Welp… cats out the bag. I’ve had my second child. I’m currently pregnant as of this recording but once it’s live I should’ve had my sweet little one. So I’ma mom of two shawty!
When I had King I only took 2 weeks off and got right back to work. I found the newborn phase with him super boring so it was easy for me to get back in the game but in hindsight it was super exhausting.
This time around I have been more proactive in planning for a real maternity leave and giving myself grace as I raise my toddler alongside a newborn.
Grab my Guide to help you plan for maternity leave/sabbatical/vacation!
So here’s my take on How to Prepare for Maternity Leave as a CEO (or a sabbatical/vacation):
Decide how much time do you want to take off
As entrepreneurs we got into this for time freedom, family comes first so determine how much time you want off from the beginning. This is something you can be planning for at the beginning of the year (or as soon as you find out you’re preggo).
I really wanted at least 8 weeks and then to ease myself back into work, so my maternity leave will be a full 8 weeks and when I come back in May I’ll be part time. June will be my first month “full time.”
As y’all know I pretty much work part time, so in May I’m hoping to only do 4-8 hours of work each week to ease back in and really amp it up in June.
Make sure you write the dates down and put it where you can see so you can be really intentional about taking this time off.
Look at your budget
What do you need to cover your bills and overhead?
- Map out a detailed budget
- Project the income I could expect to make during my leave (especially if I don’t promote or make a single dollar while on leave)
- Cancel unnecessary subscriptions
Ultimately I was looking to see how things would look with lean finances.
Create a plan to get ahead financially
Create a savings goal and start paying down bills early.
I did this so I wouldn’t have to worry about it if my income dipped during maternity leave (which I project that it will because I’m not launching anything). I didn’t want to worry or stress about finances or be coming back to a business that was completely struggling.
Let your clients know
Communicate with your clients so they know you will be taking time off. Discuss with them:
- how much access will they have to you,
- what systems do you have in place for them
I told my clients 4 months before my maternity leave and the amount of access they would have to me. We created a plan that worked for them and their business, it also gave them a chance to not re-sign contracts if they didn’t want to work with my team.
Hire an assistant
There’s been nothing better in the world for me than having my VA. I recommend hiring an assistant well before your break that way you can build and train them. This will allow you to feel confident in their ability to support your business while you’re less active.
I recommend still setting check in points with them while on break especially if it’s longer than 2 weeks.
Batch content and get ahead of marketing and launches
Think about your marketing and launch calendar and start executing on content and assets you need so things still get done and your business sustains itself while you are OOO (out of office).
I have a launch in May coming up so I knew I needed to get ahead of all the plans for it.
I use Asana to plan out my content schedule in advance. I have all my weekly content which is the podcast, youtube (almost done lol), and email newsletter created and scheduled through May.
We also created a plan (with my assistant) to help repurpose content so we can continue to market the business while I’m out.
That’s all!
That’s how I prepared for maternity leave and its also how I have planned to take a month off of my business and I do a similar thing when I just take a vacation.
Grab my planner to help you plan your next maternity leave, sabbatical, or vacation from your business.
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- How to prepare for maternity leave as a CEO
- How to take a break from your business
LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Maternity Leave/Sabbatical/Vacation Planner
- Join us in the BecomingCEO Method!
- Check out my last episode on Why you’re struggling to be consistent in your business and how to overcome this
- Follow me on Instagram: @mrskayhillman
- Follow the podcast on Instagram: @becomingceo
MORE ABOUT THE BECOMINGCEO PODCAST:
Podcast for Female Entrepreneurs and Christian Entrepreneurs to help you improve your marketing and social media strategy so you can make more money.
Every week your host Kay Hillman is going to share tips and tricks about social media marketing, mindset, and sales strategy. You’ll learn how to start, grow, and scale a service based or coaching business – God’s way.
From how to create a solid foundation for starting your business to how to strategically plan the next 6-months of marketing for your business – we will cover all things marketing, attracting more clients, converting sales, and more.
Sis,it’s time for you to up-level your mindset, marketing, and sales.
In this space we show up as our authentic selves – that means embrace being part of a community where we are low-key ratchet and high key saved – OKAY!!!
