077 Being a Mum is Your Superpower with Renae O’Neill
linktree.com/AllEaseAccounting
In this inspiring episode, I sit down with Renae O'Neill to discuss the dynamic journey of balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship. We explore how being a mum can be a superpower, providing unique skills and perspectives that enhance our business lives. Tune in to hear our personal stories, insights, and practical tips on harnessing the strengths of being both a parent and a business owner.
Connect with Renae O’Neill here:
Website: https://renaeoneill.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renae.oneill/
The Mum Boss Podcast
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mum-boss-podcast-with-renae-oneill/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3WVZ5fiICqTSN3FtsDDrYO
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00:00:00 Regan Bashara
Welcome to money. Through ease. I'm your host, Regan Bashara. You're probably here because you're an entrepreneur or a business owner that thinks that I'm not doing things correctly when it comes to your business finances. If that's you, I want to help you do things correctly. I want to help you do your bookkeeping. Right. I want to help you understand your finances.
00:00:21 Regan Bashara
So that you can set and achieve your business goals and that starts with good organization. Yes, you do need to keep your receipts and I have a free guide on my system for managing your financial paperwork, your receipts.
00:00:34 Regan Bashara
Everything that has to do with your business and your taxes, download this free guide at the link in the show notes. It's called chaos to calm and when you're ready, you can get on a consultation with me to learn more about my offers, but let's get on with the episode. Hello, everybody. Welcome to this episode of money. Through ease. I'm your host, Reagan. You know enough about me.
00:00:55 Regan Bashara
Already today I have a guest. It's Renae O'Neil and she is a life and business coach for Moms and has over 10 years experienced experience in business as a mom.
00:01:07 Regan Bashara
Plus, she's also.
00:01:08 Regan Bashara
The host of the Mum boss podcast and I was on an episode of her podcast, so depending on when these come out, hopefully that will be available for my viewers to go check out that interview as well. Her passion lies with helping moms to create a thriving business and life that they absolutely adore.
00:01:28 Regan Bashara
Without sacrificing precious family time or falling victim to the dreaded mum guilt, Renae is on a mission to empower moms to live their absolute best lives and thrive. Not just.
00:01:41 Regan Bashara
Renae, thanks so much for being a guest on money. Through ease and welcome to the podcast.
00:01:47 Renae O'Neill
Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. And as you shared, being on the other side of it, cause we've already collaborated in a podcast episode with you being a guest on my podcast. So now we get to role reverse.
00:02:01 Regan Bashara
Yes, it was so much fun being on your podcast and you were like really digging in like no rigging. Give us the stats, the practical tips that we need to get our **** together with our finances. And I'm like, I got it perfect like.
00:02:15 Regan Bashara
Do this step one. Step two. Do that and that's exactly what we talked about over here. I love to give just, like totally down to Earth advice for people because I know like, I don't try to use the big accounting words and I don't try to talk over people's heads, but if I'm too vague about what I'm discussing.
00:02:35 Regan Bashara
I understand that people can be like.
00:02:36 Regan Bashara
What the **** are you talking about? So.
00:02:39 Regan Bashara
With that being said, you have.
00:02:42 Regan Bashara
Been in business?
00:02:43 Regan Bashara
For yourself, for over 10 years, you work with people who are moms or parents and are running businesses themselves. Tell us a little bit about the work that you do and your business and who you see.
00:02:54
Here.
00:02:55 Renae O'Neill
Yes. So I have been in business quite some time and I've been in business throughout all the transitions and stages. So I've had a business before children, pregnancy, babies, toddlers and now having two school aged children and running a business. So I've been through all the rollercoaster that that journey.
00:03:16 Renae O'Neill
As which is why I am so passionate about working with mums in business to really help them grow a successful business around their lifestyle as a mum because.
00:03:29 Renae O'Neill
When you're a mum and you're navigating, running a business, we just have some additional challenges. Now, that's not to not to say that everyone's not experiencing challenges because that.
00:03:40 Regan Bashara
No, no, no. You can you can have the challenges. I I will be the first to admit. I know it is a lot easier for me without having children on purpose to run my business. Yeah, I I admire y'all.
00:03:54 Renae O'Neill
But that's the thing. Like we've all got so much on our plates, we're all juggling so much and I think we can get really stuck in that juggle. And we can really feel very overwhelmed at times. And so that's where I come in. I'm that support that you can lean on through those challenging times and I can provide.
00:04:13 Renae O'Neill
That guidance for you and and really that mentorship and coaching that you might need to navigate through it. So you can come on the other end of it. And I think the fact that I have that lived experience as well just really amplifies the experience for my clients.
00:04:29 Renae O'Neill
And I'm just so passionate about it because I want everyone to have that business, that they're really fulfilled by, and they're lit up by and I don't want to see people give that dream away because it becomes all too hard.
00:04:45 Regan Bashara
Yeah, totally. I agree completely. And that is part of my why what I do as well is because I see entrepreneurship and business ownership and like working for yourself and getting to make all of those decisions for yourself. Having that independence and agency over your life and how you make money.
00:05:03 Regan Bashara
As the way that you're going to make money and like truly lead the life you want to live without having to ask like permission from somebody else. Right. And so I my experience with my clients is that they are in that unique position where they're just like I cannot work for somebody else anymore. And a lot of people I work with, like did a side.
00:05:24 Regan Bashara
And then moved into full-time business ownership.
