Can I Start a New Business When Pregnant?
Most working moms dream of starting their own businesses at some point. The opportunity to open a new company can come even when you are pregnant or when trying to get pregnant. As such pregnancy does not prevent you from working or starting your own business.
If you have a business idea that you want to launch, go ahead and be an entrepreneur. You can successfully start and run a new business when pregnant and after you have delivered your newborn.
No one should make you think you are crazy for quitting work and starting your own business when expecting a baby. Yes you may face a few challenges but running your own business during pregnancy is very possible and doable. It is not a risky or reasonable move. You can have a baby and run a successful business.
Read: Do this before Quitting Work for Self Employment
When to Start Business when Pregnant
You can start running your company at any point in your pregnant. It could be the first trimester after learning you are pregnant or at, 5,6 or 7 months. Even when you are close to delivery at 8 or 9 months you can embark on your journey to start and manage your own business.
Therefore you should not wait on setting up your company because you are pregnant or just before getting pregnant. There is no need to wait to pursue the dream of running your own business. An business opportunity may not wait till for you to deliver your baby.
Challenges of Starting a Business when Pregnant
Starting a new business is itself a challenging process. Coupled with the dynamics of pregnancy, managing a new business when pregnant can be even more challenging and overwhelming.
Some of the challenges that pregnant mom face in their entrepreneurship journey included;
- Difficult finding the right business- you need to get the right fit considering your status that will allow you to balance family and work.
- Poor time management- given the commitments needed by the pregnancy, the oncoming delivery and caring for a newborn may lead to a time crisis for the mom. Having too much to do may case some aspects to be abandoned or neglected.
- Setting up a smooth transition- because of the need to break from the business to deliver the baby most pregnancies are faced with challenges to laying out a smooth transition to ensure adequate and competent personnel handling the business to avoid it closing down.
- Financial strain- Starting and running a new business requires quite a heavy fund which is also dependent on the type of business. In addition to the business need, you have to think of health costs, delivery costs, new born care costs, child care and other costs that are needed. As such with an adequate setup initially the period can be too overwhelming for the pregnant moms.
- Emotional health- handling a new business while pregnant can get too overwhelming and stressful. Pregnant moms are already vulnerable and this exposure makes them even more more prone to stress. As such you may face challenges in addressing and managing stress both from work and personal life.
How to Successfully Start & Run Business when Pregnant
Step 1: Choose a Favorable Niche/Market for your Company
Choosing a good and profitable niche is a very important first step towards a successful new venture for pregnant working moms. To make the new venture successful, you need to carefully choose your niche and market.
Specifically because you are pregnant or about to deliver, you need an industry that will allow you flexibility, and balance family and work. Some of the family-friendly industries you should consider starting a business in include consulting, retail sales, tech , fashion, events and decor among others.
Such fields will make it for you to manage the transition from being employed to being self-employed. Also, the right niche and industry will give you time to take care of yourself during pregnancy and once your baby arrives. In addition it will be easy to manage the business remotely as you near getting back to work.
Avoid industries that will require too much of your time and energy. Some industries such as delivery, construction, software development and farming among others may be too hard to start a business in when you are expecting a child.
Read: Mom-Friendly Niches and Industries to Start New Businesses
Step 2: Develop a Business Plan for your New Business
Once you have figured out the market and the niche that you want to target with your new company, you need to develop a business plan. It is important that you are able to create a solid plan as it is the blueprint for your business. You will need to refer to its details to ensure you remain on course and aligned with your mission and vision.
The business plan should describe the business, the products that your new company will offer, a model of how you will make money, how you will market the products, how your business will operate, the personnel you need, the competitors, and eventually how much money you need to start and run a new business.
Step 3: Raise Money for Funding the Business
For you to start and run a business, you will need a heavy financial backup. Because you are already pregnant you will need even a strong financial base because of baby and delivery-related costs. It will be a while before your business starts making returns.
Having financial security is important in successfully starting a new business. As such the first thing to do is to set up your financial safety net. This step involves setting a target of the amount that will cater to your personal and business costs.
Once you know how much you need to rise to open and run your company for at least six months, devise strategies for how you will raise this money. You can save towards this from your salary. Alternatively, you can secure a loan that will finance the business or get assistance from your partner.
