both as an entrepreneur and as a mum.
Conclusion to building a business as a mum
Building a business as a mum is a unique journey that requires balancing entrepreneurial ambitions with family responsibilities. By consciously designing your business to align with your personal and family goals, embracing flexibility, and focusing on long-term sustainability, you can create a successful business that enhances rather than detracts from your family life.
Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to building a business as a mum. What matters most is creating a business that works for you and your family. As Emma beautifully puts it, “It’s about how you can achieve your goals and love your life now.”
So, fellow mum entrepreneurs, let’s embrace our unique journeys and build businesses that truly serve us and our families.
If you enjoyed this episode of the podcast, have a look at our other episodes here
