Guest post by Candace Alper
As a mompreneur balance is something that I consider often – whether it is more or less than any working mom is also something that I consider. It does seem to be a much sought after result – balance is something that I have been chasing my whole life – balancing my studies, friends, chores, job and extra-curricular activities in high school and university; balancing my checkbook when I had my first apartment. Balancing my career, friendships and boyfriend. Balancing my husband, home and job. And then came my daughter Hannah. I became a mom and a mompreneur almost exactly one year apart. Now how do you balance that too?
The answer – strive for balance – learn to accept imbalance.
Being a mompreneur means that I am my own boss. I set my own hours and more often than not, my hours set me. Like many of my mompreneur peers, I work from home which lends itself to a flexible schedule so that I can try to balance my varying roles as mom, wife, entreprener, daughter, grandaughter, sister, grandaughter, etc. I try to fit in being each of these every day and as such have grown to accept a certain and expected level of imbalance. I am fortunate that I can be each of these things from one place – home. As I work at taking care of Name Your Tune, I have a load of laundry in the washing machine and another in the dryer. On an ambitious day, I might have spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove too. These are things that I am able to do in my “work day”. I am able to take my daughter to school and pick her up too. I am able to make time in my day for doctors and dentists and grocery shopping as well. Fitting everything in often means that I am at the computer working late into the night, usually with my husband by my side as we work to get through taking care of business. He is inextricably involved in my balancing act. I am a fortunate mompreneur because I have his help – his time, expertise and attention as most days Name Your Tune is a joint effort. Sometimes so much so that we could be parentrepreneurs. But more than that, I have his support and understanding through many late nights working, a home-based business that takes over the home and events that take me away for weekends that we usually consider family time.
Having said all of the above, what makes all of it work is love – the love that I have for my family and the love that I have for what I do makes striving for the balance and accepting the imbalance all worth while. In creating Name Your Tune, I have been able to bring all things that I am passionate about together is a nice, neat package – family, music and children. Creating a product that fosters self-esteem and brings joy and music into the lives of families is what makes the unmade beds and take-out dinners OK for this mompreneur and her family.
One last thing – in accepting my balanced imbalance – I have to maintain my resounding “no” to a Blackberry or iPhone – I can only imagine that on top of my 2 phones with voicemail, email on both my PC, iMac, Facebook and Twitter – one more connection would through me right over the edge.
Too often I read about the fabulous and freeing existence of the mompreneur – you know the one with the balance. I am not her – but I would love to meet her and sign up for some of what ever she’s having!
Guest post by Candace Alper A momprenour for more than 5 years, Candace Alper is the creator and executive producer of Name Your Tune, an award-winning personalized CD for kids. Name Your Tune is a natural progression bringing together her love of music, arts, children and creativity. As mother to six-year-old Hannah, Candace appreciates the impact and joy of music in her child’s every day. It is her motivation, enthusiasm and vision that have driven this project from its conception through to the hands of each child.
