Sharing Your Business With Your Kids

So, you’ve set up your business to run from home, have a slick workspace and all the organisational skills you need to run your business efficiently, effectively and calmly. Bring your “personal office redecorators” (AKA young children) into the picture and a lot of that goes out the window! Here are a few extra tips for managing a business at home without neglecting your most important client – your children.

1. Get ready first! It is very easy to get carried away doing other things and then realise you are late. Don’t work in your PJ’s – get up, get dressed and ready to greet the world before you open your office door.
2. When making breakfast, make lunch for yourself and the kids while you are at it and put in an airtight box. Then clean the kitchen ready for the day. You will feel better, less rushed and will not have to do it again at lunchtime. If you are out that day then you can just take the lunchbox with you but even if you are home, you will always have something nutritious at hand.
3. Keep a spare change of clothes, nappies or underwear and anything else you need for each child along with an empty water bottle for each child in a bag in the car – permanently. That way, if you are ever pressed for time you can just rush out the door knowing that you have all the supplies you need and can just fill up the bottles on the way.
4. Use technology to your advantage. Use voicemail when you can’t answer the phone or employ an answering service. Use Blackberry mobile technology and important emails can find you wherever you are.
5. Keep a byte box – when you have a snippet of time then do those things that you can pick up and come back to without much thought and away from the PC. Sit on the floor and catch up on this while your kids play around you or take small tasks to the park with you.
6. Be careful with your time. Conduct some meetings over the phone and only meet when absolutely necessary. When you do need to meet face to face then arrange all meetings for that week/month in one block and preferably around the same area. Invite your clients and suppliers to networking events that you attend. This is a great, regular way to keep in touch and provide that face to face contact.
7. Be realistic in your scheduling. Do an audit of how long it takes you to do particular tasks – you will be surprised at the results.
8. Sweat the small stuff but all at one time – keep a small stuff tray and email folder and empty them once a week.
9. Do one thing at a time and don’t beat yourself up about not being able to achieve everything you want to in your business on that day. These days you can outsource just about everything so create a quality network around you so you can offload certain tasks when you need to.
10. Remember that you are choosing to stay at home with your child/children for a reason. Make sure you can close the door to your office and focus completely on them. What will you reflect on when your kids move out of home – how much quality time you spent with them or how much work you got done? If you are relaxed and organised you will actually achieve much more!

Article Source: http://www.therepozitory.com.au

Kim McGuinness is managing director of Network Central, a first class business network for people with a life. Kim is also co-author of "Network or Perish – learn the secrets of master networkers" and is featured in "Secrets of Inspiring Women Exposed". Network Central runs many events such as the Businesswomen’s Breakfast Series, Dynamic Business Series and Thinking Parents Forum and operates an online store. For more information go to www.networkcentral.com.au or call 1300 66 70 75

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