How to grow your business if you’re a work at home parent
One of the many challenges of running your own business is how do you grow it? This is especially true for those of us who run our own businesses whilst working from home.
Working from home is comfortable and easy, it avoids the commute, and you’re never two feet from the kettle. But it can be lonely and difficult for those of us who thrive on meeting people, hustling for new business, and needing to meet people for the business the grow.
However being a work at home parent doesn’t mean that you need to be confined to a desk in the corner of your living room, your kitchen island or the sofa. There are in fact so many ways that you can grow your business, and here’s how you can do it.
By the power of social media
You can pretty much do anything with social media these days, and you can certainly use it to grow your business. Make sure that you have your business set up on every platform relevant for you. If your business is creatively focused you should be across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Your bio should be relevant to what your business does and how it can help your customers. Last but not least it should link through to your website.
Your content can then show your audience what you do in the form of images and copy. Remember that imagery is key as people want to see exactly what it is your business offers.
Not only can social media be used to promote your business to drive awareness, you can also use it to talk to potential customers and other like minded people who may give you support to push you and your business to the next level.
Go wild at networking
This may seem daunting, yet it doesn’t need to be. Once you’ve done it once, you can do it again. There are loads of networking groups out there. Find one that is relevant to you and your business. Some networking events are small and focus on particular topics, whereas others may be much larger.
Before you attend have your elevator pitch in your mind – this is your 15 seconds to tell people exactly what your business does. Don’t be scared about this and remember to practise it at home beforehand.
Attending a networking event is one way to escape the house, and it’s also a way to meet people who you could collaborate with, who may support your business, or who may provide your business with work opportunities. You really never know what may arise from networking until you dip your toe in the water.
Take advantage of shared office space
Working from home has it’s advantages; you can wear what you want, you can eat when you want, and you can work when you can. But it is easy to feel isolated and also to feel that you’re not a proper worker. To overcome this feeling you could leave your sofa desk behind and rent a desk in a shared office space or a co-working space. Signature Works; a shared office space in Liverpool allows you to do just that. You register for membership and then you can enjoy either a hot desk, dedicated desk or private office.
This is a great way to meet other work at home parents, freelancers and even other businesses, that can help to grow your own business, remove that feeling of loneliness and stop you from procrastinating down the Instagram rabbit hole.
Promote your business at the school gates
Last but not least one of the fundamental ways to grow your business is to shout about what you do at the school gates with other parents. Don’t be afraid of doing this. It can sometimes seem daunting talking about yourself, but this really is one of the best ways to find work opportunities. You really never know who that person knows, or what opportunities they know about it. As a freelance social media manager my two clients have come about from doing the hustle.
Keep talking, keep shouting about what you do, and the opportunities will start to become apparent.
So those are just four ways that you can grow your business if you’re a work at home parent. It is a privilege to work at home, and often we do it to have greater flexibility around our childcare, but don’t let that stop you from getting out and about. It’ll also help you to regain some sanity especially if you choose to work alongside like minded people within co-working offices to rent in Liverpool.
If you’re a work at home parent how do you grow your business?
Claire x
Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post with Signature Works.
2 Comments
Jim Allen
Thanks for the tips.
I like your suggestion about visiting a coworking space to help meet other entrepreneurs and to also give yourself a change of scenery.
Another suggestion is to start a blog in your area of expertise and publish regularly. It’s a great way to establish authority for your business as well as serve as a low-cost marketing channel.
Kyra Rodriguez
Social media really helps a lot in your business! Great tips though! Try to learn how SEO works too, it’s a big help too!