Author: I am Naomi, a hard working mom of two beautiful children and the owner of two stores on Etsy and a handmade blog. Babamoon.etsy.com is my biggest focus at the moment. My kids totally inspired me to bring out my inner girly girl and to start making these cute knitted goodies!
Combining work with mommy duties is by no means easy, but I consider it a life skill now! I started my Etsy business when my son was two. It was a month after my daughter was born and as you can imagine it was pretty much chaos. It’s still busy, especially during the holiday season and I bet some days I look like I stuck my finger in a power socket! At the moment I spend the majority of my time working on hats and being with my children. I am glad that time is more readily available now that they are both in school, which has helped both my business and my hair!
But still, I could do with a break, a piece of chocolate and a hot cup of tea.
Chaos aside, I personally think that it’s important to work, both for personal achievement and in order to provide for our families. Self-employment is great for us moms, as it gives you more control over your financial circumstances while at the same time giving you the flexibility to combine work with looking after your family.
Etsy makes running an online business easy and I love sharing my skills and passion for handmade goods with people all around the world. I enjoy doing custom orders and take special care to get them right, because even though we are from all corners of the world, I can identify with my customers when I make products for their children because I was inspired by my own!
Etsy has grown into such a giant community. After doing this for years I am still amazed at how many people take the time to look at what I do. That is why I ship worldwide. Of course it broadened my customer base, but I also get to talk to wonderful new people from all walks of life and all over the world.
Combining family and business does require focus and planning, as it can get a little hectic. An average workday involves me doing the usual morning routine: waking up the kids, eating breakfast, and getting them ready for their day. Once they are at school, I go straight back home and get cracking on my orders. I continue working until the end of the school day and I combine picking up the kids with a trip to the post office to ship finished orders. We have a few hours of family time, until the kids go to bed. When they are tucked in, I am back working on my hats. If my husband is home, he will help out by doing the kiddy or home duties, which gives me an extra few hours, and those are always welcome. I do this job practically every day now and when things get busy I work all hours, but I really don’t mind. I am so proud of my achievements; my own efforts and determination have gotten me this far. I am so lucky that my job allows me to me a mum and a professional business owner.
I think you won’t be surprised that I would definitely recommend to other stay at home mothers to start a business on Etsy. However, it’s important to think about a few things before you start. I have learned a few things along the way, so here is my advice.
Make sure you have a plan and possibly a small budget for things like supplies and advertising. Seriously think about how many hours you are prepared to put into your working week. Being self-employed takes up much more time than any 9 to 5 job and randomly switching between business and mummy-mode and taking on whatever is being thrown at you – orders or toys – is though work. With a good plan, a lot of determination, passion and perseverance, those harder times will benefit you greatly in the long run, especially as your children get older. From my own experience I can tell you that it will get easier then and you will find more time to get things done. Those mad moments where you have a kid dangling off of each arm and toys flying in all directions whilst you are trying to work will eventually pass!
Stay inspired, positive and focused. A good attitude and approach to life will keep you enthusiastic and passionate. Treat setbacks as an opportunity for a new or different path. Let them fuel your drive to achieve your goals, even if that means developing a whole new approach or plan. Don’t let them be a roadblock that leads you to eventually give up.
Balance is crucial. Make sure you give your family as much time as you do your business. But as it is so easy for us mums to get overwhelmed and busy, we may definitely never forget to give time to ourselves as well, in order to maintain our own inner peace.
Feel inspired by Naomi, but need help?
Imagine having the chance to follow your entrepreneurial impulses without risking your savings account. Our friends at Etsy have offered to help Momtrepreneur moms get motivated this January & February to do what they’ve always wanted. Learn from the Etsy experts of handmade and vintage business in a 4-week program designed to help you ramp up a creative business and find customers online.
Many Etsy sellers are Moms just like you.
You can open a shop on Etsy.com–the online marketplace for handmade and vintage products–and sell what you make or collect to millions of people around the world.
Get 20 free listings when you open your first Etsy shop. After that, it costs only $.20 to list an item for four months.
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