As Homeschool CEOs, we juggle a lot of balls in the air. Let’s be real. Running a business can be challenging. Combining entrepreneurship with motherhood adds another ball to the juggling act. Then if that wasn’t enough and you’re like me, we add homeschooling to the mix. Talk about a juggling act and wearing ALL THE HATS!
As many of you know, I’ve been combining entrepreneurship and homeschooling for over 16 years so I get the juggling act. Sometimes it can feel like this:
Over the years, I’ve also had the privilege to connect with many types of Homeschool CEOs. I’ve chatted with Homeschool CEO’s who are wildly successful in business and homeschooling, as well as those who seem stuck on the struggle bus. I’ve taken notes on what worked well, and what contributed to burnout and overwhelm.
Although every Homeschool CEO is unique, I’ve noticed quite a few similarities - especially when it comes to those who are struggling. In fact, when I work with clients who are experiencing burnout or overwhelm, I often see one of these 5 most common Homeschool CEO mistakes and how to avoid them.
Copying what everyone else is doing
When you’re new to either homeschooling or entrepreneurship, it’s easy to compare yourself to others to see what they are doing. Nothing is wrong with learning from and being inspired by what they do, but this does not mean that you should copy what they’re doing.
While you may see similarities in someone else’s family, homeschool, or business, they won’t be exactly the same as yours. Just because a particular homeschool curriculum works for them doesn’t mean your kids will thrive with it too. Just because a certain marketing strategy helped them gain more clients doesn’t mean it will do the same for your business as well.
It might take you a while to figure it all out, but eventually you’ll be able to find something that works for your unique situation.
Not creating or following a system
Homeschool CEOs have a lot on their plate. There are many different things to remember, things to do, places to go, or people to talk to. The last thing you want to be is disorganized.
Being disorganized can easily leave you feeling overwhelmed from all the chaos. You will forget things, miss appointments with clients, lose important documents, and so much more. The key is to create and follow a system.
Having simple and easy-to-follow routines in place for everything – business, homeschool, and household – let’s you and everyone in your family and business know who needs to do what, including how and when to do it. This saves you a lot of time and keeps you from going insane.
Not getting the help they need
It’s natural for some of us women to think that we can do everything and that we don’t need help. While we definitely have strengths and talents, it doesn’t mean we have to take on every single little thing in our lives.
Making efficient use of your time is the smarter thing to do and this involves looking at your life and seeing what you can delegate. Need someone to look after your kids while you go on a client call? Hire a babysitter or ask your mom to babysit. Need someone to handle administrative tasks for your business. Hire a VA. There’s no shame in needing help and no shame in asking for it.
Not setting boundaries
Homeschool CEOs play a variety of different roles. We may be a wife, mom, homeschool parent, businesswoman, sister, friend, and more. These roles tend to overlap sometimes when you don’t set any boundaries and this could make balancing your life even more challenging.
We can’t be all these things all at the same time. We need to be mindful of how we spend our time and with whom. Setting boundaries, such as having an allocated time for both homeschooling and business, will allow you to really focus on certain areas and people in your life without being disturbed by anything else.
No time for self-care
For a lot of us, time for self-care is usually the first one to go when we’re trying to fit so many things into our already packed schedule. However, neglecting ourselves will only lead to exhaustion, overwhelm, and even resentment.
Remember, we can’t serve from an empty cup. Putting ourselves last won’t enable us to be our best in our marriage, in parenting, homeschooling, and running a business. Self-care is key for success and we are meant to be successful!
To recap, homeschooling and running a business can be done, and it can be done well. However, we must learn what works for us and then figure out how to follow a system for our own success. We must also be willing to make CEO decisions when it comes to delegating and setting boundaries, and we can do all of that more effectively when we make self-care a priority.
I’m curious. Have you ever found yourself making one of these five most common mistakes? If yes, you are not alone. I’ve made all these mistakes (and more) at one time or another too.
If you share one pitfall warning with a new Homeschool CEO, what would it be?
Send me a message on Instagram and let know!