I may be biased, but I truly believe Moms make AWESOME entrepreneurs! Think about it, in order to be a successful entrepreneur you need to have some key skills that you coincidentally develop being a mom.
Let’s start with the most obvious, PASSION. I can remember the moment I first heard my child’s heartbeat, I was almost instantly filled with an overwhelming passion for this little being I hadn’t even met yet. I would do anything to make sure that my baby would and could thrive in life. Now translate that into the spirit of entrepreneurship. The passion we feel when we look at our children is the same type of passion that should fuel our hunger for success. We want to do whatever we can to make sure our business ventures survive and thrive.
The next skill we develop as mothers is COMMUNICATION. This one is a skill that is constantly being developed as the years go on and our children grow up. The way you communicate with a toddler is not the same way you communicate with a teenager (although it might be how you communicate to certain adults throughout your career, am I right?). In each stage of your business, you have to evolve as things will constantly change especially during the start-up phase. As parents, we’re constantly shifting and learning how to communicate and how to be the best parent and that is needed when being a business owner.
SELF-DISCIPLINE is another entrepreneurial attribute that we naturally have as moms. The self-discipline to wake up in time to get the kids dressed and ready for school, to get them to their sports events on time, to not just curl up when all we want to do is cry ourselves to sleep or get an extra hour of sleep. We as moms have the self-discipline to keep going even when things are tough and our children think that they hate us.
PROBLEM-SOLVING abilities and CREATIVE THINKING really go hand-in-hand. I mean, how many arguments between our children have we had to quell by thinking out of the box?
I think one of the hardest skills to learn as a mom is the WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN AND LEARN. I remember growing up being told “mother knows best,” and the truth is we do not always know best. It's a skill I am so glad I learned though. Empowering my children with their voice and showing them I can listen and learn has saved us from various power struggles and has made our relationships stronger. Likewise in business, showing your willingness to listen, learn, and adapt results is powerful. It’s important to surround yourself with a team that challenges you and encourages you to learn.
PERSISTENCE is one I learned dealing with toddlers. How many ways can we cook broccoli before they decide to finally try it?
GREAT PEOPLE SKILLS ties together most of these previous skill sets Communication, problem-solving, and active listening BUT it also incorporates flexibility, empathy, good judgment... All things we develop through motherhood.
Entrepreneurship 101 is focused around a mindset of POSITIVITY AND GROWTH. For anything to flourish and see success, it has to be surrounded by positivity. This is a skill set that has to be practiced DAILY, especially in the sphere of motherhood. PPD, temper tantrums, and teenage angst all work against our positive mindsets, but we are stronger than those difficult days. I make it a daily effort to start my day off with positivity and prayer to ensure that this skill set is always sharpened. That is NOT to say that I don’t struggle with this. I think that this is an area that will always need work, but I try my best to keep focused on the things that bring me joy and will help me and my children grow.
The final skill I want to mention is that of a RISK TAKER. Now you may not think of yourself as being a risk-taker in your parenting, in fact, you probably try to avoid certain scenarios because of the risks they present. I am here to put into perspective how being a mom has made you a risk-taker. Becoming a mom in the first place was a risk! Is it not true that there is an emotional risk involved in loving and taking on the responsibility of keeping a tiny fragile human alive? Not even just the emotional risk, there is a physical risk in giving birth to these precious children. Now, speaking from my own experience I also am the mother who will do ANYTHING to protect her children. Being that protection for them is also taking a risk. You, Mama, are a risk-taker, and a bad a** one at that...
Mic Drop RIGHT? :-) If anyone is ready and STRONG enough to possess the entrepreneurial spirit it’s us!
Hats off to moms for all the things they do and the skills they have to develop and constantly sharpen to be able to be a leader and to develop leaders within their family.