30 things I love about being a parent entrepreneur

 I ran a consulting business before I ever had kids, but I certainly run a different business now that I have kids and I’m a parent entrepreneur….

1. I once did a one-hour long radio interview while making googoo faces at my baby and still made it to the radio pilot
2. I recorded a radio pilot during naptime
3. I get to pick up my son from preschool
4. The kindergarten teacher called me by name at pick-up and give me a newspaper clipping she’d saved – in the second week of school
5. I have an inside view of my son’s world because I stay at the playground for an hour or two after kindergarten ends
6. All the community centre staff know my name
7. I get to write off my business use of home
8. I share cool gadgets and toys with my business and get to write off the business portion
9. I never have to ask a boss if I can have time off for a field trip
10. I walk my kids to and from school
11. I love baking cookies while working on a report
12. It’s awesome to long distance Skype a client from the wireless café during preschool
13. Other moms prompt me to hand their friends my business cards on the playground — and I can do it without that schmoozy feel I get at networking events
14. My kids love the art supply section of the office supply store
15. Collaborating is the key to success in business and, as a mom, I get that.
16. I get to live my vision. The work I do is mine. I own the mistakes and I own the glory.
17. I’ve put my kids down for just about every nap. I’ve been there for just about every wake-up time.
18. I rolled homemade sushi at 3 in the afternoon the other day.
19. I don’t have a cubicle. My home office has a toddler table, a train table, a dinky car on the floor, and a fold out tent, though.
20. A business owner I met at parent-infant group turned into a great client, then I became her client, then we became close friends. Our kids think of one another like cousins.
21. I feel a deep connection to several other parent entrepreneurs and count so many as friends
22. My commute is…there’s no commute.
23. I can dress up when I feel like it and dress down when I don’t.
24. I work my business around my family, rather than working my family around someone else’s business.
25. If I feel stuck in a rut with my work, I can simply shift gears to accounting, sales, admin, operations, finance, management…whatever suits me.
26. I can choose how many hours I work. If the hours start to exceed my tolerance for work, I can outsource or cut back.
27. I can start dinner while checking my voice mail.
28. I can go outside whenever I want. Heck, I’ve been known to work outside.
29. One of my favourite business networking sessions involved my toddler, a client, her toddler and a lovely day at the beach.
30. No fluorescent lights.

• Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur for Moms