I dipped my toes in the entrepreneurial world over 23 years ago. And I have never looked back.
I’ve been a mompreneur now for almost 21 years.
mom·pre·neur
/mämprəˈnər/
noun
def. a woman who sets up and runs her own business in addition to caring for her young child or children.
I had my first child on a Tuesday and went back to the office on Friday. And let the record state: I was wearing jeans. #thosewerethedays
I didn’t go to the office because I had to. I went because I wanted to. Before anyone @s me with, ‘you should have spent that time bonding with your baby,” I didn’t dive back into work 19 hours a day. I would spend a few hours checking on things and connecting with my employees at the office. The baby was with me 24/7. I even set up a nursery area at the office for convenience, so I didn’t forget anything going back and forth. #smart
But my job mattered to me. (Still does!) And I found a way to balance all of it. Did I do it all perfectly? Not a chance. But I made it work.
Twenty-four months later, I had my second child, and nothing has ever been the same. Especially the jeans.
I’ve owned various businesses over the years—brick and mortars and others that I ran from home. If I know anything in life, it’s what I have learned from running businesses while raising kids. It’s no easy task.
There is no right or wrong way. There are better and worse choices, yes. But what works for one mompreneur may not work for another.
The key is to find what works for you and your family in the current season.
Seasons will change, and it’s perfectly okay to change how you do things. If you aren’t growing and evolving with the seasons, you will most likely become overwhelmed, hit burn-out, and want to quit. And unfortunately, some do.
These are some of the apps and programs I use daily to help with the balance of owning a business and raising a family.
Tools for entrepreneurs
Voxer
My brain is so used to talking-to-text that it took me months of using Voxer to stop saying period or question mark after every sentence. #truestory Voxer is a walkie-talkie app I use for chatting with friends or colleagues. While email is the most professional to conduct business, Voxer makes it simple to quickly get a quick answer or provide feedback. I use Voxer regularly with my virtual assistants to talk through tasks. It’s also great for short messages you may generally send as a text, but that can be too much to type.
Cost :: $0 + premium options available
Zoom
Zoom has been my virtual conference room for years. I use it with all of my clients, from discovery calls to follow-ups from comprehensive strategies. I also use Zoom to record videos for course material and site assessments. You can host up to 100 people for 40 minutes with a free account. I currently have the Pro account, and it serves me well. And you can’t beat their customer support.
Cost :: $0 + paid options available
The Podcast App
I’m a big fan of podcasts. I listen to them throughout the day, when I’m driving home from school in the mornings or car line for pickup in the afternoon. (I spend a lot of time in the car for those tasks.) If you subscribe to specific podcasts, they will all appear in your library to eliminate the need to search each time. And my favorite feature of the app? I can increase the speed it plays. Depending on whose podcast it is (some people talk faster than others ;)), I typically choose the playback speed of 1.5X.
Cost :: $0
Dropbox + Google Drive
Dropbox and Google Drive are my digital brain. They are what I use to store #allthethings, personally and professionally. I learned the hard way years ago not to depend on the hard drive on my computer to keep all of my files. #it will crash eventually. Plus, it doesn’t matter where I am or which device I am on; with DropBox and Google Drive, I have access to any file. Game changer. [I pay minimal fees for each of these services due to the amount of storage I use, but free versions are available.]
Cost :: $0 + upgrade options available for each
ConvertKit
It’s where it’s at for email marketing. I’ve tried other ESPs, and I keep coming back to ConvertKit. The ability to tag and segment an audience based on behavior is priceless and very simple to set up. They continuously add options for landing pages, and they are one company that continues to grow with the times. ConvertKit has been one of my best investments ever.
Cost :: based on the size of your list; a free option is now available
Use this link to join ConvertKit, and you’ll unlock 500 subscribers for free.
LastPass
While I don’t pay for this service, this has probably been one of the most intelligent and mature choices I’ve made. Ha! How often do you have to reset your password to access your account? (I’m looking at you, Facebook!) LastPass is a password manager that remembers everything for you and gives you the ability to share the credentials of a specific account with a team member. It’s available for PCs and Macs and has a mobile app.
Cost :: $0 + premium option available
Canva
I have become a big fan of Canva in the last few years. I use it to create graphics for myself and clients. While it offers 1000s of templates, fonts, and graphics to choose from, you can also upload your own. My favorite features are being able to save individual brand pallets, or Brand Kits as Canva refers to them (note: you don’t have to look up the hex # or font for various clients) and the ability to create folders within the dashboard to refer to for past client graphics. You can also share individual graphics or a folder with a team member or the client. Handy-dandy.
Cost :: $0 + paid options available
Survey Monkey
This program has been around a long time, but they are another company that has stayed in the game by adapting to change and serving its customers well. Do customers request a feature? Survey Monkey does its part to make it happen. I use SurveyMonkey for custom surveys for clients and The Report on the American Homeschool Market. I have the Team Premier subscription, which allows me advanced survey logic tools. I’ve tried other survey programs, but at this point, it will be hard for any company to top what Survey Monkey offers consistently.
Cost :: $0 + premium options available
Lat.er
Lat.er is my Instagram scheduler of choice. It rules the roost, in my opinion. Later offers the option to schedule to Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, but I use it solely for Instagram. That is what the company started with; I believe it is its strong suit. Their customer service is also bomb-diggity. If you want to try it out, a free option allows for 30 posts a month. You’ll need to upgrade to access additional features such as hashtag suggestions and analytics.
Cost :: $0 + premium options available
MeetEdgar
MeetEdgar is a social media management tool that automates your content re-sharing. If you manage others’ social media or your brand has evergreen articles, you lose time if you aren’t using MeetEdgar. I can’t sum up how powerful this tool is in a few sentences. It allows you to organize content by category (think: various clients). You can post to Facebook pages, Facebook groups, Pinterest, LinkedIn profiles and Company pages, and Twitter and Instagram. I use MeetEdgar for all things Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The only downside? There’s not a free version. But it’s well worth the investment.
Cost :: $19-$49/month
Use this link and save $10/month on MeetEdgar forever!
Buffer
Buffer is another long-time-running social media scheduler. Although I use MeetEdgar, I still use Buffer too. What’s the difference? Buffer doesn’t allow for recurring shares like ME. Buffer services Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. I use Buffer only for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I use it mostly to share articles I find at the moment. Click the Google Extension (once you’ve already installed it) and add the content to your queue. Easy peasy.
Cost :: $15/mo + (free, 14-day trial available)
TailWind
While there are other options for scheduling Pinterest, nothing compares to using Tailwind. The feature of Tribes is worth every cent. Tailwind is a scheduler for Pinterest and will also schedule Instagram. (I use it solely for Pinterest accounts.) While I always recommend going to Google Analytics and the source (in this case, Pinterest) for analytics, Tailwind also has a pin inspector that tells you specifics of how a pin is performing and tools for evaluating group boards. Sign up for Tailwind using this link and get a month free.
Cost :: $10+/month // must pay annually for unlimited pinning
Get your first month of Tailwind free.
