Janel, what does writing the blog mean to you and why did you become an entrepreneur in the first place?
Running a business provides me with the opportunity to work around my family and be a stay at home parent while I work. It gives me flexibility and opportunities to support my family.
I stumbled into becoming an entrepreneur making it up as I went along starting 11 years ago when blogging was a very new industry.
It took a lot of hard work, dedication, and adaptability to grow through the years.
What is your business about? How did you come across your idea?
My website is a place for parents to be inspired with new ideas, recipes, and activities for their family.
I started with sharing the things I was creating and making with my own family and decided to share the resources for other parents who would also find them valuable and of interest.
Since you are also a mom… How do you balance your personal and professional life?
It can be a struggle to work from home because it’s easy to resort back to working in any free time.
I struggled with this a lot in the early couple of years of my blog.
Since then, I’ve realized taking a step back and time off doesn’t hurt, but actually helps, my business as I’m able to better focus and give full attention when I am working as I’m not worn out and stressed out from overworking.
Have you made any adjustments to your personal and professional life to juggle these two roles?
It’s always a juggling act of spending more time working when deadlines approach or I’m in a creative mode and able to get a lot to accomplish and then scaling back when I’m feeling in a funk or have a lot of family issues to deal with I can let my work take more of a backseat as necessary.
What is the greatest obstacle you have faced in achieving the success you desire? How do you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle has been trying to stay up with the adaptations in the blogging industry.
There’s always something to change, update, or refresh to keep photos up to date, articles search-engine friendly, or to stay up with the latest social media platforms.
Since this field is growing and changing so quickly, it will always be a struggle to stay relevant and with the times.
What are the things that help you stay organized throughout the day and get time for everyone and everything? Is there a special time planner, or workspace design, or technique that you use?
Tell us your time management secrets!
I utilize google sheets to track projects, income, and expenses, working with a small team, tracking old blog posts, and any other way I can think of!
Keeping good records and notes helps me stay organized. I also love that it’s all digital, so I can access these notes and records on my phone, computer, and on the go!
Any recommendations to Moms who dream about being entrepreneurs, but just can’t get started?
My #1 tip I tell people that ask me about starting their own blog is that it is a LOT of work and you have to be invested enough to realize that the key to success is simply in not giving up.
If you’re willing to put in the time, effort, and energy to grow something, you will find success!
But don’t think it will be something you can put in an hour or two a month and make a fortune, it’s certainly not a get rich scheme.
It will take your blood, sweat, and tears, but in the end, you’ll create something that’s so uniquely your own and that effort will pay off!
Have you enjoyed this interview? You can follow A Mom’s Take on Instagram or check out Janel’s blog. See you there! 👋
