Balancing Success and Family as an Aspiring Female Entrepreneur

Becoming an entrepreneur is a dream for many women who aspire to create their own successful and profitable business. However, for those who are also wives and mothers, finding the right balance between building a thriving business and being present for their family can be challenging. In this blog post, we will explore how aspiring female entrepreneurs can achieve success while remaining dedicated to their families.

Setting Priorities

As an aspiring female entrepreneur, it is crucial to set clear priorities to ensure a healthy work-life balance. While there are a lot of things you can focus on, I want to help you simplify the process a bit, so let’s talk about some key things you should consider.

First, in setting your priorities, you must consider what is important to you.  This means you’ll have to think about your values and your goals.  When you sit down to consider these things, it will be helpful to reflect on what truly matters to you.  When you spend time defining your core values, both in your business and personal life, this will help you make decisions that align with your priorities.

Decision making can be hard, especially when you have so much on your plate.  It’s easy to say “prioritize your goals,” but putting that into practice takes some work on your part.  Thinking about what’s important to you is a good first step, but you also need to define your long term goals.  Clearly define and write down your long term goals for yourself, your family life, and your business.  Setting specific objectives will help you stay focused and avoid getting overwhelmed.

Determining your priorities and establishing your long term goals is a great start, but you aren’t on this island alone.  You have a family on this mission with you and if you want things to work out smoothly, you’ve got to take bold action and actually, communicate with your family.  It’s important that they know where you are and where you’re going.  This will make the journey easier and more fulfilling.   Involve your husband and children in your entrepreneurial journey. Talk openly about your aspirations, challenges, and expectations. There might be times when it’s hard to share, but remember, they are your support system and one of your reasons why.  When they understand you and see your vision, this will have a greater impact on them, and you grow to new heights, in your business.  This will also foster understanding and collaboration.  You never know, they might have some insights to share that will empower you to show up in a more impactful way. They will also be more understanding, when the time comes to focus on your business, which leads to your next consideration.

Time Management Strategies

Managing time effectively is a skill that you cannot skip out on, when juggling the demands of entrepreneurship and family life.  Some might tell you that you don’t have to put so much effort into it or that it doesn’t require a lot of focus, but anyone that is serious about being a great mom and wife, while achieving great heights of success professionally knows that you must be strategic in your endeavors, if you want to win.

In order to be intentional, you must create a schedule.  Develop a daily or weekly schedule that includes dedicated time for yourself,  work, and family activities.  You might realize that I keep mentioning the importance of taking time for yourself, as a part of this strategy.  If you forget about yourself and take care of everyone else, you’ll find that you don’t have what you need to keep going, which will make the journey hard for everyone.  Be intentional and set aside blocks of uninterrupted time for focused work, as well as quality time with your loved ones.  Make sure to carve out time for yourself as well.  Do some personal care, read great books, and determine the best ways for you to spend your time, that utilizes your gifts and support your growth.

While focusing on your time management, there are other ways to maximize your time.

Anything that doesn’t have to be done by you, can be delegated.  Yes, I said it.  You don’t have to do everything.  If you want to be able to reach new levels, you have to be able to delegate tasks.  This is one of the best things you can do for yourself and all those connected to you.  Delegate nonessential tasks to others whenever possible. Whether it’s hiring a virtual assistant or asking for help from family members, delegation allows you to focus on the most important aspects of your business and family life.

There will be somethings that you don’t necessarily want someone else to do or that they don’t need to do.  For these things, I suggest utilizing technology.  We are surrounded by tech everyday.  From our cell phones to the cars that we drive, there is always a piece of tech that can assist you with the simplification of your experience…which, if you think about it, enables abundant living.  We’ll talk more about that later, but for now, I want you to consider how you can use technology to make your life better.  Leverage the tech tools like project management apps, calendars, and automation software, like Clickup to streamline your workflow. These tools can help you stay organized, prioritize tasks, and free up valuable time.

I love planners, paper, and pens, but I also leverage today’s technology everyday in my life to improve my experience, accelerate my learning, and amplify my abilities.  I encourage you to do the same.

Practicing Self Care

Taking care of yourself is essential for maintaining a healthy balance between entrepreneurship and family life. As I mentioned before, you cannot forget about yourself, in the midst of reaching for new levels of success.  You are one of the most important, if not the most important, parts of your success plan.  This is why it is so important for you to implement self care practices everyday.

When I say everyday, I do mean that you have to make time for yourself on a regular.  It’s sounds simple, but this is your reminder to prioritize your self care activities.  Make time for activities that recharge and rejuvenate you. Whether it’s exercise, meditation, journaling, hobbies, or spending quality time with friends, self care is crucial for your overall well-being.

