Home business owners: how to balance work with family life

While words like parentpreneur may be proving polemical, there can be no doubt a record number of people are working from home. However, home-based businesses present certain challenges, not least of which is figuring out how to balance family life around your work. Here are six of the best questions our panellists were asked, and how they answered.

Will people understand my need for flexible working?

The reason many business owners start out on their own is out of a need for flexible working. Dawn Whiteley, chief executive at the National Enterprise Network, says: "There is no doubt that flexible working is much more common and accepted."

Whiteley suggests having a clear divide between working and not working. "There will clearly be overlaps but you need to try and avoid being neither a good business person nor a good parent," she says. "If you have the opportunity, have a separate space you use for the business: a spare room or office that you can go to for work and close the door so it's clear you're working. When you leave to spend time with the children, leave the phone and the computer in there."

Laura Tenison, founder and managing director of JoJo Maman Bébé, says: "If you make a promise to a client you deliver no matter what – just make sure you build in down time for periods like school holidays when kids come first."

How can I avoid becoming distracted when I work from home?

Caroline Hannaway, founder of Funky Bubbaloo, says time management is key. "Before I start work each day I plan out which tasks need to be done in order of priority and put a time frame on each task.

"It is very easy to get caught up in things such as social media, which is obviously a great tool for growing your business and interacting with clients, so for this I also have a time scale."

Esther Radnor, founder of Mum Plus Business, suggests dedicating a time for work and a time for children. "When you are with your children I would suggest putting your mobile phone away for a certain amount of time," she says.

Do you think labels like parentpreneur are helping or hindering small business owners?

"I think the label is irrelevant," says Bola Lafe, managing director of Opus Innovations Ltd. "If a person has a good product or service, and it ticks all the right boxes, the label isn't what is going to make or break the concept."

However Stuart Saggers, underwriting manager for Direct Line for Business, was torn on this point. "It probably helps business to business interaction from a networking perspective, as it helps people in a similar position to find others in the same predicament. On the other hand, it can potentially be a bit condescending – why is a parentpreneur any different from a single person or childless couple starting up a home business?"

Whiteley is unconvinced by the label: "You're a business person who happens to be a parent – I'm not sure why a label is needed," she says.

How can I get my children to understand I need time and space?

The panellists underline the importance of having a clear boundary between work and home life. Lafe says: "The kids need to feel that home is home, but business needs may mean a bit of clever and thoughtful juggling is required."

Tenison suggests sharing childcare with a colleague. "If you have a good work colleague and both find yourselves in the same situation, consider joining forces. Your children will enjoy playing together and you can take it in turns to work and look after the children."

Do you miss working in an office?

Working from home can be isolating, as Hannaway admits: "Often the most adult conversation I get in a day will be from the guy serving me at the post office." She says scheduling regular catch ups with friends helps to combat the loneliness.

Building a network of people to sound ideas off can also help home-based business owners. Cecilia Crossley, founder of from babies with love, says: "As I built my network I also found people to just pick up the phone and have a chat with."

Becky Goddard-Hill, a parenting author and professional blogger, adds: "Sometimes I take a picnic lunch out or have my morning coffee at a cafe with a friend. I think when you work from home getting out can be key to switching off."

How do you keep organised with your expenses?

"Without a doubt have two bank accounts from the word go and keep receipts in two separate compartments of your handbag," says Tenison. "It saves lots of time later if you define your simple cost centre structure early and write the number on the till receipts as you get them."

Goddard-Hill says she also works out her tax each month and puts it straight into a separate account to avoid "utter confusion".

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