As a coach for the CPA MOMS franchisees, I have the privilege of working with amazing accountant moms. These women are an example of what’s possible when you decide that having someone else in charge of your career, your time, and your money is no longer acceptable.
These women had the same fears you probably have – I don’t know enough, I’m not sure I have what it takes, and I don’t even know where to begin. They worried, doubted, and questioned their ability to have both a firm and a family.
As I’ve shared on the podcast, it’s understandable to feel this way because our entire educational system was designed to make us good employees. We are not automatically educated to become entrepreneurs; we have to seek out that education on our own.
If you’ve listened to any of the podcast interviews that I did with the CPA MOMS franchisees over the past few years, you’d hear a common theme throughout – they all wanted something that corporate America wasn’t able to give them. They wanted to blend being an accountant with being a mom and not have to sacrifice one for the other.
It sounds like a noble cause, but most of them will share that until they learned about the comprehensive, done-with-you franchise program that CPA MOMS offers, they were overwhelmed with where to even begin. They had a dream but weren’t sure how to make that dream a reality.
Once they started the franchise program and received all the training and support, they began to build the confidence they needed to grow their businesses to the point of surpassing what they believed was possible. Some of their businesses have been growing so quickly that they needed to hire other accountant moms to build their teams.
The issue, though, was while their business was growing, so was their mom’s guilt. As they tackled all the challenges of becoming an entrepreneur, they were also tackling their angst about being a mompreneur.
Since I’m always looking for ways to support them and the podcast listeners, I saw an Instagram post of a successful mompreneur I know, and I wanted to do this podcast episode on what she shared. This episode is dedicated to all the accountant mompreneurs who struggle with having a business and being a mom.
Not only should you not have to decide between having a career OR having a family, but you also shouldn’t have to feel guilty when you decide you want to have your own business. The truth is that there is so much support available for you that you should never feel like you’re alone.
This week I’m going to discuss 9 reasons why being a business owner can make you a better mom.
#1 – You are setting an example for your kids of what’s possible when you choose to set big goals and go after them
If you think about it, our children are being educated the same way we were – to be good employees, follow someone else’s rules, and help someone else achieve their goals. As young girls, we are specially raised to play a supporting role in other people’s lives.
Now think about the hands-on education your children get when they watch you set big goals and go after them. They can’t learn that in any classroom or any book; they get to learn it from you.
They might see other business owners’ success on social media and not understand what goes into building that success, but your children have a front-row seat to what a strong, intelligent, capable woman can do.
#2 – You can take time off whenever you want (within reason)
If you’re in public accounting, you know all about tax season and how your life has to be put on hold during those times. As a working mom, you also know how difficult it is to take time off when you need it, especially when it comes to your children’s needs.
But one of the biggest reasons why being a business owner can make you a better mom is that you are in charge of your time; you are in charge of when you take time off. You can take time off whenever you want, within reason, of course.
One of the CPA MOMS franchisees, Lori Hinesley, shared that after owning her own firm for a year, she took off during her kid’s school breaks, even though they were during tax season. She shared that that was impossible when she was an employee.
#3 – You get to work any hours you choose, which means you can work when the kids are in school and be present with them when they’re home
This is an incredible reason being a business owner can make you a better mom – you set your own work hours. If a child wakes up with a bad dream and needs some extra attention in the middle of the night, you don’t have to worry about getting in trouble because you’re not at your desk at 9 am.
You also get to go to those school events that would have been challenging to get to when you were an employee. I remember when my daughter was in kindergarten, and I had to miss a school play because of a client commitment; I felt horrible afterward.
And the best part is that you can mold your business around your family as opposed to having to fit your family into your career.
#4 – You can be more fulfilled and, therefore, more patient, kind, and fun when you’re with your kids
As an intelligent woman, it can be challenging to want both an accounting career and a family, but you’re not doing yourself or your children any favors if you aren’t feeling fulfilled and happy. And let’s face it – if you’re an employee, how happy are you really?
The reason why being a business owner can make you a better mom is because when you feel fulfilled, and you are making a contribution to the clients you serve, you naturally show up differently around your kids. A more fulfilled mom typically shows up as a more fun, engaged mom.
When you feel proud of the business you own, you teach them to take pride and ownership as well. Let’s face it; if you own your own business, it’s a family-owned business.
#5 – You get to show your children firsthand what it’s like to help someone else and make a difference in the world
Whether your clients are individuals or businesses, you impact other families lives. You are supporting them, their dreams, the legacy they want to leave, and the impact they want to have on the world.
As a business owner, you get to decide on your vision and values, molding your business around them. You get to decide what does and doesn’t work for you, choosing clients that see the value you can add to their lives.
As you grow your business, your children get to see firsthand how to make a contribution to others and what it means to be of service.
#6 – You get to inspire your children to be future entrepreneurs one day
As I shared before, our educational system in the United States was developed to make us good employees. We rarely have examples of entrepreneurship in our families to learn from and emulate.
Being both a business owner and a mom offers you the incredible opportunity to give your children the type of education that they won’t get in school. Whether your children decide to become accounting entrepreneurs or not, you get to inspire them to go after their dreams.
Who knows? Maybe there’s a budding entrepreneur already in your family!
#7 – Your value and worth are not dependent on your children and their success, which lets them be their own person
I believe that many moms mean well, but they are living vicariously through their children, hoping they will go after the dreams they may have had but were too afraid to do something about. I think many well-meaning moms push their children to have the level of achievement and success that they wish they had been able to achieve themselves.
While it’s wonderful to encourage and support your children to go after their dreams, when you’re focused on growing your own business, you’re less apt to have your value and worth be dependent on your children. When you feel fulfilled in the work you do and the business you’re running, you’re setting an example of what’s possible.
Being a business owner can make you a better mom because you’re less likely to place your need for validation on whether or not your children make the choices you hope they’ll make.
#8 – Growing your business requires that you work on yourself, benefitting every area of your life, especially being a mom
In order to grow a business, you have to grow the person running that business. You need to grow professionally, but more importantly, you need to grow personally.
When you start a business, you can expect to have all your issues come poking their head out, needing to be addressed so that you can have a successful business. For example, things like patience, taking responsibility for your results, people-pleasing, time management, and setting boundaries – these are just a few of the issues that, when addressed, will not only make you a better business owner but a better mom as well.
Once you’ve brought various problems to the surface and worked on them, you’ll be amazed at the ripple effect in every area of your life.
#9 – One of the best gifts you can give your children is your own happiness
As moms, we’re always thinking of the best gift for our children for their birthdays and holidays. We’re always looking for what will make them happy, often doing crazy things like standing in line before a store opens to grab the newest toy or game before it’s sold out.
But as the saying goes, “Put your oxygen mask on first”, before you can focus on making your children happy, you have to work on your own happiness. It’s not selfish to own your own business and not have your children be the sole source of your happiness; it’s actually healthy for them and for you.
So whether you’re already a business owner or are considering becoming one, I hope you can see how many reasons there are that being a business owner can make you a better mom. As many mompreneurs can attest, It’s not always sunshine and daisies, but you are making it possible for your children to learn in a way that wouldn’t be possible if their mom continued being an unhappy employee working for someone else.
Summary
- Not only should you not have to decide between having a career OR having a family, but you also shouldn’t have to feel guilty when you decide you want to have your own business.
- The truth is that there is so much support available for you that you should never feel like you’re alone.
- Being a business owner can make you a better mom when you understand the positive impact you can have on your children.