Summer Survival Guide for Mompreneurs: Growing Your Business While the Kids Are Home
Written by two slightly frazzled but determined moms with three active kids each who somehow still manage to run successful businesses (most days)
The Annual Summer Paradox…..
Ah, summer. That magical time when the kids are home 24/7, the snack cabinet empties every 37 minutes, and somehow you're expected to maintain—or heaven forbid, grow—your business while refereeing water gun fights and finding matching swim goggles.
If your internal dialogue currently sounds like: "I love my children AND my business... so why do I feel like I'm about to lose my mind?" – welcome to the club. We've saved you a seat and hidden some chocolate in the filing cabinet.
Pre-Summer Preparation: Your Business Survival Kit….
we have some ides for you if you are in Growth Mode….or Maintainence Mode for your business….both deserve a summer strategy
1. The Great Calendar Offensive
Remember how we used to think we could "wing it" during summer? Yeah, those were the days before we found ourselves trying to lead a client call while simultaneously preventing our 7-year-old from turning the living room into a slip-n-slide.
Your Action Plan:
Block your calendar now with non-negotiable work chunks
Color-code like your sanity depends on it (because it does)
Create visual schedules for the kids—bonus points for laminating them so you feel like you have your life together
Real talk: Last summer, I scheduled an important client call during what I thought was my kids' swim lesson time. WELL, lessons were canceled due to weather. Nothing says "professional businesswoman" like muting yourself to hiss "PLEASE stop doing cartwheels behind me" every 30 seconds.
2. Summer-Proof Your Business Operations
Your business needs a summer strategy just as much as you need that extra-large iced coffee.
Your Action Plan:
Batch content creation like a boss (we LOVE using PLANN)
Set up automated systems and templates
Identify your mission-critical tasks vs. nice-to-haves
Consider outsourcing or delegating seasonal tasks
Summer Strategy #1: Business Growth Mode
For the ambitious mompreneur who's determined to use summer as a growth catalyst
1. Strategic Growth-Focused Calendar Planning
If you're aiming for growth during summer, your calendar needs even more intentionality.
Your Growth-Mode Action Plan:
Schedule dedicated "business development" blocks (minimum 3-4 hours weekly)
As cheesy as it sounds…..create themed work days (Marketing Monday, Development Wednesday, etc.)
Front-load your quarter with growth initiatives before summer chaos peaks
Build accountability through weekly check-ins with a business buddy
Idea: Block Tuesdays and Thursdays as "growth days" and have a sitter those mornings. The investment will pay for itself within weeks as new initiatives traction.
2. Leveraging Summer for Business Expansion
Summer's unique rhythm can actually accelerate certain types of growth.
Your Growth Acceleration Plan:
Create a summer-specific offer that solves a seasonal pain point for your clients
Use the seasonal shift to launch that new product line or service
Schedule your fall campaign development during summer's "slower" moments
Reach out to potential collaboration partners while they're in a more relaxed summer mindset
Guess what? People check their phones by the pool too…… so sometimes summer can be an amazing time to launch because there was less competing noise.
3. Growth-Specific Tech Stack
When you're in growth mode, your technology needs to work even harder.
Your Growth Tech Plan:
Implement a CRM system that tracks potential opportunities (we LOVE Notion & Dubsado)
Set up automated nurture sequences for summer leads (we LOVE Flodesk)
Use analytics tools to identify your highest-performing content and double down
Create templates for everything from client communications to social media posts
So what? Spending time setting up automation sequences at the beginning of summer, will generate leads while you are building sandcastles with your kids. Worth. Every. Minute.
Summer Strategy #2: Business Maintenance Mode
For the mompreneur who needs to maintain momentum while prioritizing family time
1. The Minimum Viable Business Schedule
Sometimes success looks like maintaining what you've built while enjoying summer.
