8 Huge Business Mistakes Made by Mom Entrepreneurs

As a mompreneur, I know how tough it can be to juggle a new business, your family, and your personal life – honestly, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. But just because you’re strapped for time or money, doesn’t mean it’s okay to cut corners, compromise your integrity, or act rude or snarky.

If you want to build healthy online relationships, grow your business, and keep your customers coming back for more here are eight business mistakes to cut from your act.

1. Always Asking for Favors

Don’t be known as “that girl,” you know the one that is always asking people for favors, but never lends a helping hand in return. People enjoy helping others in times of need, but if you’re constantly asking for things, you’ll start to turn people off, and they will start ignoring your phone calls and emails.

In fact, in the book, Trust Agents, it says …

“In your business, you shouldn’t ask for anything almost ever. Asking for favors, getting people to blog things for you, these are things that make people go out of their way, and that make them feel uncomfortable”.

Instead, be helpful and assist others when you’re able to, you’ll be surprised how people will want to help you in return, and you won’t even have to ask.

2. Being Non-Responsive

Do you immediately read emails and let then let them sit in your inbox because you plan on getting to them later? Well, the next thing you know, weeks go by, and your email inbox has over 1,000 emails waiting for replies – yikes! Don’t let this happen to you when you first open an email either immediately respond to it, or file it away for future use. When you give a delayed response (or no response at all), it tells people that you don’t care about them and that you don’t value their time. Answering emails promptly can definitely make you stand out from the crowd, and it’s an easy way to stay on top of things.

3. Forgetting Important Details

I’m sure you’ve heard the story about the woman who asks the other woman when her baby is due and low and behold she already had it! Don’t get caught with your foot in your mouth; learn to write down important details about your clients, employees, and vendors. An easy way to do this by creating a notecard with simple facts: name, birth date, kid’s names, married, divorced, etc. Not remembering essential details is not only embarrassing for both parties involved, but it can also be hurtful and degrading. Impress your clients by remembering the small stuff – it makes a huge difference.

4. Being Rude and Disrespectful

I’ve seen this happen a lot online and off – it is never appropriate to be rude or disrespectful to people. Situations can be frustrating, but in the end, we are all humans, and we deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Don’t let your frustrations get the best of you, take the high road, and act with integrity and tolerance. As they say, word-of-mouth is the most powerful tool for your business, make sure it’s positive.

5. Making Promises You Can’t Keep

Sometimes you just have to say no. You want to help everyone, but then you end up making promises that you can’t keep. Not only does this make you look unreliable but it can cause feelings of disappointment and resentment. Keep a detailed schedule (I like to use the block scheduling method) so you know exactly what extra projects and tasks you can take on, and when you don’t have any more room on your plate, kindly turn down the offer. People will respect you more even though you’re telling them no.

Related content: 5 Mistakes Business Owners Make That Waste Time and Hurt Sales

6. Putting Others Down on Social Media

I see this a lot online, where one people blatantly bash others on social media. How you interact online, sets the tone for how individuals perceive you and your overall level of professionalism. If you think a client is going to trust you to represent them, when you act like a loose cannon, think again. As they say, “loose lips, sink ships.”

7. Posting Offensive Content Online

All too often individuals post offensive, insensitive, and negative comments on social media. Constant negativity can not only cause you to lose friends, but it can cause an employer or client not to hire you, or worse yet, fire you. What you say and post online, stays online forever – even when you delete it. So think twice before you rant and rave, people are watching what you do and will make decisions based on your interactions.

8. Acting Without Integrity

As Dave Thomas says, “You earn your reputation by the things you do every day.” There is nothing more important than your integrity, it is the foundation for which all of your relationships are built, and once it is tarnished, it is almost impossible to restore. Brands, employers, and customers will make decisions about you based solely on what they find online, so it is more important than ever, to maintain a high level of integrity in your online interactions.

Conclusion

By being mindful and avoiding these business mistakes you can be secure in maintaining your professional and personal integrity as a mompreneur.

What are some other practices individuals should be mindful of avoiding? I’d love to hear your thoughts!