It is a well known fact that a high proportion of businesses fail within the first year, and business mums are no exception. There are many reasons why businesses are not successful, but here are 7 of the most common ones made by mums, that you should avoid.

1. Not organising your time
   As mums we already have a busy life but becoming a business mum takes plenty of organisation, if you wish to create a successful business and lifestyle. Planning your day is crucial to achieve this. Write down everything you need to do and achieve. Include personal and business goals and then put together a weekly action plan and daily task list. It will make it easier if you can dedicate set days to your business and then you can do all your business tasks on those days.
2. Starting a business with no money
   Many work at home mums start a business to generate a necessary income for the family. Because they are short of funds in the first place they have insufficient funds to actually get the business off the ground properly. I often hear the words “I have no money to market my business, what should I do?” If you are a business mum with no or limited funds, you will need to be very creative and have plenty of time available because you will have to use all the no cost/low cost marketing strategies available to promote your business. The best thing is to make sure you have some funds available or funds that you can access so that you can cover your set up costs and the first few months of business whilst you are trying to make sales.
3. Blindly marketing your business
   You are so excited at starting your business that all you want to do is start generating sales. You book your advertising in newspapers, magazines and online, book to attend an expo and order your flyers all in the first few months of business. What then happens is you realise that you have spent more money on advertising and promoting the business than you recoup on sales. This is so common and yet so deadly to your business. What you need to do is research all the marketing activities available to your business and then determine which ones are best for you. The best thing to do first is to use no cost/low cost marketing strategies such as strategic alliances, competitions and online forums. Try not to let the excitement of starting a business cloud your judgement.
4. Discard the myth that you can do it all yourself
   As mums we often think we can do it all but when it comes to being a mum in business you will pay a high price if you try to do it all. You will end up working more and more hours, leaving you tired and fed up with your business, which has a huge impact on your family life. Getting help early on and learning from people who already run successful businesses will help. You will be able to avoid the mistakes that they made and take an easier route to success. Also ensure you have a good support network – family, friends and business group.
5. Not taking time out for yourself
   As mothers how often do we hear, “you must look after yourself and take some time out for yourself’. To which our response is often, yeah right when do I have time! It is even more important when you run a business as well. We often get lost in our businesses, especially when it is new, so try and take time out for yourself on a regular basis. This will help you to stay fresh, motivated and confident. Treat yourself to lunch with friends, get your hair/nails done, play golf, go shopping etc. If you look good you will feel better about yourself, you will be more productive in your life and business. The reverse is also true.
6. Trying to juggle the business around the children
   Mums often go into business so that they can stay at home and spend more time with the children. Here is a reality check, if you think that you can run a business and look after the children full time or run your business around their sleep times, then think again. If you want to create a successful professional business you will need to make some decisions about when you are going to work in your business and who will look after the children at those times. Make a clear distinction between the two and avoid working in family time.
7. Not setting up an office environment and staying professional
   It is a common misconception that you can start a business without having to set up a separate office environment that is away from the children. Making calls or answering the phone is not professional when you can hear playing or screaming children in the background.

The information contained above is only an overview of things that might need to be addressed. In business you need to take one step at a time so if your business is suffering due to any of the above mistakes you should take action to correct this.

A great way to help you get advice on creating a successful business would be to access our free mums in business resources at www.mumsinbusiness.net/free.html where you will discover proven, easy-to-apply strategy that mums just like YOU are using every day to start & grow profitable businesses!

From Alison Basson – Mums in Business, for mums and women who are serious about business

Related Websites