Career

How Moms Can Get Back into the Workforce by Becoming Successful Entrepreneurs

October 19, 2023

Many moms have had to step out of the workforce to take care of their children and families. However, with the evolution of technology and the rise of entrepreneurship, more and more moms are finding ways to balance both family life and running their own successful businesses. Starting a new business may seem overwhelming, but with proper planning, resources, and a determined mindset, becoming a successful entrepreneur can be a viable option for moms who want to get back into the workforce. Here, NMC Coaching provides some tips to get you started.

How Moms Can Get Back into the Workforce by Becoming Successful Entrepreneurs

Recognize New Market Trends

If you want to pursue an entrepreneurial endeavor, you’ll first need to recognize new market trends, including:

● Consumers want on-demand services and products

● More shopping takes place online than ever before

● Digital storefronts are just as important as retail storefronts

With this information in mind, you should come up with your business idea and business plan based on your interests or desires. For example, maybe you can start a new marketing agency, start up a freelance web design company, or do something else entirely.

Just be sure to choose something that accounts for the above market trends!

From Stay-at-Home Mom to Successful Entrepreneur: A Guide for Moms

Consider Returning to School

Before your new business gets off the ground, you might want to go back to school to get an online degree or finish your education. There’s no better time to get a bachelor’s or master’s degree than when you’re laid off or working from home, as you have much more time on your hands. The right degree can give you the skills you need to thrive as an entrepreneur.

How to Start a New Business

Start your new entrepreneurial endeavor by:

● Writing a business plan

● Applying for funding (if needed), such as a business loan

● Hiring any necessary employees

● Buying supplies, like server hosting or product materials

● Choosing a business structure

As you grow your business, consider establishing a limited liability company. LLCs are advantageous as they shield your personal assets from potential lawsuits and offer tax advantages, flexibility, and minimal paperwork.

Ensure you get paid on time for your services by developing a process for invoicing. This can include billing clients immediately after services are rendered and offering them multiple payment options. You can create a branded invoice by using an invoice maker. Choose from a variety of templates and then add your terms, billing info, typeface, and logo.

How Marketing May Make a Big Difference

Starting a business is one thing — making sure that it thrives is another. You can market your business effectively and see stellar results or fail to market your brand and go out of business.

The best ways to market your business include:

● Using SEO (search engine optimization) and other research tools to identify your target audience

● Advertising directly to that audience with social media ads, banner ads, Google ads, and more

● Using email marketing to connect with and build long-term relationships with your core customers

Fortunately, the more you market for your business, the better you’ll get at it, and the more bang you’ll get for every marketing buck you spend. You may also want to bring in a digital marketing agency to optimize your website, SEO, and social media posts.

Also, make sure any marketing graphics or icons are of high quality and well designed; hire a graphic designer if need be. If you do work with a designer, get familiar with a file conversion tool so that it is easier for you to send high quality graphics through email. JPGs are often too large, but a PDF will preserve the quality while lessening the file size. You can easily convert your image format to documents using free online tools. Just drop in the file and the tool will do the rest.

The Mompreneur’s Guide to Success: How to Build a Thriving Business While Balancing Family Life

Achieve Your Entrepreneurial Dreams!

Ultimately, it’s more possible than ever before for women just like you to achieve their entrepreneurial ambitions. There are many digital tools and resources you can use to get started. All you have to do is trust yourself, make a plan, and work to achieve your goal!.

If you are stuck and need some help determining what to do next with your life, contact NMC Coaching for guidance!

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Career, Motherhood, Productivity

How to Effortlessly Cultivate Wellness in Your Remote Job

September 7, 2023

In the evolving landscape of remote work, prioritizing wellness has become paramount. This article presented by NMC Coaching delves into practical strategies to seamlessly integrate well-being into your remote job routine, ensuring a balanced and fulfilling work-life experience.

**How to Effortlessly Cultivate Wellness in Your Remote Job**

Establishing an Exercise Program

Incorporating physical activity into your remote routine can boost energy levels and mental clarity. As a working mom, finding time for exercise might seem challenging, but the benefits are worth it. Regular exercise not only enhances your physical health but also positively impacts your mood and productivity. Simple home workouts like yoga, stretching, or short cardio sessions can easily be incorporated into your daily schedule. Aim for consistency rather than intensity, even if it means starting with just a few minutes each day. A brisk walk during breaks or some calming stretches can make a world of difference in boosting your remote work wellness.

