Guest post by Jenna Sherman
As of 2019, Canada was home to 1.2 million small businesses, which is nearly 98% of the Canadian market. Many of the small business owners throughout the provinces also balance life as a parent of young children – and you can too!
Though many entrepreneurs may feel a need to put their careers on hold with a baby on the way, you should know that it’s possible to join these individuals despite welcoming a child into the world soon. You’ll just need to make certain changes to make balancing everything a bit simpler.
Develop a Schedule
A child feels more secure and comfortable when they know what to expect each day. Additionally, you’ll make life easier on yourself if you know when your child will nap and become hungry. By having a schedule, you can prevent some crying outbursts, which can ease your stress and ensure you have more quiet time to make phone calls.
You can create a schedule that works for your business needs. For instance, if you need quiet time in the morning, make sure you schedule feeding and then nap time early so you’ll have time to finish work without background noise.
Create Space for Your Little One Near Your Office
If you’ll be running your business from your home, you should create a space in your office or a nearby room for your baby. While you can place a bouncer seat, small crib, or bassinet in the room at first, you’ll eventually want to put down a comfortable blanket and situate toys so your child can play once they’re bigger.
Develop a Business Plan
When you have one plan for parenting and one for business, you know exactly what to expect and what steps to take. While trying to balance parenting and opening your business, consider hiring someone to write your business plan. It’ll save you time so you can focus on your child.
Check job platforms for a business plan writer. Look for reviews about the person or company. During your search, you should also compare the writers based on delivery time and cost. You may need to reach out directly to the writer for this information.
Consider Hiring a Babysitter
While you may want to do it all yourself, opening a business in Canada isn’t easy and neither is parenting. Instead of struggling to multitask, consider hiring a babysitter if it’s financially feasible. You can choose to have this person come over a few hours a day or even a few times a week so you can accomplish tasks you can’t get done with a baby, such as house cleaning or business phone calls.
When you’re looking for a babysitter, look at reviews online. Ask friends in the area who they hire. Make a checklist of what you want in a sitter. For instance, you want someone who’s reliable. You can’t afford to miss business opportunities if a sitter doesn’t show up. In addition, a babysitter should be active and able to keep up with your little one, even as your child becomes a toddler. Prior to hiring, make sure you speak with potential sitters in person.
You Can Have the Best of Both Worlds
You can have the best of both worlds — a successful Canadian business and being there as your child grows up. If you can learn how to schedule your time and when to ask for help, you will be able to find success in achieving balance between both sides of your life – parenting and entrepreneurship.
About the Author
Jenna Sherman hopes to help other parents acquire the skills they need to raise future leaders by providing a collection of valuable, up-to-date, authoritative resources. A mom of three (two girls and a boy) created parent-leaders.com as an avenue for parents who want to make sure their children grow up to be strong, independent, successful adults.
