Maternity Leave for Small Business Owners

Whether you were planning this or it came as a surprise if you’ve recently learned you’re pregnant there are some big decisions to be made for your small business. Just because you are your own boss doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a maternity leave! So, here are some ideas to allow you to take time off to be with your baby once he or she comes into the world:

– Set money aside ASAP. If you have already been planning to get pregnant you may have already thought of this, but as soon as possible you should start setting enough money aside that you will allow you to take off a few weeks or months post partum. For example, if you want to take off three months after the baby is born and you need $3,000 to do it you will need to set aside just under $400 a month (depending on how far along you are). You may find you need to cut back on expenses and/or bring in more money while pregnant to save up enough for the break.

– Schedule the time off. Put the dates of your expected break in your calendar now so that you will have a mental reminder not to schedule anything new during that time.

– Tell your clients your plans. Let your clients know that you will be taking a break and let them know how long it will be. You may need to tack on some work hours to finish up projects and/or turn down additional assignments to ensure that you won’t have to worry about anything during your break. Accept that this could mean the loss of a client or two so you should have a backup plan in place.

– See if you can do work ahead of the break. If you are a blogger, a social media manager or you work in some other similar profession, write and schedule your work to go live while on break. This will leave most people none the wiser that you’ve taken a break at all.

– Outsource some of your daily tasks to a virtual assistant. Consider hiring a virtual assistant to take on some of your daily administrative support tasks. Who knows? They may become a valuable asset and remain a permanent part of your business plan when you come back after your leave.

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