Did you know many of the same qualities that make the best entrepreneurs are found quite naturally in a mum?
The thing is, we make light of what mums go through on a daily basis to get their kids through the day. But what if this on-site training was preparing her for business in ways that even she couldn’t expect?
Here are my top four reasons why mums can make the best entrepreneurs:
1. Self-discipline
All successful entrepreneurs must possess self-discipline. But what’s even greater than discipline? A need to get the job done, whether it’s fun or not, whether it makes sense to other people or not, whatever it takes. Sometimes a mother is motivated by being the sole provider for her family. In other cases, it’s not about the income but about the inspiration she is, the role model she is being. Either way, it matters what she does, that she succeeds, and what she is creating in the world.
Self-discipline is for the 20-somethings. They have to manufacture a reason to be on-task. What gets a mum through the long haul is the fact that she is creating for future generations to come.
2. Persistence (and being stubborn)
Anyone who’s ever battled a toddler who didn’t want to go to bed, eat their peas, or brush their teeth knows something about persistence. A mum never gives up, she never gives in and she never quits… when it matters. Never quitting means never quitting on herself and she never quits on her child.
This level of training lends itself quite nicely to the world of entrepreneurship. Chances are, as a great entrepreneur she will be widely known for her tenacity. No matter how many times she ‘fails’ she stubbornly continues creating!
3. A clear sense of direction
Whether it is preventing a toddler from dive-bombing the floor with his head or to teaching a teenage daughter what sort of boys to avoid dating, a mum cannot afford to be shortsighted. In the business world, not knowing where you are headed can have severe financial consequences. Forget to consider the future as a mum and the consequences may literally be life-or-death.
Great mums are planners. They also empower their kids to know they can create their future, too. Mums know when to lead and when to follow. Sometimes she lets her child choose and sometimes she calls the shots.
This type of leadership training just can’t be taught!
4. Creating in and with chaos
True chaos is where everything is unpredictable, malleable and changeable. It’s asking questions, it’s seeing what choices will lead to greater possibilities, it’s seeing what contribution each part and piece can be to the whole. Every mum knows she cannot predict or control her child’s behaviour. She learns to work within the fray, to use the flow to her advantage, not to swim upstream. Chaos is the creative energy of all possibilities. When you instill chaos into your business, time and judgment begin to cease and you start to function beyond this reality.
Using the skills and capacities she’s built through child-rearing lends any mum to being a brilliant entrepreneur, should she choose to become one.
Lauren Marie, life coach and Joy of Business facilitator
