Moms Supporting Moms In Business & Beyond – With Louisa Duarttee

It was amazing having Louisa Duarttee from Momtrepreneurs South Africa join me live to discuss Moms Supporting Moms In Business & Beyond. I am very passionate about being a mom in business and helping to support other moms, both in business and just as moms. The last year+ has shown me how the importance of this has grown with the pandemic.

Why It Is Important For Moms To Have Their Own Income

It is so important for mothers to have their own source of income and it is not only about the monetary aspect of it. It is so easy to lose yourself in motherhood and having a sense of purpose, something that excites you, can make all the difference.

It is also good to keep your independence. There are a lot of women that choose to be stay at home moms, but very often when this is done women lose their independence and can feel trapped.

I’m personally not one for asking my husband for some money if I want a pair of shoes or if I want to out for a cup of coffee with friends. My independence is very important to me.

The Importance Of Supporting Mom Businesses

It has always been important to support mom businesses, but never more so than the times we are in right now. I’ve watched a number of different news videos on Youtube that have made it clear that it is women that are bearing the brunt during this pandemic, particularly women that are moms.

It is mostly us moms that are chosen to stay at home to look after and school our children while the schools and child care facilities have been closed. Due to this many women have lost their jobs and even moms that have their own businesses have been hard hit.

I can speak for myself when I say that there were some really tough times last year trying to find the balance and trying to find the time to focus on my work while looking after my children. There have just been no other options available to us other than to stay home and look after our children.

There are so many ways to support mom businesses, it is not just about purchasing their products or services. You can help your mom friends by helping to look after her children so she can get something done or have a well needed rest.

Another important aspect of supporting mom businesses is sharing their business. This can be done online or via word of mouth. It may not seem like much but it can really make a huge impact on a mom business.

Why Moms Give Up So Easily & The Difficulties Moms Face When Running Their Own Businesses

One of the big reasons why moms give up so easily is that there can be a lot of competition and a lot of moms selling the same products, especially when it comes to Multi Level Marketing opportunities. It can be daunting and perhaps be the reason why moms give up or decide not to try in the first place.

Lack of support can also play a big role in moms giving up easily. Moms are very often the main caregiver of the family as well as the person that runs the household, starting your own mom business may seem impossible to do when you have so much on your plate already. You may even have a full time job while trying to start off your own business. You need support from your partner, friends and other family members to make it easier to succeed.

It is very likely that you will need some money to invest in your business to get started and if you don’t have that capital available it can be very difficult.

Having children and finding the time to start a new venture can be very overwhelming and moms often put their children’s needs above their own. Finding the balance can be incredibly hard.

Another aspect that can be a huge challenge to overcome is lack of motivation and self-confidence. It is not easy going from being an independent working women to being pregnant and exhausted, getting all huge and going through the process of giving birth and all that trauma to your body. This is then followed by sleepless nights, leaky boobs, wobbly bits and a huge drop in self-confidence. To go from adjusting to being a mother to launching your own business can seem impossible.

Building A Mom Business In 2021

Now more than ever women need to have their own business, a way to earn and support their family on their own terms. Something that is flexible and can be continued during times of adversity like we have right now.

Build A Website

Now I may be biased here because I am a blogger and I work online, but I truly believe that a website is an absolute necessity no matter what direction you want to go in. Whether you choose to blog like I do, sell your own products or sell a service, a website will work for you.

To build your own website you need to decide on your niche (what you want to do), choose a domain name, choose your hosting company and set up your website on WordPress. You can have someone set this all up for you, or you can learn how to do it yourself.

If you want to build your own online business I highly recommend you check out Wealthy Affiliate where I have been a member for the last 6 years, or you can hang on tight until I create my courses on building your own website and creating your own online business.

Business Opportunities

If you have something you are very passionate about and would like to start your business in that niche I really believe that you can make it work if you put your mind to it.

While this pandemic has been brutal there is also a silver lining when it comes to starting a business. There are so many services that are very much needed now where there may not have been much of a market previously.

Here are some services that you can consider offering:

• tutoring (both online and in person)
• childcare services
• mental health support
• shopping services
• errands services
• home cooked meal deliveries

The Importance Of Collaboration

While many mom businesses may technically be in competition with each other, I feel it is so important not to look at it that way and instead of trying to fight each other for business team up and see how you can collaborate with each other to build each other up and make your businesses stronger.

As I offer advertising services and so does Louisa from Momtrepreneurs South Africa we could look at each other as competition but instead we decided to find a way to work together by doing this live video.

Collaborating could mean simple things like sharing each other’s social media posts, or you can take it a step further and try other ways of collaborating such as:

• Sponsoring giveaways
• Trade exchanges
• Mentions on blog posts or in newsletters
• Sell each other’s products together as a special offer – for example if you sell wine and another mom business sells chocolate team up for Valentine’s day and sell a basket of products from both of your businesses. This way you both make sales and promote each other’s businesses.

One important aspect to keep in mind when you are looking to collaborate with another business is to make sure that you are bringing value to the table too. Try and find other mom businesses that resonate with you and that are at about the same level as you so that you can give other equal value.

Far too often I get new businesses contacting me and expecting free advertising without offering anything in return which is not really my idea of collaboration. It is not that I always look at exactly what I am getting out of something but when I get new businesses contacting me and expecting me to work for free with absolutely nothing in return then it is a pointless exercise for me.

Collaborating is about building relationships, it is about giving as well as taking.

A great place to start connecting with other moms in business is by joining Louisa’s Facebook group Momtrepreneurs South Africa.