Oh Baby

I am excited and a little nervous now. We are expecting a new addition to our family! As a woman and an entrepreneur this new change has required a lot of preparation and has taught me a few key lessons that you don't need to wait on a baby to learn. Here are the top 3 lessons I learned from preparing for a baby that I would like to share with you:

1. Delegate, delegate, delegate

One of the most difficult things this pregnancy has forced me to become accustomed to is delegating my work. If you are an entrepreneur there is a high probability you are self-motivated, very independent in executing your tasks and maybe a little controlling. I had the privilege of having a small team begin to assemble within BLPR Digital Strategies just over one year ago. We have had the last year to figure out how to work together, how to take advantage of each person's strengths and how to make it possible for me to take steps away from many of the daily tasks to focus on achieving a few key goals to make the business the best it can be for our clients. Delegation was the best thing I did this year for the company and our clients. As a team, we were able to do more in less time and increase our cashflow as a group.

2. Shopping online and offline equally and consciously

Making the commitment to spend my money more consciously in 2017 was a challenge. My intention was to 1. shop at more independent-owned businesses, 2. to make my life easier as my pregnant belly got bigger 3. while also saving some money. As it turns out having these goals required me to do an equal amount of shopping online and offline. The difference was, I spent my money deliberately, felt great about every purchase and could legitimately promote each and every business I worked with. Here are the list of businesses that made my life easier, and spending my money happier:

• Amazon Baby Registry and Amazon Prime
• Kinky, Curly, Yaki
• Flour Creations By Rose 
• The Read podcast merchandise
• Skip The Dishes
• Toronto Public Library Downloads & eBooks
• Uber (promo code: nicolen349)

3. Getting back to reading

It is easy to get caught up in the operations of a business, going to parenting class, arranging shopping and preparing for the baby, watching the latest hot shows and participating in everything else in the world. Turning inward, spending quiet time with my thoughts and getting back to reading has been my way of managing stress and making sure I don't lose myself in the hustle and bustle of life. 

Now I feel slightly better prepared to welcome this baby into our family and into my life as a busy working entrepreneur. If you have been through a big life change how has it impacted your business and what have you done to cope with your new life? Please let me know in the comments below.