This is the era of the mumpreneur. And I, for one, am a business mum who is exceptionally proud to be part of it. We are an ever-growing group of mothers who have ditched the nine-to-five and are creating businesses we are passionate about. These businesses create income and, best of all, fit around our mum lives so we don’t miss the precious moments as our children grow up.
Every day I am contacted by a fellow biz mum looking to collaborate, chat or bounce ideas. And what’s interesting is that more and more of these wonderful women are single mums, like me.
For single mothers who are co-parenting or sole-parenting, work flexibility is more important than ever. If employment doesn’t offer the fluidity a single parent needs, self-employment is an attractive solution.
When the seed of a new business idea is planted, many women surprise themselves by what they are capable of. Deep within us all is a business idea, we just need the encouragement and support to make it real.
If you are a single mum toying with the idea of starting a business, or if you have a business and are in need of a little encouragement, here is why I believe a single mum makes a brilliant business mum.
Why a single mum makes a brilliant business mum
Single mums are super organised
With children in our midst 24/7 or living between two homes, we have no choice but to be regimentally organised. And with organisation comes great things. It is the skill of champions! By applying finely-honed organisational skills to a fledging business idea, magical things can happen.
Remember, running a business has many facets including financial plans, market analysis, advertising, creative and customer service. It’s a lot of plates to spin .. and single mothers are masters at spinning them.
Single mums have the power of perseverance
The transition from partnered mum to single mum is often a challenging time. The break-up of a family is desperately hard. It requires a huge amount of perseverance and determination to get through and rebuild a new life. Both of these strengths are required to turn a business idea into a supporting income. Ray Kroc (the clever guy who franchised McDonald’s) said:
“It is sheer hard work and unrelenting perseverance that leads to success.”
Never were there truer words. Single mums have this within them and are ready to apply it to a positive, life-changing project. They are primed to become a business mum.
Single mums are the sole earners
Put simply: We need the money!
Living on one income as a parent is not easy. The bills won’t stop coming as we toy around with a business idea. No sir-eee.
Starting a business will demand a leap of faith at some point. Whether it’s dropping from full-time to part-time work, or giving-up the day job altogether, the income needs to flow. Many mums find ways to make extra money in the early days and are driven by a primal desire to provide for their family.
Recognising that a business is not a hobby but a vital income earner is a profitable mindset to have from the beginning if you want to be a successful business mum.
Single mums are already their own boss
Becoming a single mum is a unique journey that gives us many strengths, and one of those is independence, whether we want it or not.
We are completely in-charge of our lives and our homes. What we say goes (well, that’s the idea anyway!). With this comes the freedom to make big decisions and follow the dreams that are uniquely ours. Without a partner to answer to, we are free to serve left-over chocolate cake for dinner and put the kids to bed early if we need to work all evening to get a business off-the-ground .. which you will end up doing by the way.
We have a dedicated fan club on our journey to become a business mum
As parents, we are role models for our children. They watch our every move, they learn from us and they follow in our foot-steps later in life. The result of being the only parent present at any one time we can develop different, closer bonds with our children.
For this reason, they will follow our business journey with interest and want us to succeed. They are our biggest fans. Depending on their age, they will likely be the first people to celebrate the business wins. I can’t wait for my girls to get home from school if I have exciting business news to share with them.
To have this kind of fan club is invaluable. It will give you strength, encouragement and the will of a woman-on-a-mission to succeed.
