First person: How I make the mom-entrepreneur mix work

I will never forget the look on my family's faces when I announced I was starting a small business. My teenager rolled his eyes in disgust, my husband subconsciously touched his wallet and my six year old obediently quipped, "You can do it, Mommy." Not the supportive pep rally I hoped for but as a new "Mom Entrepreneur," you take what you can get. That was 10 years ago and I am happy to say that today my family not only encourages me but they also pitch in when I need them. As the owner of a successful makeup artistry business, I have learned a great deal about balancing work and life.

The biggest challenge was working from my home. I used a spare room as my spa/office. My family had a hard time understanding when Mom was "working." In my business, I gave makeovers, skin care consultations and sold gift baskets to my clients. Other times I worked in my office networking by phone and building my website. My family had no problem shuffling in and out of the office in the middle of appointments or during those phone blitzes. Their visits were accompanied by friends, excited pets or visitors that dropped by unannounced.

Clients didn't openly object to the "laid back atmosphere" of my business but I could see where this could be disconcerting. Women with naked faces liked their privacy! I set work hours and posted them as any business would. I used the refrigerator and the office door to display my hours. For the littlest member of the family, I created a calendar for him so he would know when he could have Mommy "all to himself." This "Mom Entrepreneur" felt proud to solve her first major problem.

Other challenges arose like from balancing time, business and family. I learned that Sundays were the perfect time to prepare meals for the coming week. I love freezing meals and reheating them. I also have a handy Rolodex of delivery services that like cooking for me, for a small price of course.

I discovered the importance of having a dedicated phone line or cell phone for the business. Teenagers like hogging up the phone and have no problem being rude. Little ones will tell anyone, "Mom is in the potty."

The biggest lesson I learned was that earning an extra dollar can never replace enjoying an extra hour with my family. Turning off the work phone and shutting the office door is hard when you love what you do. (I have discovered I am a workaholic.) But the reason this Mom Entrepreneur started my business was to have more to, to do more, for my family. It's a decision I have never regretted.

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Guide to Recruiting New Team Members
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