I am a puppreneur

I have always had a lot of respect for the mompreneur, juggling infants/ children while running a business.  And I have sort of joined their ranks, but I am a puppreneur.

My days are currently spent working around this new addition to our household. It is said that puppies actually initially sleep 18 hours but the trouble with our guy is when those 18 hours occur:). Initially he declared the hours of 2.00-5.00am as "playtime". Now I am a morning person, but even this is a stretch.  So we've taken to trying to poop him out so he sleeps more at night and as I run down our long driveway with the dog, I am not sure just who I am tiring out - Brodie or me?  

As someone who is used to being in control of her life, I have suddenly found my life revolving around this " four on the floor" as one friend described him.  I am grabbing moments to work when he is asleep, and have moved my office temporarily to the main floor, so  I can keep an eye on him, but to be honest, it is not ideal.

Now I've had puppies before, and I knew it would be a rude awakening, but it is like when you have your second child and you are in labour again, and you say to yourself, how could I have forgotten???  Truth is, like having a baby, we just have to get through the pain to get to the gain.

Plus, I can now brag that I live in a gated community. With baby gates at every turn, I am really wishing I had longer legs as I try to stretch over the gates and land gracefully at the other side, but reality is I tend to make an ungainly landing.  Making a quick escape is not on the cards for any of us:)

But my, he is cute.  It was love at first sight. and watch for the business lessons I am bound to find as the new puppreneur.  Already I am learning patience, setting priorities and being sleep-deprived, I am cutting myself some slack.  Not bad for week one.

PS - I know the boots have to be removed:)

Kudos to Mompreneurs

I have often compared starting a business with motherhood.  In both instances, you can do all the homework before hand – the classes, the books, talking to others – but nothing really prepares you for the reality.

Truth is when I was pregnant with my first child, I was so focused on getting through childbirth that I didn’t give much thought to life after birth. So having had a busy career, the isolation of being home with a baby had not even crossed my mind.  Likewise when you work from home, you can miss the camaraderie of your peers.

It was that sense of isolation that led me to help start our local family resource centre, and later when I had my consulting practice, launch Company of Women. Bringing women together helps you realize you are not alone and that others feel the same way too – if they are honest and choose to remove the masks of perfection.

And as for the emotional rollercoaster, it is pretty similar too, as you can switch in seconds from excitement and joy to total fear and tears because you believe that you are not up to the job in hand – be it parenting or running a business.

So to throw motherhood and business together and run a business while you are home with your children takes an even greater leap of faith and courage. I am in awe at the organization, energy and determination it must take to juggle both roles – mother and business owner -  successfully.

As I witnessed at the recent blogging session put on by Women in Biz Network, more and more young mothers are doing this. The energy in the room was electric as the women chatted to one another, comparing notes on business and family life.

Take heart, you are the new pioneers, showing that women do have a head for business, and role modeling for your children, especially your daughters, that with determination and persistence, you can carve out a life for yourself and follow your dreams.

I didn’t start my business until I was 50, so I applaud you.  You go girl.

COMPETITION OR COLLABORATION? YOUR CHOICE

We live in a competitive world. I don’t know about your line of business, but in mine, there are some groups that are supportive of each other and the end goal of helping women grow their businesses, and others that are not. For them, they have to be king pin.

It’s too bad really, because it’s not about us – it should be about what’s best for our members. So it was really refreshing this week to connect with Kathryn Bechtold, the publisher of Mompreneur - check www.themompreneur.com

Kathryn and I have not met but our paths have crossed and at the end of the month she is moderating a panel for me. The purpose of our call was to brainstorm ideas for the questions to be asked of the panel members – all editors or former editors of prominent Canadian magazines.

But it actually took us a while to get there in our conversation as we were both sharing the ups and downs of launching and publishing a new magazine, and enjoying the connection with a kindred spirit. Now, we could have viewed each other as competition, but we didn’t. Instead, we were sharing war stories and looking at ways we can work together to create a win-win situation.

Now that is what it is all about…