How to Run a Fashion Business Around Family Life — Tips for Success

As a fashion entrepreneur and a mom, you will have to juggle diapers with designs and school runs with sourcing fabrics. It will be challenging and tiring, but some dreams are worth fighting for. So, if you dream of running a fashion business, the fact that you’re also busy raising children shouldn’t stand in your way. In fact, it may be a journey you won’t forget!

To give you a helping hand, we put together several practical tips and real-life strategies that may help you weave together your passion for fashion with a fulfilling home life.

Disclosure: Sponsored post.

How to Prioritize Balancing Business and Family

According to a recent statistic, women own about 43% of small businesses in the U.S. This means that around 14 million businesses are women-owned. And most of these women are mothers and wives, bearing the lion’s share of household chores and child-rearing.

How do they do it?

The obvious answer is that they trade sleep for staying productive, but they’ve also learned how to prioritize. As a mother, you know things never go as planned, but as long as you direct your attention to the things that matter, everything will turn out fine. The same is true in business – as long as you focus on the important tasks, the rest will follow.

Identify what matters most in your fashion business and personal life.

Start with the basics, like getting clear on your goals. Now imagine your time as prime real estate, and be ruthless about who gets to set up shop. Tasks that’ll push you ahead get the main street window display while others can wait in line.

Learn to schedule your high-impact tasks when your energy’s high, like, first thing in the morning after the kids are fed and playing happily or going to the kindergarten. Also, when you find some wiggle room, don’t waste it – take care of some tasks.

Why to Streamline Where You Can

Use every software tool that can help you shed some time off your schedule. For instance, accounting apps like QuickBooks or FreshBooks can be your financial cutlery, slicing thru numbers like a hot knife thru butter.

Scheduling tools like Calendly or Acuity can help you organize meetings, letting clients book spots without playing tag on emails. On the other hand, project management platforms like Asana or Trello are perfect to keep everything crisp and organized.

Pay Attention to Your Budget

After budgeting the family’s finances for years, it’s important to learn how to stay on budget with your business side as well. You must be aware of your cash flow, to know where the money goes and where money comes from.

Also, you need to get really cozy with a budgeting tool or spreadsheet. Tools like Mint or You Need A Budget (YNAB) can track every penny without you needing an abacus by your desk. Because your mind is divided in 10,000 directions, it helps to have a reliable tracker on hand.

Lastly, it’s crucial that you design a pricing strategy that covers your costs and brings some profit. While it may be tempting to start with low pricing, it may soon become a trap you can’t escape. Therefore, it’s best to think this thru.

Build Your Networks for Your Profession and for Balancing Business and Family

No mother who is also an entrepreneur is doing this alone. So you shouldn’t either.

You need a strong network of moms who understand your drive, the need for balancing business and family life, and can help with babysitting and emergencies. Also, if parents and family friends are around, don’t hesitate to reach out.

The same is true for the business side. In fashion, you’re always connecting with suppliers, designers, customers, critics, and so on. Attend networking events, relevant conferences, and join online communities to connect with other fashion entrepreneurs. Engage in sharing experiences, and learning from each other’s successes and failures. A powerful professional network will help move things along when you feel stuck and will support you thru thick and thin.

Furthermore, find a mentor who has successfully achieved a work-life balance in the fashion business. A mentor can provide you with the support and motivation you need to navigate your own journey.

Work-Family Boundaries Are Respect, Not Neglections

As a fashion entrepreneur, you can easily be caught up in the demands of running the business. Like you have separate bank accounts for your business and personal financial resources, you separate your time resources.

Set clear boundaries. To avoid neglecting important family moments, establish designated work hours. Communicate them to your team, clients, and family, so they know when you are available and when you work.

During your work hours, focus solely on your business tasks to accomplish more in less time. During your family time stay away from checking work emails or engaging in business-related activities. Be fully present with your loved ones spending quality time together.

Bonus: How to Deal With Trickier Situations

As a mother, your children always come first, but this doesn’t mean you should put your dreams aside. If you’re dealing with a tricky situation, such as children with attachment issues, it will be more challenging to use your support network or focus on something else for longer periods of time.

However, as the child grows, they may become less attached. Also, you may want to think about handling attachment ambivalence with the help of a therapist. Overly attached kids need their parents’ support to take their first steps into the world and become socially secure persons.

Moreover, when they start understanding that you follow your dream despite challenging circumstances, they may feel inspired to try harder.

Key Takeaway on Balancing Business and Family

Running a fashion business while nurturing your family is not just about striking the right balance. It’s also about embracing the beautiful chaos that comes with it. Try to avoid unexpected costs due to currency exchange rates.

Your path might involve irregular patterns and unexpected alterations, but these are what make your journey authentically yours. Stay flexible, seek support when needed, delegate tasks if you can (afford it), and always carve out time to celebrate your family’s, personal milestones and professional achievements.

Finally, educate yourself to avoid and fix the most common mistakes new business make.

Photo credit: Pexel

© 2013-2026 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved