Keep the Business, Keep the Home

I recently came across a video which was quite alarming but realized is something that is happening in our society. The video was about a working mother who employed a househelp and in introducing her to the duties concluded that she (househelp) should make sure she manages almost all the affairs of the house.
This communication didn’t go down well with the househelp and she interpreted her managing the home including having an affair with the woman’s husband as it seems the woman was a very busy person.
In our current world running your own business can be very very exhausting and time consuming, however there are some chores that must never be left to the househelp to attend to no matter how busy you are as a mother.In as much as the business needs you to grow, the family also needs the mother to keep it together. As mothers it is our duty to ensure we draw the line in our homes to prevent our helps from crossing the line.
Be in control of affairs and ensure even when away you have an idea what is going on in your household.
Dish out and serve your spouse yourself if not every time , most of the time.
Even with the busy schedule make time for the kids and at least spend some time with the kids and have fun with them.
In as much as you work tirelessly to keep your business, Keep the home.
A Mompreneur

Ghana Mompreneurs Club ( GMC) Launched

Mrs. Ethel Adjorlolo Marfo, Founder GMC

The first ever all mothers in business club in Ghana was launched at the gathering Mompreneurs Brunch Meeting last week Friday 10th February, 2017 at the UDS Guest House.

The well-organized programme was initiated and put together by host Mrs. Ethel Adjorlolo Marfo who is also the founder & CEO at Junior Shapers Africa.

The MC for the programme was the all gorgeous TV Host and Entrepreneur Dzifa Gray, Queen of the morning ride on Metro TV. The Guest speaker for the meeting was Mrs. Afi Amoro, CEO of Jandel Limited.

 The event started with the opening remarks by Mrs. Adjorlolo Marfo. She educated the members on the objectives and mission of the Club as well as the benefits of becoming a member, after which Dzifa Gray was introduced to us as the MC.

Q & A session with Dzifa Gray and Madam Afi Amoro

Dzifa Gray in turn also touched on some few words of encouragement in make the environment lively and get everyone’s attention to participate.

She then introduced the Guest speaker , Mrs. Afi Amoro who came to share with us her experiences and her journey as an employee and how she transitioned into starting her own journey which was an inspiring story.

Madam Afi Amoro of Jandel Ltd




Mrs. Amoro touched on the need to build strong support networks as an entrepreneur, the need to be resilient in order to be successful and the importance of making time with the family and not forgetting the God factor in all things. The words she left with us was to “Treasure our highs and learn from our lows”.

After her speech, there was a question and answer session where attendees were given the opportunity to share their experiences and ask questions.

Mompreneur Beryl of Sahara Rise Hospitality

We had individuals like the CEO of Lola’s Braiding Centre, Hottees, Sahara Rise Hospitality and Senam Foods share their experiences on their Mompreneurs journey with us.

A group of Mompreneurs seated at the meeting

In all the Ghana Mompreneurs Club as stated by the host will be dedicated to sharing information on business opportunities to its members and also provide support network for its members.

A group picture with the Guest speaker

To join the Ghana Mompreneurs club, kindly call 0244605206 for registration details.

WeMompreneurs Feature: Selasi Dzikunu, Jayset Consulting

WeMompreneurs caught with Selasi Dzikunu a mother running a business in Ghana  to tell us a bit about her life as a mother and entrepreneur. We did a short interview with her and she gave us a lot of tips on balancing the two roles.

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself?

A:  As the Co-founder of Jayset Consulting, an accounting and management consultancy firm, and currently the Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs of the firm, I am a   proven consultant with expertise and deep experience in the area of cross-channel customer experience transformation from strategy through to implementation.

I have many years’ experience covering both the technology and business processes in this area. I specialize in knowledge management, process automation, projects/programmes management, working with governments and donors, case management and business management.

I bring a deep understanding of business process outsourcing, with focus on driving a more effective customer experience through the social media enablement of marketing, sales, and customer care processes.

I have also served as the Regional Coordinator for Youth Enterprises and Skills Development Centre (YESDEC), a social intervention and innovation programme that develops the skills of young entrepreneurs, creating jobs and making jobs more accessible and actionable.

I hold a BSc. in Agric Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. I also holds an Executive Certificate in Projects Management and currently pursuing MSc. Business Psychology with University of South Wales, UK.

 Q: What does it take to be a successful working mum?

A:  In my opinion it would be Planning, Prayer and Passion

   

Q: What led to your decision to become an entrepreneur?

 A: There was a need I had identified with startups and SME’s regarding keeping their books and accounts in order. Hence I decided to find innovative ways to solve this problem.

