It’s never easy being a mom trying to juggle a full-time job and family life. Women are often expected to fulfill demanding roles, both at work and at home. It seems like our lives are getting busier and busier, and we don’t even have time to relax, go out with friends or do things we enjoy!
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When you are a working mom, multiply that times two or three.
In the ninja-like corporate world, it can be difficult to raise a family and successfully manage your career, even if you’re highly organized. I worked for 20 plus years in financial services with a major Wall Street firm while raising two little boys, one of which has special needs. Eventually, something had to give, and I was fortunate to be able to retire at a young age and recover from my years of crazy, stressed-out, nonstop running. I knew it was time to go when my 4-year-old said to me one day, “Mommy, why are you always so mad?” It was a serious wake-up call.
So I packed up my family and relocated to a small town in the mountains, with clean air and good public schools. I recognize not everyone is as fortunate as I was in my ability to make the changes I knew needed to be made. Once relocated, I did a lot of research and exploration of various career options and eventually relaunched as a franchise broker.
I work from home connecting people to businesses that are a good match for them based on their investment parameters, skill sets and income and lifestyle objectives. Walking people through the steps of reinvention is very rewarding, and I wake up excited every day to help others achieve their life goals in a way that better suits them, as I was able to do.
Starting a business can provide you with a perfect way to bring your life back into balance. Business ownership — and franchising, in particular — can help you get the balance you need to achieve fulfillment in your career while managing your home. It’s a great option for someone who’s always wanted to own her own business but doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel. And women make great entrepreneurs!
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We all know that running a business takes a lot of time, hard work and commitment. In a franchise, all the details have been worked out for you. Since the system is already built for you, you don’t have to do everything on your own. This means you won’t necessarily need to put in a lot of extra hours just to get everything done. Don’t get me wrong — when your business first launches, you will be putting in long hard hours. But working for yourself makes it much easier to swallow, and those days of working your butt off will soon pay off in the ability to step back and work when YOU want to work.
Unlike independent business owners who run their business with little or no outside support, you’ll have plenty of support and guidance along the way with franchising, making it a good choice for first-time business owners.
Jane Stein is the founder of Your Franchise is Waiting, a consultancy firm for men and women exploring franchising as an alternative career path. She also wrote The Girlfriends Guide to Franchising.
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