Why Being Imperfect Is the Perfect Online Business Strategy for Entrepreneurial Parents
Parenting and entrepreneurship occupy two opposite ends of the spectrum, as though they are mutually exclusive. Are you a parent who also has a business? Do you feel like you have to choose between being an excellent parent or a remarkable entrepreneur? Because how can you do both roles and thrive or even survive?
And yet, somehow, we all know other people who manage to juggle being a parent and having a business simultaneously. They might even be doing both really well. But how? For a lot of parents, the idea of trying to combine those two things seems almost impossible. Yet that is not true for everyone. So, what’s going on there?
Why do some people appear to be able to do both well, while others struggle and feel like they have to choose between being a parent and an entrepreneur? How do I make a living while being as present as I can be with my children?
The answer lies in how you view your role as a parent. Suppose you consider parenting a vital part of your life but also allow yourself to fulfil your dreams and aspirations. In that case, it opens up the possibility of being an entrepreneurial parent.
I think it is beautiful and okay to do things your way (imperfectly perfect). You are unique, and so are your parenting and business skills. Do not compare your Parent- entrepreneurial journey with another’s.
In Ed Mylett’s book,’ The Power of One,’ He introduces a new concept of parental neglect. Parental neglect, according to Ed, is when a parent is not pursuing their potential and dreams. I like the idea that if we as parents do not follow our goals, we are robbing ourselves in Infront of our children and not allowing them to experience these emotions (pursuing and fulfilling dreams).
Seriously think about it, our children learn by imitating us. It is what we do vis-a-vis what we say that is imprinted in their minds. Naturally, it will be impossible to sell them the idea that they can achieve anything they set out to accomplish if their number one role model (you and me) isn’t.
That’s why I think being a parent is one of the best ways to acquire the skills you need to be an entrepreneur. Both these roles have a synergistic effect; they build on each other.
Being a parent helps keep things in perspective and reminds you that other things in life are just as important as your business. Parenting will help keep you sane while you build your company. Your business can be your creative outlet or way of serving others with your knowledge, skills and experience.
If you have read this far, you want to continue reading the rest of this article to find out why being imperfect is the perfect online business strategy for entrepreneurial parents.
How Entrepreneurship Is Like Parenting
Entrepreneurship is a verb according to Hippos to Horses Marketing ( but a noun in the Oxford Dictionary ) only because it involves you ( the entrepreneur [n]) taking action in setting up your online business and taking on financial risk, all in the hope of making a profit. Profit can be anything from monetary returns service to others – I permit you to decide what you want as a reward for creating a better life.
It’s like parenting in many ways because it involves developing yourself and others through trial and error. I remember spending endless hours sanitizing toys, steaming floors and rushing to the paediatrician every time the baby had a temperature when I had my first child. Let’s just say by child three, I was not steaming the floors, and I also had a bottle of paracetamol in the house.
Children grow and develop, as will your business. In both instances, you go through a steep learning curve. The skills I had acquired for looking after the baby were not the ones I needed for a growing teenager (a whole new ball game). The same holds for the proficiencies you need to start a business and those you need to sustain and scale it.
Why Being Imperfect Is the Perfect Online Business Strategy for Entrepreneurial Parents
Being imperfect is the perfect online business strategy for entrepreneurial parents. It’s the best way to test the waters and get your feet wet. Being imperfect allows you to move at your own pace and on a timeline that works for you.
It’s not necessarily a “slow and steady wins the race” scenario. You don’t have to have all your ducks in a row. You just need to be entrepreneurial, i.e., take action.
That’s what being imperfect is all about. It’s about doing the best you can at the moment and learning from your mistakes. It’s about moving forward with your business; despite the slip-ups, you will make along the way.
However, you have to get some things right from the beginning if you want your business to work as it should.