Q: What are some of the challenges playing a dual role as a mother and entrepreneur?

A: Having to balance my time properly as mother and entrepreneur. Also having to get my children to be taken care of while I attend to business needs is quite challenging

Q: How much capital do I need to begin life as an entrepreneur?

A: It depends on what business you are beginning. You will need to prepare a business model to have a fair idea of the cost/capital you will need.

 Q: What are some of the challenges you faced starting your own business?

A: Not having mentors at the time to guide me and also not having any other source of income was stressful and a wrong decision I took.

Q: How were you handling your life as a mother and a corporate lady if you have ever worked for someone?

A: Never worked for someone before I became a mother

Q: Please tell us about what you do and how we can get in touch to patronize your products / services?

A: Jayset Consulting Limited is a bookkeeping and accounting firm located at Adenta. We provide simple bookkeeping, Taxation, Out-sourced accounting and business development services to startups and SME’s. We also provide training services to individuals and organizations. Visit our website on www.jaysetconsulting.com or drop us an email at corporate@jaysetconsulting.com we are available on all social media platforms as Jayset Consulting. Our dedicated staff are on standby to receive your calls on 0206010111/0302541565

Q:  Final words of encouragement to any mother out there struggling with combining work and house keeping.

A: Doing the two simultaneously is not easy! Surround yourself with positive people who will inspire and support you onwards. Let God be the center of every decision you take both in business and regarding the family. Finally, PRAY and PLAN ALWAYS!!!

Source: Ghana Mompreneurs Club.

How women evolved to become Mompreneurs

The responsibilities of mothers have evolved overtime to include a whole lot more aside the everyday motherhood duties at home.
Mothers are currently managing very sucessful businesses aside the motherhood duties of taking care of the home and children.
A sucessful mompreneur is one who is able to balance between all these activities at home and work and can still walk in the heels confidently not looking all stressed out.
It isnt an easy task it requires a lot of help from family especially the husband, prioritization of activities and making use of every little time.
For a Mompreneur time is very precious and is of great essence.

The Qualities of a Mompreneur can be drawn from the story of the virtuous wife in the Prov. 31:10 -31 verse:
As it says

13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her

I discovered some qualities that will make a mom successful both with her house hold duties and managing a business in this verse .
1. Focus and positivity

2. Wisdom from God and should be a critical thinker.

3. It is essential to also have a skill aside the education which is also important.

These skills have nurtured some mothers into business owners, fashion designers, Make up artists, Event planners and many more.
What skills are you planning on acquiring as a mother to be, or as a practicing mother now. There are lots of opportunities for us in Ghana and a wide untapped market for business.

Starting a business on your own as a mother helps you to also dedicate a lot of time to family duties, in any case we work to ensure the family is well taken care of. 
Ask yourself how often do yu get to spend quality time with your kids as a #mompreneur or working mother. It is essential and important.
Be part of the children’s life as they grow.
That is one great quality of a successful Mompreneur



By an Aspiring Mompreneur

Motherhood +Entrepeneur Balance Tips for Busy Mompreneurs

Most women find it very challenging managing their career , family and personal life. This is especially so if they try to fuse the two together turning them into a Mompreneur.
As a mompreneur it is ideal to work out of home as it enable you to differentiate between your personal issues and work life.
Working from home usually turns to overlap these two aspects on your life and it makes it quite difficult sometimes to balance which leaves you stressed out on daily basis.

It creates a ripple effect as you turn to take out your anger on your spouse or children which may not lead to the peaceful home successful Mompreneurs want to create.

Check out a couple of things you can do as a mompreneur to ensure balance in your work and motherhood duties.

1. Prioritze and organize your goals- You may have a thousand of things to do as a mother and entrepreneur every morning. It becomes another issue when you have so much to do but do not know what to start with leaving things undone at the end of the day.
Keep a to list or calender of things to acheive daily and this will keep you on track and measure progress

2.Socialize: Make your women’s hang out a priority. Constantly catch up with female friends who share in your goals and are equally mothers and entrepreneurs. There are a lot of opportunities in socializing and networking. Find out clubs or associations that are productive and are worth joining

3.Stay Healthy.- Dont starve yourself trying to get things done. Maintain a healthy diet  and engage in constant exercising. You can sign up to a gym class and get the opportunity of interacting with other mompreneurs. Your health is essential to keep in you shape to perform your duties as a mother, spouse and entrepeneur

4.Occasional Pamper –  Pamper yourself occasionally to do something relaxing or an activity that makes you happy. Occasional vacations is a MUST  DO for every successful Mompreneur

By An Aspiring Mompreneur

Living a Stress-free Mompreneur Life

I came across an interesting video shared by a friend this morning and decided to write on this today.
Just some few lines from the video….

