Whenever I ask women what they love about being a mom entrepreneur or working from home, I always get the same response: the flexibility to set my own schedule so I can spend more time with my family. Flexibility is the overwhelmingly popular benefit of owning a home-based business as a mom. But beyond that, what else is so wonderful? What are the other surprises and joys that come from running a business and raising children under the same roof? Here are a few of my favorites:

Ten Weird Things I Love About Being a Mompreneur

1. Saying yes. When you run a business and raise a family at the same time, there are lot of things you have to say no to, but there are also some things that you get to say yes to. Like stopping by the school to drop off a forgotten item, taking a day trip with the kids, visiting a friend in the hospital or volunteering as a Girl Scout leader. If I worked full time in a J-O-B, those things would be out of the question.

2. Soaking up some quiet. If you’re a homeschooling mom or your children are still babies, you may not appreciate this…but I treasure the quiet in my home from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm every day. I don’t turn on the TV or radio at all. I don’t even answer the phone unless I have to. I just bask in the calm between the storms that bookend our daily lives as a busy family. And yes – I get a whole lot of work done, too!

3.  The office infirmary. With three active kids in elementary and middle school, we’re exposed to a lot of germs around here. When one of them is run down with a bug, it doesn’t set my world in a tailspin. I can administer Saltines and chicken soup in between writing blog posts and doing radio interviews. Easy peezy.

4. Yoga pants. Enough said.

5. My own cooking. Now, I’m not the best chef on the planet, but I do take the time to prepare healthy and delicious meals for myself and my family. I pack four lunches a day and I love the fact that I don’t have to pack one for myself. I can just go the fridge and grab something homemade for lunch. Of course, I still make time for lunch with friends and colleagues on occasion because I love going out to eat. But on a daily basis, I get to eat in my own kitchen. And I have more time to prepare healthy dinners too. I kinda love that. [Read more...]