00:05:28 Regan Bashara
Uhm, they had like a full time job and they developed some sort of side gig thing that got to the point where it could support them with like an income. Do you work with folks who are like pretty much strictly, you know, parents and caretakers? Or do you also have folks that like maybe even have a full time job in addition to the parenting and?
00:05:48 Regan Bashara
They are giving role who also want to start a business.
00:05:52 Renae O'Neill
Yeah. Well, it's interesting because I too have been in that experience. So it was only we're going on maybe three years ago that I actually gave up my, my career that I had to go all in on my business. And I think we see that so often I see that with my clients as well that we often will have that.
00:06:12 Renae O'Neill
That career or that job that we had and our business is a side hustle, but we want to make that our main gig. We want that to become our main source of income and it's that transition of like how do you step out of that place to then go all in on the business and so.
00:06:28 Renae O'Neill
We I have actually been there myself and it's it's a great way to do it because you've you've got that security behind you of having this other income coming in while you're growing a business. But this the tricky part comes with the time factor of not having as much time available to you.
00:06:51 Renae O'Neill
To give your business perhaps what it needs, or even what you want to be able to give it, and I think that's the part people can get really trapped in and that's obviously where I come in and help my clients as well. And I.
00:07:04 Renae O'Neill
I think.
00:07:05 Renae O'Neill
When I work with my clients, I definitely see them in all the stages. There are the mums who don't are on maternity leave and don't want to go back to that job and so they want the business. I have mums who have a career but they have this business and passion.
00:07:20 Renae O'Neill
On the side that they.
00:07:21 Renae O'Neill
Are can't wait to, you know, really step into.
00:07:26 Renae O'Neill
And then I have the mums already in business who are just finding that juggle really difficult. So it's like all of these different.
00:07:32 Renae O'Neill
Realms and coming in and being able to assist in juggling it all, and I think a lot of the time that comes down to being able to get really crystal clear on what is this big picture vision goal that you're wanting to work towards. What is that dream that you're trying to create and getting crystal clear on that because sometimes we have an.
00:07:53 Renae O'Neill
Idea in mind that we're working towards this thing, but sometimes we're not really crystal clear on that. Yeah. And also I think when when it comes to having a business.
00:08:04 Renae O'Neill
When I say successful business that is going to look so different person to person, my version of this successful business might be completely different to yours and you know the person listening right now and so also getting really clear on what is it that you're wanting, what is it that you're working towards?
00:08:24 Renae O'Neill
And then we can map out a road map that will lead you to accomplishing that goal as well.
00:08:32 Regan Bashara
Yeah, I 100% agree. I want to go back to something you said about, like what, determining or looking at what kind of time you have to give to a business. So if you are considering starting a side hustle or taking your side hustle to full time or like whatever stage someone's in in that process or whatever, it looks like for them.
00:08:54 Regan Bashara
I like to talk about on this podcast. Like money, of course, but also like the capital. Like I'm using air quotes because capital means something in accounting, but it can be like non tangible. It can be something that we can't like touch. And when I talk about when people start businesses or what they need to invest into their.
00:09:14 Regan Bashara
Business is usually money, of course, like we all have to, like, have something to put in to like open the business, checking account and to like register the LLC here in the US and you have to have some money, maybe a little bit or maybe some available credit on a credit card.
00:09:30 Regan Bashara
And you also have to have time like there are certain different resources that have to be invested in. So I think from what I have seen of your work, you help folks with the time investment part of that like the capital of like how much time do I even have to give to this, whenever I am juggling a full time job or not even a full time job parenting and caretaking.
00:09:52 Regan Bashara
And home making and all of that is an absolutely full time job.
00:09:55 Regan Bashara
Too how can we kind of like, make an assessment of like our time balance or what is the framework that you use to help people determine like what what amount of time do I have to give? Like how much of myself can I give without completely depleting those resources?
00:10:11 Renae O'Neill
Yes, I think it's a really good part to get clear on this because.
00:10:16 Renae O'Neill
Our time capacity and what's available to us depends on the season of life that we're in and all of those things that we're juggling. And I don't want anyone to ever be discouraged because they feel like I have such limited time. How can I possibly start a business or how can I possibly grow?
00:10:37 Renae O'Neill
My business when I have such limited time to me and I don't want you to be discouraged by that because it is possible to grow a business with limited.
00:10:48 Renae O'Neill
Time. Yeah. The part here is we need to be really, really intentional with the time that we have available to us. And I say that because I'll give an example of of a situation that I've personally experienced. Yeah, when I was in the juggle of the little kids, the.
00:11:08 Renae O'Neill
The career and the business being on the.
00:11:11 Renae O'Neill
Side I had very limited time available to me and I remember thinking to myself when I get to that point I can let go of the career and be all in on my business when my kids get a little bit older and they're at school, I'll have all this extra time to me and that'll be the game changer for me in my business and what I quickly discovered and realized was.
00:11:32 Renae O'Neill
Actually, it's not always necessarily about how much time we have. It's how we use the time that we actually do have.
00:11:41 Renae O'Neill
And so I I think getting clear on how much time you have.
00:11:45 Renae O'Neill
Available to you.
00:11:46 Renae O'Neill
And that will look like from a practical standpoint of doing a time audit, sit down and look over a typical day in your life, a typical week in your life and really map out from when I wake up to when I go to bed, here's what's in my life.
00:11:51 Regan Bashara
Hmm.
