Three Steps to Cutting the Umbilical Cord on your Business

Fairy Godmother, Heather Ledeboer writes: I have given birth four times.  Without fail, the umbilical cord has always been cut.  This severing act ends one part of our mother/child journey and begins another.  While we are no longer connected physically, we are indeed bonded to each other.  Over time, my children grow more independent. It is my job to see that process through in the best way I can and with as much love and wisdom possible.

In many ways, being a business owner has proven to be very similar to that process.  Learning when and how to let Mom 4 Life grow and in what ways to step back and let others step in to help has taken time.  However, cutting the umbilical cord of my business has been much different than it was with my children–It has been more of a process rather than an event.  This year I committed to do all that I could to “cut the cord” and run my business rather than allowing it to run me.

Operation “Don’t work all day” had a soft launch last fall when I first carved out an office space for myself in our home.  Given the fact that I have been a business owner since 2003, I figured it was really about time that I took control of my time and set some boundaries so that I had more time for myself and my family.  The formal implementation of my plan took shape about a month ago and I am determined to see it through.

This plan has taken much longer for me to act on than it should.  Because I enjoy what I do and have a tendency to be a perfectionist, I try to stay on top of work around the clock.   However, I have discovered that no matter how much I work, there is ALWAYS more to be done.  I have come to accept that I will never be fully “caught up”.  Every time I hit send/receive I am “behind” again.  In fact, in the area of emails, the more work I do, the more work I create for myself because most emails elicit a reply which in turn requires a reply from me and so on.  I have decided that even if I can’t be entirely caught up, I can certainly be on top of my priorities and structure my day in a way that will encourage professional progress.  Here are the three steps I have taken to “cut the cord”:

Step #1:  Set office hours

• I have a home office (that is also part of my laundry room:).  It isn’t glamorous but it has gotten my lap top off of my kitchen table which is a key part of cutting the umbilical cord to my work.
• I have worked out a schedule with my husband that allows me to work in the morning for 45 minutes while he takes my son to school and again in the afternoon for about an hour while he picks my son up from school (taking our two other children with him each time).  This has become my work time.

Step #2:  Take control of my inbox

• I have set my emails to only send (but not receive) unless I specifically hit the “send/receive” button (which I only do at the start of each work period).  This allows my responses to get out in a timely manner but prevents me from even seeing the emails that are consistently coming in.  This allows me to have an “end in sight” that I can work toward in catching up for the time being.
• I have set up an email automatic reply alerting others of my work schedule.  It says,

“Thank you for your email!  In order to spend the most time with my family (and not answering emails), I only answer emails 1-2 times a day M-F.  You can typically expect to get a reply from me in 24-48 hours.

If your need is urgent and related to Mom 4 Life you can call our toll free number 800-928-4905 and Angela (our customer service assistant) can help you.  Otherwise you can try me on my home number 208-683-3076.

Thank you for your understanding!”

This gives me peace of mind that those contacting me are not only aware of my schedule but expecting me to abide by it.  I also know that if something is urgent I have provided a way to be contacted.

• I set up a separate “personal” email account and gave it to my close friends and family members letting them know it is to be used for non-work emails.  Knowing that I won’t find work related content in these emails allows me to check this email account as desired without worrying that I will get sucked into working during non hours.  This is also the only email account that I have access to via my phone.

Step #3:  Create a system for my to-do list

• If something comes to mind during my off hours that I need to remember to do I email myself a reminder from my non work email and then breathe easy knowing that I will see the reminder the next time I sit down to work.  Another service that can be used for the purpose of sending an email to your inbox via a voice message is Jott.
• I have a spiral binder on my desk that has my to-do list.  There is an urgent and non urgent column.  Each day I check my list and make sure that the urgent list is caught up.  If I finish my emails early then I will tackle a non urgent item on my list.

Perhaps you have a cord that needs to be cut or have successfully installed your own “don’t work all day” plan.  I would love to hear what you have done or plan to do to reach your business goals this year.  Let’s run our businesses (not the other way around) together!