Care for Yourself

Remote work can blur the boundaries between work and personal life, making self-care essential. As a working mom juggling various responsibilities, taking care of yourself might feel like a luxury, but it’s a necessity. Dedicate time to practices such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, or simply stepping away from your desk for a few minutes to recharge. Create a designated workspace that promotes relaxation and minimizes distractions. Setting clear boundaries between work and personal time will help you maintain focus, reduce stress, and boost your overall well-being.

Develop Healthy Eating Habits

Crafting nutritious meals while working remotely can positively impact your energy levels and productivity. As a working mom, meal planning can be a lifesaver. Design a weekly meal plan that includes a mix of whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Opt for balanced snacks that keep you energized throughout the day. Staying hydrated is equally important, so keep a water bottle handy on your desk. By nourishing your body with the right foods and staying hydrated, you’re setting the foundation for a healthier and more productive remote work routine.

Staying connected while working remotely

Develop Social Connections

Isolation can be a challenge in remote work, especially for working moms who are used to bustling family environments. Prioritize staying connected with colleagues, friends, and family through virtual meetings, group chats, and online communities. Schedule virtual coffee breaks or catch-up sessions with colleagues to maintain a sense of camaraderie. Join online groups or forums where you can share experiences and gain support from other working moms navigating the remote work landscape. These connections will not only combat feelings of isolation but also enhance your remote work wellness.

Wellness Made Easy: A Remote Worker’s Guide to Self-Care

Taking Pride in Success

As a working mom, you’re accomplishing feats both big and small every day. Acknowledging these achievements is vital for your motivation and mental well-being. Celebrate milestones, whether work-related or personal, by treating yourself to a favorite snack, taking a short walk, or simply reflecting on your successes. Creating a positive work environment that acknowledges your efforts can boost your self-esteem and overall satisfaction with remote work.

Going Outside

Fresh air and sunlight can work wonders for your remote work wellness. As a working mom, taking breaks outdoors can offer a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively. Consider incorporating short walks during breaks, having outdoor lunches, or even setting up a temporary outdoor workspace if feasible. These outdoor moments can help clear your mind, reduce stress, and enhance your focus when you return to your tasks.

Digitizing Documents into PDFs

Efficiency is key in remote work, especially for working moms who often juggle multiple responsibilities at once. Streamlining work processes, such as converting important documents into PDFs, offers easy sharing, accessibility, and compatibility across devices, ultimately saving you time and stress when searching for essential information. If you need to convert to PDF online, utilize tools that allow you to annotate, highlight, and make notes on PDFs, further enhancing your remote work efficiency.

Remote Work Wellness: Tips for Staying Healthy and Happy

Balancing wellness and remote work is not only feasible but essential for sustained productivity and happiness. By integrating exercise, self-care, healthy eating, efficient document management, etc., remote-working moms can effortlessly cultivate a thriving and fulfilling work routine. Remember, taking care of yourself ultimately benefits both your work and your family, creating a harmonious and rewarding remote work experience.

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Career

Advice for Parents With Disabilities: How to Make Your Dream of Running a Business Come True

September 25, 2022

As a parent with disabilities, you may not know how to make your dreams of entrepreneurship come true. How do you ensure you can balance your obligations as a parent, your health, and a business? Navigating Motherhood Coaching wants you to know that you can succeed with a plan, a home-based office, and a connection with clients.

For disabled parents: How to create your dream business

Start With a Plan

Before your dreams become a reality, you need a strategy. A business plan helps you manage your company through every stage. Many entrepreneurs choose a comprehensive traditional plan. This type of plan includes a summary of your mission, how you plan to be successful, and market analysis. It also details your financial projections, funding needs, and business structure.

To complete a market analysis, you need to look at your industry and target market. Check out the competitors and consider their strengths. What makes your competition successful? Figure out how you can offer something better. In addition to identifying your target audience, market research can also tell you if your business ideas are profitable. Always stay up-to-date on the market to ensure you know what clients want, even when needs change.

Make an Accessible Workspace

If your disability affects your mobility, you may want to consider a home-based business. Not only can you create an accessible workspace for yourself, but it also gives you more time to be with your children. You can sell anything from your home and use social media to advertise. And you don’t have to worry about non-compliant offices or other hurdles related to your disability.

You may need to meet with clients in your home depending on your business. Creating a distinct work area is vital for these interactions. You don’t want a client sitting at your dining room table with your toddler coloring next to them! Converting an unused room is the ideal situation, but if you can’t devote that amount of space, create a clear division between work and home by using dividers or strategic furniture placement. Also be aware that smells carry throughout your house. Even pleasant cooking smells should be whisked away by a quiet but efficient range hood in your kitchen. That way your client won’t be thinking about their dinner plans during your late afternoon meeting.

