Preparing for Maternity Leave as an Independent Business Owner
This post may contain affiliate links and ads. Affiliate links and ads support my work at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your ongoing support!Building a business is always an adventure, and this new chapter will be the biggest one yet! Preparing for maternity leave as an independent business owner is a lot different than preparing for maternity leave as a corporate employee and today I thought I’d share 5 Ways I’m Preparing for Maternity Leave in hopes that it will create a conversation and help other women like me!
While this is my third baby, the aspect of maternity leave as a business owner is completely new and different. When I had my first two children, I was employed at Google and was able to take advantage of their generous maternity leave benefits. It’s something I will always be grateful for and it made starting a family a wonderful experience.
However, after my daughter was born, I decided to leave Google to focus on my family and shortly after, in 2020, started teaching etiquette professionally and established Courtney Opalko Etiquette, LLC!
Fast forward a few years later and here we are expecting Baby #3! Building my business over the years and being present with my two older children has been such a blessing. It’s a whole new part of my life and one that I’ve work hard for - and truly cherish. Welcoming our new baby into this chapter of life is so special and I feel confident that we will handle it all with ease and grace.
So, does an independent business owner take maternity leave? In my case, I’m not taking FMLA or any type of financially assisted leave, but I have decided to take time away from working with clients in person for the next few months, mimicking the time I had with my two other children while I was at Google.
Here’s How You Can Stay In Touch!
That said, while I'll be taking time away from client work, I will still be sharing etiquette advice and staying in touch through social media, my newsletter and this blog! I’m so excited to dedicate time to these projects and build out different aspects of my business, tending to tasks and ideas that often get put on the back burner when I’m focused on preparing for speaking events and in-person classes.
One thing I’m especially excited about is the Virtual Summer Series I’ll be offering beginning in June! There are classes focused on business etiquette, ladies’ social etiquette & decorum and my signature children’s etiquette class! These classes are a fun and simple way to learn etiquette in a welcoming environment. All of the classes are presented live via Zoom, giving you the opportunity to engage and ask questions personally!
I would love to see you at one of the summer classes - register today to save your spot!
5 Things I Did to Prepare for Maternity Leave as an Independent Business Owner
Invested in Brand Photos: Last fall, I invested in brand photos with my photographer, Liv in the Moment Photography. I knew having a catalog of evergreen photos would help me to show up online even when I wasn’t feeling (or looking) my best. Having these photos on hand made creating content throughout my pregnancy so much easier, and I know I’ll be relying on them during the early months of my postpartum journey as well. P.S. I was 12 weeks pregnant when I took these! I felt awful and was so tired, but Liv and her team of HMU artists made me feel like a million dollars. If you need brand photos and you’re in the Metro Detroit area, she’s your go-to gal!
Gave Myself Time - and a Timeline: Maternity leave as an independent business owner doing something you LOVE feels much different than maternity leave from a corporate job! I have been preparing mentally and financially to be able to give myself time, as well as proactively booking events and classes for later this year. I’m nearly fully booked for Q3 & Q4 and with that, I have the peace of mind to enjoy the next few months.
Created “fun goals” to keep my mind active: It’s not easy for me to sit, although the newborn snuggles make it worth it! From past experience with newborns, I know I do better with a few things to keep my mind active opposed to constantly scrolling on my phone. Since I’m taking a break from client work, I’ll also have time to focus on these goals. I’ll be working on: learning French, finishing a cross-stitch project, gardening, and watching a few shows and documentaries related to etiquette!
Scheduled Posts & Content: Creating a list of content ideas will (hopefully) help me stay inspired once the sleep deprivation sets in! Filming content is the most difficult, so I’ll be trying new formats and doing my best to focus less on performance and more on being creative and trying new things - who knows, maybe something will really pop!
Focused on Creating Passive Income: (re) Establishing my blog, connecting with Affiliate Partners and managing my Amazon Storefront are all an effort to create passive income as well as a creative outlet. These projects certainly take time to build, but using the time I have now will help to create a solid foundation. As the baby grows and our kids become more and more active with sports and activities, my hope is that these projects will help to create additional income for my business and our family.
Welcoming a new baby is always an adventure filled with excitement, challenges, sleepless nights. There are days when everything comes together and you feel unstoppable and other days it’s sheer survival. It also goes by really fast.
I’m so grateful to do what I love and to be able to be present with my children and family. It’s a blessing and I am excited for this next chapter of growing our family and growing my business.
Whether you have a corporate job or run your own business, how do you prepare for maternity leave? What advice would you give your past self or a new friend? I’d love to connect and have a conversation, to share and inspire new and seasoned moms preparing to take time off to welcome a new addition to their family!
