How Moms Can Start a Business While Their Kids Are in School | #207

No distractions, no excuses! How you can start your business, while the kids are back to school.  In this episode of the Second Act Success Career Podcast, host and business coach Shannon Russell shares actionable tips for moms and working women who want to start a business while the kids are in school. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom or juggling a 9–5, this episode will show you how to maximize your time, create a 90-day business plan, and build a business that fits your life.

You’ll learn how to:

• Set up your CEO schedule during school hours
• Use your career experience to guide your business idea
• Create a simple business plan without the overwhelm
• Set realistic 90-day business goals before the holidays
• Get the support you need to go from employee to entrepreneur

Now is the perfect season to launch your second act and start building your dream business—one school day at a time.

👉 Learn more about Shannon’s Second Act Accelerator program to help you get your business built and launched in 90 days: secondactsuccess.co/course

SHOW NOTES:

https://secondactsuccess.co/207

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Second Act Success Career Podcast

Season 1 - Back to School, Back to Business: How Moms Can Start a Business While the Kids Are in Class | #207

Episode - #207

Host: Shannon Russell

Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate) 

[00:00:00] back to school, back to business. How to start building a business while the kids are in class while the kids are learning their ABCs, it is time for you to build your LLC. Let's talk about how to turn your school day silence into your second act success story.

Are you ready to quit your nine to five job and start a business of your own? Well, you're in the right place, my friend. Welcome to the second Act Success podcast. I am your host Shannon Russell, and my mission is to help you produce your best life. This podcast will teach you how to get from where you are now to where you want to be and how to build a business that fits your life and lights you up.

Let's get started.

Welcome back to the second Act Success Career podcast.

I am Shannon Russell, a business coach helping women go from employee to entrepreneur. Now, let's be honest, summer can sometimes feel a bit like a beautiful circus. Am I [00:01:00] right? The kids are home. The routines are non-existent. So your goals go out the window. So today I wanna talk about some real actionable strategies to help you start building your business.

Now that the kids are back in school.

First, you must set up your CEO schedule, whether you are a professional with a full-time desk job, or you are full-time at home running the house. You need time to work on your business. So this time must go on your calendar,

even if it's just an hour a day during the school hours or after bedtime. Think about those extra pockets in your day when you're just scrolling on your phone. Block that time, make it sacred so that that's your business time. Treat it like a meeting by adding it to your schedule for once a day, once a week. This little bit of time truly adds up.

Next, I want you to start with a mini business plan. You don't need a 40 page business plan to get started. You may not even need a business plan at all, [00:02:00] but what you do need is that clarity so that you can build that business and make it a reality. So Ask yourself, what problems can I solve?

What can I do to help? Who do I help and how do you help them? This becomes that arrow, that north star that you will follow as you move towards your goal, and you can build as you go. But this simple foundation of knowing these things will help keep you on the right track.

Next, make sure that you use school hours strategically,

when the kids are in school, whether you're working or not, this time often feels distraction free. So find time during the school days to work on your website, your offers, your content, anything that you can do without someone calling for mom and and later in the day, use that time maybe when the kids go to bed or when they're doing homework for you to do admin on your business.

like Sending emails or updating your social [00:03:00] media.

I listen to business podcasts that really inspire me while I'm driving my kids around to activities in school or when I'm making meals. Sometimes I even have a book with me that I can read while I'm waiting in the school pickup line. Anything that kind of gets my creative juices going and inspires me to keep going on my businesses.

It's just doing what we can, when we can. Next, I want you to think about what you already know because we're not starting from scratch. When we start a business, we are starting from experience. We have already worked a career. We have learned these skills. We have these talents.

We're just shifting those over into a business that's all our own.

Lean on the skills and experiences that you already have, and those can become the heart of your business. Think about what type of work do you like to do that truly lights you up. Think about your hobbies and what you're passionate about and how you can incorporate those into your business. Think about what you've learned in your past roles that others might pay [00:04:00] you for. Sometimes the business idea and the products or services that we want to offer are right in front of us.

Now I want you to set a 90 day plan. Here's your challenge. What's one big, exciting thing that you can commit to doing before the holiday break? This podcast is releasing in August, 2025, so you have several months now before the holidays. So think about what you can get done in that amount of time. Maybe it's deciding on your business idea.

Launching your website. Maybe it's signing your first client. Maybe it's creating that lead magnet so that you can build your email list. Or maybe it's just selling your first digital product. Give yourself a 90 day sprint. Make sure it's focused, it's fun, and it's doable. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish in 90 days.

Next, you need to get support. Entrepreneurship can be lonely, especially if you're going from a desk job or a [00:05:00] corporate job where you are used to being around a team of people. Running a business, especially as a woman, can often carry so much weight between the home, work, the kids. The idea of doing just one more thing can feel impossible, so that's why community matters.

And so whether it's a coach like me or a group of B minded besties, you need to build a group of people who are in your corner the fastest way to go far is to stop going solo. This is the time so many women talk themselves out of starting with lines like, Ugh, I'll do this when things settle down. I'll wait until the kids are out of the house. Oh, when I have more time, I'll get around to starting that business.

You've probably made those excuses in your head before as well. I know I used to, but I'm telling you, life doesn't settle down. There's always a different hectic stage that we are going through and that we're living through. There will always be something, there will always be an [00:06:00] excuse, \

I'm here to remind you that you don't need perfect conditions to begin. You need progress and this season of your life, the structure, these fresh starts, this back to school energy that we're all feeling right now. It's the perfect time to begin your second act and to build that business venture that you've been thinking about in the back of your head for a long time.

So are you ready to make this your back to business season? Let's normalize women starting businesses during school hours. Okay. It's possible. Trust me, I have done it. And so can you, if you are ready to take the next step, check out my second act accelerator. It's my signature coaching program that walks you through how to go from employee to entrepreneur and get your business launched in three months or less. With clarity, confidence, and the support you need.

You can find more info at second act success.co/course, and I'll link to [00:07:00] it in the show notes as well. Thank you for hanging out with me today. Remember, I am Shannon Russell, your business coach, cheering you on as you produce your best life.