Super Charge Your Way Through Mompreneurship with Johanna Sanchez

The term Mompreneur has been in popular use since 1994, according to our Super Charge Sunday Guest Johanna Sanchez, Founder and CEO of Local Mom Box. A mompreneur is a mother who at the same time is an entrepreneur. The irony is that an entrepreneur is the mother of her business, as the business requires similar nurturing and guidance as a child would. In the discussion, Johanna shared great insights and six tips for mompreneurs to assist in the journey of entrepreneurship or mompreneurship. In celebration of Mother’s Day, we examine the impact of mothering not only your children, but yourself, and most definitely, your business.

Johanna used the acronym of M.O.T.H.E.R. to highlight the six tips:

1. M – Me Time

Make time for yourself to nurture yourself like you would nurture your child or your business. Despite having a busy schedule filled with demands of hearth and home, remember to take care of yourself and reserve time for you. It could be as simple as doing your nails, pampering yourself, reading a book you enjoy, or doing nothing if that is what you want to do. This helps to relieve pressure and can act as a reward for all your hard work. You deserve time to celebrate you – everyday!

2. O – Outside Time

Take a break and go outside in nature to breathe fresh air and to keep grounded. As the mother of three sons including a set of twins, Johanna notes that kids are observant and do not have a concept of time and because they tend to be low to the ground, they notice things and bring them the attention of adults. Children know how to appreciate the little things. Some tips for enjoying nature include hiking on trail walks, going to the beach to detox, or go camping – but with the amenities – “glamping”! 

3. T – Time is priceless

The following quote by Harvey MacKay summarizes the essence of time: “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” This emphasizes how essential it is to be mindful of all that we do with time so it is well accounted for throughout the day. From her time as an elementary school teacher, Johanna realized the value of routines and schedules. Students want to know what is expected and what is coming up next, as it helps them to thrive and have a sense of purpose and clarity. To keep her household on schedule, Johanna developed the side-by side schedule to map out what everyone is doing in parallel time. This creates parameters and structure. She encouraged that we are to beware of time wasters, such as aimlessly scrolling through social media without imposing a cutoff time and wasting time looking for things. Also, by not planning, we waste time as well. For example, taking the time to plan things such as meals, workouts, cleaning, and making time on your schedule to PLAN, saves tremendous time. One tip is to set a timer to track how much time you spend on various activities like social media. Make the distinction between content creation, marketing posts, and strategic networking, versus just scrolling. Know what is the purpose and what is important and what is not. By being organized and by grouping like things together, save time. Knowing that it takes time to manage your time, we can better make use of this priceless asset.

4. H – Help!

Ask for it and know when you need it. In order to accomplish more in less time, it is essential to delegate as much as possible and to get in to the custom of doing that early in your business. Also, take people up on their offers for help and express gratitude for the help they provide – whether it be family members of friends.

5. E – Energize properly

In order to be able to super charge anything, you have to fuel your body with the right types of food – fruit and vegetables. For busy mompreneurs, being able to make shakes nd smoothies capture the nutrients needed while be a quick way to make sure you are being well fueled. In addition to good food and a healthy diet, Johanna shared the “20-20-20 rule” – for every 20 minutes take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away. This creates a shift of perspective and gives your body a chance to take a break and refocus. Keeping your body active and getting daily exercise is fundamental to keeping energized – make it fun (like my Bhangra dancing!) and give yourself incentives, like a special treat (like a new fun-colored lipstick!!)

6. R – Recharge

Get your sleep. It is as simple as that. Have a wind down routine at the end of the day to help you relax and to prepare to transition to a relaxed mode. Some ways you can do this is to get the Calm app which provides stories that can lull you to sleep, listen to soothing music, wear a night mask, and use blackout curtains. Make sure you have a dark room to improve sleep. Keep a notepad and pen by your nightstand to capture any thoughts of inspiration as a repository for your thoughts. But whatever you do, make sure to get to bed and get consistent rest. Sweet dreams!

Here you have six tips on how to be a successful Mompreneur who can navigate the balance between both family and business.

Happy Mother’s Day!

To learn more about Johanna’s fabulous business, visit Local Mom Box. I invite you to join my Facebook Group Super Charge with Emily where I feature an extraordinary Super Charger on Super Charge Sunday.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments and let’s keep the conversation going. I invite you to download the Super Charge Checklist and Sign up for Super Charge Weekly email newsletter to keep informed of interesting topics and events.

You don’t have to do this alone, reach out for customized business strategy and coaching to help you super charge your business.