Things to consider if you are starting a home based business

Create a Financial Strategy

There are grants available for small business owners with disabilities, including those to help you with medical expenses, housing, and equipment. In some cases, you may have to establish a limited liability company before applying for the grants. In addition, look for other small business funding sources, like loans and lines of credit. It’s important to check your credit score before you go out soliciting funding. Many lenders will only fund individuals whose credit report shows they can handle money well. If your score is too low, consider postponing your quest for loans until you are able to raise your score.

Creating a financial plan can help you work toward your small business goals. If you are interested in investors, you need to have a proposal written out to show them how you plan to generate revenue and manage your expenses. If your company requires equipment, you may benefit from equipment financing. When you finance equipment, you do not have to worry about collateral because the equipment is collateral.

Use Accounting Software

Unless you’re a sole proprietor, you probably can’t get by without business accounting software. When you have business accounting software, it’s much easier to keep track of your business finances. This type of software can help you track your business income and expenses, so you always know where your business stands financially. Without business accounting software, it would be very easy to overlook crucial financial details, which could eventually lead to problems for your business. This software can also help you manage inventory and invoicing, so you can streamline your business operations and save time.

Connect With Your Clients

Make your customers feel special. Take note of how they interact with your brand. The way clients engage with you and your company can tell you a lot about your customer base. Learn to take constructive criticism. Respond to client concerns and encourage client satisfaction. Nowadays, most people have online platforms. Use your business page to connect with the customers. Keep your social media voice relatable to others. Be fun and casual on the internet.

As a parent with disabilities, you have your hands full at all times. Sometimes, you may not have time to generate your own content. Share your clients’ content on social media. For instance, if you sell products and your clients highlight the product on their page or take pictures of your services, repost them on social media. Encourage customers to talk about your brand.

Many people choose to include their pets on their social media posts to get the attention of the many pet-lovers out there. If you do choose to include your fur child on camera, make sure they’re at their best through regular grooming. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a professional though. Look online for great smelling pet shampoos. Then, get the kids involved in a designated spa day for your pooch to ensure they are always camera ready.

For disabled parents: How to start a home based business

You Can Juggle It All

Your life is full of hurdles. You may feel like you do not have the time for your professional ventures, but if you have a dream then you should pursue it. Start by creating a space that is designated for you to work, and ensure it has everything you need exactly where you need it. And take advantage of help through formation services and by re-posting your client’s content on social media. Juggling it all is about finding the shortcuts and the right support. You’ve got this, so make your vision a reality!

If you’re looking for a coach to come alongside you and motivate you to make your business a reality, then contact Darcey at Navigating Motherhood Coaching.

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Career

5 Ways Women Can Attract STEM Recruiters

September 1, 2022

It’s no secret that science, technology, engineering, and math — collectively called STEM — are dominated by men. According to research, women represent a stunningly low 27% of STEM professionals. There are many intersecting issues that contribute to this problem, but it’s clear that something must change. Women who want to break into these fields can take control of their careers and attract the top recruiters by following these five tips from NMC Coaching.

1. Work on Improving Your Confidence

Unfortunately, the lack of women in STEM may be a self-fulfilling prophesy. Because there are so few women, women feel unwelcome, and they don’t pursue careers that they would otherwise be interested in. Those who do pursue STEM careers may be stymied by a lack of confidence that costs them opportunities. Women should work on boosting their professional confidence by eliminating negative self-talk, practicing professional presentation, and setting clear goals.

5 Ways Women can Attract STEM Recruiters

2. Get a Mentor Who Can Offer Career Guidance

One of the greatest assets a woman in STEM can have is a dedicated mentor. Your mentor should invest in you and advocate for you, and if you haven’t connected with this person yet, it’s time to find them. You can find a mentor through networking opportunities, online platforms, and professional conferences. If you can find another woman in STEM to mentor you, this may be particularly advantageous to helping you achieve your goals.

3. Start Your Own STEM Business

Even if you have all the right qualifications, STEM is a hard field to break into. You may realize that you’re tired of endless job searching, and instead, you want to start your own business. In addition to the lucrative potential that this path has, it’s a great way to build your resume and create your own opportunities — if another company won’t hire you, hire yourself. This will demonstrate ambition and drive that will attract recruiters if you return to the job market.

4. Craft an Expert-Level Business Plan

If you do choose to go the entrepreneurial route, it’s important that you’re prepared for the challenges of owning a business. Your first few months will likely be a learning experience, but you can avoid many common mistakes by crafting a detailed business plan. In addition to an overview of your financial expectations, your business plan should include its structure, marketing strategy, and sources of funding.