Sometimes this can be hard to do because of all the other important things that you have going on in your life.  Not only that, but you are very important to others, so making time for yourself can prove itself difficult, at times.  In order to help with this process you can set boundaries.  This means you’ll have to think about the things that are needed for you to be your best in each area.  In order to do this, you’ll need to establish clear boundaries between work and your personal life, so that you can avoid overworking or neglecting your personal needs.  I know that this isn’t always the easiest task, but you’ll have to learn to say no to tasks or commitments that may compromise your well-being or family time.

Along with making time for yourself, it would be helpful to practice mindfulness.  When you do this, learn to enjoy your present and remain grateful for all of your blessings.  This can be a very powerful practice and it’s something that you can do everyday. You can cultivate mindfulness by staying present in the moment. Engage fully in whatever you are doing, whether it’s working on your business or spending time with your family. This will help you avoid burnout and enhance your overall productivity.

Building a Support System

Having a strong support system is vital for any aspiring female entrepreneur who wants to succeed both in business and family life.   It is tempting to think that you don’t need anyone or that no one is worthy of your trust because of the many situations you’ve experienced before, but you must remember that you weren’t created to do life alone.  While you have your family, it will also do you well to have professional relationships that encourage growth, support your endeavors, and cheer you on when you win.

With the world at your fingertips, literally, there are many ways that you can build a strong support system that you can rely on, which helps you along your journey.

You can join entrepreneurial communities. Be intentional about seeking out communities of like-minded individuals who understand the unique challenges faced by female entrepreneurs. Connecting with others who share similar aspirations can provide valuable support, advice, and inspiration.  These communities can be found in person, at events and associations, but they can also be found online.  Places like Facebook, Clubhouse, and other social networking platforms facilitate community growth.  Understanding the importance of having a community, I’ve joined and created a group on Facebook that supports female entrepreneurial growth and development.  Even if you are regularly participating in a community online through social networking, you can find your people, so don’t think that you have to do this alone.

When you feel like groups aren’t enough, you can find a mentor or a coach.  While these are two different things, they are both very supportive and can help you on a one-on-one level, as you grow and develop.  Look for a mentor who has successfully balanced entrepreneurship and family life. Their guidance and experience can be invaluable in navigating the challenges you may encounter along the way.  If you decide to get a coach, you want someone that has beliefs and values that align with yours.  If your mindset it to remain well balanced, you don’t want a coach that encourages you to forget about your family responsibilities, only to focus on the professional.  Be wise in your choosing.

While you are building your support system, don’t forget about your family members and friends.  While not everyone will be perfect for this support system that you are building, if you look and ponder over this, you’ll find that there are supportive family members and friends who understand your goals and are willing to lend a helping hand when needed.   This might take some effort and wisdom on your part, but it’s definitely worth it.  Surrounding yourself with people who believe in you can make all the difference.

Embracing Flexibility

Flexibility is key when striving for both entrepreneurial success and maintaining a strong presence in your family’s life. You’ll need to establish working hours that are in alignment with your family responsibilities and activities.  At first, this might not seem easy because you will have to learn to say no, but once you get the hang of it, things will work out well for you.  Flexibility looks different for everyone, but one thing that I recommend is creating a work schedule, within your business that empowers you to focus on your clients and business work, outside of family time.  It also means creating a family schedule that recognizes your professional responsibilities, but doesn’t completely restructure your life around work.

A lot of people don’t like it when I say this, but remaining flexible  isn’t about saying yes, it’s about balance.  The concept of balance isn’t something that’s achieved in one moment.  It’s a constant act of working things together, in your life and business, to bring about a happy mixture that empowers you to be your best.

When it comes to being your best and finding balance, you have to know when you should do the work and when you should get assistance.  This isn’t about not knowing how to do it, it’s about maximizing your time and allowing yourself to remain flexible so you can attend to what needs your attention most.

You can also outsource nonessential tasks.  Consider outsourcing tasks that do not require your direct involvement. This can free up more time for family commitments or revenue generating activities within your business.

When doing all of this, be sure to pivot when necessary. Stay open to making shifts in your business strategy or adjusting your goals as circumstances evolve. Being adaptable allows you to navigate unexpected challenges without compromising either your business, family commitments or personal integrity.

You Can Do This!

Achieving success as a female entrepreneur while remaining present in your family’s life is definitely possible with careful planning, effective time management, self-care practices, a strong support system, and embracing flexibility. Aspire to build a harmonious blend of business accomplishments and fulfilling family experiences, knowing that success is not defined solely by financial achievements, but also by creating a life that aligns with your values and brings joy to those you love most.

If you found this helpful and would like an additional resource to help you along your journey, get the free Create Your Dream Business Journal.  It will help you take action and focus on what matters to you the most.