00:12:01 Renae O'Neill
And and account for all of it. And that's something I work with my clients on doing and it it can be quite jolting to be honest, to look at that from a real wow that's that's a lot and you might surprise yourself it might, you might look at them and be like oh, actually I've got more time than I even read.
00:12:16 Renae O'Neill
Wise or it could be a bit of a a jolt to be like wow, I really am on the go all day long and don't have a lot of time. But from that perspective, once you've got clear on this is sort of where I'm at time wise. You can then look at OK what capacity do I have at the moment? How much can I give in this time that I do have and in this season that I have.
00:12:39 Renae O'Neill
And then getting clear on what are those non negotiables in your business that you need to focus on those those activities, those tasks, those things in your business that are going to move the needle and here is where I see a lot of people get stuck because and I'm I'm saying this because I've been there. I'm not saying this from a judgmental.
00:12:59 Renae O'Neill
Standpoint whatsoever I've I've been.
00:13:01 Renae O'Neill
In there it's we often get stuck in busy work.
00:13:06 Regan Bashara
MHM.
00:13:07 Renae O'Neill
We will sit on Canva for an hour, fluffing around with the design of a social media post. We will spend all this time fluffing around, changing little things on our website. Now, it's not to say that social media content and our website are not important, but when you have limited time available to you, you need to really.
00:13:10 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:13:28 Renae O'Neill
Look at that and be like.
00:13:29 Renae O'Neill
Is this good use of my time when I have such limited time?
00:13:32 Renae O'Neill
Then, perhaps not. And then looking at OK, what are those things that are really going to progress my business along? What are those things you know for service based businesses, it's going to be your client work, it's going to be getting leads in your business and if you're a product based business, it's going to be making or sourcing those products and selling them. So it's really getting crystal clear.
00:13:53 Renae O'Neill
Again, on your time, your capacity you have available to you and then using it to the best of your ability. And I think that is going to be the key to unlocking that success, your version of it for you in your business.
00:14:09 Regan Bashara
Yeah, that's amazing that you talked about like the difference between service based businesses and then products based businesses like it's so important for us to know the different systems we have in our business. I consider it like admin work and then client work and there can be a little bit of overlap on those things like.
00:14:30 Regan Bashara
In my business, but for the most part, there is times where I'm working.
00:14:34 Regan Bashara
In my business on my business systems and like updating things and doing the administrative kind of duties, it's it's not an income producing activity except that it is part of the bigger business activity where I'm producing income in my business. But then I have the client work, I do bookkeeping for people, I train people on using.
00:14:37
Uh.
00:14:54 Regan Bashara
QuickBooks Online I you know, have like consulting that I do and then like I'm making content like some of that is like just educational content. So I'm still teaching people how to do something.
00:15:05 Regan Bashara
And there's a little bit of overlap like content creation is like an administrative thing, right? You're not necessarily, I'm not getting paid for content creation or like sitting down and doing an interview for the podcast that's administrative, you know, and like, it's important to get clear about, like, both of those things need to happen in order for you to run a.
00:15:25 Regan Bashara
And they don't necessarily need equal amounts of time. Like if you can get really efficient and like automate a lot of stuff, you may not even need to spend a whole lot of time doing administrative work every single week or month, and you may find that like automating some things on the admin sign opens you up to help more clients or do more.
00:15:45 Regan Bashara
Network or create more products and then there's like the whole marketing and selling part of it too. Like you can't just.
00:15:51 Regan Bashara
Create a website, make a product and then just sit there like you have to, like actively be going out and making offers and letting people know that you have something available that they probably won't and they're actually like looking for. So I love that you brought up like the service based businesses and the products based businesses.
00:16:11 Regan Bashara
There are some businesses that do both, but yeah, the time auditing thing like I have to continually do that. I've been looking at my calendar. I was just playing around with it earlier. I am trying to get to the point.
00:16:24
There.
00:16:25 Regan Bashara
There are some days that I just like, don't talk to people because they need to, like, focus and I don't want it to be broken up with like client work or, you know, client facing activities or you know, I need to, like sit down and like.
00:16:38 Regan Bashara
My little blinders, and it's so important. And that will be something that you do throughout the lifetime of your business is make changes to that system.
00:16:47 Renae O'Neill
Absolutely. And I think you know, it is important. We're always reassessing because there's always going to be changes that are occurring. There's always going to be things that we need to go. Actually, if I review this, it's probably not working that well for me. I need to make some changes. And so one thing that I do personally and and I get my clients to do is.
00:17:08 Renae O'Neill
Once a week, whether it be a Sunday evening or a Monday morning, whatever feels good for you is sit down and really review your week ahead. Look at that calendar and that schedule, just like you did and see how you can, you know, maybe fit some things in that you're wanting to or make some changes or adjust it to suit. And I think.
00:17:29 Renae O'Neill
Reassessing regularly is always going to be needed because our our goals sometimes change our availability changes. You know where things are changing all the time and I think this is where for mothers it it is different too because.
00:17:46 Renae O'Neill
I think his mums were really good at being able to constantly pivot and adapt because.
00:17:51 Regan Bashara
Hmm.
00:17:52 Renae O'Neill
When you've got kids, nothing goes to plan. We're always happy to adapt. And so I think as a mum in business is a bit of a superpower we already naturally possess in being able to do that. But I think it's very, very important to always check back in and, you know, for me.
00:18:11 Renae O'Neill
You have to also know how you best work. For me, working in batches actually works really well for me. It doesn't work for everyone though, so you've also gotta find what works for you. So for me, you know, Monday it's not the whole day. I don't spend the whole day doing this, but Monday's theme is really focused on, you know, admin work.
