5 Ways To Balance Working From Home When Your Kids Are There

When you’re a work at home mum it can be hella hard to find that elusive balance between entrepreneurship and motherhood, especially when your children are on school holidays. Trust me, I know.

It’s important to embrace finding ways to strike YOUR perfect balance ’cause what works for me, won’t necessarily work for you.

And that’s why I’ve brought today’s guest onto the podcast today because she’s managing the balancing act of being an entrepreneur and homeschooling!

Today’s guest is Serena Ryan!

Serena is an entrepreneur and homeschooling mama living in the tiny state of Delaware in the US, that values freedom and family time. She left her nursing career to help her husband with their business and to stay home with their boys. She simultaneously became passionate about all things online marketing and homeschooling. Serena and Andy are Launch Coaches that run a group coaching program called, “Let’s Launch”.

In 2017 she also decided to take her passion for homeschooling and create “The Confident Homeschooler” to empower and encourage other parents that want to get started homeschooling but are completely overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin.

During this episode, Serena is going to dive into why she chose homeschooling, how she manages the balancing act of being an entrepreneur and homeschooling, her best tips for toddlers/young children to play/learn independently and how to successfully run a beta launch.

Let’s get into it!

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

>> [0:33] Working from home with children at home doesn’t have to be difficult! It’s important to find the ways that work for you ‘because what works for me, won’t necessarily work for you.

>> [1:32] Today’s guest is Serena Ryan! Serena is an entrepreneur and homeschooling mama living in the tiny state of Delaware in the US, that values freedom and family time. She left her nursing career to help her husband with their business and to stay home with their boys.

ABOUT TODAY’S GUEST:

>> [2:13] In 2017, Serena also decided to take her passion for homeschooling and create “The Confident Homeschooler” to empower and encourage other parents that want to get started homeschooling but are completely overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin

>> [2:53] During this episode, Serena is going to dive into why she chose homeschooling, how she manages the balancing act of being an entrepreneur and homeschooling, her best tips for toddlers/young children to play/learn independently and how to successfully run a beta launch.

>> [4:40] Serena left her career as a registered nurse because she wanted to be home with them so badly. She got thrown into the entrepreneurial life with her husband.

WHAT DOES SERENA MEAN WHEN SHE SAYS “ONLINE LAUNCH”?

>> [6:55] A launch is an event when your product is available for purchase! Whereas a full online launch is the process and marketing plan that occurs before, during, and even after opening the “doors” to your product, whether that be a mastermind, group coaching, a membership site, a course, or other offer.

>> [8:50] We have several ladies in our Inner Circle Mastermind who start planning their launches waaaay in advance.

WHY DID SERENA CHOOSE HOMESCHOOLING

>> [9:38] Serena is definitely an unlikely homeschooler who never in a million years thought she’d be doing the same thing. For her family, their biggest reason for homeschooling was freedom and flexibility.

>> [11:49] Since beginning this journey, it has also opened Serena’s eyes to what education means to her and all of the other unconventional ways to instill a love of learning in your children.

>> [12:45] Everyone has their own reason for wanting to homeschool. I think it is important to have a family vision and decide if homeschooling matches that vision.

• What is best for YOUR family?
• What is your reason for homeschooling?

HOW DOES SERENA MAKE HOMESCHOOLING WORK?

>> [15:36] You can’t have high-expectations. You have to be flexible. Serena and her husband are no masters at homeschooling and working from home, but she has found a nice balance.

• When they were toddlers it was definitely a bit more difficult as they are less independent and most work was completed during nap times.
• Serena and her husband are fortunate that they both work from home so they are able to share responsibilities and when one of them has a call, the other spends time with the kids.
• When they both have calls to be on, they set the boys up with work to do, a project, a learning app, a TV show, and a snack.
• They have created rhythms in their days and the boys have a good understanding that when mommy and daddy have “work”, they play and keep busy.

>> [19:42] Having a good support system definitely helps. There is also the option of hiring a nanny, babysitter part-time as well. Just because you’re a homeschooling mum, doesn’t mean you have to do everything on your own.

>> [21:22] You need to practise self-care. And make sure you are prioritising your mental health.

HOW DOES BALANCING WORKING FROM HOME WHILE HOMESCHOOLING 

>> [22:40] Have fun with them and interact with them in the morning, so they

>> [23:24] Serena loves the concept of a “morning basket” or “learning basket”. Each week she will fill it with new books, new games, puzzles, crafts (not necessarily new… more or less things they haven’t played with/seen in awhile) and they would know that for the next ‘x’ amount of time, they can stay busy with anything in that basket.

>> [24:04] Legos and hot wheels have always been great in our home of boys. As well as puzzles and board/ card games.

>> [25:42] Online games such as ABC Mouse, Teach My Monster to Read, and Education.com are great for homeschooling mums. Also if you’re a tablet family, “Epic” is a wonderful app with a ton of kids books children of all ages can enjoy.

UNDERSTANDING BETA LAUNCHES

>> [28:27] “BETA” comes from software when a program goes from internal testing to external testing, but it’s not yet ready for the public. Serena and her husband recommend doing a beta launch if it is your first launch of a new product/ offer. The biggest goal of a beta launch is to prove the concept and ensure people want what you are selling.

>> [30:31] The perks of a beta for you are that you have a group of your ideal client going through your program first that will be giving you feedback and helping you formulate the best offer. They also give great testimonials at the end that you can use for your next launch. The perks for your “founding members” is that they get a program catered to them at a lower cost, with more coaching and attention from you.

>> [30:45] 3 Tips to help someone have a “successful beta launch”:

• Do not create the course or program ahead of time. You can provide the deliverables, expectations, and an outline of what will be covered but wait to create the content as you go along, using the feedback from your founding members. This will help you make sure people will buy it first so that you don’t waste time creating a product no one wants.
• Be very clear on your ideal client for this offer. Think of your dream client that can benefit from your offer and that you will enjoy working with.
• Make a list of low-hanging fruit of those you know personally, maybe on your social media platforms or email list, that would be perfect for this offer. If possible, approach these individuals with a 1:1 voice message, email, video message, or other appropriate contact to let them know you would love to have them be a founding member for your new beta.

WRAP UP

>> [35:52] Serena would love for you to reach out and connect with her! You can connect with Serena on Instagram on either of her accounts @theconfidenthomeschooler & @serena.ryan. You can also check Serena out via her websites either www.andyandserena.com & www.theconfidenthomeschooler.com.

>> [37:42] Sometimes as mothers we can feel like business just isn’t possible for us when we have children in our care full-time, but it comes down to expectations and prioritising self-care. You need to use your values to determine what being a good mum means to you.

CONNECT WITH SERENA:

Website: Launch Biz: www.andyandserena.com & The Confident Homeschooler: www.theconfidenthomeschooler.com
Instagram: @theconfidenthomeschooler & @serena.ryan

CONNECT WITH ME:

Web: www.mumswithhustle.com
Facebook: @Mumswithhustle
Instagram: @mumswithhustle
Twitter: @MumsWithHustle
Biz Club: MWH Biz Club

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