Tips for Managing the Kids AND your Business on Summer Break

School’s out for the summer! While this is exciting for the children, it can wreak havoc on the small business owners who work from home. Can you manage the kids AND your business during the summer break? With a little planning and creativity we think so!

Explain to the kids that you have work time and play time – It’s not always easy explaining that we have to work, but for the most part kids understand it. We just have to be honest with them about why. This is a great topic for a family meeting. Share a lengthy list of why we work (to make money) and how that money is used to support the family. Come up with ways they can easily identify when you are ‘working’ and when you are not to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency.

Give them activities to keep them occupied – Whether its board games, crafts to do, videos to watch or books to read, simply giving your children something to do will keep them occupied and let you get back to business. A great tool for some amazing summertime activity ideas is Pinterest. Whenever possible give them productive jobs to do to help them better understand ‘work time’.

Consider day camp – For some parent entrepreneurs the expenses of day camp won’t make financial sense, but for others it can be a lifesaver. Check out the various camps available and see if one of them is right for you and your family and you could just reclaim four to six hours of your day.

Consider care share– Identify other like-minded families in your area and share playtime. You watch the kids while they work and they watch yours while you work. Trading off can give you the uninterrupted time you need to focus on work while they are safe and having fun.

Hire them for a summer job – If your child is old enough to help you in your business perhaps this time off is the perfect time for them to gain real world business experience. They could file invoices, send off emails, prepare mail to go out- the possibilities are endless. Maybe your child has a knack for social media or writing. If so they could take care of your Facebook and twitter updates and possibly even work on a blog for you!

And remember, our offices and conference rooms are available by the hour or the day. If you need a quiet place to come and work for the day, give us a call. Free coffee, Wi-Fi, onsite café and a waterfront patio to take a break on!

Contact us today to discover more about our suite of virtual office services and to explore our beautiful office space in Tampa. Go virtual!

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