A Mom and Mompreneur All in One

By Leslie Campos

As a mom, you know just how difficult your job can be. You need the skills of a juggler as the phone rings, the baby starts to bawl, and the mailman knocks on the door, all at the same time. You're on call 24/7, and the worst of it is, you don't get paid. So, if someone suggested to you it's a good idea to start a business from home, you might want to throttle them and tell them they're insane. But is it such a bad idea?

How to Get Started

Apply for your Employer Identification Number, or EIN, which identifies your business entity, and look into obtaining business insurance as standard home insurance doesn't provide adequate cover if you're working from home.

Set up a designated space for your work. Having a small home office saves you from losing or misplacing essential work documents and helps separate your work life from your personal life.

Consider leaving the complexity of all the financial aspects of running a business to an accountant, particularly if you take on other employees in the future and have to deal with payroll.

Once you have your idea, write out a business plan, decide on your business's legal structure, and open a bank account for the company.

One business structure to consider is an LLC, which offers limited liability and other benefits, such as avoiding double taxation, more flexibility, and less paperwork. Avoid hefty lawyer fees when setting up an LLC by either filing yourself or using a formation service. Just remember to check the rules in your state before going ahead, as they're not all the same.

Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms

Start a business that reflects your abilities. For instance, if you possess artistic talent, you can sell your paintings, handmade jewelry, sculptures, or other creative undertakings online.

Your life as a stay-at-home mom may provide you with enough valuable material to pitch to others in your position or mothers-to-be who may welcome your advice. So why not take up blogging to earn some extra cash? These are just a few of the many business ideas for stay-at-home moms.

How to Achieve Balance as a Work-at-Home Mom

• Plan. Pre-planning is crucial. The longer you do it, the more natural it becomes. Prepare lunches for the week. Set times for meals and activities for the children, and stick to them.

• Set boundaries. Create routines and schedules to help keep work and family time separate.

• Ground rules. To prevent your work life and home life from colliding, set some ground rules for your children and yourself.

• Take regular breaks. This allows you to focus entirely on your children rather than multitask.

• Have patience. Nobody said this is easy. Your patience is likely to be pushed to the limit at times, but stick to it, and things are likely to get better.

Be a Mom and a Mompreneur

It's not all screaming kids, lost paperwork, and tripping over children's toys when working at home with little ones. With planning and patience, you can get everything done as a mom while at the same time earning a good income as a mompreneur.

Leslie Campos hopes to provide relief and tips for other busy parents through her site Wellparents.com. Parents can find a variety of information from stress-busters to exercise ideas to healthy eating tips.