00:18:21 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:18:31 Renae O'Neill
And working.
00:18:32 Renae O'Neill
On my business, not in it, which you touched on before as well. It's like there's different tasks involved in working on the business as opposed to in it. You know, Tuesday for me is about content creation. So that's the theme of my day. So when I'm working in business time, I will work on content creation Wednesdays and Thursdays.
00:18:35 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:18:53 Renae O'Neill
It's all about client work or you know, sometimes it's podcasting like it is today.
00:18:58 Renae O'Neill
And then for me, Friday is and I have this luxury, I have to say of having two school aged children Friday. For me, I'm like, I've really designed my life and business in a way that suits me. And so Fridays looks like Renae Day. That is a day where I get to do whatever it is that I want and sometimes.
00:19:14 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:19:18 Renae O'Neill
I still choose to work because I like I do, but other times I choose to go and have a coffee with a friend or go and do something else. So I think it also helps to have a bit of a plan in place for your time as.
00:19:20 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:19:30 Renae O'Neill
Well, and that's something that not everyone likes to do because I like ohh. I don't like it, it feels restrictive. I like to have flow in my day.
00:19:38 Renae O'Neill
But.
00:19:39 Renae O'Neill
Actually you can create a plan so that you have this guideline to follow, but still have that flow that you're wanting to have in your day as well. And what I find.
00:19:50 Renae O'Neill
Is that having that plan in place and having a bit of a scheduling?
00:19:54 Renae O'Neill
Space actually allows you more freedom and flexibility on the other end of it, because you're not sitting there Monday morning coming to your desk going. Why? What am I going to do today instead, you've got this idea of. This is my plan. I already have in place. You sit down and you're like, I know what I need to do when you get in and you get it done, allowing you.
00:20:05
Yeah.
00:20:14 Renae O'Neill
More time in your day to actually do the other things that you might want to be doing as well. So I think you know, I know I see this with a lot of my clients. They come to me and they're like, I don't like plans and I don't like schedules and I'm like, well, let's just work with this a bit because you might soon.
00:20:30 Renae O'Neill
Come to love.
00:20:30 Renae O'Neill
Them and and I have to say.
00:20:32 Renae O'Neill
Hey.
00:20:34 Renae O'Neill
So far so good. Every one of my clients has come out the other end and they're like, this isn't what I thought it would be. I was expecting it to be restrictive and really strict on my time, but in actual fact I love it because I'm not stuck in indecision anymore and I don't procrastinate. I just get in and get these things done. So that's that's something that can really, really help.
00:20:56
Yeah, I think.
00:20:56 Regan Bashara
That like having instead of using the word like restrictive. I like the word constraint because it kind of like just sets up guardrails or boundaries for me to follow. And I think back to when I worked a job and I worked off of a task list which was based off of projects and I.
00:21:16 Regan Bashara
This is how I do all of my work. It's like if something is a project and it has tasks and I can do like these tasks on different days and they are like I do this one first and then I do that one. It's not like they're out of order. So like I would work off of like whatever task was coming next that has like a.
00:21:32 Regan Bashara
Deadline. But when I started my business, I still was kind of operating with that formula and I've been making the shift. Like I said, I was working on my calendar today and I love the idea of themed days and I already kind of was doing that, but now I am.
00:21:52 Regan Bashara
Instead of scheduling like a specific project at a specific time.
00:21:56 Regan Bashara
I want to do like Tuesdays as like totally client work and then Wednesday mornings I have like a couple admin things I do Wednesday afternoons, open it up so that people can schedule time with me Thursday morning, same thing. But then like Thursday afternoons, I do client work and same here, Mondays are strictly admin. Like I don't want to meet with people.
00:22:18 Regan Bashara
I want to sit down and look at my entire week ahead and like, really get a feel for like what's coming up. So that like, I can get in the mindset of what you know, client facing uh meetings and stuff. Like, I have to be on. There's like a certain part of my brain that has to, like, come online and like.
00:22:34 Regan Bashara
Help somebody through a problem versus like the flow work where I'm putting the blinders on. I put on the brown noise in my headphones and like, don't talk to me for like 3 hours and I I need that in order to be productive with the client work and I need to be like brain on when I'm talking to my clients and helping them solve a problem in the moment.
00:22:45
Yeah.
00:22:56 Regan Bashara
So because it requires that like mental shift for me, I am slowly getting to the point where I realize that theme days are probably going to be the.
00:23:05 Regan Bashara
Direction like OK.
00:23:07 Regan Bashara
Yes, I love that you brought that up.
00:23:09 Renae O'Neill
Yeah, I love that. You also mentioned about your energetic capacity as well and I think this is another key area to look at is.
00:23:20 Renae O'Neill
It's not always just based on what time you have available. It's also like your energetics as well. Knowing that you, you know you might be.
00:23:25 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:23:30 Renae O'Neill
Really mind active of a morning. You know, that's when your best ideas come to you. That's. Yeah. Getting you've you've got the energy to. You know, I don't know if I'm allowed to swear, but get **** done.
00:23:41 Regan Bashara
Yes, you can swear.
00:23:44 Renae O'Neill
And sorry if you are aware of your energetic capacity and how you best operate and run.
00:23:50 Renae O'Neill
You can then also align your tasks to suit that you know you might be someone who come in the middle of the afternoon. You you get that afternoon slump and you're like, actually.
