Can you really be a good mum and run a successful business? This is the perpetual question I ask myself every time I have to sacrifice time with my kids to work. I should also say this could include dads as well, before I am accused of being sexist, but I can only speak from a women's point of view. But back to the question, I think the answer is YES!
The whole reason I wanted to work for myself in the first place was so I could be there for my children, be there whenever they needed me. In the beginning that was full-time for me, every day, my daughter didn't start nursery until the funding started for her in January 2017 and by that time I had my son (born 2016) so I have never had much time to work Mon-Fri in the 'usual' hours. I now use childcare for them both as I have mentioned on here before, this wasn't an easy decision to come to, but both are flourishing.
So business is going well, I have grown slowly, this was intentional. I can't drop everything to work on days I have one or both children and I would never want to let anyone down, but I can and do stay up late or work all weekend to get things done. So know your limits. Growth in a business is great but you can control it so don't go crazy and remember why you're doing it in the first place!
I have also learnt that you can't do everything. I rarely turn down work but it is okay to say no! You can't be everything to everyone and sometimes you have to prioritise your family and let some income go. It is better to say no rather than take something on then have to extend a deadline or worst case scenario not complete an order or service, this will damage your business.
Self-care is really important and you will be busy with work or your children all the time if you let that happen. Carve out some time for yourself when you can, don't be available 24/7, no-one in business expects that. It can be hard to stop yourself checking emails etc. but make sure you switch off from work (and maybe social media altogether) after a certain time or at set points in the day/week.
I am planning on blogging more about my struggles with parenting in business but it's hard to know how honest to be, some of my childless friends have declared they will never have children after hearing how little sleep I have had in the last four years.
So the bottom line is, it's not easy, but you CAN do it and the limit is only what you set for yourself!