Hi Mama!
We all have our reasons for wanting to have our own business.
Some of the most common I hear are:
▪️ Being home with our kids
▪️ Walking away from the 9-5
▪️ Freedom Financially
▪️ Wardrobe freedom (as in, no more stiff dress pants and painful shoes)
…and many others.
When I first got into freelancing in 2014ish, I was desperate to work from home because I thought it would give me the freedom to be the mom I wanted to be.
At the time, I was definitely NOT living up to my own expectations on how I’d mother my kids (or being the type of wife I wanted to be, either).
My business started out of a deep desire to be more present with my family AND contribute financially. Honestly, I also happen to LOVE working, so I wanted it ALL.
For our family, quitting my job and working from home didn’t look like having the kids at home with me 24/7. Instead, we shifted from full-time childcare to part-time preschool programs. For me, I know I can show up as my best self when I have dedicated time alone to work and practice self-care.
Set expectations
Setting that expectation and boundary from the beginning made all the difference. It allowed me to do my freelance work that I loved, bring in the second income we needed, AND do things I NEVER thought I’d be able to do, like…
🐒 Take the kids to children’s museums, the park, or the zoo in the middle of the week and let the rest of the population of Kansas City and Houston have them on the weekends.
🧺 Do laundry, dishes, and some very, very occasional dusting in pre-blocked times of the day.
🌮 Make dinner without being rushed along by hangry kids or husbands.
These things, these little things, meant everything to me. They were life-changing.
Big disclaimer: it never went perfectly smoothly. It still doesn’t. Life is still life, which means there are struggles sometimes.
When the dream becomes more…
What started as a dream to work from home and be with my family more turned into something much deeper and even more fulfilling. I was doing something FOR ME, which trickled down to my family and allowed us to work toward the life we wanted.
What does that look like for you, Mama?
It might not even be about working from home anymore since bajillions of people are doing that now through their companies.
I have to ask — is being a remote employee giving you what you want? Is it fulfilling the reasons you had for wanting to work from home in the first place? Have you revisited those reasons lately?
Mama, in case no one has ever told you, it’s ok to give yourself permission to do something for you. I’m cheering you on no matter what.
And if starting your own virtual business is what you want, you know where to find me.