5 Ways for Women to Attract STEM Recruiters

5. Enroll in a Professional Development Class

Sometimes you simply need to sharpen your skills in order to gain an edge in the STEM job market. A professional development course is a great way to do so, and you can choose a class that’s aligned with your skills. For example, if you’re naturally a leader, a SCRUM class will give you more tools to apply these skills in the STEM workplace. Learn about advanced courses that can provide the necessary curriculum to beef up your abilities. Courses should be through an accredited school that provides a certificate of completion.

Women Can Get Ahead in the STEM Job Market

Searching for a job is an incredibly stressful experience, and it’s even more stressful when your gender seems to be working against you. Rather than be discouraged, though, you can take steps to build your resume, become a more competitive candidate, and attract attention from recruiters. In addition to a professional development course, you can build experience by starting your own business and enlisting help from a mentor.

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Career

Three Ways Modern Women Can Get Ahead in the Workplace

August 23, 2021

This week, I’m sharing a post written by Brad Krause. Are you a mom trying to juggle work, family and other responsibilities? If your career is an important part of your identity, it can be a struggle to maintain balance while furthering your career. You are not alone. There are so many of us in this boat! However, there are strategies that can help you become and stay successful in your profession regardless of your career path. This post maps out 3 ways women can get ahead in the workplace.

3 ways women can get ahead in the workplace

The fight for equality for women in the workplace seems to be making progress. As of 2019, 47 percent of workers in the U.S. were women. But in spite of that significant number, there’s still much to do when it comes to establishing women’s worth in the professional sphere.

NMC Coaching offers three specific ways women can achieve their dream careers without giving up their rights.

Adjust Your Attitude at Work

While no one can argue that it’s women’s attitudes that hold them back in the professional sphere, perception can play a significant part in your ability to boost your career. Changing the way you act, speak, and even email can affect your work.● Muscling your way into the break room won’t earn you any favors. But learning and applying powerful body languagecan increase your confidence (and impress your coworkers). It can also help you communicate more effectively in high-stakes situations.● Consider changing up your speech patterns. One speech coach suggests cutting “filler” words such as “like,” “I mean,” “just,” and others from your vocabulary for more powerful communication. Changing your speech may not be necessary, but it could impact the length and impact of your verbal interactions.● Understanding different communication styles is also crucial for success in the workplace. There are gender communication differences, so learning more about them can offer insight and help you strategize.

Make the Workplace Change for You

While many women are content to rise above professional barriers, others will feel compelled to break them down. And the truth is, making the workplace change for you is one way to ensure a well-trodden path for yourself and future generations.

● Encourage your workplace to host training workshops on diversity, sexual harassment, and other relevant topics that impact your work experience.

● Enlisting other women for support and advocating for work-life balance are two ways you can navigate a male-dominated field. It may not be easy, but it’s meaningful work that could pay off in the form of a promotion.

● It’s not easy to report harassment or deal with the aftermath. But if it’s happening to you or a coworker, you have rights. When it comes to discrimination at work, know the law and your rights so you can be prepared.

Business woman juggling work life balance

Do Something Different

Taking a different path than ‘most women’ in your profession (or generation) can be refreshing. Consider doing something unexpected with your career, and you may have a more unique experience than you’d think.

● Research suggests that women remain underrepresented in senior management roles. While you may not be in complete control of your professional trajectory, setting your sights higher is one way to start chipping away at the glass ceiling.

● If you really want to break the mold, choosing a male-dominated career path could be the perfect fit. For example,women in STEM roles are a minority. Despite the barriers, embarking on such a trajectory could mean more opportunities.

● Consider the benefits of adding a credential to your name. Even if your field doesn’t require it, obtaining state licensure or a formal degree can elevate your professional standing.● For women who are balancing (or want to balance) growing a family with their career aspirations, recognize the challenges and potential payoffs. You can enjoy both family life and professional endeavors if you don’t let guilt or a non-supportive partner get in your way.

3 ways women can design their career path

Pursuing a rewarding career shouldn’t be controversial for women. And yet, getting ahead isn’t always seen as a priority. But these avenues toward achieving your goals can help you recognize the potential that exists for your professional future.

After spending most of his time in a corporate setting and neglecting his own self-care far too long, Brad embraced his calling and decided to become a full-time life coach. He now spends the rest of his life helping people get a better foothold on their wellness above all else. To learn more about Brad and his work, visit Self Caring.

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