Your Maintenance Mode Action Plan:
Identify the 20% of tasks that deliver 80% of your results
Create "maintenance level" client expectations and communicate them early
Schedule just enough client work to keep momentum (but not so much you're stressed)
Consider a summer operating hours schedule (like M-W-F mornings only)
Tip: Tell clients you are on a "summer schedule" with 48-hour response times instead of usual same-day replies. I bet that not a single client will. be upset and instead will actually help your business bc they see you establishing clear boundaries.
2. The Hybrid Summer Schedule
The secret to summer maintenance? Embracing the beautiful chaos through strategic planning.
Your Maintenance Schedule Plan:
Implement "power hours" – 60-90 minute focused work sprints
Create "business stations" for kids to "work" alongside you
Schedule "meeting mornings" and "adventure afternoons"
Normalize the "split shift" – early mornings and post-bedtime work sessions
The reality check: Remember, your kids don't care about your quarterly goals when they announce they are "literally dying of boredom". Have a backup activity ready can save the day.
3. Maintenance-Level Tech Essentials
Keep the plates spinning with minimal effort.
Your Maintenance Tech Plan:
Schedule social media content in monthly batches
Set up "away message" email templates with clear response timelines
Use project management tools to keep everything visible at a glance
Simplify your tech stack to only what's necessary for maintenance
What really happens: You'll still end up answering emails from the splash pad while shouting "I SEE YOU!" every few minutes to convince your kids you're watching their every move. But with good systems, the urgent items won't fall through the cracks.
When Worlds Collide: Balancing Business and Family Time
Strategies that work regardless of whether you're in growth or maintenance mode
1. The Mompreneur Collective: Sharing the Load
The game-changing strategy we wish we'd discovered years ago: joining forces with other work-from-home parents.
Your Collaborative Action Plan:
Create a rotation schedule with 2-3 other business-owning parents
Each takes all the kids for one designated day, giving others uninterrupted work time
Organize "work playdates" where kids play while parents work nearby
Form a summer co-op where you split childcare and work hours
Here’s a Thought: Create a "The Mompreneur Mafia." Each Monday, one mom takes all the kids while the others had focused work time. Tuesdays, another mom took the crew. Wednesdays, the third mom. The result? Each of us got two FULL workdays weekly while only managing the kid chaos once. Total. Game. Changer.
Pro tip: Find parents with complementary skills to yours. My marketing friend created social media templates for me while I helped with her bookkeeping system during our "business exchange hours.
2. The Art of the Summer Work-Life Blend
Forget work-life balance; we're going for work-life integration with boundaries.
Your Action Plan:
Designate device-free family adventures
Create "business involvement" opportunities for older kids
Communicate clear visual signals for "Mom is working" time
Build buffer time between activities (because everything takes longer with kids)
3. The Mompreneur Summer Advantage
Your parenting skills are secretly entrepreneurial superpowers in disguise.
Your Action Plan:
Practice "flexible persistence" – adjust tactics while keeping goals firm
Use summer to test family-based business ideas or kid-friendly product lines
Leverage the "mom perspective" in your marketing
Document your summer juggling act as content (hello, Instagram Stories gold)
The Summer Self-Care Non-Negotiables
1. Protecting Your Entrepreneurial Energy
You can't pour from an empty pool float.
Your Action Plan:
Schedule "business thinking" walks alone
Create a "power-up" morning routine before kids wake up
Find your "minimum viable self-care" practices
Build a support network of other business moms
Final Thoughts: Embracing the Beautiful Summer Chaos
The magic of being a mompreneur during summer isn't about achieving perfection—it's about finding the sweet spot between presence and productivity.
Your kids won't remember that you answered emails while watching their swim practice. They'll remember that you were at their swim practice. And your business doesn't need you to work 40 perfect hours each week to grow; it needs your consistent attention to the right things.
So grab your laptop, your sunscreen, and your sense of humor. We're all in this together, creating businesses and memories side by side.
And remember: September is coming. It always does.