It is not easy managing a business and being a parent to two young kids. 

This is especially so during their pre-school closure days or when they fall ill, which means our kids will be staying at home while it is technically still a business/working day.

Some tips on how to best juggle managing a business and taking care of young kids:

Have a great partnership with your spouse

Since we do not have the luxury of having helpers take care of our kids, all the parenting load has to be borne by either myself or my wife. Concessions and accommodations will have to be made especially when there are important business calls to attend while still having to take care of the kids. Lay out your respective work schedules in advance and discuss how to work around the limited time and resources you have. Determine what items can be postponed and what items are unchangeable and from there, simply prioritise and work around it. Empathy and cooperation is key.

Create a nimble and flexible work environment

Yurica operates on a work-from-home arrangement and all our meetings are virtual. Meeting timings are flexible, meaning we can work around whatever unforeseen situations might arise and reschedule if necessary. As our business is largely e-commerce based, we are not bound to physical locations, which allows me ample flexibility for parenting duties as well. When you have young kids to take care of, it is very important for the business to be nimble and flexible.

Maintain an optimistic and positive outlook

There is nothing more demoralising than a negative family atmosphere, as this will affect every aspect of your life, including your running of the business. So, despite the stress and tiredness, always strive to maintain a cheerful outlook as this positivity will have a great impact on your entire family, and in turn motivate you to want to do better in all areas. 

Wrapping up

At the end of the day, there is no magic solution to juggling a business and being a full-time parent. I’m not going to lie - it is extremely difficult. My wife and I struggle with this all the time due to our limited time and energy (and sleep), and we do our best to get by. 

It comes as no surprise to anyone that things like time management and maintaining a positive outlook are the keys to juggling things well, but also, do remember that your kids are only young once, so despite the challenge of taking take of them at this young age, we should cherish these growing years while we still can.

Here is a little insight on how we take professional product photos for YURICA essentially for FREE if you are interested :)

Best Regards,

Jeremy