Stuff you need to get right to have a chance to succeed
- Know your ‘WHY”: You must have a deeper reason why you want to become an entrepreneurial parent. For this reason, your ‘WHY’ must be more significant than you. In most cases, it is about giving back to society for the blessings you possess. It’s about being humble enough to acknowledge someone else who walked in this path before and cleared the way for you. So now you can pave the way for the generation behind you. Hippos to Horses Marketing has a clarity tool that can help you dig deep and find your ‘WHY’. Click here to download
- Have a business plan in place: A goal is essential for every entrepreneur, so if you don’t have one, then now is the time! You need a solid foundation for your business so that it doesn’t fall apart on its own in the future. If you don’t have a solid business plan before starting your online business and parenting simultaneously, your entire business will be in jeopardy from the start.
- Be Consistent in Your Online Activities: To build a successful online business, you must invest time and effort. You must deliver solutions to the problems your customers face. Consistency in content creation is your superpower.
- Invest in Technology: As a parent and an entrepreneur, you need all the help you can get to make both roles manageable. The beauty of an online business is that you can automate many of your processes, e.g. social media, email marketing, blog publishing But you have to be clever about how you go about it. Read our Blog article on batching to increase your productivity.
- Pace Yourself and Enjoy the Process: Rome was not built in a day; your business is your Rome. Take time to learn the technology needed, find your ideal customer, develop your product, build your brand, grow your social media following and finally, monetize your assets.
- Invest in learning everything you can about the business: Read more about this in this article here
Imperfection Is Perfect for An Online Business Because It Allows You To Test The Market Without Making A Major Commitment.
Nothing is set in stone. Being imperfect regarding your product and business model means that you are willing and able to test concepts and products. You have the freedom to test your product, business model, and content ( Blog, YouTube, Podcasts, Social media, Email headlines ). You can try a small test with a Beta group run to see how your product or service works in the real world.
Your test results will give you invaluable insights into the potential demand for your product. You also have constructive feedback on how you can improve your current product. The costs to you for carrying out this preliminary research as minimal, but the value to your online business is priceless.
Imperfection Is Perfect for Building Your Customer Base; You’ll Know Exactly Who You’re Serving.
You must know who you’re serving. Your dream audience should form the DNA of your online business. Knowing who you’re targeting is essential to understanding where your company is best positioned. You need to know where your product is best being offered (Online or brick and mortar). You need to know where you should be selling it (Online on your website, on Amazon, Esty etc.)
Being imperfect and testing your product and business model will help you better determine your dream customers.
Being imperfect allows you to be flexible and move on if you find your core target customers aren’t interested in your product. You can change things up and try something new if you find the first option isn’t working out. You can try different things and find out what works best for you.
You can try different marketing strategies and find out what resonates best with your customers. All the effort you put into building your marketing skills will pay off. Remember that you are not just an ordinary entrepreneur. You have a growth mindset outlook on life.
Imperfection Is Perfect for Helping Grow Your Network of Professionals and Fellow Entrepreneurial Parents
Being imperfect means you don’t have all the answers, and you don’t have all the skills you need. It means you’re going to need advice, mentorship, and guidance. It means you’re going to need to network with other professionals.
It means you’re going to need to find other entrepreneurs who are in a similar position as you are. You can take advantage of the free knowledge and the people eager to share their experiences and insight. You can take advantage of the support network and the people willing to help you.
You don’t have to do this alone. You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to have all the skills you need. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to have all the correct answers.
You can reach out to other people and ask them for advice, mentorship, and guidance. You can reach out to others and ask them to share their experiences and insight.
Hippos to Horses Marketing is a great place to start; we have an ever-growing repertoire of marketing and online business content specifically designed to meet the needs of entrepreneurial parents. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.
Final thoughts on Why Being Imperfect Is the Perfect Online Business Strategy for Entrepreneurial Parents
Being imperfect is what allows you to be a parent and an entrepreneur at the same time. It will enable you to be a parent who also runs an online business.
If we weren’t allowed to make mistakes and learn from them, then we wouldn’t be able to do anything! Without making mistakes, we wouldn’t even be able to walk without falling! We are entitled to learn from them and be better people, better parents, and better entrepreneurs because of them.
Finally, so embrace imperfection. Don’t strive for perfection. Don’t try to do things perfectly because you will never be perfect. You just need to start and take the first step. Enjoy the journey.
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