How to Work Less and Live More: The Best Tools for Mompreneurs
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These days, women from all walks of life are enjoying the many benefits of starting their own businesses. In addition to the countless women who founded thriving businesses after losing their jobs during the pandemic, many “stay-at-home” moms have started successful gigs of their own. But balancing your personal life and your work life can be difficult, especially during the early days of your business. That’s where apps and software come into play.
There are more productivity and time management apps available today than ever before. Better yet, many of them are surprisingly affordable. Yes, even for consultants and solopreneurs!
When you want to spend less time on the clock and achieve the elusive work-life balance that led you here, these are the tools you need.
Time management
Your time is precious. How can you use it wisely? These are the productivity tools solopreneurs swear by.
Appointment scheduling
Does it feel like you spend more time scheduling meetings than actually having them? If you’re tired of wasting time on phone tag, integrate an appointment scheduling app into your website. Beyond letting clients book their own appointments, the best scheduling apps include automated reminders, self-serve appointment management, and integrations with other business apps.
Project and task management
Whether it’s a simple to-do list app or a full-featured project management platform, this is one tool consultants shouldn’t work without. Project management tools lighten your mental load while keeping projects organized and on schedule. Business owners who only manage a couple of projects at a time can take advantage of low-cost apps like Asana, Wrike, and Trello.
Finances
Money is what keeps your business running. It’s also the last thing you want to worry about in the middle of a busy season. Instead of crunching numbers yourself, use financial tools to monitor your business’s health.
Accounting software
Understanding where your money is going is never more important than when running a project-based business like consulting. When you can’t see the big picture of a project’s financials, it leads to inaccurate estimates and cost overages that could be avoided with accounting software for your consulting business. Tools like Quickbooks Online Advanced give you real-time visibility into project profitability while streamlining repetitive tasks like invoicing and time tracking.
Marketing
Marketing yourself is the key to sustainability as a solopreneur. Make yourself relatable, nurture personal connections, and focus on what resonates with your target audience. But how can you do all of that while running a business and a house full of kids?
Social media scheduling
Social media is a solopreneur’s best friend. It’s also time-consuming. Social media scheduling tools let you batch curate content and schedule posts at the optimal time. Several of the leading apps offer free plans, but even the more robust options are affordable.
Email marketing automation
Automation has made email marketing more useful than ever. With email automation, you can send personalized messages based on a user’s actions. Need to welcome a new subscriber, follow up on an abandoned shopping cart, or send a series of informative emails? With email automation, there’s no need to repeat the work every time.
Hiring
Technology can’t do it all. Where do you turn when you have a job that requires a human touch?
Freelance platforms
When you need help, find it quickly using freelancer websites. Upwork, Guru, and DesignCrowd are among the websites where you can hire a freelancer for a one-off project or ongoing work. Whether you need a web designer to upgrade your landing page, a market researcher to inform your business plan, or a contract lawyer to review documents, freelancers have you covered.
As it turns out, the secret to doing it all as a work-at-home mom is not doing it all yourself. Instead of running yourself ragged trying to be Supermom, find ways to lighten your workload so you can focus on what really matters.
Are you struggling to find balance as a work-at-home mom? Do you want to spend less time making a living and more time doing what you gives you life? Connect with life and wardrobe stylist Dionne Nicholls online at Live Your Best Life for You.