Do you have what it takes to be a mompreneur?

At one time or another, most of us have thought about being our own boss. The freedom to work the way you want, the excitement of doing what you love and control over your future are very attractive benefits of self-employment. Doing all this while raising a family is very doable, it all comes down to time management. Do you have what it takes?

Currently, there are 800,000 women business owners in Canada and the number of women-owned businesses is growing 60 percent faster than those run by men. Since 1995, there has been a 50% increase in the number of self-employed women in Canada, and one million Canadian women will own a small business by 2010, this according to a report released by the CIBC, “Women Entrepreneurs: Leading the Charge“. Today, about 80 per cent of these women owned businesses are mothers.

What’s it like to be an entrepreneur? You can make your own decisions, set your own schedule, work with people you actually like, create your ideal lifestyle and enjoy the sheer satisfaction of doing something you love. However, self-employment is not for everyone. It’s a life full of twists and turns, long hours, uncertainties, and endless multi-tasking. Before you plunge, test the waters with these exploratory steps:

Take Training. Entrepreneurship programs will help you understand what’s involved in running a small business.
Day in the Life. Arrange to job shadow an entrepreneur for a few days to make sure it lives as well as it reads.
Get Tested. Online self-assessment tools will explore your aptitude for entrepreneurship.
Be Paid to Prepare. Before launching into your own business, take a job in that industry. You’ll make valuable contacts, understand the competition, wire into customers and make sure the work truly suits you.
Identify your Passion. Most entrepreneurs don’t do it for the money; explore a business idea that combines your personal passion with marketplace opportunity.

In Canada, there’s plenty of strong support for entrepreneurs from educational institutions, business associations, non-profit and for profit organizations and all levels of government. Search out resources, such as training, mentoring programs, loans, grants, workshops, conferences, peer groups and online communities in your area to help you learn about entrepreneurship.