Business & Careers Article: 8 tips for Mums in Business who want to run a successful small business

By: Alison Basson of Mums in Business

Congratulations, you are off and running with your new business, but how do you make sure that you don't fall into the same trap that many mums do. How do you create a successful small business that will bring a great income into your household?

Being a mum in business is not all smooth sailing; trying to juggle the children, the business and the finances can be a challenge but if you get everything working properly it can also be a lot of FUN and very REWARDING.

So how do you create a successful business? Building a successful business is like building a house, the stronger the foundations the longer it will last. Therefore, start by building a strong foundation and have the right system in place and you are more likely to succeed.

Here are 8 top tips for mums in business who want to be successful.

1. Know what you want to achieve. Define your goals and objectives. Break them down into manageable actions that you can achieve as you work towards your ultimate goals. By completing a business plan or success plan you will know what you want and need to achieve.

2. Get Organised. You need to be organised and plan your days so that you can make the most of your time. It will make it easier if you can dedicate set days to your business. Then you can do all your business tasks on those days. Plan your family and business time. Being a business mums means making a clear distinction between the two and avoid working in family time. You need to plan, plan, and plan...

3. Make a good first impression every time. Even though I am a mum in business and understand what it is like to run a business around the children, there is nothing worse than making a phone call to someone for the first time and the person at the other end answers and you can hear screaming children in the background and they cannot give you their full attention. If you want to succeed and be professional you need to make sure that all phone calls and meetings are made away from the children. Set up a separate office environment that is away from the children.

4. Start systemising your business from day 1. Putting a system and procedures in place will help you to delegate tasks to other people when you get too busy to do it yourself. There are huge benefits including being able to grow your business quicker.

5. Don't spend any money until you have investigated all avenues. Many times I talk to business mums who have spent $3,000 on a magazine ad, or are just about to pay up to $10,000 for a website. I know you are excited to be running a business but please don't make the same mistakes as others. Before you spend anything substantial, research the market and suppliers. I can tell you now; there is no way a website needs to cost more than a couple of thousand dollars.

6. Talk to your customers. Keeping in regular contact with your customers will help you to know what they expect from you. It will also help you to convert more sales. Customers like to feel special and important so make sure you treat them like they are.

7. Keep abreast of your finances. Knowing what is going on in your business is critical. Analysing your finances on a regular basis will show you whether your sales generate sufficient cash to meet your obligations (expenditure). You will also be able to work out how many sales they need to break-even or make a profit.

This is an area that is very often missed and yet it is one of the most important.

8. Discard the myth that you can do it all yourself - you will pay a high price if you do. Firstly don't try and take on the world. As women we often have a million ideas going through our heads. Write them down in an ideas book that you can come back to later. Now that you have your 'Success Plan' and 'Action Plan' in place try to stick to it.

Get help from experts - use their knowledge to help you grow your business. Recruit a PR person, a bookkeeper, an admin person and use the resources that Mums in Business has to offer.

Ensure you have the support network - family, friends, a 'buddy' and of course Mums in Business.

A great way to get more marketing tips for your business would be to chat to other business mums just like you on the mums in business - business discussion forum. Get your free access by going to http://www.mumsinbusiness.net where you can also discover proven, easy-to-apply strategy that mum's just like YOU are using every day to start and grow profitable businesses!

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