I often hear women and men question whether or not they have what it takes to see their idea through. People frequently come to me for advice about how I found the courage to follow my passion and start my own company. The fact is many people are selling themselves short.
If you are raising kids, you are already using the very same skill set you will need to run your own company. The demanding life of a parent is excellent training ground for being a CEO.
1. If you can manage children, you can manage employees
Ask any business owner to tell you their top challenges and inevitably managing employees will be high on the list. Raising children will give you lots of relevant practice!
2. You have already been a CFO
Creating a budget for your family prepares you to manage financial plans for your business. Continuing good financial habits and discipline is critical as you raise your next baby.
3. You have the hours down
Owning your own business is a 24/7 commitment and it usually takes a long time to reap what you sow.
4. Take the sticker chart concept and move it to the boardroom
If you apply the same Gold Star technique to your leadership style, you are going to do just fine!
5. Now you have help!
If your kids are old enough, give them the gift of coming to work with you sometimes to see how a business works. Teach them the valuable skills of entrepreneurship.
6. Creating the company work schedule will be a piece of cake
After organizing multiple soccer practices, dentist appointments, back to school nights and dance lessons, putting together a simple office schedule will be no problem at all. And now you have Excel!
7. Any parent of a toddler has had plenty of practice with negotiation
So you can thank your two or three year old as you negotiate contracts and work out sweet pricing deals for your business. Remember where you honed those skills when it comes time to set their allowance.
8. Parenting is really networking 101
Being a mom or dad forces you to network and that skill will be invaluable for your business.
9. Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-o to a tree
Patience is a skill that can’t be taught, but must be acquired for both parenting and business building. Raising kids helps you acquire more patience than anything else in life.
10. Treat projects like Lego’s
If you have ever watched kids building a Lego contraption you have witnessed the ultimate teamwork. Bring that same level of collaboration and enthusiasm and success is bound to follow.
11. Don’t forget to sleep like a baby
I recently heard Arianna Huffington say the best way to get to the top is to sleep your way there! Literally! Her advice is to get a solid 8 hours of sleep a night if we want to be effective in our businesses.
12. Set a good example
I started my first business because I wanted to be an example to my daughter. I wanted to show her that it was possible to follow your passion and be a good mom. She showed me I was right.
Having kids has certainly taught me that life is full of curve balls. In the very wise words of Alfred A. Montapert, “Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.” You will need to be able to do the same thing as a CEO. So you better put on your big girl panties and eat your Wheaties!
I originally wrote this post and it first appeared on the insightful and informative site 12most.com
Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®
3 users responded in this post
Hi Lisa, I would have to say that being a parent is often even more demanding than running a business. Self-doubt is one of the main things that seems to affect people starting new businesses. People picture themselves deep in a business environment but don’t realize that they get there over time. It’s very much like your teenager example – no one wakes up having teenage kids, they start small and grow with time. Business are the same way. By the time you’ve created a successful one, you’ll be comfortable running the show. Fantastic post!
This arrived in my Twitter feed today via @12Most.
I have one thing to say: YES! Becoming a parent has developed my leadership skills. Now that I’m a parent, my focus, negotiation, and management skills have taken off! And, now I have more reason than ever to make the world a better place to live in. (Ann Crittenden wrote a book on the topic, “If You’ve Raised Kids, You Can Manage Anything”.)
It’s incredibly important that we keep sending the message out to the world that being a mom/dad does not make you less valuable. It can make us smarter, more resilient, and more focused on the big picture.
Now, off to follow you on Twitter and browse your tres beautiful site! Have a great day!
Love this post! I always say that running a business is like another baby in the family. I do agree with Chris in that the family tends to be a bit more demanding than the business. But sometimes it feels the other way around… either way, great post!