00:24:02 Renae O'Neill
Client work for me in the afternoon doesn't work because I need to be in that high vibe energy state to serve my clients, so I'm going to actually put my client work in the morning times and so that helps you really work out also what tasks you do based on how you know you operate and run based on your capacity. And so you know admin tasks.
00:24:22 Renae O'Neill
Often don't.
00:24:23 Renae O'Neill
Often, I'll say often don't need a lot of brain power, so that can sometimes be a really good thing to have in the end of your day because you're like actually by by that afternoon time, I'm starting to, like, lose my zest. I will do those sorts of tasks at the end of the day. And so that can really help you when you sit down and you start scheduling and you look at the tasks that you have to do.
00:24:45 Renae O'Neill
Also look at the capacity side as well. Knowing too that you can change your your energetics as well. So yeah, I know. For me you know before I dive into doing client work or collaborating on a podcast like this.
00:24:59 Renae O'Neill
I will get myself in that high vibe kind of state, and if I'm not feeling it prior, I will jump up. I will put on my favorite 90s pop music and I will dance like a like a 5 year old and changes my state. It changes how I feel, it changes how I'm going to show up.
00:25:09 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:25:20 Renae O'Neill
So that when I sit down to do those things, I show up in the kind of energetic state I want to be in as well. And so it, I just thought it was key to mention this because it's not always dependent on just our time. It's also how we're feeling within that time as well.
00:25:36 Regan Bashara
Totally agree and I have. I wake up super early naturally, but I prefer to sit there and drink my coffee. Or like stretch or do a little like Pilates Matt workout or, you know, scroll on my phone like it's totally fine to want to scroll on your phone. But like, when's the best time to do that without, like, totally distracting you from something else?
00:25:56 Regan Bashara
Through it turning into something that you avoid, other things that you need to be doing like scrolling time morning, cool and.
00:26:06 Regan Bashara
I you talked about like designing your life based on really thinking about what you want in the long run and I think.
00:26:18 Regan Bashara
I was talking to somebody about this yesterday. When we start our businesses, we're just like, all right, well, I got to go make some money and I'm going to work with everybody. I'm going to say yes to everything and you know, OK. But like, if some point that's going to burn you out and you have to bring it back to.
00:26:35 Regan Bashara
What do I really want my life to look like? What kind of work do I want to be doing? Who do I want to be working with or who do I want my customers to be and like?
00:26:44 Regan Bashara
Starting to narrow that down. Sure. In the beginning, cast a wide net, but use that as like data collection too, like.
00:26:53 Regan Bashara
Is that really serving my business for me to work with this person that wants this, that wants me to do this for them? Like, is that how I want to be living? Because, you know, sitting in the driver's seat as the business owner?
00:27:05 Regan Bashara
Like you do get to make all.
00:27:07 Regan Bashara
Choices. There's no one else to blame for when you have a project that you're not enjoying, or a client relationship that like isn't serving either of you like there's nobody to pass the buck to like you're the one who made that choice. And that's not like a blame, shame thing. It's just like that means you also have the capacity to change it, change your mindset.
00:27:28 Regan Bashara
About that relationship change how you relate to that work or just say I don't want to do this anymore. Like that's totally up to you.
00:27:36 Renae O'Neill
Yeah. And I mean, here's the thing. We've gone into business for a reason. It might have been that we didn't want to have a boss telling us what to do. We wanted to run our own show. We went into business because we wanted the time flexibility that it allows us. We went into business because we wanted to not have that income ceiling that we can't.
00:27:56 Renae O'Neill
Bus 3 and so.
00:27:57
Hmm.
00:27:58 Renae O'Neill
We it's interesting because sometimes we end up creating a business just like we would have had our nine to five. Yeah. And we can then go actually, what am I doing here? I'm not loving and enjoying this like I was expecting to. And it's because you really created a business that you haven't.
00:28:17 Renae O'Neill
Really.
00:28:19 Renae O'Neill
Intentionally created to be that way and it's because and this isn't a shame at all. We've all been there. Well, most of us have been there, but what happens is exactly what you said. You know, we start our business and we feel like we need to say yes and take on all the clients or we feel like we need to perhaps adapt and and do something a little different than we want to because we feel like, well.
00:28:21 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:28:41 Renae O'Neill
I'm only new to this, I'm just getting started. I need to try these things.
00:28:46 Renae O'Neill
Getting really clear on.
00:28:49 Renae O'Neill
Everything in your business in terms of what it is that you're wanting to achieve in your business, who is your ideal client? And I don't just mean you know creating this ideal, but it's like who are the people you really want to work with and serve? Who are the people that you want to call into your business? What are the things you want to be doing in your business and when you're looking at the things you want to do in your business?
00:29:02 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:29:11 Renae O'Neill
Really look at it from the lens of like, what are the things that I'm really skilled at? What are the things I really love and enjoy in my business and what are the things that I don't necessarily love and enjoy? And you know, it might be the admin side of it. Actually, I don't really love and enjoy the admin and if that's the case, when you've got that bigger picture goal, you can be like, OK long term.
00:29:32 Renae O'Neill
I know that I want a source A-Team member, whether it be VA, whether it be somebody that you employ into the business to take over those things so that I can have more of the things I love and enjoy. And when you get clear on all of these things, it really helps you in decision making processes.
00:29:49 Renae O'Neill
In all aspects of the business it's, you know, so many things can change from that and also getting clear on what are your business values, what are the things that are most important within your business as well these.