Step 4: Quit your Job and Launch your Business
In this step you will actualize what you have laid down in your plan. Once your business plan is ready, it is time to run it. Look at what your operational plan guides you on and gets things running.
It is also time to quit your job so that you can fully commit your time and other resources to your new business. Some of the things to do at this stage include;
- Secure the funds
- Acquire and set up your new office
- Employ needed employees
- Develop/buy products, etc,
- Launch the new business
All these are very possible and doable even when heavily pregnant.
Read: How to Quit your Job when Pregnant
Expert Tips on Managing New Business with Pregnancy or New Born
1. Get a Support System
Have a strong support system in place. It could include your partner, family, and friend. They will help you navigate the transition to running and managing a new business when pregnant. In addition they will come in handy when you go to deliver as when running the business with an infant.
2. Get an Alternative Source Of Income
Get a source of income to use between quitting your job and when your new business successfully starts making money. It takes at least 6 months or an one year before your new business can make a return.
Therefore you will need an alterative source of income or funds for taking care of pregnancy, delivery related costs, new born costs as well as running the funds. It is at this point that the funds created earlier comes in handy to navigate these challenges.
3. Hire Competent Employees
Acquire competent employees and train them on your chores. While you have started your business while pregnant, its continuity and success are important even when you take maternity leave. To ensure that your new company is successful you need to acquire and train competent personnel now.
It is very important for ensuring that your business will not stop because you have proceeded to deliver your child. They will keep the business afloat until you are back from maternity leave. Further they will ease you from handling a newborn to running the company.
4. Train Employees for Succession
Let your employees know how to handle your chores so that your new business does not stall once you take leave after delivery. Delegate as much as possible for your business. Anything you can automate or give someone else is key.
Also, write an operation manual your employees will have as a reference book if you are not available. Create an actual step-by-step guide to how everything works now or when on maternity leave. It will be very crucial to make your small business a success without stalling because you are heavily pregnancy or nursing a small child.
5. Outsource and Delegate Household Services
You need help with household chores so that you can focus your time and energy on your company. Successfully starting and managing a new business when pregnant is time-consuming and draining. You need help with keeping your home in order.
It especially comes in hand in saving time so that you can divide the rest for family, business , friends and self.
Read: Top Services Working Moms Should Outsource
6. Practice Self-care
You need to take good care of yourself. Eat right, get adequate sleep, and exercise when you can. You need your body and mind to be in good shape so that you can focus on your company.
Managing the stress if a pregnancy or new born can be too overwhelming. Always remember to take a few minutes to yourself no matter where you are to decompress. Doing this is crucial in making your new business a success.
7. Plan for Adequate Maternity Leave
Do not deny yourself the time to heal and recover once the baby arrives. Take as much time as possible on maternity leave as you need and your business can allow. You can successfully plan this by putting systems and routines in place that allow your new business to run successfully while you are away.
When all these are set up, you can easily take as much time as needed and your business will continue running without challenges.
8. Save for Maternity Leave
To take adequate time in maternity leave, you need to start saving towards this. If your business does not break even by the time you are going for leave you will not have an income. Therefore starting saving early allows you to take more time when you need it.
9. Lay the Groundwork for your Business Now
Start laying the groundwork for your new business now when pregnant. Your employees should know what to expect and what is expected of them. Start training your staff to do those tasks only you can do, and start that now. Doing so will make your new company successful despite being pregnant and expecting a baby soon.
10. Remote or Work Virtually when Possible
If your business allows you to work remotely do so. Take time to work from home or virtually to give you more flexibility in managing your business while pregnant. doing so ensures that your business need not close after you have gone for maternity leave.
Remote or virtual work will allow you to stay in touch with your business even when you are on maternity leave. Be frank with employees about what you’ll be able to do, what you can’t, and what will be different during maternity leave.
11. Plan for Reliable and Affordable Childcare
Get reliable and affordable childcare in advance. Starting and running a business when pregnant means at some point you will need childcare. your business does not need to close you are now stuck at home with you new born.
Now is the time to plan for your childcare in order to ensure you will be back to your business after maternity leave.
