One of the most challenging aspects of being a ‘mompreneur’ (mom entrepreneur) is learning how to ask for help. Of course, before you’re ready to turn to your support system, you have to recognize or build one. Here’s how to build a good support system.
* Family. If you have family nearby, they’re often the easiest to turn to. After all, that’s what family is for, right? You help each other when you need it. If you’re new to asking for help (and many mompreneur suffer under the delusion that they can and have to do it all), then family is usually a great place to begin asking for help.
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Ask them to watch your children during crunch times in your business, or to help you take care of errands and chores and remember to return the favor. Once you get accustomed to asking for help from family, taking the next step and turning to friends, neighbors and associates won’t be so difficult.
* Friends. Friends are the next easiest group of people to add to your support system. And based on experience, it’s often easier to offer help than it is to ask for help. So offer to help your friends – that way you’ll feel okay asking them for help when you need it. And help doesn’t just have to be in the form of, “hey can you watch my children?” Friends can be superior listeners when you need to vent, they can be the play portion of the “work hard play hard” equation, and they can just be good for a laugh.
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* Neighbors. Neighbors are wonderful members of a mom’s support system because they’re generally excellent at trading help. For example, your neighbor can drive your children to school and you can pick them up. Your neighbor can provide you with references for people to mow your lawn and all of the other chores that need to be done. Your neighbor can even step in and help you around the home when you need it most.
* Peers. People who belong to the same groups you do, PTA organizations, Scouts, church groups and even sporting events can all be included in your support system.
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When you take the time to build a community and connect with the people around you, a wonderful thing happens. Suddenly you no longer feel the need to do everything yourself. You realize the benefit of not only helping others but also letting them help you.
If you struggle with asking for help, start small. Turn to your family and closest friends first. Once you have realized the benefit, you can start building relationships with the people who are already in your day-to-day life. Reach out to them, help them and the process has begun.
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