Tracing the history of Mother’s Day, it seems Sunday is fixed for mothers. Mother’s Day falls on May 13, the second Sunday of May. This is what happens every year and 2018 is no exception. As a tribute to all mothers, Mother’s Day is celebrated annually. It is celebrated in 40 countries worldwide.
In fact, Mother’s Day honors the mothers in the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world. Celebration of Mother’s Day began in the early 20th century in the US. . The modern US-derived version of Mother’s Day however, has been criticized for having become too commercialized. Interestingly, even the founder Anna Jarvis thinks so!!
This day is not related to the celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have occured the world over the years, such as the Greek cult to Cybele, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the Christian Mothering Sunday celebration (originally a commemoration of Mother Church, not motherhood). However, in some countries, Mother’s Day has become synonymous with these older traditions
Raising a family is similar to running a business. Strange but true, raising a family might be more similar to running a startup business than most people would realize! If you think about it, some skills are common in parenthood and startup business. So ‘Mom’ entrepreneurs do display some skills and they need to pick up some.
Prioritize the right jobs: Having a family forces you to think practically and prioritize the right things. Just watch a young mother, who gets into the act after a rest period. And, if she is a working mother, she will think practically and try to work out a work-life balance. She will prioritise the daily activities too. Young entrepreneurs also need to build in practicality and intention with how they spend their time and prioritise their job list too.
Manage maximum benefit in minimum time: How to get a lot done in little time is something they are too familiar with. Working Moms will teach us what multitasking really means. The time spent with kids and the family does not hamper their business activities. How do mothers manage to do so much? They know how to focus time for themselves and get a lot done in those hours.
Sense of vision: Moms have a stronger sense of vision. Having kids sets completely new priorities in your life. Your reason suddenly becomes clear and strong: You want to create the best life possible for your family. Building a company on the side is extremely hard. You need to constantly justify the time and effort to yourself and your family.
Inspire and motivate a team: They know how to inspire and motivate a team. Mothers and CEOs have another trait in common: Both are under constant pressure to inspire, motivate and entertain their team, investors and clients. Mothers are true masters of negotiation.
Learn how to delegate: This is one skill, Mom entrepreneurs need to learn – how to delegate. Bombarded with multiple responsibilities, mothers are often the CEO designate or COO of their families. Learning how to delegate is one of the most important survival skills for working moms.
An entrepreneur admitted that he has picked up a lot from his mother. She had never been an entrepreneur but, her advice on productivity; conflict management and leadership have helped him in his journey as an entrepreneur!
Running a business and raising a family is definitely a challenge. If you are an aspiring woman entrepreneur, who is thinking about starting a business, don’t get daunted by the idea. Just consider the fact that many of your parenting skills may actually transfer into a successful entrepreneurship!
Avtar Madan
Himanshu
Shree Lahiri
