Being a Mom While Running an Online Music Business - Tips to Make it Work!
Being a parent and running a business is not easy and can sometimes feel overwhelming. I recently had several a teacher who asked me if I could talk about this subject on the podcast and I thought it was a fantastic idea and a topic that so many teachers could relate to!
In this episode, I share 10 tips for parenting while running a business. I hope that you hear some tips that will lighten your load and help you feel a bit more confident in your future as a business owner!
Here is a recap of the 10 tips shared in this episode!
#1 Communicate your big dreams with your spouse and children
#2 Manage your time
#3 Ask loved ones for help
#4 Trade other parents for work time
#5 Hire other teachers during maternity leave
#6 Teach online
#7 Plan your schedule with the future in mind
#8 Diversify your income
#9 Create a digital product
#10 Have fun enjoying the moment you’re in!
BONUS TIP: Think positively about yourself!
Enjoy The Transcript from This Episode!
Some of you have emailed and asked for tips and suggestions for how to care for toddlers while teaching or wondering if it's even possible at all! One teacher asked if I could do a podcast episode about parenting and running a business and I thought it was a really great idea.
My husband Mike and I have 3 daughters. Whitney is 4, Mara is 2, and we have a 7 week old baby Becca! You can imagine that life is both fun and crazy for us around here! These girls are such a joy in our lives and we wouldn't change a thing or have done things any differently. We love being parents!
I've divided my thoughts into 10 tips for parenting while growing a business. I really loved thinking through this and writing out my experiences and thoughts. I hope that they give you some good ideas to help you enjoy your business more and have growth!
#1 Communication with spouse and children - Communicate your dreams and vision for what your studio can be. Think big picture and have a vision for what the future could look like for you and your family.
#2 Time management - How much are you working when you don't need to be working? This is HUGE. You should have as much automated as possible + have specific blocked time for scheduling important tasks. If you want more ideas, check out Episodes 23 & 24 of the podcast!
#3 Ask for help - Find those who support you and your dreams and ask for help! Maybe this looks like hiring a babysitter, asking your sister to help out a few hours on a Friday, having your spouse change their work schedule. Don't be afraid to ask for help!
#4 Trades with other mothers who work - There are Facebook groups connecting mothers in your area - Find other working moms who might like to trade babysitting one day per week! You watch their kids and they watch yours. This can be a huge benefit and it won't cost you anything.
#5 Maternity leave - hiring other teachers. When I was pregnant and had 42 students, I arranged for 3 other teachers to take on my students and paid them 50% of the lesson. They taught for about 8 weeks while I took maternity leave. Online students were easier during maternity leave - just took 4 weeks off and then got back to lessons. If you're interested in learning more about hiring other teachers, check out Episode 22 with Brooke Schrager where we talk about all of the logistics. Inside the TMO course we have an entire 2-hour workshop on this topic!
#6 Take advantage of the perks of online teaching - mute your microphone! Benefits for a busy house - turn your video off! Benefits for keeping students while you want to travel, or visit a family members. For more, see Episode 14 - ‘23 Reasons Why You'll Continue Teaching Online Beyond the Pandemic’.
#7 Plan for the future - take advantage of the fact that you can have students in different time zones during your typical “down time”. Create a schedule around your ideal studio - not around whenever they have time for your lessons! Make them work FOR you!
#8 Diversify your income - make the most money per hour as possible so that you can work less. This means being your own boss and creating your own income. Think beyond gigs, teaching at schools, or working as a contracted teacher. You can do so much more than that!
#9 Create a digital product - Find ways to sell what you do! Whether it’s lesson plans, tips for specific instruments, media you’ve created, or even your students performing, sell it! Other people will be interested to see what you’ve done, and you can use it to your advantage!
#10 Have fun enjoying the moment - I try to focus best on what I'm doing now. So right now, while recording this podcast I am completely focused on you and how I can motivate you! I'm not thinking about my kids, or how hungry I am, or that play date I need to plan for tomorrow. When work is through and I'm with my daughters, I leave my phone in my office. I don't carry it around looking at every single message I get. When I'm on a date with my husband, we try really hard not to talk about work! We're not perfect but we're getting there.
Bonus tip: Think positively about yourself! - So much of our joy and success comes from our thoughts. Our thoughts determine how we feel and then in turn our actions and results. If you think negatively about yourself or your situation than you better believe that you will not have success pursuing your dreams. It can't happen if you don't believe in yourself. The fact that you're listening right now tells me a lot about you! You're not just a musician, but you so much more to give the world and you want to impact people not just in your community but across the globe. If you don't believe in yourself let me believe in you! You're amazing!
Thanks for listening and I'll see you next week!
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