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.
My life isn’t perfect. Even I have my days. But it’s my life. My design. My choices. My values. All before me and within my control. And that — well, who could complain about that?
 
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