Working mothers can always use a helping hand. That is one reason Kierstan Tucker launched Today’s Mompreneur. “Today’s Mompreneur was birthed out of the void that I felt when I was pregnant. The site offers? online resources for entrepreneurial, modern moms of young children to connect and share information that is common and useful to ambitious women who also take family very seriously,” says Tucker, who is a partner in a management company where she directs, markets and develops the careers of producers and singer/songwriters.
Today’s Mompreneur offers tips on everything from finances to babysitting. Tucker also shares with her followers her own personal journey as a mompreneur. And the community also provides an opportunity for women in similar situations to connect with one another.
One of the most important pieces of advice Tucker passes on to other women? Don’t let your children feel they are second to your career. “I make sure to spend the weekends my son; I make sure we do something really fun together either just the two of us or with some of our friends,” explains Tucker, founder/CEO of Today’s Mompreneur. “I feel it is very important that we get in that quality fun time so he doesn’t feel that he comes second to my career. We also eat dinner together every night, read a story or I make one up every night just before bed. And we say our prayers together every single night. This is important bonding time for us.”
But working moms also need to make time for themselves. “Some would say starting your day with a quick workout is the best thing to do. There’s nothing like a workout to wake you up and get you energized. Some start their day and can’t do anything until they’ve had that first cup of coffee,” Tucker points out.
And Tucker says pre-planning is key to making everything run smoothly. ?”Try to plan childcare arrangements, meetings and events in advance. Try to anticipate your business needs at least two weeks in advance so that you can avoid last-minute stresses for both you and your children that can occur when you’re scrambling trying to make last-minute childcare arrangements,” she suggests.
If you must travel for work, have a support system you can depend on. “I’m a single mom but my ex-husband has our son every other weekend, so if I ever have to travel out of town or hold meetings on the weekend, I try my best to schedule those business responsibilities on the weekends my son is with his father,”says Tucker. “Of course, if it isn’t possible I will either arrange things in advance for my son to stay with his father on the off weekend or with my sister or parents. Having a good support system really helps when it matters.”
Offering your children consistency is also very important. “To help the week run a little more smoothly, I make it a point to prepare as much as I can for the following day, the night before such as checking the weather, ironing clothes, making my son’s lunch and sometimes mine as well, deciding what breakfast will be, packing our bags and making a list of things to accomplish the next day,” says Tucker. “While the contents of my day vary from day-to-day, I try to instill some level of consistency by ending each day by reading with my son and praying with my son.”
When it’s downtime, take advantage of it, says Tucker. “After I put my son to bed, I like to try to get in a little relaxation ‘me’ time before I call it a night, that is if I don’t fall asleep with my son,” she says and laughs. Tucker admits her guilty pleasure is reality TV. “I like reality TV. Don’t judge me, it’s entertaining and allows my brain to rest and think of absolutely nothing–in a good way. However you like to unwind, it’s important to have ‘me’ time and decompress before you go to sleep so that your mind can actually ‘turn down’ and allow you to get a good, restful night’s sleep before the next day begins.”