00:30:03 Renae O'Neill
Are all so.
00:30:04 Renae O'Neill
Important to get clear on, even in the early stages and in actual.
00:30:08 Regan Bashara
Yes.
00:30:09 Renae O'Neill
That's highly recommend you get clear from the very, very beginning and we don't always because sometimes our businesses have been born from a place of we do this thing we really love and enjoy it. Ohh we can make money from it and then it snowballs from there. And so we don't always have the groundwork of those foundations in place.
00:30:10 Regan Bashara
Yes.
00:30:26 Renae O'Neill
This, but no matter what stage of business you're at, I would encourage you to sit down and start thinking about these things, even if they feel so out of reach. They feel so far away, it's really helpful to get clear on those things and it then helps you have that, that goal post that you're working towards and knowing that this is what I'm striving for. This is what I'm wanting to create.
00:30:51 Regan Bashara
It really does change the game for you. Yeah. There's so much good stuff in there, especially talking about knowing what you even enjoy doing in your work, business ownership or running a business like just business operations require like specific things, every business needs to have bookkeeping.
00:31:10 Regan Bashara
Like most of us live in a country where.
00:31:12 Regan Bashara
We pay taxes.
00:31:14 Regan Bashara
Like file a tax return and that, you know, like a lot of people could argue that you need a website like there are certain things that you have to do when you're operating a business and you start out by doing all of those things usually because.
00:31:30 Regan Bashara
You don't have the resources to pay somebody else to do it, but it has to be done and having that vision and that goal of like, yeah, I gotta do this now. But like, I really want to get to the point where I don't. I'm not the.
00:31:43 Regan Bashara
One pushing that button.
00:31:46 Regan Bashara
And it's so good to kind of keep that in focus.
00:31:49 Regan Bashara
So that you are moving towards.
00:31:52 Regan Bashara
Something and it's like in a positive direction. Instead of running away from poverty or burning out, or a ****** job and a boss that you hate like, you know, shifting your focus from like, I want to get away from these negative things that I don't like too. I want to move towards this thing that is a positive.
00:32:12 Regan Bashara
Like gold that I want to get to and you know.
00:32:16 Regan Bashara
I don't know. I just, I don't. Nobody wants to be like, running away from danger or ****** circumstances.
00:32:21 Regan Bashara
All the time.
00:32:23 Renae O'Neill
No, and I think when you have that ideal image in mind of the life and the business that you're wanting to have, it helps you through those challenging times. You know we are inevitably.
00:32:36 Renae O'Neill
Going to hit challenges along the way as business owners.
00:32:38 Regan Bashara
Freshly.
00:32:40 Renae O'Neill
It's it's a journey in itself. And so when you have this clear image of what it is that you're working towards, it really does help you navigate through those challenges with a little bit more ease, knowing that this is what I'm working towards. And I know for me, especially being a mum in business, the biggest part of my why in my business.
00:33:00 Renae O'Neill
Is that time flexibility and freedom that it allows me to have that I get to take my kids to school. I get to pick them up every day if they have an assembly, I get to be there for it. And it's this moments that make me go. I'm so grateful for my business and the work that it has taken to get myself here because of what it allows me.
00:33:05 Regan Bashara
Yeah.
00:33:21 Renae O'Neill
And I know in those early days when you are laying those foundations and it is go, go, go time and you feel like you are putting your all into something and not always getting the results you want.
00:33:33 Renae O'Neill
Keeping in mind of what it is you're working towards really helps because then when you get there you will feel so much gratitude for it because you're like I've worked so hard to get to this point and I'm so grateful for past me for all the work that she did that has landed me in this place. And so I just wanted to say that because I know that if you are in the startup phase.
00:33:47 Regan Bashara
Mm-hmm.
00:33:57 Renae O'Neill
And that early stage of business, it's a lot.
00:34:01 Renae O'Neill
And you know, I'm not going to sugarcoat it because it's a lot you are putting so much of your time, energy, resources into it. But know that in time when you get the results, when you get the outcome that you're wanting to, when you can see that that end vision getting closer and closer, you'll know that.
00:34:21 Renae O'Neill
Every little bit of.
00:34:22 Renae O'Neill
It has been so worth it.
00:34:25 Regan Bashara
I love this. I want to take what you just said and draw a connection back to what something that you said earlier, talking about moms being like having a superpower when it comes to running a business because everything you just said, we could just slide that over to talk about newborns. I have younger siblings that like I was old.
00:34:44 Regan Bashara
Enough. Whenever they were born that I distinctly remember what it is like to live in a house with a newborn. I had a friend recently who I was their support person during birth, and I was there for a lot of the.
00:34:54 Regan Bashara
The early infancy stages kind of helping her out and so like I am not a mom, I'm totally that's how I prefer it. But like I know, like I've had pretty much a front row seat to that experience and everything you just said. I'm like, yeah, that's exactly what it's like having a newborn. You're like staring at them and you're afraid that if you blink, they'll stop.
00:35:16 Regan Bashara
Breathing.
00:35:19 Regan Bashara
And then like you know, you are flying by the seat of your pants, especially if.
00:35:23 Regan Bashara
It's your first.
00:35:24 Regan Bashara
Time with a baby like it is a lot and you're just literally learning every single moment you think that you did all the the reading and the research and, you know, hearing other people's experiences and then yours just ends up being completely different from anybody else's. And I think that is such a good parallel to running a business. So can you talk?
