By Guest Writer, Kristin Louis
If you’re welcoming a new baby into your home, you are feeling excited, but likely stressed as well. New parenthood, with its sleepless nights, dealing with cries for food and diaper changes, and overall feeling of exhaustion are not for the faint of heart — but what if you’re gearing up to start your new business, or even launching it, during the “fourth trimester” after you bring your new baby home? The below tips from What Every Parent Should Know may not completely erase the stress you feel while juggling parenthood and entrepreneurship, but they can certainly help.
1. Plan for Efficiency
Time blocking may change your life. If you tend to populate your to-do list with tasks and check them off one by one without thinking about how they’re tied to time, learning how to schedule tasks can dramatically raise your productivity. For example, if you have to make a spreadsheet, call a client on Zoom, and catalog invoices, you can schedule each task for a designated hour-long block during the day.
Use this technique to finish whatever legal paperwork you have to tie up before your baby’s birth and during the early days of parenthood. Make sure you have obtained an EIN for tax purposes and formed your business as a legal entity. Forming your business as a limited liability company can help you separate your business from your personal life. Using a formation service like ZenBusiness lets you avoid lawyer fees and ensures you follow your state's specific laws. Taking care of your business’s formation is the first step to running your business.
You’ll also need to ensure your business is being operated efficiently. This includes choosing a bank for your business and utilizing bookkeeping software to stay on top of your business's finances. Make sure you allot enough time for these important tasks.
It’s also time to start thinking about some help you can hire to run your business. You can find the best mobile app developers, web designers, and virtual assistants through online job platforms. Simply look over candidates’ reviews, rates, and delivery times and make an offer.
2. Hire a Trustworthy Sitter
Though you may have days when you feel very productive, other times you may feel like you can’t get anything done. Maybe your newborn is going through a growth spurt or fussy stage, or perhaps she didn’t sleep well the night before and needs extra comfort. Take the time to be with your baby when she needs you, complete whatever work you can, and call in reinforcements to watch her after she has calmed down.
Consider setting up a schedule with a sitter or a part- or full-time nanny; you can find one with experience and high client ratings from Care.com. If you’re trying to avoid daycare for your infant, having a trusted nanny in the home can help you and your partner shoulder the load of meeting your baby’s needs while also attending to your new business.
3. Use Apps to Track Your Baby’s Schedule
Adults and infants alike share a love of routine. Using a baby tracking app can help you understand when your baby likes to eat, sleep, and get a fresh diaper. By learning your baby’s natural rhythms, there may be fewer surprises when you're "on call" for infant care. Also learn more about infant sleep patterns to coordinate your client meetings and Zoom calls during the times your baby is more likely to be fast asleep.
Though no schedule is perfect and no app can fully predict your baby’s schedule, having a routine for working from home during the day and utilizing downtime to complete your most labor-intensive work can lower your stress levels. Welcoming a new baby into your home is a wonderful, special time. When you plan ahead, you will be able to enjoy both your baby’s first weeks and your new business while it is also in its infancy.
For more supportive advice for moms and dads, keep up with the blog at What Every Parent Should Know!