Starting a Business While Welcoming a New Baby: All You Need to Know
A business and a newborn both require major time commitments, planning, and the ability to handle uncertainty. At Finding Your Village, we understand that dealing with both these scenarios together can understandably be overwhelming. In this article, we provide you with guidance and insights on how you can balance starting your business while caring for your newborn.
Let’s start with the basics for your business:
● Conduct Market Research– This involves ascertaining the demand for your product, researching target customers, conducting competitive research, and more. According to the SBA, market research is an essential step to understanding your business’ potential and limitations in acquiring customers.
● Decide on Organization Structure– Registering your business as a separate legal entity is important to protect your assets from litigation. You can establish a Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, or Limited Liability Company based on your choice.
● Register a Name– Select a memorable name for your company to distinguish it from the competition. Additionally, create a “doing business as” (DBA) name, also known as fictitious name registration. A DBA allows you the flexibility of selling products or services under a different name. This is advantageous when you diversify your offerings or want to enter new markets. Instead of creating a new company, you can simply use your DBA.
Now moving on to managing your baby with your work life:
Create a Routine
While babies are known to have erratic sleep schedules, especially in the first few weeks, you can start implementing a schedule once they reach the two-month mark. Expect your baby to have multiple naps throughout the day, especially if they are less than a year old. Try to use this time to get as much work done as possible. But, with a predictable sleep pattern, you will be able to dedicate time to work with fewer disturbances.
As for your work, use planner or calendar apps to stay on top of tasks and deadlines. This will ensure you never miss a meeting or an important deadline. Similarly, use online project management platforms such as Trello, payroll software like Quickbooks, and other apps to efficiently manage your finances and employee productivity.
Delegate When Needed
Delegation at work will lead to increased employee satisfaction, improved productivity and will allow you to focus on higher priority tasks. Maintain a system where you receive constant feedback from your team regarding progress on tasks to ensure deadlines are met on time.
To meet your child’s round-the-clock needs consider hiring a nanny or a newborn care specialist. This allows you to focus completely on your work while your child is well taken care of.
Take Care of Yourself
Adjusting to parenthood can be a new and challenging experience. It is important to take care of your mental health in the months following your newborn’s arrival. Work with your partner to create a system where duties are divided and neither of you is overwhelmed. Moreover, focus on the basics – get a good night’s sleep, eat healthy, and find time for leisure daily.
Additionally, it is a good option to hire a postpartum doula to help the mother with her physical, and emotional needs. A doula can also help with light housework, child care and act as a source of reliable information about questions and concerns relating to the child’s development and needs.
Make time for Play
Spending time with your baby each day is important for their development. This includes playing with toys, roleplaying, reading a book, or having a conversation with them. According to UNICEF, playtime helps babies build their speaking skills, improve their vocabulary, learn to understand body language, and aid in their physical development.
Whether running your business or caring for your baby, remember that you don’t have to do everything alone. Take support from those around you to help you manage your responsibilities without sacrificing your health.
Interested in learning more about providing the best care to your newborn? Visit www.findingyourvillage.com today and get access to supportive resources to help you navigate through parenthood.
Written by: Gwen Payne
Gwen Payne is a stay-at-home mom with an entrepreneurial spirit. Over the years, she has mastered raising her two daughters while side hustling to success through small ventures based on her passions -- from dog walking to writing to ecommerce. With Invisiblemoms.com she hopes to show other stay-at-home parents how they can achieve their business-owning dreams.