00:35:45 Regan Bashara
More about that and why that means that if you're a mom who wants to start a business for whatever reason that you have this unique superpower that the rest of us.
00:35:56 Regan Bashara
Cannot even tap into.
00:36:00 Renae O'Neill
It is so interesting because it is so similar like being a mum and entrepreneurship are so similar because it is exactly what you just said. You go into it with all hopes and dreams and you feel you're equipped to handle this thing.
00:36:16 Renae O'Neill
And then all of a sudden, you're thrust into mum life or business life and you're like.
00:36:20 Regan Bashara
This is what I expected it to.
00:36:22 Renae O'Neill
Be ohh my gosh and you have no choice but to to ride that way. You have no choice but to get in there and do what needs to be done. And I think that's the superpower part.
00:36:33 Renae O'Neill
Is we are able to just adapt to our environment, to our situation with a little bit more ease because we've been there, done that as a mum raising our children. Yeah. And so no matter what stage of motherhood you're in from birthing that child to.
00:36:54 Renae O'Neill
Raising that child you have had to navigate so much at once and.
00:37:00 Renae O'Neill
We are navigating things whilst also having life things going on in the background. It doesn't mean that we still don't have these other challenges and we are.
00:37:09 Renae O'Neill
Forced to just deal with what we're dealing with and keep going forward. And so that's the superpower. Part 2 being a mum and I think we have such a a push and driving us because for me when I became a mum.
00:37:27 Renae O'Neill
Everything shifted as it so often does, but my why and my reason for things became amplified so severely.
00:37:37 Renae O'Neill
So for me, you know. Yes, I want to create this business that I have created because I'm passionate about and I'm fulfilled about it. It's something that truly lights my soul on fire.
00:37:48 Renae O'Neill
That I have such a drive for it because I'm also doing it for my family. I want them to have the most incredible life. I want to be able to be there for my children and have that time flexibility and freedom that allows me to still be the mum that I'm wanting to be, but still also not lose myself in it and still have something that I.
00:38:09 Renae O'Neill
Love and I'm passionate about it as well. And so I just feel like it helps us have this motivation and drive, not like no other because I'm not just doing it for me, I'm doing it for my family as well and so.
00:38:22 Renae O'Neill
That is something that will help propel you forward and navigate those challenges as you go.
00:38:29 Renae O'Neill
That you have these people, that you're doing it for as well and I'll never forget when I was still working. So my job that I had before was I worked at my local hospital and sorry, I would have to, you know, drop kids off to daycare or before school care and then work the whole day. And then they would have to after.
00:38:51 Renae O'Neill
School. Go back to after school care or daycare at the time, and then I'd pick them up. We'd come home, we'd rush and do tea, bath and bed.
00:39:00 Renae O'Neill
Time and when I finally let go of that job to go all in on my business, I will never forget my daughter saying to me so I don't have to go to daycare or after school care anymore. You get to pick me up and she literally welled up because she was so excited that mum could pick her up every single day. And I'll never forget that moment. Because to me it was such a pivotal moment.
00:39:21 Renae O'Neill
Any way to finally let go of that job and go all in on my business? Yeah. And I was a huge part of that was I'm just doing it for my family. But to know that it meant so much to her as well was just this big.
00:39:33
Movies.
00:39:35 Renae O'Neill
That moment was like, ohh my gosh, it's been worth it. All these blood, sweat and tears has been worth it.
00:39:43 Regan Bashara
Fine.
00:39:46 Regan Bashara
Could say the darndest thing.
00:39:49 Regan Bashara
That's so beautiful that, like, even at her young age, she was like ohh like.
00:39:55 Regan Bashara
I see that I'm part of this decision and that makes her feel loved and cared for, and it's just like, ohh, so good. And I was thinking about this too in terms of parallel.
00:40:08 Regan Bashara
I mean like giving birth to a business or a creative idea and putting it out into the world and then having a child like in the early stages and when they're, you know, newborns and then like toddlers like a lot of that is so, so stressful, just like dealing with a human being that, like, does not have their brain is just not developed.
00:40:30 Regan Bashara
And when you are in the first couple of years of of your business as I am right now, like I'm not saying but.
00:40:39 Regan Bashara
You said something earlier, like.
00:40:41 Regan Bashara
You first start your business like it is really hard and you really.
00:40:44 Regan Bashara
Just kind of.
00:40:45 Regan Bashara
Have to go through it and it's the same thing with like children. I think like they get to a point where finally.
00:40:50 Regan Bashara
They're using the bathroom by themselves.
00:40:53 Regan Bashara
And you're like, OK.
00:40:55 Regan Bashara
Just like 1.
00:40:56 Regan Bashara
Less thing I have to do to help this.
00:40:58 Regan Bashara
Tiny person and like business is going to go through developmental stages too. To get to the point where like it gets a little bit more self-sufficient every day. And if you're willing to like stick it out like it's just gonna be something amazing that it's still apart apart from you. Like it's separate from you and.
00:41:00
Yeah.
00:41:18 Regan Bashara
You know it's gonna be its own thing, just like your children are. So I thank you for sharing that story. That was, like, really sweet. And I love that.
00:41:26 Renae O'Neill
Yeah, yeah, I think it's so true though, because we do go through these different stages in business as well. And what I see and what I've witnessed is those who are successful in business are the ones that keep persevering and they are the ones who keep showing up. They are the ones who don't give up despite the challenges, adversity.
00:41:45 Renae O'Neill
Whatever the needs that.
