Transcript of Episode #9:
How to Get Ahead Despite Setbacks
Cristina: Hello and welcome back to the Blissful Mompreneur podcast. I’m your host, Cristina Hall and I am so grateful you are here today. I am on a mission to help mompreneurs or female entrepreneurs who hope to be moms in the future, systemize and scale their businesses to beat overwhelm and reclaim their time. Join me each week as I dive into actionable strategies and inspiring stories to support you on your journey to entrepreneurial success and work-life balance.
If you are a planner like I am, you may struggle with how to navigate when your plans are derailed. With kids, you have to assume unexpected things will get in your way. Your kids will get sick, there will be a snow day, the babysitter will get sick, you will get sick, the list goes on.
When I first became a parent, I really struggled in these moments. I’d get frustrated, overwhelmed, and I’d feel like I could not get ahead. Sometimes I would feel so discouraged that I began to believe that I could not achieve my business goals while being a mom. This limiting belief held me back for a while. In a moment of clarity, I realized I had to come up with strategies so that I could navigate these situations with grace while still moving towards my goals.
In today’s episode, I’m going to share with you the six proactive strategies that I use to make navigating the moments when my plans get derailed with more patience and acceptance.
Strategy number one, build flexibility into your schedule. The number one way that I do this is I always try to stay ahead. I give myself deadlines that are way ahead of the date they are due. For example, with this podcast, I always make sure I’m at least two months ahead. This means that if my kids get sick and are home for a full week, I still have several weeks to stay on track.
Strategy number two, communicate openly with clients and team members. If I have meetings with clients or team members and my kids are home because of a snow day, I just let them know immediately and reschedule their meeting. In the past, it used to really bother me to cancel lessons or meetings. I used to be one of those people that would show up to teach even if I had a fever. It took me a while to realize that it was okay to call out sick every once in a while and I didn’t have to push myself as often as I thought I needed to. And also, I’ve found that people are generally very understanding that these types of things will come up. You’ll get sick, your kids will get sick, there’s going to be snow days, and it’s all okay. You don’t have to be superhuman.
Strategy number three, delegate tasks. Depending on the tasks on your plate for that week, perhaps you could delegate some tasks to team members. Recently, I wrote an email sequence for our VIP enrollment for summer lessons and I needed to schedule all the emails in ActiveCampaign, which is what we use to send email automations. Well, my kids got sick, so I asked one of my team members to take care of it and everything still got done. It was great. It wasn’t something that I needed to do. If you’re someone who is still spending a lot of time on the day to day operations of your business, then I recommend listening to episode seven, where I talk about how you can stop working in your business and begin to transition to working on your business.
Strategy number four, set realistic expectations. When you’re planning your year, your quarter, months, or weeks, assume that you won’t be able to stick to your schedule all the time. If you end up tackling everything on your lists ahead of time, you could always add more, but it’s better to plan for those interruptions so you won’t be disappointed when they come up.
Strategy number five, have a contingency plan. Every Tuesday, I go into the studio to teach my students and my mother-in-law comes over to watch the kids. Now, sometimes she’ll be sick or have a conflict, and on those days, my contingency plan is having my mom come to watch the kids so that I can still go in to teach. Perhaps if you don’t have someone who can watch your kids, a contingency plan may be having a team member handle some of your work obligations.
And strategy number six, lean on your support network. When these unexpected things come up, perhaps your partner is able to take off and watch the kids so you can still work. Or maybe there is someone else in your support network that could step in and lend a helping hand. Sometimes my husband will step in if he is able. Other times I can lean on friends and family members. It really does take a village.
Remember, life is full of unexpected twists and turns and even the best lead plans can sometimes be derailed. Whether you’re a mompreneur juggling the demands of business and family or an entrepreneur navigating the complexities of life, it’s essential to remain flexible and adaptable. While we can put safeguards in place to mitigate disruptions, it’s equally important to be kind to ourselves when things don’t go as planned. Embrace the challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. Embrace the challenges as opportunities for growth and learning and lean on those around you.
As we wrap up today’s episode, I invite you to DM me at the blissful mompreneur on Instagram and share with me what strategies have helped you manage when your plans are derailed. I always love hearing from you.
Thank you so much for tuning in to today’s episode of the Blissful Mompreneur podcast. I hope you found the information valuable and inspiring. Remember, you have the power to step off that hamster wheel, reclaim your time, and find balance in your life. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback helps me continue to provide valuable content to mompreneurs like you. Until next time, keep pursuing your dreams, finding joy in the journey, and creating a life and business you love. Take care and I’ll see you in the next episode.