4 Barriers that stop mums starting a business and how YOU can overcome them

What is stopping you starting your own business right now? If you’d love to earn money in a flexible way, help boost the family budget and show friends and family that you can succeed, read these tips from Antonia Chitty and Erica Douglas of www.becomeamumpreneur.com.

1. Lack of confidence

Do you see other mums starting a business and wish you could be like them? What’s stopping you? For many of us the biggest stumbling block is a lack of confidence. If you don’t have the confidence to start a business, take small steps to build up your self esteem. Each day do ONE thing that is outside your comfort zone. This might be speaking to someone new at a playgroup, challenging your body with a new sport, or speaking out about something where formerly you’d have stayed quiet. Every time you do something new and challenging you are building your confidence. Don’t give up if you have a day where you feel a failure: stick at it and your confidence will grow.

2. Lack of time

“I don’t have time to run a business.” If you’re a busy mum it can seem hard to find time in the day where you could fit in work, however flexible. If you are really motivated, however, you’ll find the time. Take 2 minutes right now to focus on what you could do with a few extra pounds each month. Would you pay off the overdraft, be able to afford a babysitter and a night out or start saving for a holiday? Whatever your dream, write it down. If you can add a photo of your dream alongside, even better. This could be a photo from the holiday brochure, a picture of a big pile of cash, or some old photos from great nights out. Stick this up somewhere you will see it every day.

Now, use your dream to help you get motivated and create that time for work. Look at your day and find one timeslot that you could change what you do. The easiest way to gain time could be to give up one television programme: if you watch a soap every day you could gain 2-3 hours each week by stopping.

3. No investment capital

Are you holding back from starting your business because you just can’t get funding? In the current economic climate it can seem too much of a risk to take a loan, but all businesses need money to start up ... or do they?

In fact, if you ask mums with successful businesses, most of them will have started with little or nothing at all and built up organically. PLUS, get networking with other mums looking to start a business and you’ll find that trades and swaps are the way to go: this is how I got my first website, and much of my PR started by offering PR as a trade. Not sure where to meet other mums interested in business? Check out the Family Friendly Working Mums Networking Directory.

But sometimes you do need a boost of cash to get going, and you may need to be inventive to get it. Do ask your local enterprise agency about funding and grants, but in reality these are few and far between. Sometimes you need to do something yourself to earn some money to invest ... and in the ‘Mumpreneur in a Month’ e-course there are 15 ways to earn even if your time is limited. Start one of these off and you’ll find that you have a useful stream of income to help you with your main business idea. You will also find it is useful to have more than one income stream to cover you while your business grows.

4. Lack of contacts

Do you look at mums with businesses and think, “Well, it is easy for her, she knows lots of people who can help her”? For every mum who starts her business with great connections there are many more who are breaking into a new area and building up connections from scratch.

If you want to start a business in a field that is entirely new to you, the first thing to do is start asking questions. Ask other mums where they might go for business advice. Look for your local enterprise centre and ask an adviser for help and recommendations. Join online business forums, and you’ll soon find that you start building your network.

It can be hard to start a business on your own, but if you look for networks there is plenty of support out there. Do your own research, but don’t be afraid to ask for help with contacts if you are getting nowhere.

Take the next step to success: visit www.becomeamumpreneur.com and join the free ‘Mumpreneur in a Month’ e-course. It will change the way you think and give you LOTS of ideas for earning that are within your reach.

 

 

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