If I were a young woman now I am not sure I would cope…
With all the things you have, the opportunties, the technologies..
I would like to think it will be a world of pleasure…
But I fear instead it will only be a world of Pressure….

Pressure to be the perfect mother…..
The perfect wife….
The perfect friend…..
Pressure to be successful……A boss, a leader…

Lessons learnt from this video…

1.Never allow the pressure of this life to take a toll on your life.

2. Live one day at a time and savour every moment

3. Don’t complicate your life..make everything simple. Life is not a competition

3. Be able to let go and be proud to do so

4. Spend a lot of time being who you are and not doing

5.Some moments in life can never be relived..Live every stage of life to the fullest

6. Be you and BE GREAT

By an Aspiring Mompreneur

House chores, Busy mothers

If you are a full time mother, especially one who is employed by an organization getting a grip on home management can be a very big challenge. It turns to look much convenient if you  own your own business as you allocate time to close and go to work.

There is always something to be done. Taking care of the family needs, laundry, cleaning, and undone chores that always keep staring at you in the face.

You may resort to outsourcing these chores to a house-help which sometimes may not be done, or done well if proper supervision is not given.
If kids are below 10 years, then its okay to get a helping hand its especially great if you can get a family member whom you well trust to assist you.

If the kids are old enough to help with some chores let the family work as a team and  allocate tasks to each member or work is left undone every day.

Begin by allocating very little tasks to the children to do on their own. When the task is given to the child let him or her know how important it is for that job to be done. When this is done the child begins taking pride in the task that he or she is now responsible for.

Tasks can also be shared across  the week so they do not pile up during the weekend leaving everyone grumpy and tired at the end of the day.

There are great schedules that have been shared online that mums can adopt to ensure some days are not over burdened with tasks

Trying to keep up with the household chores is not an easy task for anyone  but especially not for a working mother both a Mompreneur or an employed mum. Get a schedule, relax and involve your kids to make it worthwhile.

Father’s Role in a busy Mompreneur’s Life

For the past few days I have focused solely on how mother’s can balance their work life, de-stress themselves and as well manage time as mothers doubling up as entrepreneurs.
I haven’t forgotten the enormous role fathers also play in the life’s of these women behind the scenes to support them.
I have come across a lot of fathers who personally take it upon themselves to ensure the kids have their homework done every time.
There are fathers who also ensure the house chores designated to each child is completed by the child without excuses
Some fathers also personally support and motivate their wife’s in every business venture they decide to undertake,  financially, morally, socially.
It is healthy to have a discussion with the man of the house to help you manage both the work load and home duties. It becomes better when you have a man who understands this and is willing to be involved in both aspects of your  life as a Mompreneur.
Its great to be strong-willed and confident as a Mompreneur, but there is nothing as comforting as having a man who supports you both in your work life and duties as a mother.

No Goal. No Aim

I was introduced to the Power of Goals by Dan Miller some few days ago and I realized the bigger picture of setting goals in life.
I realized working without a plan or goal in life sometimes gets one confused and clueless. Without any set goals  there is no clear cut plan on how one actually wants to live his or her life.
This can make one indecisive and makes it easy for you to go with the flow. Without a goal any road leads to our destination in life.  For Dan Miller, goals do not only encompass our finances and career.
It covers every little aspect of our lives. His goals for each individual are broken down into FINANCIAL, PHYSICAL,PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT,FAMILY,SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL,CAREER GOALS.
Every aspect of our lives are important. It is surprising how we will take for granted certain  aspects of our lives.
If you are bent on loosing weight as a goal, list the things you would like to do on daily, weekly or monthly basis to help you achieve that goal in the long term.
Do you plan on taking walks, skipping for 30 minutes a day or just giving yourself an hour to relax. Remember wealth is difficult to enjoy if you have given up Health in the process.
How do you plan on developing yourself, how many books do you read in a month or even a year?
How much time do you spend with the family, are you always busy with no time left for yourself to even apportion time to the family.
When we set goals we turn to see a difference in our activities. We realize we are able to accomplish a lot of things and even have more time to ourselves.
”Indecision is the greatest thief of opportunity” ~Unknown~
The best time to create the future is now.
PS: Anyone who wants a copy of the Power of Goals document can inbox me for a copy. Its a great piece!!