I’m about 5 weeks out from having baby number 4 (although all of my babies are late… so it may well be 6 or 7 weeks. They are in no rush to leave).
My oldest two are much older now (9 and 10) but number 3 is only just about to turn 1.
And it got me thinking…
While my oldest two are easier to work around, having a new baby over the past 12 months has definitely made me change the way I approach business.
So here are some of the things I did to prepare my business for having a baby.
(You might see a new version of this in the next 12 months, as I try to balance running a business while having a toddler and a baby to look after)
Have some savings
You’ll have enough to worry about adding a new baby to the family, without worrying about money.
When I had my first, I took 12 weeks unpaid leave from my full-time job, so I made sure I had paid off any debt and paid some of our expenses in advance.
For example: While I was pregnant, I paid an extra weeks rent every time I paid our normal rent, which meant by the time I took time off we were a long way in advance. Not worrying about some of my bills made live easier
Make the most of available financial support
Here in Australia we have access to Government funded maternity pay. As a self employed business owner, you may be eligible to apply as well.
It’s not huge, working out to be about minimum wage, once a week for 18 weeks. It takes some of the pressure off though. You can’t “work” while you are claiming it, but as you are self employed you are allowed to do things like check in with clients and check emails.
Prepare your clients for your leave
Set boundaries in advance and let people know when you’ll be taking time off and how long you will be gone for. It can be stressful receiving a wave of emails expecting you to work on projects, or expecting instant responses, if you just aren’t feeling up to it.
Have a longer term plan
Honestly, I find the newborn bit the easy bit (as long as you are getting some sleep). The baby is either eating, pooing, or sleeping… and at the beginning they still do a lot of sleeping (although it may well be during the day and not at night).
While my last one was little I still wrote blogs and hosted live calls for my mastermind crews. The newborn stage can still give you some time at a laptop, assuming that you want it.
But it’s harder once they are up and mobile, especially from 1 – 3yrs old.
Make a longer term plan. Consider if you will have access to day care, a nanny or family support etc
Prepare to have a smaller year
Last year was my smallest turnover since starting my own business.
I chose to do a lot less work before the baby arrived (while heavily pregnant), took a full 18 weeks off, and then took the second half of the year very slowly.
This was a choice. Having a baby doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to have a small year, especially if you have systems in place to support you… BUT… don’t set the bar too high and get stressed if you don’t meet it.
Be gentle on yourself and set softer expectations.
And finally…
Know that none of us feel like we know what we are doing, and we are all just making it up as we go along.
Every baby is different. Some sleep great, others not at all. Some feed well, others take a lot of coxing.
And every business is different. Some have great funnels and don’t need a lot of input, others survive solely on you working directly with clients.
At the end of the day, take some time to find what works for you and baby.
And feel free to completely ignore any advice you get if it doesn’t suit you.