1) You will never have time to yourself again. Like EVER.
If your child is napping, sleeping at night, or if you’re a parent who has scheduled daycare/childcare time, your free time will most likely be spent working- I spend this time answering emails, doing post production for photoshoots, planning projects, blogging, handling the backend of the business (taxes, contracts, etc) and the time that is actually spent away from a computer still plagues me with business thoughts, updating social media, etc. For me, I wake up with Calvin at 6am, he naps for two hours, and is asleep at 830pm. My husband doesn’t get home form work until 10:30pm, so it is nonstop allll day!
2) You will need to drastically reconsider how you charge for your time
Given the aforementioned, my time (or lack thereof) is now incredibly scarce and incredibly valuable. When I literally don’t even have time to feed myself or reply to a personal text message for sometimes all day, taking time to go do a complimentary consultation, have a meeting, shoot a portrait session, etc is now much more of a hardship in terms of finding the time for it. In addition to a scarcity of time, there are new costs that come up with being a parent and taking time away form your child. Getting ready, out the door, and prepping everything needed in order to leave is now a monumental task whereas before it was easy as pie. Paying for and coordinating childcare for that hour long meeting plus drive time there and back is a big cost. And getting your child to readjust after having their day completely altered (no mom = the toddler won’t nap = he wants to go to bed at 5pm = he is up at 4am for the next day) is no easy feat. You will quickly discover that you need to feel ok saying ‘no’ to much more unpaid functions, collaborations, and pro bono events, and that you will also need to reevaluate what you must charge to make leaving your house worthwhile- to cover your costs + new amount of time invested.
3) You will need to find new ways to automate and simplify your workflow
This was the year that I began hiring staff. In addition to my contracted shooting assistants, I hired a studio manager and an editor this year because there simply was no other way – and it has been AMAZING. In addition, automating and simplifying your workflows as much as possible using business management tools and software will make things so much easier and will help you to keep yourself organized and on top of your workload.
4) You won’t have the luxury of giving your time away
I used to be able to go out to dinner with clients or past clients, I used to be able to offer to photograph industry events for friends as a thank you or trade, I used to be able to go out with friends to catch up sans babies. That is just not a luxury I have anymore- with raising my child full time and still running my business which takes about 30ish hours a week, this is a time in my life where I have accepted that I just have to say no to those pro bono opportunities (with the exception of a few passion projects here and there) . If I have child-free time, it is mostly likely being spent working, maaaaybe feeding myself, and every once in a while with my husband 🙂
5) You will need to ask for help
This was a hard one. So often, the entrepreneur mindset is an ‘I can do it all + I can make it work’ mindset. We want to be self-made with a constant striving for forward momentum and growth. However, with a child (or children) you are often just barely holding the status-quo. It is OK to ask for help. It is OK to know your limits and say no. It is OK to change HOW you get help, and find more resources that can help you. In my case, I had to seek outside help from hired professionals to join my team and take over some tasks that I did not need my hands directly in to yield the same experience + results for my clients.
6) You can eat or shower, but never both
I feel like no parent needs me to explain this one.
7) You will need to be prepared to be tired all the time
This is a hard one. There is no stopping the two year old from getting out of his toddler bed at 545am after you went to sleep at 130am the night before because your husband came home and you HAD to have 45 minutes together to watch game of thrones and spend just a few minutes together for the day, after you worked on your computer writing out Saturday’s wedding timeline for an hour and album designing for two hours. I prioritize time with my family + completing business tasks over sleeping. Something’s got to give. Unfortunately sleep always seems to be the first to go. Just because you only had 4 hours of sleep doesn’t mean the tantrums will be quieter, the work will slow down, or that you will have fewer messes in your house. This one is tough.
8) You will want to redefine whats important to you in terms of business goals
If you haven’t gotten by now that time = nonexistent, perhaps I’ve lost you. No longer do you have the time to invest in doing the mediocre things that you aren’t passionate about. Because its so hard to get away and you have to budget time so carefully, now is the time to redefine what your focus is. Don’t waste your precious time pursuing aspects of your business that aren’t wither paying your bills, bringing you joy, or pushing your business in the direction you want to move. If you are taking time away from your family and giving that time to your business you better be sure that its time well spent.
9) You will need to rethink REALISTIC expectations of yourself and how you spend your time
Stop over promising yourself. Stop over scheduling your personal time. Stop setting business goals that aren’t realistic for your new life routine with a child. It is ok to scale back. It is ok to hire childcare or call on relative willing to help. It is ok to outsource areas that don’t need your personal touch. It ok to take a break from work that doesn’t pay or isn’t something you are passionate about. Your house does not need to be spotless. Set realistic expectations for yourself – follow through where needed, and let the rest go. (Like my grammar in this post…… you just gotta be ok with not proofreading so you can hit publish before naptime ends 😉 )
10) You will feel incredibly lucky to be able to spend your days with your little one while still growing your business
I can not stress this last one enough. Being a parent to a small child is incredible- there are so many challenges but each day is filled with a tiny hand holding yours, squishy cheeks to kiss, games of chase, dance parties, tickle fests, silly toddler-speak, muddy-rain-boot adventures, and so much more. To be able to spend my days with my child and still be attentive to my photography clients and capture their incredible once in a lifetime moments is something I am so grateful for and I can’t imagine having any other life. Finding a way to balance things is so SO challenging, but it is so worth it and I LOVE that I can do both.
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