Incorporating Your Children into Your Business

By Dawn Early Berryman

Believe it or not, summer is right around the corner. Before you know it school will be out and your quiet hours while the kids are in school will be gone. If you have younger children at home, you may already have ways to multi-task and meet the children’s needs while also sneaking in a little time for your business.

If all of your children are school-aged, your daily routine and schedule is about to be turned upside down. One way to deal with the change, is to get your children involved in your business. Turning your kids into mini-assistants can keep them from complaining about boredom all summer. Or, it’s also a great way to combat rainy Saturday afternoons.

There are many advantages to having your family involved with your business. First, it makes them appreciate what you do even more. It can teach kids responsibility and give them a glimpse of what entrepreneurship is all about. An extra set of hands is always appreciated by mom business owners. And, most importantly, it means you can spend more time together.

Depending on the child’s age, there are many things that they can help with and obviously you’ll need to supervise them. Try to come up with ideas that they will enjoy and don’t just sit them over in a corner. Be close by to watch their work, but also to talk and enjoy each other’s company.

You might be surprised, but even preschoolers can be helpful. They can do simple tasks like put outgoing mail in the mailbox and bring in delivered mail. They can also act as ‘gophers’ and run and fetch things that you may not have close by.

The older your children get, the more responsibility they can handle. School aged children can weigh packages or stuff envelopes. They can also run errands with you to help pick up supplies. If you have simple packaging to do, like putting items in bags or sorting and grouping, these are great tasks for a child.
Be sure to give children tasks that you know they can accomplish and do well with. You don’t want to frustrate or discourage them. By giving them an attainable goal, you create plenty of opportunity for praise and thanks. Situations like this are great for the parent child relationship.

If your business is geared toward children in anyway, your own children can be great product testers. If you’re thinking about adding a new product or line, test it on your in-home focus group. Kids are always willing to offer up their honest opinions.

Many times kids are eager to help and think it’s cool to help mom and her business. However, if they need a little coaxing, a small allowance could be used as encouragement. The key is making the experience fun. Getting attention from you is oftentimes reward enough.

If you have tweens or teenagers, you have a much more versatile assistant. They can most likely handle filing, preparing coffee for a client meeting or small errand to the post office and such on their own. They can also help answer the phone or respond to e-mails if trained properly. They most likely have a good computer knowledge base and can help you do some research online or even with your social media marketing strategy!

As I mentioned before, there are many benefits to having your children cross over into your business life and provide a little help. The experience just might make an impression on them, so much so that they may be inspired to start their own business as well!