Podcast: Mom Boss: How to build a coaching business with young kids
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Chrissy: [00:00:00] Hey, friend, I'm really glad you're here today. I've been reflecting a lot lately on my journey in business and doing it as a mom. So this episode is for all of the moms out there. If building a business as a mom feels harder than you expected, it's not because you're doing it wrong.
If you are a new life coach, trying to figure out how to get clients and build a real system to grow your business without burnout, this is coach growth system. I'm Chrissy Olsen Let's go.
There's a reason it feels like this, and we're gonna talk about it today.
So if you're listening to this while folding laundry, sitting in your car, trying to steal a minute of quiet, or trying to squeeze this in before the next interruption, stay with me. Especially if you've ever wondered, why does this feel so heavy for me? When other people make it look so easy? Let's talk about what it's actually like to be a mom and try and build a business at the same time.
And this part isn't highlighted very often on Instagram, but you know what I'm talking about, right? You make a plan, you sit down at your computer and someone spills cereal all over the floor. The dog needs to go out. Your phone rings. A kid is sick, your husband calls [00:01:00] from work and needs help with something.
At suddenly that small pocket of time you carved out for yourself. It's gone. And you don't just lose the time when these things happen, you lose the momentum and the energy too, because when you tell yourself that you'll try again later, later comes and you're already spent, you're done. There's nothing left.
And if you've ever sat there thinking, why can't I just push through like everyone else? Keep listening because I've got some tips that I've learned through a lot of trial and error. When I started my first business, my youngest was three and my oldest was eight, and I was right in the thick of young motherhood.
There was noise all the time, very little money, very little time, and even less energy. But I didn't start a business because I wanted to hustle or grind. I started because I wanted something for myself, something creative, something meaningful, something that wasn't just kids and laundry and dinners and bathtime.
I wanted to feel like me again, and that part was good, but here's where it went sideways, and this might sound familiar. Somewhere along the line, my business stopped feeling like something fun or life [00:02:00] giving, and it slowly turned into a weapon. I didn't realize that's what I was doing until much later, but I started to use my business to beat myself up.
I would look at what I had done and tell myself it wasn't enough. I would look at what other people had done and tell myself that I was behind. I would work during nap time and feel guilty that I wasn't working faster. I would sit down at night completely exhausted and still feel like I should be doing more.
And when things didn't work, instead of saying, this is hard, I said, what's wrong with me? Or, this should have worked, or maybe I should give up and go get a job at Costco. These questions phrased this way will drain you faster than any busy schedule ever could. So if you've ever caught yourself thinking that same thing, I wanna share something that I learned that has changed my life.
Your dream is not meant to be used against you. That desire, you have to build something to help people to put goodness into the world. That is a good desire. I believe that call matters, and I believe that it comes from God. But when you turn that calling into pressure, it stops being life giving and starts becoming heavy.[00:03:00]
And here's something I didn't understand back then, but I do now. Feeling called does not mean that you're supposed to suffer. I have such a tender spot in my heart for moms in this season, moms who are strapped financially, strapped for time, strapped for energy, and still trying to show up with heart.
Still trying to build something that helps their families and serves other people, still trying to get their message out there. If that's you, don't add to your burden by comparing yourself to others and telling yourself that you're behind, you're not behind. You're carrying more than most people realize.
But one big shift for me was that I realized my business could not survive on scraps forever. For a long time, I tried to build everything during nap time and bedtime and leftover minutes, and sometimes that's all you have and that's totally okay. I realized that if my business only ever lived in stolen moments, it would always feel stressful.
So I wanna share some strategies that helped me gain momentum in my business while still doing all the mom and wife things that have led to my success. Strategy number one, claim uninterrupted time. When [00:04:00] my husband was home on weekends, I claimed blocks of time. I would take my laptop and go to the library.
I'd sit there for hours without being interrupted. I'd take myself out to lunch in the middle of it just for fun. And that time didn't just help my business. It helped me stop resenting my business. When you give your work real space, it stops feeling like constantly stealing from your family. Strategy.
Number two, pick one clear task to work on at a time. I know that you have a giant to-do list of things that you want to get done in your business, but you can't be doing everything right now. Just pick one thing, write one email, outline, one idea or record one short piece of content. Because when you are exhausted, that clarity is kindness.
If you sit down already knowing what you'll be doing, you don't waste energy deciding. You just begin, and that's when things started feeling lighter for me. Strategy number three, stop creating from scratch every single time. And this is a big one. I didn't need new words every day. I [00:05:00] didn't need to reinvent the wheel over and over.
One idea could become several things. One thought could be shared more than once, and one piece of work could stretch further than I thought. And if you ever felt like marketing alone is too much, this is why. Stop starting from zero every time. It will wear you down. Strategy number four, work with your real energy.
Not your ideal energy. Some days I could think deeply and some days I couldn't, and this is actually still true, but when I stop asking myself to do heavy, complicated work on low energy days, then I could work with my body and work with my energy. So on days when it just feels heavy and I'm exhausted, I choose small things, simple things, but things that still count, like replying to a message, saving ideas, organizing notes, or replying to a quick voice memo.
Progress doesn't stop counting just because it's quiet. And here's the question that changed everything for me. Not what should I be doing right now, but what does my business need from me right now? What is [00:06:00] one thing that I could do right now to move my business forward? Sometimes the answer was momentum, and sometimes it was education.
I needed to learn a new skill, but sometimes it was to rest without guilt. Rest is something that often feels indulgent, but is so important. Rest is not quitting. Rest is part of building something that lasts. As a mom of young people, you need permission to build differently. You are allowed to build slowly.
You are allowed to build in seasons. You're allowed to pause. You are allowed to want a business and also want to lay down and take a nap. Both things can be true, and if you're in a season where everything feels heavy, give yourself lots of grace. You're doing your best. Even when it doesn't look that impressive to outsiders, even when no one sees it, and even when it feels invisible, your efforts still counts.
Your dreams really do matter and you're not behind. Build where you can build when you can and build with kindness instead of pressure. And if today, all you can do is listen to this and breathe, that's enough. Go build a life You love One step at a time, one day at a time. [00:07:00] And please subscribe or follow this podcast so I can keep showing up and giving you tips and strategies to move your coaching business forward.
I can't wait to talk again soon.
What you are building doesn't have to be complicated to work. Take one idea from today, put it into action, and celebrate that win. Every small step matters in building a successful, sustainable business. You can find free resources link below or go to chrissy olsen.com. That's spelled C-H-R-I-S-S-Y-O-L-S-E-N, and subscribing helps you stay connected as you build your coaching business.
I'll catch you in the next episode of Coach Growth System.
