The availability of remote work and digital technologies makes it increasingly easy for women caring for young children to stay home while still financially contributing to the household budget. Some even take it one step further and start their own home-based business, which offers them even more flexibility in terms of working hours and greater work-life balance. So if you’re thinking of taking that route as you await the arrival of your newborn, here are four ways to prepare for a great start right out of the gate:
Prep Your Space
If you’re planning on starting a business and working from home after the arrival of your baby, make time to prepare a space for the both of you before your due date. Design an office/nursery combo that will allow you to work comfortably at your desk while your little one naps in a crib or bassinet next to you. Start by decluttering the room and steam-clean carpets and drapes to get rid of dust mites and other allergens. Don’t skimp on comfort, and invest in an office chair and desk designed to help you maintain good posture, as caring for a newborn can really take a toll on your neck, back, and shoulders. And keep baby essentials close at hand, so you don’t have to run to another room to change a diaper, breastfeed or clean up the inevitable spit up.
Structure Your Small Business
Take care of state and local requirements to get your business in good standing before the baby’s arrival so you’ll have more time to bond with your little one instead of worrying about paperwork filings. Structuring your new venture as a limited liability company is ideal to keep personal, and business assets separate while benefiting from pass-through taxation, and solopreneurs can use an inexpensive online formation service to help them get set up. Your small business will also gain credibility, and customers’ confidence in your services or products will increase when you have a legitimate structure in place.
The easiest way to register your LLC is to work with a reputable formation service. Google “BestLLCServices.com cheapest LLC formation” to compare different services and their affordability.
Design a Professional Website
For home-based companies, having an SEO-friendly, high-ranking website is the key to business growth and increased sales. Whether you do it yourself or you hire a web designer to help you, it will be well worth the time and money invested when you roll out a site that works on all mobile devices, with fast-loading pages, effective infographics, and educational or entertaining content that keeps your visitors engaged. Additionally, make sure to sign up with a secure online payment processing service that gives your customers plenty of options when it comes to paying for their purchases and offers a great checkout experience.
Content marketing on your website is invaluable for reaching your target audience. That’s because it’s an effective way to provide useful and relevant information that can help build a customer base. You can use content marketing to deliver fresh content, highlight your unique brand voice, establish industry authority and educate customers about products or services offered. Visit Cornerstone Content to learn more about content creation and how it can help your business grow.
Find Reliable Help
Newborns’ schedules are notoriously unreliable during their first few months, so reach out to your friends and family members to find trustworthy individuals who will care for your baby while you need to tend to business uninterrupted. Being able to hire a babysitter for a couple of hours will come in handy if you have to participate in a virtual meeting, meet with clients in real life, finish up and deliver an urgent project, or if you simply need to take a little time for self-care and go out for coffee or some retail therapy with your bestie. And don’t feel guilty about asking for help in order to get some “me-time:” New moms need to rest, relax, recharge, stay active and socialize with other adults to keep postpartum depression and anxiety at bay.
If you have a viable idea for a small business while you’re expecting a baby, start by establishing yourself as an LLC and building an online presence. Be sure to set up a comfortable workspace that will keep you pain-free and productive. And make time for self-care by finding a support network you can trust with your little one.
Compassionate Care Doula can provide you with emotional and physical postpartum support. Schedule a consultation.
Article written by
Kristin Louis
Compassionate Care Doula Services, LLC 