00:41:46 Renae O'Neill
Faced. They are the ones who will be successful. So if you are someone who's listening and you're like I'm in the thick of it and it feels so hard and like, when is this going to get easier? I promise you it will get easier. It will get better, keeps going, keep persevering because I will tell you, I can't even tell you.
00:41:54 Regan Bashara
Yes.
00:42:06 Renae O'Neill
Actually, how many times I nearly gave up along the way and.
00:42:11 Renae O'Neill
I'm so grateful I didn't because it did get easier. It did get better and you know those results finally came. But you know, I saw so many people along my way give up along the way. And it's it's just that perseverance being consistent, continually showing up, doing the work that will be the key to unlocking.
00:42:30 Renae O'Neill
Success for you. So if you're listening and you're like, it's, it's tricky for me right now, please, please keep going. I promise you you will get the results that you're wanting to. Sometimes it does. It does take.
00:42:42 Renae O'Neill
1.
00:42:43 Regan Bashara
Yeah, it it really does. And it's going to take more time than you think and you know commitment doesn't mean that you stick with something that isn't working either. If there is something that's not working and getting you the results and you've like seriously put in time and resources and you know, energy into it like it's OK to change it.
00:43:03 Regan Bashara
But like that doesn't mean you give up on the whole kit and caboodle unless you want to. Like you know, that's always an option, but if you're committed to sticking it out and persevering like there is support out there, there's resources out there to get you the help that you need and.
00:43:17 Regan Bashara
And help you see the results that you want to create and yeah.
00:43:23 Regan Bashara
What a fantastic message and a a great parallel to parenthood and raising children.
00:43:35 Regan Bashara
So good, Renae, where?
00:43:37 Regan Bashara
Can we find?
00:43:38 Regan Bashara
You if we wanna follow you, if we wanna work with you and be.
00:43:41 Regan Bashara
In your orbit.
00:43:43 Renae O'Neill
Yeah. So my favorite place to hang out is on Instagram. So you'll find me at Renae dot O'Neill. And then of course, I've got the podcast as well. I absolutely love chatting and collaborating with others, so that is the Mum Boss podcast where you are also.
00:44:00 Regan Bashara
A guest on it.
00:44:01 Renae O'Neill
So your listeners can come over and check that out.
00:44:04 Renae O'Neill
Well, and then obviously you've got my website Renaeoneill.com as well. So there are a few different ways to work with me, my favorite being I've recently launched A mastermind. So the mum, boss mastermind and that's an incredible community of mums in business where I work with them in a group coaching setting so.
00:44:24 Renae O'Neill
That is available as well, so yeah.
00:44:28 Regan Bashara
Congratulations on launching A mastermind that's so amazing and I'll make sure to have all of your links in the show notes that folks can go follow the podcast, subscribe, follow you on Instagram and Connect and reach out if they need support. Or maybe.
00:44:43 Regan Bashara
Just to like.
00:44:44 Regan Bashara
Talk about how.
00:44:45 Regan Bashara
Kind of hard. It is sometimes to be.
00:44:47 Renae O'Neill
Yes.
00:44:48 Regan Bashara
Mom and or running a business.
00:44:50 Renae O'Neill
I I would absolutely love that. I'm always like, come and jump in the dams. Let me know you've listened and let's chat because I think connection is the piece that's so often mum's in business in particular really.
00:45:04 Renae O'Neill
Gave and I know for me in in growing a business as a mum, I didn't have anyone else in my world doing that. I felt very alone and I think being a mum you already feel pretty isolated and alone. And then you add business on top of that. It can feel a lot. So jump in my DMS come and say hi. I would absolutely love to chat to you.
00:45:24 Regan Bashara
Yeah, I'm just soliciting everybody to just, like, getting your DMS. But I I agree, like we all need connection. None of us should have to feel like we're doing this alone. And most business owners that I.
00:45:37 Regan Bashara
You know, are totally open to just having a conversation or just like listening. So if you need that support and you're feeling like you're doing it alone, like you can come into my space and be in my community, you can come, you know, into Renae's space. And I'm sure she will welcome you with open arms, too. Like, you do not have to do this alone.
00:45:41
Yes.
00:45:58 Regan Bashara
And we're here for you because as much as I'm committed to like being successful for me, I'm committed to my clients success too. And it sounds like that's the case for you as well.
00:46:09
Yeah.
00:46:10 Renae O'Neill
Absolutely nothing brings me more joy than to see my clients succeed like.
00:46:15
Yes.
00:46:16
Yes.
00:46:17 Renae O'Neill
Fills me with so much love and joy. So yeah, I feel the exact same way.
00:46:21 Regan Bashara
Yeah. Thank you so much for being a guest on Monday. Through ease, Renae, and for connecting with me and having me.
00:46:27 Regan Bashara
On your podcast too.
00:46:28 Renae O'Neill
Ohh thank you so much. I've absolutely love being here and and honored to be.
00:46:32 Renae O'Neill
Here as well.
00:46:34
Thanks.
00:46:34 Regan Bashara
Thank. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Money.
00:46:37 Regan Bashara
Through ease, if you found value in today's discussion, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review your feedback really does mean a lot to me, and if you're ready to take the first step towards organized finances, be sure to download my free receipt organization guide chaos to calm. Visit the link in the show notes.
00:46:57 Regan Bashara
To grab your free copy. Now remember, your financial journey starts with small steps. I'm here to support you every step of the way. Until next time. This is Reagan bashara from money. Through ease. Stay empowered.