How to Start Your Own Business as a Mom Entrepreneur

A mom entrepreneur works with the help of an assistant.

Becoming a mom entrepreneur is no easy task. Whether you have toddlers or teenagers, starting up your own business enables you to create a rewarding career for yourself and goes hand in hand with parenting. If you're thinking about leaving the corporate world, want to step up your family's income or have the desire to launch your great idea, becoming a mom entrepreneur is for you.

Instructions

1. 

   Find your domain name first.

   Choose and purchase the domain name for your business, whatever your product or service. Doing a search on NameCheap.com or GoDaddy.com will help you move along in your hunt for a business name. Domain names are an inexpensive way to not only nail down your business' URL but help move you forward from the idea phase to the action phase of starting up your business. It's all right if your URL or business name changes down the line, but if you wait until your business name is perfect and then go looking for a matching domain name, you may be out of business before you even start.

2. 

   Hold a focus group to test out your idea.

   Test out your service or product with market research. No need to hire a company to do it for you. Get together with friends and share your idea. Contact people in your industry, whether through Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, and ask them to give you feedback on your idea. Create focus groups with friends and acquaintances and find out if your service or product is something they would buy. This may not be the route you choose to go if your business idea is proprietary, but think twice about it. There is no better way to find out what the market wants than by going out and asking the market.

3. 

   Find a great graphic designer.

   Hire a graphic designer and a web designer. These people are your best friends in helping build your business. They will create the art that will portrays your business idea. What they produce will give potential customers and clients a visual summary of your product or service. Inquire with graphic designers you find through friends, through sites like Crowdspring.com or through referrals. Ask about pricing, how they work, and most importantly, go with your gut. Examine their previous work and ask yourself whether you really like it. If you have to think about it, move on and find someone who really impresses you. Then hire that person!

4. 

   Scheduling your workdays will make things much easier.

   Set a schedule. Since your hours are less flexible than the traditional entrepreneur, you cannot afford to work without an itinerary. Figure out what times your kids nap, go to school or head to after-school activities. Map out where you will have solid blocks of time to work. If you can't find time to make business phone calls every day, schedule all your calls on one or two days of the week. When you need to work in absolute quiet (perhaps you're creating an online video), either wait until your kids are in bed or head to a quiet location -- your local library is a great place to work very quietly. Scheduling your days will take a lot of the stress out of being a mom entrepreneur.

5. 

   Get out and meet other mom entrepreneurs.

   Attend meetings and events that will help get your name and business out there. Meet up with other mom entrepreneurs who can support, guide and advise you. Find meetups on Meetup.com. Head to a Founding Moms' Exchange near you. The more you get out of the house, with or without your kids, and meet with fellow entrepreneurs, the more you will be inspired and encouraged to pursue your passion.

Tips & Warnings

• Babies may cry or scream into the phone during your most important business calls. It is OK. It happens to every mom entrepreneur, and it is rare that the person on the other end of the line doesn't understand or appreciate that you are a working mother. Take a deep breath, ask if you can call the person back, and tend to your baby.

References

• Meetup.com: Homepage
• Founding Moms' Exchange: Homepage
• Crowdspring: Homepage
• GoDaddy.com: Homepage
• NameCheap: Homepage