As the founder of Twiniversity.com, and mom of seven-year-old twins, moms often ask me,”I have a great idea for a business, but how do I get started and balance it with my family duties?”  So below is my short list, on how to make it work. I hope you find it helpful.

If you started your own business and have ideas for your fellow moms, please post your comments below so we can all benefit from your pearls of wisdom.
Five rules for moms starting their own businesses:

#1. “It’s only too late if you don’t start now.” This goes for business, diets, family, and really can apply to anything that you want to do. Don’t wake up tomorrow and say…”Ahh it’s too late to do xyz.” It’s NEVER to late. So if you have an idea, see if you can make it fly.

#2. “Work your passion.” If you start a business you only half enjoy, you will only put half your effort into it. But, if you build a business around something that you are passionate about, you will dedicate yourself to it and be proud to share it with the world. Anything from baking to beading, can turn into a business, you just have to love what you do.

#3. “Do it right.” Start off with a website, a paypal account and even an LLC (Limited Liability Company) if you can swing it. One of the first things you should do is come up with a business name and see if the domain name is available for it. GoDaddy.com is one the cheapest domain name registry’s around and also has a great website builder tool.

Initially Twiniversity was supposed to be Twin University, but here in New York State, I couldn’t call it that since we are not an “accredited educational institution”. We found this out when applying to become an LLC and I’m glad we did. It would have stunk to do all that work only to have to change our name in the end. You can become an LLC for less than $100 dollars on websites like Legalzoom.com. It pays to do everything right the first time around.

I'm a Post-It addict. Can you tell?

#4. “Just wing it.” Do you really think that the best businesses were planned with outlines, marketing plans, media kits, and all their ducks in a row? Absolutely not. With Twiniversity, I just closed my eyes and clicked “send” and invited everyone I knew. It was thought out in the sense of what I knew what my vision was, but since I had never started a business before, everyday brought new challenges and I just did/do whatever I could to tackle ‘em.

#5. “Roll with it Baby. Like most moms, our families comes first. This means, sick days, snow days, and time off for holidays. Be realistic when setting your “work schedule.” Oh, did I mention you should set a work schedule. Don’t think to yourself, “Ahhh, I’ll just work when I can.” Try your best to set a definite work schedule, at least a few days a week. HOWEVER, don’t forget to include the days off you need for your kiddos and family. They come first. In part, that’s why your doing this to show your kids that everyone can live their dream, right?

I am a very proud small business owner and my family is proud as well. My kids tell everyone that “Mommy works for us.”  My kids think that at Twiniversity, all I do is talk about them, and you know what?! They are right in part, of course. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be a mother of twins, let alone start a business helping other families that are in the same boat. You never know where life will take you.

Just get ready for the time of your life and hold on tight!

Did you start your own business? Link to it here and tell the world about it.