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There are a lot of demands on the limited resources of the average single mother so it may be a good idea for you look into starting your own business. There are many successful mompreneurs out there that have managed to get ahead of the game by finding what their community lacks and then filling the gap. Here are some tips to help you become a mompreneur.
Profit from your passion
The first tips that we have for you today is to:
- Profit from your passion
- Capitalize on your hobby
If there is something that you love doing then it is in your best interests to try to develop that hobby or skill into something that can make you some money. For example if you really enjoy making homemade preserves then you may find that if there are enough people in your community who are interested in them you will be able to make a lot of money n this way. There are numerous hobbies that automatically lend themselves to making a profit. For example:
- Knitting
- Sewing
- Baking
- Woodwork
- Painting
Just to name a few basics. There are also other hobbies that do not produce a direct product that you can sell but that you can nevertheless use to make money. For example if you are passionate about paying a certain instrument then you will be able to turn your hobby into money by advertising yourself as a freelance music teacher. The same goes for dancing or singing or any kind of sport. The best thing to do in this situation is research how much professional teachers in the industry charge and then charge a lower rate as you are not a professional.
Profit from your previously acquired skills
In some cases you may be in a position where you had a stable office job in the past that you had to give up in order to spend more time with the children. There are many mompreneurs that are in this situation, but they have decided to make the most of it. A single mother who has held a job in the past has developed skills from that job which she can now use to make the most of her mompreneur career.
Mompreneurs who were office assistants are especially well equipped to take advantage of this tip. If you have administrative experience then you are in a position to become a home based office administrator. A home based office administrator is one that works freelance for a variety of different employers from the comfort of her own home. This is usually done via the Internet so you will need to have an Internet connection. Other things that you may need are:
- A quiet place to work such as a study
- A good understanding of the basic things that are required of an administrator
- Basic computer skills
- Basic administration skills
- A working computer or laptop
- A telephone (so that you can be sure to always have a line of communication with your clients)
This is just one example of how past skills can help mompreneurs.
Scout your area
If you are serious about joining the world of mompreneurs and making a good living from it then you need to scout your area and try to find out what needs your area has. This may seem like a lot of hard work, but it is something that you will have to do in order to get a good idea of where you can bet fit into the working world in your town or city.
Scouting your area will help you ascertain a few things:
- Areas of business that are underserved or non-existent in your area
- The demographics of the population living in your area (this will help you to choose a product or service that will appeal to as many people as possible)
- The specific needs of the people living in your area
Something that you may want to focus on as a single mother in this regard is finding areas in the lives of the people who you observe where you will be able to step in and give them more time to do the things they want to do. For example you may want to open a daycare center in your home that will be convenient and well priced for the majority of the people living in your area and this will make you a popular person to turn to.
Explore your options
It is very important that mompreneurs 
explore all of their options. Do not get stuck on one idea when there may be many other better ideas out there that will allow you to do an even better job than what you are doing at present. Make sure that you do not neglect any of your better skills and be sure to include all of your hobbies for consideration. Practically anything can be turned into a business opportunity, something that mompreneurs are well aware of. You just need to know what to do and where to look when it comes to making the best choices possible regarding your business strategy and plan. Make sure that when you go scouting around your neighborhood that you make a comprehensive analysis of the people living there. What we mean by this is that it is not advisable for you to spend a lot of time speaking with people from one particular street in your neighborhood about what their needs are and then base you business plan on that because people living in the next street over may have entirely different needs. Speak to everyone so that you can find out what the leading needs of the entire population are and thereby make better decision about what kind of business or service your area most needs.
Decide on a catchy name
The name of the company that you start is important because:
- This is what will make people either remember or forget your company
- This is what will make people decide to use your company in the first place
You should also focus on a name that is different. You need to make it clear that your company or business is going to offer something that cannot be found anywhere else. You want people to see the name of your company and think that that is where they want to be. A name that is different and catchy will certainly attract more interest, but it is also important o remember that the name should not be so abstract that people do not have any idea what kind of company you have. If people are looking for a specific service they will do so by looking through company names and if your company name is not strongly associated with your product or service then you will find that people are simply not inquiring about your company. Sometimes creating a logo to go with the name that clearly denoted what kind o company it can help this. Remember that finding the balance between something original and something that is relevant is not easy and you should consider spending a fair bit of time on this aspect of becoming a mompreneur.
Join networking groups
There are a number of networking groups that mompreneurs can benefit form that will help you to make more contacts and meet potential business partners. Some great networking sites for mompreneurs to get to know each other and make great business contacts are the following:
- Mommy Millionaire
- Mom Invented Community
- Mompreneur Café
- Twitter Moms
- A Mom Entrepreneur
- My Work Butterfly
- Café Mom
- Work It Mom
- Savor the Success
- She’s Connected
- Mompreneurs Online
There are also a number of networks that are not specifically related to mompreneurs but that can also be used by them in order to make business connections. A network that I’m thinking of in particular is LinkedIn.
The importance of networking for mompreneurs should be obvious. If you don’t network then you will struggle to find the business contacts that you need to turn your company or business into a success. Networking does not come easily for everyone and not everybody is well equipped to network at a good level. However there are so many benefits for mompreneurs who decide to do this that it is a really bad idea for you to avoid networking. If you want o be a mompreneur you will need to take the plunge, get out there and start networking.
Create a business plan
Having a business plan is essential for successful mompreneurs. There is no way that you will be able to create a successful business by winning it. You will need to know where you are going and what your goals are. Remember that your goals do not need to be absolute. You can make plans and goals that are flexible and that you will be able to change at the last minute if necessary. If your business plan needs to be adjusted or changed, just do it, don’t panic and don’t think that it represents a failure on your part, because it certainly doesn’t.
As a single mother you know how important it is to plan your life. If you don’t plan every single aspect of your day then you will often run into problems. So for your own sake as well as for the sake of your children you plan everything carefully.
The same logic applies to the businesses of mompreneurs. If you don’t plan ahead and think about where you are going then there is an increased chance that everything that you have worked so hard to achieve will fall to pieces. This is not a risk that is worth taking and it is your responsibility to ensure that you know where you are going. Having a plan and knowing where you are headed can make a huge difference in terms of the success of your company.
Contact everyone you know
Once everything is in place and your business is officially registered and license and you have a plan and know where you are going it is time to start calling everyone you know. The best way for mompreneurs to get their businesses off the ground initially is by contacting as many people as they can and making sure that those people are well aware of your business and your business goals. You cannot expect everyone to support you but there will be those that will. Once you have the support of your nearest and dearest they will refer you on to their friends and family allowing your client base to grow. And so the cycle will continue until you have a huge client base. In the end you may even have to hire someone else to help you manage the business. If you end up doing this, try to hire a fellow mompreneur to help them get on their feet. In the long run, who knows where the company will land up? You may end up owning a huge business that makes enormous profits in the long run. Even if your business stays at a small scale you will still find that the success that you experience in this regard feels better than anything that you have ever experienced before.
Now that you have carefully read through all of these tips and (hopefully) out them into action you should be well equipped to start joining the world of mompreneurs. There are a variety of options available for y out there and it just takes a little bit of effort and a little bit of hard work to find your niche in the business world. What a lot of mompreneurs report at first is that they are nervous about getting started and about what the future holds. This is normal and you will soon see that the pros far outweigh the cons. This is something that is achievable so don’t let anyone tell you anything to the contrary.