Hey, mom-preneurs!  

This one is for you.

We’re starting a new series on the blog called “Rocking Your Business & Your Baby.”  As I enter into motherhood with the arrival of our baby boy this spring, I am excited to connect with so many other mamas out there who have learned (and are still learning!) how to balance business & babies.

I’ve been a business owner for SIX YEARS.  Think about that for a second — my very first newborn clients are going to be first graders in the fall.  Wow.

For 6 years, this business has been my baby.  It’s held my hopes and dreams, it’s connected me with so many amazing people, it’s been the big thing that I work hard on every single day.  I’ve truly loved watching it grow and evolve over time, and seeing how I have grown and changed as a business owner in that same time, too. 

And now I’m adding on a new role, the most important role of them all: MOM.
 

I know that things are going to change for me as a business owner with the arrival of our baby boy.  This little business of mine won’t be my only “baby” anymore.  Working from home will hold a whole new meaning, and my time is going to look a lot different moving forward.  I’m excited to connect with other business owners who are rocking their businesses while rocking their babies, and to share some insights with all of you as I learn as I go!

Today we’re going to talk all about preparing for maternity leave as a business owner.  If you’re waiting on your little one to arrive — CONGRATULATIONS!  You must be so excited as you count down the months and the weeks until the day you finally get to meet your sweet little baby.  But if you’re anything like me, you might also be a little bit nervous wondering,
How in the world am I going to get everything done? 
How will I continue running a business with a baby at home? 
What will happen if I just drop off the face of the earth for a few months when the baby arrives? 
Can I even afford to take maternity leave?

I have had all of the same thoughts, worries, and concerns over these past 9+ months, so I’m sharing a little insight into a few things that helped me prepare for maternity leave with the idea that hopefully they will help you as you embark on this new adventure, too!

It’s never too early to prepare.
 

I hired a virtual assistant long before we even decided to have a baby.  Kristina started working with me a full 16 months before my due date.  I knew back then that there were so many things in my business that I could outsource to free up my time and attention that would be better spent focusing on other areas, and I found the perfect assistant to do that for me.  

We spent more than a year establishing a solid workflow where she completely took over some of the behind-the-scenes tasks that allowed me to focus on growing my business in other areas.  For example, because she took over social media and blog prep, I could streamline my marketing to bring in even more clients, and my sales to bring in even more revenue. 

Which leads me to number two…

Save, save, save. 
 

Save up as much extra income as you can before you go on maternity leave to cover your expenses so that you can enjoy some downtime at home getting to know your new baby.  You’re going to want to take time off to rest, bond, and find your groove at home as a family of 3 (or 4, or 5!).  Having the financial freedom to do that will give you one less thing to worry about.

As soon as we got pregnant, I started saving every penny because I knew that I wanted to take a few months off once our little one arrived, but we would still have bills to pay.  Actually, you’re likely going to have even MORE bills to pay than you do now because of hospital bills, baby items, formula, diapers, and all of the other expenses that come along with bringing a little 8-pound human home with you.  So plan to grow that business well before your due date so that you have enough saved up to cover at least 2-3 months of expenses during your maternity leave.

Automate your business as much as possible.
 

Preparing for my maternity leave felt a lot like what it was like to prepare to take a sick day when I was a teacher, times about 1,000!!!  I wanted my business to continue running, so I scheduled blog posts, social media posts, and newsletters that would go out automatically during the weeks I planned to take off.

This way, I can be out for a walk with my baby and a new blog post goes live.  I might be struggling through a sleepless two-day stretch, but my social media posts are still fresh and my followers see that we’re still an active business with a lot going on.  We could be visiting with the grandparents, and  a newsletter will go out advertising our summer sunset sessions.  

As a business owner, you are always marketing and reaching potential clients and past clients.  It’s important to stay fresh in their minds so that they remember, “Hey, I really want to work with you!”  Automating some tasks to keep your business running even while you’re taking a break will help to do that for you.

Your business can run itself if you prepare ahead of time.  IT’S A LOT OF WORK, but it’s worth it not to have to worry about a thing when all you really want to do is stay at home and marvel at how perfect your baby is. 

Block off time on your calendar, and stick to it.
 

I stopped traveling for sessions 1 month before my due date.  Since I drive back and forth between two states for sessions, I didn’t want to worry about going into labor while crossing the Berkshire Mountains, so early on in my maternity leave I planned which weekends would be my last ones in Massachusetts, and I made those dates known to all of my clients, stacking them full of sessions to save time and maximize profitability.

I also planned to stop working around week 37, so I wrapped up all of my client work by then.  All orders from sessions were completed, albums were designed, print orders were placed with my labs, and everything that I could package and deliver was sent out so that I wouldn’t have to worry about anything being left unfinished in case the baby arrived early.

I knew that I could still do behind the scenes work after week 37 (blogging, social media, newsletters), but it was important to me that all client work and obligations be done to have one less thing to worry about.

Plus, you’re going to want to take it easy before the baby gets here!  I was in full-on nesting mode and I spent months looking forward to having a few weeks “off” to clean, organize the nursery, prepare food for after the baby arrived, and spend some extra time with just my husband.  We fit in a few extra “date days” and other little things that we wanted to do that would be so much easier without a baby in tow, so take your time to relax and enjoy that end stage of your pregnancy without working up until the end!

Have a plan in place in case your baby arrives early.

It happens.  Babies arrive whenever they are ready, and if you’re counting on your little one not making an appearance until you’ve accomplished x, y, and z…. well, you might find yourself in a sticky situation!  So be prepared to be flexible and just go with the flow.  

If you allow yourself enough time to wrap things up before your due date, hopefully you won’t have to deal with too much of a surprise and be scrambling to get things done.  But let those clients towards the end of your workload know that you’re approaching your due date and that it’s possible you might need to reschedule their appointment if the  baby arrives early, or mail their order to them if you can’t deliver it in person, or that you might wind up meeting through video chat or FaceTime if you can’t be there in person for an appointment. 

This actually wound up being a blessing in disguise since our little one arrived THREE WEEKS EARLY, as soon as I had finished up many of those loose ends with my business tasks!   I had to reschedule one gallery reveal appointment, and one cake smash session.  Thankfully those clients were incredibly understanding and knew that my due date was right around the corner back when we booked, so it was no issue marking a new date on the calendar for them.  I was even receiving messages from them “just checking in” while I was at the hospital with our baby, and I thought it was the sweetest thing that we were on their mind!

Gi
ve them enough heads up, and thank them for their flexibility.  They’ve been in your shoes before, and they will definitely understand and be accommodating!

The most important thing is don’t stress too much about stepping away from your business to focus on your family for a bit.  Your business will be there when you’re ready for it, and you’re going to find a whole new balance to your life as you adjust to being a mom AND being an entrepreneur.  

Do you have other topics you’d like to see in our “Rocking Your Business & Your Baby” series?  Let me know by sending an email to education@nicolestarrphotography.com.  I’d love to hear from you!