On my morning walk, I passed two black cats. I’m not superstitious but I know one of them must have crossed my path!
And given that it’s also coming up on Halloween, this got me to thinking about the tricks and treats (or pros and cons) when it comes to owning your own momstyle business.
For those of you just joining us, a momstyle business is a profitable, flexible, online business that gives you an immense amount of freedom in when and how you work. As good as this scenario sounds, they can still be tricky, especially if you don’t manage some of the treats properly.
Let’s look at a few examples.
Pros and Cons #1 – Time
Last week our nanny was sick. Then I was sick. My 25 hours of work turned into about 15 hours of less-than-productive time. Luckily, I have no boss breathing down my neck. What’s more, my business model is flexible enough that I wasn’t about to lose any clients or see a reduction in my passive income. That’s the treat.
Here’s the trick. I essentially proved I could work 15 hours per week instead of 25. Maybe I should be taking more spa days, longer hikes, or spending even more time with my kids.
Or maybe I just like working. (Yes, I like my work from home time very much. I missed those 10 hours as much as I missed a clear head.) It’s up to me to put boundaries on my work time. No one is going to do it for me. And that can be a trick.
Pros and Cons #2 – The Work Itself
One of the illustrious treats of owning your own momstyle business is that you get to choose your clients. This brings up wonderful dreams of working with perfect people who need exactly what you have to offer and you doing work that feels like swimming in the ocean on an 80 degree day.
The trick is that less-than-ideal clients will offer you money, good money, to do work that may not be your favorite activity. Again, it comes back to saying no. Or, if you need or want the money, to saying yes with a fully informed spirit about what’s happening.
Pros and Cons #3 – All the Other Stuff
This could be a trick or a treat depending on your perspective. When you own your own momstyle business, it’s not just about doing the work of helping clients. It’s about strategy, planning, hiring, product development, and building processes. I happen to love most of this work, so it’s a treat for me to strut my intellectual planning and creative efforts in ways that impact my own bottom line.
However, if this sounds more like a trick, it could be a sign that building your own momstyle business is not a great fit for you.
Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet
Ah, no. I won’t make you do that. I just came back from my morning walk. 🙂 (Deferring showers until the afternoon can be a real treat.)
But I will encourage you to join my new Momstyle Your Business Facebook group, which is a supportive, empowering space for moms who want to build their businesses the momstyle way.