Heather Ledeboer, Mom4Life, Heather Ledeboer is passionate about helping other moms succeed in business. Her passion is directed at finding fantastically fresh mom invented products and offering them on her website, http://www.mom4life.com with free shipping to all US locations. She also enjoys writing on the topic of business and has a particular pet peeve about providing excellent customer service. Twitter @mom4lifecom

Announcing the Five Finalists for the Startup Princess Video Marketing Competition

We’d like to announce the five finalists for the Startup Princess Video Marketing Competition. I apologize for the delay in making this announcement, the judges needed extra time. I’m grateful I didn’t have to judge because all of the Startup Princesses did such a great job on their entries and I’d have a difficult time deciding.  I hope everyone who entered learned a lot and is encouraged to use video in their marketing and keep connecting with their audiences in this format.  Click here to see all the videos entered.

Congratulations~

Heather Ledeboer, Mom4Life.com

Justine Green, PrincessAmerah.com

Carrie Lundell ThisIsMeJournal.com

Marcel Walker, Marcel Walker Photography

Amy, LittleAlouette.com

All Finalists will be given a free ticket to the Startup Princess Annual Conference Touchpoint where the attendees will vote on for the WINNER.  They will also receive a MOZY Pro Account for 1 year, a Premium TwitJump Account for 3 months valued at $595.00 and some other fun surprises!

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If you are like me you are a bargain shopper. You love to find good deals and save money. But if you are like me you also prefer to support the little guy (or in my case “mom”) rather Read more

From Humble Wordpress Blog to Online Magazine

Once upon a time (July 9, 2006) I started a humble and simple Wordpress blog with zero budget and zero design… just a great name and a vision to make Startup Princess a world wide site for women entrepreneurs. Read more

Startup Princess Kingdom News * February 1, 2008

REMINDER: Startup Princess Networking Tea Party Feb. 13th, 6:30-8:30pm, $10 Provo Academy Library, Utah featuring Small Group Discusssions & former Mrs. Utah (2004) Cherie Burton. Cherie’s presentation will focus on presenting your most powerful IMAGE (how to look and prepare physically, emotionally and mentally for a media interview, speaking event or business meeting)…as well as “being” your best self! RSVP here.

Miss out on the fabulous 2007 Startup Princess Conference? DVD set available! 2 disc, 6 hour set featuring 14 women entrepreneurs! Click here to purchase.

Business Plan COMPETITIONS info here

Startup Princesses all over the Kingdom have Great News to Share:

Fairy Godmother Heather Allard writes: I’m proud to unveil The Mogul Mom’s new website, new prices and new eBooks coming soon! Come visit me at www.TheMogulMom.com and see how I can help YOU with your mom-owned business.

Startup Princess Emily McCormick of chic clothing company, Shabby Apple writes: We’re launching Shabby Baby, a NEW line of dresses for little girls sizes 0-6 months up to 5T. They’re super fun, funky and most importantly, different from what you can buy anywhere else. The dresses stick to our motto of being easy-to-wear (essential for kids), stylish and affordable (they’re all around $30). We’re also dedicated to giving a portion of the proceeds to help other children throughout the world by extending micro-credit loans to mothers in less-wealthy countries. People will be able to purchase dresses online (of course) or host Shabby Baby trunk shows. (Check out this adorable “Vineyard” dress! Love it!)

Fairy Godmother Heather Ledeboer of Mom 4 Life writes: We were fortunate to be chosen by BabyLegs to feature two exclusive styles. I invite everyone to stop on by and grab their limited edition BabyLegs (Pink/Orange/Red Stripe and Light Blue/Lime Aqua Stripe) while they still can!

Startup Princess Jen Davidson of SnoDaisy did an awesome interview and has been getting airtime on Park City TV! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQUKVS3SNGE[/youtube] Web traffic has spiked and we’ve been getting lots of inquires. Word is getting out! Shred on!

Fairy Godmother Mary Wilson-Burkett writes: I am working with the Orange County Entrepreneur Center to help them build a women’s networking group. The goal is to take business networking to a new level by having a group that actively coaches and mentors one another. Take a look. http://www.ocentrepreneurs.com/women/

Do you have great news to share? Comment below! We LOVE to celebrate how you’ve Made a Wish and Made it Happen!