Top 10 Tips on how to be a Successful Mompreneur - with Dana Obleman

A lovely mom and inspiring businesswoman. Helped more than 109,000 parents since 2003.

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How to start a business when you have a baby?

Work around the baby's nap schedule or in the evenings.
Start your business working on weekends as well.
You need to be very organized.
Be dedicated to the day timer to see where your business fits in a day.

How to manage everything when you have more than one child?

Find child care. You cannot be a businesswoman and a mother simultaneously.
If you're an entrepreneur, you cannot grow a business around that naptime and evenings. But you always have to be keeping your eye on the next step to evolve this business into something bigger.

What are some tips if you don't have money for child care?

Try a baby swap with a friend. If you have a friend whose child is the same age as yours, try to look after her baby one day.

The next day she will look after yours, so you have a free day to do your work.

How to avoid the fear of losing your professional skills when you take time away from work or have maternity leave?

You can take maternity leave and still be in the business: Spend a couple of hours every week reaching out to your audience and planning some marketing strategies, and just making sure that people didn't forget about you.

Is it better to take a slow approach in returning to work?

If you are one of those mothers whose job demands to come back after three weeks - a baby's good nap schedule and childcare can help in this situation.

If you can take the time or drop it down to part-time for the first couple of months - do this. It will be easier for everybody in the family.

How to work from home and don't get distracted?

Devote time: the morning chunk of time you dedicate to your child, and here are the things you're going to do through the morning.

And then you take that hat off and put on your entrepreneur hat and get down to business. Try to have calls during nap time or in the evening.

How to admit that you need a little bit of help?

When you don't do that, you learn some lessons the hard way. You're burning yourself out, and you're showing up not your best self with anybody. You're taking out your frustrations on your partner, or you're feeling irritated at your children.

Try to make a list of things needed to get done this week, like the laundry, the groceries, the meal preparation. Then ask your partner to choose five from it, so you have some space. There’s the quote, 'you can do anything, but you can't do everything.

How to communicate with your partner when you work together?

Try to have very separate roles.

Choose things you love to do, let your partner choose his ones, and work in your corners.
Collaborate and work together on the planning and business and moving the business forward.
Have separate spaces.
Don't talk about work in the evening, so work doesn't trickle into every piece of your day.

That is a big key to success.

What to do if kids affect productivity?

It is OK to take those "lazy days" when your baby is sick, or you just feel like not doing much that day. Just keep an eye and try not to repeat that day off the next day because that could lead to burnout.

How do you stay inspired and motivated when everything is on fire?

Remember that this is just a moment where everything feels a little bit chaotic.
If you can - take 3-5 mindful breaths in that space just to remember, this is a moment this is going to pass.
Ask "What I can do to manage whatever crisis is happening at the moment."
Decide what needs your full awareness at this moment, tackle that first, and then we can move on to the next.
Plan little breaks through your day, a little bit of rejuvenation. Even if it's just a 10-minute cup of tea, in some relative silence, or whatever it is that helps you.