This guest post was written by Leslie Campos, Well Parents

With a bustling online world, there are countless opportunities for people to break away from the office and work from home. As a stay-at-home mom, this allows you to care for your kids while pursuing your passion and earning some extra income. If you’ve always wanted to start your own business, here are four steps to make your dream a reality, courtesy of Adapt2Digital.

Decide on a Business Model

There are several business models you can consider for your home business, several of which allow you flexibility as you juggle multiple responsibilities. For instance, you start a career as a freelancer, pursuing a field you love, such as photography, blogging, or tutoring.

If you have a passion for baking, you make significant income selling your desserts. You can also put your organization skills to practice as a work-from-home event planner or offer services in information technology or computer development.

Develop Your Brand

A unique, strong brand is essential for understanding your business’s identity and convincing others to purchase your products or services. Every brand consists of the following pieces:

●        A catchy business name

●        A unique logo

●        Consistent colors and fonts

●        A mission and vision

●        Fluid messaging across all platforms

If you don’t have an art background, consider hiring a graphic designer to help put together the initial brand guide. Some companies can even help you draft your mission and vision statements and create a content guide you can use in any marketing or blogging.

Create a Marketing Strategy

Once you’ve officially started your business, with a strong brand identity in place, the next step is to market your product or services online. As a stay-at-home with a never-ending to-do list, you likely don’t have the time to promote your business yourself. Not to mention, it takes a great deal of expertise to create a successful marketing strategy.

To make a big splash in the digital world, you should team up with a digital marketing company that can take care of social media marketing for you, which can include a combination of paid advertisements and organic content across multiple platforms. You can often find an established social marketing professional by searching through online job platforms. Read each description and make a note of the cost of hiring, any reviews, the expected timeframe, and included services before making a decision.

Also, to make the most of the opportunity of the digital world, you can team up with a digital age mindset company like Adapt2Digital.

Schedule Time for Your Family

Being a stay-at-home mom while running a business under your own roof may seem like a dream come true, but it can be incredibly difficult to balance both responsibilities when there isn’t a definitive line between work and home life. Help make the transition smooth for the whole family by scheduling time away from work.

Some people find working during off-hours when children are asleep allows for the most productivity. However, the CDC stresses the importance of getting enough sleep yourself when you depend on this type of schedule. Plan on incorporating several breaks into your day, both for spending time with your family and taking time to rest or do something you enjoy. Schedule outings at least a couple of days a week, whether to the grocery store, park, or gym, to help you and your family get some much-needed time out of the house.

With realistic expectations and a game plan in place, you can start your new business without having to give up spending precious moments with your kids at home. Have the courage to take a leap and turn your passion into a career you love.