As a blogger, I walk the tightrope of personal disclosure. I want to share my life and lifestyle with my readers, to show that there is a real, live woman typing these words. But too much personal information dilutes the message of my company. This is something plenty of other bloggers struggle with, so you’ve probably read about it before. Still, when personal life intersects with business (and whose life, at some point, doesn’t?) I feel explanations are warranted, especially when it causes an almost year-long absence.
The last post I made was the announcement that I was expecting another little girl. Barely two weeks later, I unexpectedly became a single mother. Without going into detail, I will say that my entire world was turned upside down as my marriage reached a violent end. Necessity required I close the shop while I moved across the country, cared for K, and spent the remainder of my pregnancy on bed rest. Baby M joined us more than a month early and it is only by a series of miracles that she is the blossoming little flower she is today.
Thankfully, my family has given me the constant support I need to focus on my children’s wellbeing, but now I return to my work with a renewed desire and more than a little need, now that I am the sole provider of my household.
Goodness, it sounds daunting.
What do you do when the world your knew shatters?
Well… if you’re like me, you grab a bottle of glue and get to work putting the pieces back together. No matter how enormous the task may seem.
Motherhood is job in itself. Throw in the expectations of society, the realities of a situation, and the needs of yourself as well as your children… well, I can only say that I’m very grateful for certain modern inventions.
And I’m grateful to those who offer support. Women have an incredible amount of resources available to them. For entrepreneurs, business funding is available. The Small Business Administration is built specifically for (you guessed it) small businesses. They also offer advising, which is great if you don’t know where to start. Appointments are available on a county basis and hours depend on location.
I went to the SBA when I was getting started in AZ to find out the rules to be legal in a new state. After being gone for two years, I came back to my SC branch for the same reason. In addition to making sure you’re legal, they can offer local resources for other business help. I got some great contacts for photography, website help, and accounting. Best of all, everyone is local.
Other Resources I Use
I find myself without enough hours in my day, so time management is not just an idea, it’s an essential. I make a lot of lists. Sometimes I lose those lists. Rather than wasting time searching for papers, I use my phone for note-taking. Bear is a FABULOUS app for keeping my notes in order. While I’m not a fan of hashtags, I love that I can use them in Bear to organize my lists without moving them around in folders. Then I can search my tags, get my notes, and move on. (This is great when I also am dictating twenty notes that don’t match. Word vomit still gets organized!)
I also make the most of ebanking, business apps, and my writer app…although I promise I will still be just as bad at posting to social media as I ever was. I love my timer and clock apps and make use of them to set reminders so everything gets done.
I’m not perfect, but I’m making progress in this new life of ours. I know I’m going to get better at it, and I know my girls and I will come out stronger.
What do you to tackle tasks? How do you get through the challenges life gives you? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Love always,
