“Mompreneur” … Warm, understanding, and approachable like a mom but resourceful, smart, and confident like an entrepreneur.

There is a reason the term mompreneur was coined.  It differentiates a mom who is also an entrepreneur from your average entrepreneur.  How exactly?  For starters, Mompreneurs possess all the feel good qualities of a stay-at-home mom, but they typically have some sort of business background that parlays well into entrepreneurship.  Different from the super-mom label used to describe working mothers of the 80’s, a mompreneur is someone who is a full-time mom but has found a way to start a business (usually from home) without sacrificing her desire to stay home with her young children.

What makes a mompreneur unique are her experiences as a mom and the characteristics she develops, and perfects, because of those experiences.  Every day, a mom has to inspire her kids.  She needs to have influence over them, and be direct with them.  Moms motivate, multi-task, delegate and negotiate on a daily basis.  Couple this with their backgrounds in business, marketing or other forms of management training and you get one fierce combination well-suited to the world of entrepreneurs.

But don’t just take our word for it.  We’ve highlighted several characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and explained how the particular skillset a mom brings to the table fits into each.

Highly Motivated:  Moms who want to reenter the workforce are usually highly motivated to do so.  They know the work it will take to balance their responsibilities to their children with the responsibility it takes to start a business … and they still want to do it.  They’ve learned to be highly efficient (getting a day’s worth of errands done in just two hours while the babysitter is watching the kids is not uncommon) and aren’t afraid to go after what they want (like  advocating for their child at the doctor’s office, in school, or during sporting events).

Flexible:  Mom’s show an innate ability to be flexible at home; switching gears at a moment’s notice.  For instance, how many times have you had the family packed up and ready to go to dinner when a child throws a wrench in things by throwing up, getting hurt or what have you?  Plans immediately change and somehow you are still able to tend to your child and fix dinner (in) for the family when you didn’t have any groceries in the house to begin with.  That’s flexibility and it’s something entrepreneurs need in order to deal with the inevitable ebbs and flows of a business start-up.

Masters at Multi-tasking:  Moms on the go are typically taking care of numerous tasks at the same time.  Whether helping their kids with homework while making dinner or scheduling a doctor’s apt while waiting for their child’s dance class to end, moms are known for wearing many hats and getting it done.  While some would argue that multi-tasking doesn’t allow you to focus 100% on any one thing, some level of multi-tasking is required as a mom and when starting a business.  You won’t always have the luxury, especially in the infancy of your business, of employing different people to handle specific jobs within your business.  You will be the person answering phones, making decisions, and packaging product in the beginning.  This won’t always be the case but knowing that you can handle multiple aspects of your business and still be productive is an invaluable skill to have.

Able to Delegate:  As a business grows, any entrepreneur will tell you that it is crucial to be able to delegate along the way.  Whether asking an employee to handle a small task or giving them ownership of a large piece of business, being able to delegate so you can free yourself up to focus on the bigger picture is critical.  Delegating is something moms find themselves doing every day as evidenced by “honey-do” lists, divvying up family chores, or “outsourcing” household help such as repairmen, plumbers, gardeners, etc.  They can step in as needed but know that stepping away is just as important.

Adept at Networking:  As we’ve talked about before, networking is one of the most important skills any entrepreneur can develop.  Networking opens you and your business up to endless possibilities and connects people and businesses in mutually beneficial ways.  This is a skill moms have nailed down to a science.   Moms network daily at the PTA, in mommy and me classes, and at after school activities.  Many are experienced at social networking and regularly visit sites like Pinterest and Facebook.  Moms are always connecting, exchanging information and helpful tips, and asking others for advice.  In this way, moms have populated their rolodexes with enough contacts to make the most successful businessmen envious.  Saying a mom knows how to network is like saying a fish knows how to swim.

Skilled Negotiators:  Many entrepreneurs could take a lesson or two from mom when it comes to the art of negotiation.  Those of you who have kids know that negotiating comes with the territory.  An example of mom’s superior negotiating skills might look something like this:

Child:  Mom, can I play video games?

Mom:  Sure.  As long as your room is clean and your homework is done.

Child:  But mom, my room is clean.

Mom:  And is your homework done?

Child:  No, but I fed the dog.

Mom:  And how is that homework coming?

Child:  It’s good.  I’m almost done.

Mom:  Can I check your work?

Child:  Sure.

Mom:  You only wrote your name on the paper.

Child:  I’ll finish after I complete the next level of Angry Birds.

Mom:  You’ll finish now or Angry Mom will put Angry Birds in permanent quarantine.

Child:  Got it.  Doing my homework immediately if not sooner.

 

Enough said.

Being a great mom and a successful business women do not have to be mutually exclusive.  Moms have a special gift for combining their dedication to family with their passion for business.  In the world of a mompreneur, creating balance and finding fulfillment is all in a day’s work.  To quote John Ruskin, “When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.”