How to Rock at Motherhood While Running a Business 

I often get asked how I do it all. It used to bug me that people see me as someone who “does it all” A.K.A. running a business, being a stay-at-home mom, and all the things in between. But the longer I’ve been running my biz and the longer I’ve been a mom, I realize that I have some really solid systems in place to help me get things done every day. For the biz-building mama, this one is for you. Here’s how to rock at motherhood while running a business!

 

 

There are things that I put my kids in charge of, things that I hire out, and systems I put in place in order to meet my home and business goals. There’s no such thing as doing it all on your own. Well, it may be possible, but it’s much better to get help anywhere you can. You’ll experience way more happiness and success this way!

I started my business right at the time I was pregnant with my first baby. He’s 17 now and four more kids followed him. I know what it’s like to try and get a business off the ground with littles at home and to have a desperate love of mothering AND a strong desire to run a business. This balance can oftentimes feel heavy. So I hope the tips and practices I share with you on this post will help reignite your passion while on this journey of running a business alongside motherhood!

 

 

How to Rock at Motherhood While Running a Business 

No matter where you are on your motherhood journey–from one baby at home to teens and pre-teens running around, and everything in between–these systems will work for you. Depending on where you are at, there will be some that you can implement right away and some that you may not need until later. What I’m sharing with you is what I’m doing now and what I’ve done along the way up to this point. 

 

Biz Mama Practice #1: Use your kids to do chores.

I know this one only works if you have kids who are old enough to actually do chores, but if you have them, use them! Kids should have chores. They need to help out in the house. I tell my kids my whole goal is to raise confident, competent kids who can take care of themselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And giving them chores will help them accomplish this goal.

 

Dinner Clean-up Jobs

Every night each of my five kids has a dinner clean-up job. They know what their job is and they know to do it every night. Because it’s a system I put in place, I usually don’t have to ask or remind them of their chore every night. It just gets done automatically and it’s the best thing ever. 

 

Laundry

My kids do their own laundry. I help my younger ones, but everyone does their own. When you switch from doing everyone’s laundry to everyone doing their own–LIFE CHANGING! Just be OK with the mistakes they will make along the way as they learn how to do it on their own. Empowering your kids with the little things will give them the confidence to do the big things.

 

Rooms

Everyone is in charge of keeping their bedroom clean. They also are in charge of one common area of the house. This could include the dining room, living room, front hall, playroom, etc. Give each kid a room to be in charge of and have them keep it tidy every week/day. 

 

 

Biz Mama Practice #2: Set goals & chores with your kids.

I keep a goal chart on my fridge that includes each of my kids’ names and their weekly chores and goals they are working on. I created THIS goal/chore chart you can download for free if you want it. Writing down goals is something that really motivates me, so this is a system that works well for my family and me. 

Having this chart up on the fridge makes it easy so each kid can come read it and see what needs to get done. This is another simple way to set up a system at home, so you don’t have to repeat to your kids what chores need to be done. It’s all happening on its own which gives you more time to do other things! 

It’s also fun to make goals with your kids. One of my kids and I are training for a huge race so we were able to write down the goals we have in order to be ready by race time. It’s a great way to bond with your kids and grow together. 

 

Biz Mama Practice #3: Use the app Greenlight.

Greenlight is a really cool app that helps you keep track of paying your kids’ allowance. Each kid gets their own debit card and they can request money from you if they need to buy something (like gas for their car) or anything like that. It makes it really easy for you to move money from your account to theirs and vice versa. It even has features where you can teach your kids about investing and get them started with that. It can really do a lot of different things, so you can check out the app and see what you’d like to use it for. 

 

Biz Mama Practice #4: Hire out help for house cleaning, running errands, etc.

I think I waited too long to take advantage of this one. I first hired a house cleaner in 2018 and it was magical. She’d come twice a month and do a deep clean in my house. Walking into your beautiful home that you didn’t clean is the best feeling ever. I no longer have my house cleaner since she left for a new job, so I’ve just been doing it with my kids for the last year.

However, I recently hired an assistant who helps me take care of my home and WOW it is life-changing. She picks up my groceries and puts them away for me, makes returns and runs other errands, and helps me keep my home tidy. It is seriously amazing. 

Having an assistant has freed up so much of my emotional and mental load that I didn’t even know I was carrying. Before I hired her, I would work from 8-2, go pick up my kids, and then clean my house once we got home. It has been so nice to have someone straighten things for me and reset my home for the day so that when I get home with my kids I can be present with them. 

 

 

Biz Mama Practice #5: Make a meal plan.

We’ve all been there–4:30 p.m. hits and we’re wondering what to make for dinner. Since it’s last minute you’re probably feeling frazzled and maybe even frustrated since this is happening again. Do yourself a favor and meal plan for the week. 

Every Sunday I sit down and write out what dinners I want to make that week and then I order my groceries to be picked up that next morning. I look at my calendar and see what’s going on that week for me and my kids and I plan meals according to that. If I know we won’t have a lot of time on certain days due to ball practices, dance, etc. then I plan for a slow cooker meal that day. Do what works for you and make it easy and doable! 

I also try to meal prep anything I can ahead of time on Sunday as well. I usually keep pancake batter in my fridge, so I make that every week so my kids have that for when they want to make pancakes for breakfast or even for a snack after school. 

Also, it’s super helpful to think about dinner after breakfast–not right at the time you need to start preparing it. Think about it that morning to see if there’s any meat you need to thaw out, put anything in the crockpot, etc. That way when late afternoon hits, you will have already thought about dinner and you’ll feel ready to go instead of playing catching up.

 

Biz Mama Practice #6: Batch create where you can.

This mostly applies to meal prep, but there are many ways you can batch-create/prep things in your home. This strategy will help you do things every 1-2 weeks instead of every day. For example, I have this chocolate chip cookie recipe that I LOVE and whenever I make it I quadruple it and just leave all the cookie dough balls in the freezer, so I have them ready to go whenever I need them. 

You’ll also do yourself a huge favor if you batch-prep your meat for the week. If you’re using shredded chicken that week, buy a rotisserie chicken (or raw chicken) cook it and shred it all in one sitting. Divide it and bag it up and put it in the freezer. Now you have cooked chicken ready to go for your meals that week. The same goes for any other type of meat. Cook it all at once, section it out, and keep it in your freezer until you’re ready to use it. It seriously makes cooking so much easier and less stressful! 

 

Biz Mama Bonus Tips

• Check things off your to-do list as soon as possible. Sometimes it’s faster to do something right away than to let the worry hang over you about when you’ll get it done. 
• Make your bed first thing in the morning. It takes 10 seconds!
• If you spill something, clean it up right away. 
• **Know you are not a bad mom for hiring/asking for help! You hire out help for your car or your plumbing, so why not for motherhood where it matters most? Get the help and love that you did. 

 

 

How to Rock at Motherhood While Running a Business 

Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been doing this whole motherhood and business thing for 17 years. It’s taken me a while to get to this point. I’ve failed many times, but the systems I have in place now are working so well and I’m loving it. You can love your mom/work balance too. Figure out the systems you can start implementing and try it out. Don’t get so caught up in the daily tasks that you forget WHY you’re doing any of this in the first place.

You love being a mom and you love running your own business. It’s time to get help, so you can focus on that and show more of that side of yourself. Soon enough you’ll be writing your own blog post on how to rock at motherhood while running a business!

P.S. If you feel like you’re drowning just a bit in running your biz, you can hire out help for that too! My team would love to help you get organized and get you the growth you’ve been working so hard for. Click HERE to learn more! And make sure you’re following me on Instagram @iammichellegifford!