By: Nicole Vasco
The millennial mom can be defined by avocado toast, bulletproof coffee, raising emotionally intelligent kids, posting our lives for all to see on social media, and the side hustle. Yes, the side hustle. We work 9 to 5’s and work on our passion projects before sun up and after sun down. Some are stay at home moms, working on side hustles so they can help put our little ones in preschool. We are mamas working that side hustle to pay off the last of our college debt. All those seem super ambitious, you go mama, but for others it’s simply to afford groceries. Raising children as a millennial mom is way different than when our parents and grandparents raised children. Our dollar just doesn’t stretch as far. But that’s another conversation for another blog post. Whatever the reason is, you most likely have a side hustle.
Do you sell crafts on Etsy? Building a team in network marketing. Dabbling in affiliate marketing? Work as a virtual assistant? Blog? Drive for Uber? These days you can do just about anything to earn extra cash on the side, which is a beautiful thing for us moms.
This year we are taking our side hustles to the next level. The best way to level up in your side hustle or business is to wear the CEO hat proudly and with purpose. Don’t feel like a CEO? Let me let you in on a little secret:
You are uniquely qualified because being a mom makes you a CEO.
Being a CEO is a skill you learn with time and experience but there are some personality traits and skills that you acquire through motherhood. I’ve sometimes questioned and doubted if I could run my own blog business, if I could manage a team, if I could make significant income doing something I love and after listening to one of my favorite podcasts The Shameless Mom Academy, I realized the skills I use on a daily as a mom makes me a good CEO.
Don’t believe me? Here are 13 ways I believe being a mom makes you a great CEO.
You multitask like it’s nobody’s business. We can write an email, make a peanut butter jelly sandwich for a toddler, while breastfeeding…because you are a mom.
You can manage a household. We can manage a dinner weekly dinner menu, play dates, doctors appointment, vet visits, etc. We have an impressive command center in our brains. This management skill translates to managing people very well.
We make decisions quickly. As busy moms, we do not have the luxury of time, so we have to make decisions quickly. Decision making is very important when you are running a business and managing people.
We figure stuff out. As Marie Forleo says “everything is figureoutable (awesome book by the way). We can creatively figure out and overcome any obstacle, challenge, or problem that comes our way. I’ve witnessed this time and again, with my husband. Motherhood makes us master problem solvers.
We are better at time management. BOOM! Yes I said it. It’s true, no one can get more done in less time than a mom on a mission. We do things quickly, effectively, and efficiently.
We can negotiate like a mother! Have you tried negotiating with a toddler? And won? That takes massive CEO skills. This is a huge asset to have when leading an organization.
Motherhood gives you clarity of vision and clarity of mission. Motherhood has made it crystal clear for me why I decided to become a stay at home mom, why I decided to start a blog, and why I operate the way I do. How about you?
You are a master planner! The level of planning you are doing on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis is incredible. Bet you already planned all your little ones birthday parties for the year.
You are a Teacher, Coach, and Mentor in motherhood. And as a CEO of your side hustle, you are a teacher, coach, and mentor. You wear many hats.
You thrive in leadership during hard times. When the sh*t hits the fan and everything in your home seems chaotic, you are the calm everyone turns to for a solution, for a plan, for reassurance, and for guidance.
You are great at persuasion. As a mom, you use your gift of persuasion to not only get your toddler to eat his or her veggies and your husband to clean the backyard, but to also persuade your clients/customers to trust and believe in you.
You are agile and adaptable. Mama give yourself kudos. As a steady as the leader for your household, you do not freak out easily. A change in the schedule or plan does not shake you. Sick kiddos do not scare you. Making deadlines excites you. You have the unique ability to juggle and manage multiple hats while being flexible and adaptable to daily mom life which translates well in the business world.
You honor people’s gifts and strength. And when I say people I mean your children and your partner. You realized early on that each person in your household is different, with different strengths, different personalities, and instead of trying a one size fits all approach to getting everyone to do their part in the family, you appreciate and honor their individuality and play on their strengths to make the family function well together. As a CEO with employees you will manage different personality types all working for the greater good of your business. This skill is one of the most valued and you possess it mama.
All of these mom qualities need to be embraced and stepped into without hesitation because you are actually living these things. Like right now, you are probably reading this blog, feeding your children, and paying bills from your smartphone. Come on, I know I’m not the only mom that multitasks like that.
If you are a mom then you are living this dynamic beautiful mess of this world called motherhood and you are killing it! Kudos to you. These CEO skills come naturally to you. They are innate to your motherhood. Now you just have to apply these skills to your side hustle or your business. Same skills used for a different result.
Take some time and think about where you are playing CEO in your life. How can you own your role more? Once you’ve determined the what and the how, go make those mommy money moves I know are in you.
Xoxo,
Nicole
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