Owning a Franchise and Being a Mom: Finding the Balance That Worked for Me
Martes, 10 de Marzo de 2020After my daughter was born I thought I wanted to be a stay at home mom. I thought I would cherish the ability to be there with her every moment of every day, not missing a thing. I was mistaken.
Don?t get me wrong, I love my daughter more than I even knew was possible and I DO cherish every moment with her. What I didn’t cherish was feeling stuck at home, like I couldn’t leave. What I didn?t cherish was the guilt I felt for not wanting to commit to staying at home as a mom. What I didn’t cherish was the complete void of adult contact in my day to day life.
By my daughter’s first birthday, I knew I needed to find something that let me balance being the mother I wanted to be and having a career that was fulfilling.
Finding the Balance
Without a doubt I am neither the first nor the last woman to ask, “How can I balance caring for my children with a career that matters to me?” Indeed, I am certainly not the only woman to need both family and career in order to find happiness.
I started thinking about starting a business from home, doing direct sales or something like that. I was turned off such concepts because I knew I didn’t want to have to market to my friends. That’s when I started looking into investing in a franchise.
Franchise Opportunities are Everywhere
Within two minutes of my internet search-”franchises for moms with young kids”-I realized that the number of franchise concepts available in my area alone was astounding. Apparently, you can franchise anything: dry cleaners, maid services, soft pretzels, coffee, you name it.
After what felt like endless research, I found an indoor playground franchise that seemed to fit what I was going for. It was a family friendly, flexible franchise concept that emphasized organic, imaginative play over screens and video games. The granola mommy in me was coming out in full force and I was ecstatic.
An Investment Worth Making
Once the process of opening my franchise got started I realized that I was going to need to put in a lot of work. This didn’t phase me, because doing work that matters has always been easy for me; that’s why I didn’t complain changing diapers or giving birth…OK, I complained a little while giving birth…or maybe a lot.
Anyway, investing in my indoor playground franchise was more than just opening a business so that I could get out of the house. It was truly an investment in my happiness and my daughter’s future. I learned so much about the value of play for children in my training that I was eager to share with everyone I knew. Additionally, I knew first hand how important it is, as a mother, to be able to feel good about the places that I take my child.
Starting my franchise was how I became everything I wanted to be: a mother, an independent earner, a service provider. My indoor playground provides mothers-just like me-a place to take their children that is safe, clean, and beneficial to their development. Three years later, my almost-kindergartener (where does the time go?!) has a mommy whose personal fulfillment has improved every part of her life.