Being a mother is often a full-time job. At the same time, women still want to find fulfillment in their careers, quite apart from financial needs. Read here how family life and work can fit together when you’re self-employed, what approaches may work and where interested parents can find support.
Of course, this information is also for the fathers among you who want to combine family life and self-employment!
Lena Katharina Haspel, a mother of two who runs Haspel Coaching, has a clear view: ‘For parents, self-employment can be a real opportunity to shape work and family life on their own terms. Even in the business plan, it’s worth finding ways to bring income, childcare and partnership together. A helpful guiding question is: How can I become my own best employer?’
Working for yourself while raising a family is challenging. But some approaches work, and sometimes develop quite naturally. That was the case for Tabea Eschmann. The mother of three from the Upper Harz shared outings and experiences with her children on Instagram. She started with 89 followers on her personal account. After her first Reels (short videos) reached large audiences early in the year, her follower count soared. Her account ‘Harz_Mama’ now has more than 23,000 fans. Her first product partnerships brought in income, prompting the primary-school teacher, on parental leave, to register a small business. Her husband is also self-employed, so they can support each other fairly flexibly. What will happen to Harz Mama after parental leave? Tabea will continue her passion for the Harz in her free time and remain active as Harz Mama. As her motto says: ‘Turn your dreams into new goals.’
Mothers (or fathers) considering self-employment alongside caring for their family need creativity. The business model must fit their current stage of life. One option is to team up with others. Someone wanting to run a breakfast café, for example, might find like-minded people to put the idea into practice together. When several parents work together, opening hours and family needs can be coordinated.
An alternating care arrangement, in which childcare time is divided evenly, can also be an opportunity for single parents. For Katrin Streich of Pura Vidya, this arrangement is what makes it possible to pursue her career this way. ‘I devote myself alternately to my family and my clients 100 percent,’ she explains. ‘Thanks to precise planning and absolute reliability from both parents, we’ve found an excellent way to combine family and work.’
Mothers who want to put their ideas into practice can find support from, among others, the Goslar District Family and Business Competence Center and the adult education center’s networking meeting for self-employed women.
