3 Tips on How to Run an Arts & Crafts Club Around Your Family’s Schedule

Are you worried that starting a kids arts & crafts club will take precious and irreplaceable time away from your family?

As a mom and a full time small business owner, I’m here to liberate all working mothers and moms wanting to, or already following their dreams of running their own kids arts & crafts club, teaching online, in person or by selling kits.

It’s totally doable! And in this video, we share our top 3 tips for how to get it done.

We have so many women who contact us saying that starting their own creative crafting club is their absolute dream but they’ve been a stay-at-home mom for years or they already have a lot on their plates and are worried that starting a business will take precious and irreplaceable time away from their family.

If this is you, keep reading or watch the video above to find out our top 3 tips for how to be a mom AND run a business successfully...

Let’s set the record straight: ’Mom Guilt’ is real and being busy is a reality for many, but I’m here to tell you that it is totally possible to have your cake and eat it too - without the guilt or feeling overwhelmed! We’ve seen it done, over and over, by so many members in our community, and hey, I’m a mom myself! 

 Here are our top 3 tips for how to get it done:

 Tip #1: Remember that YOU make the rules 

The best part of starting your own kids arts & craft club is knowing that you are your own boss. You make the rules and you set your own hours, so plan your schedule around your kids and what works for you and your family.

Moms are superheroes. And one of their strongest and most valuable superpowers is their ability to plan. Think about it – you already do this. You know exactly when and where every member of your family needs to be every day of the week – you know that your daughter needs to pack her ballet shoes on a Monday, you know that your husband needs an extra snack pack for late meetings on a Wednesday, you know that you need to pick up your son later on a Tuesday and Thursday after soccer practice. Moms are natural planners. Why? Because we have to be. Let’s face it – things would fall apart without our superpower of planning.

OK, so how does this apply to running a small business? Simple! 

Prioritise one thing when starting out to focus on to avoid overwhelm. It could be that you want to focus on teaching toddler classes only in the mornings, or sell art kits to ages 5 and up or only teach online. Whatever it is, pick one thing when starting out. 

We get it, we've been there, when you’re just getting started, you are sooo excited and you want to do it all and say yes to everything and everyone. You want to teach toddlers and preschoolers and teens and adults. You want to teach at schools and run workshops, host parties and events, start an online membership and sell kits. 

Now there is nothing stopping you from growing into doing all of the things, but when you’re starting out, trying to do everything at the same time will only make you feel overwhelmed. 

Even worse, it will make you achieve less, as you don’t have a clear focus.

You can avoid overwhelm by gaining FOCUS! Pick one thing when starting out

Next up, block out hours in the day for your club. Spend the morning working on the business side of things – marketing, planning, and buying supplies, while your kids are at school, and plan your classes to take place when they don’t interfere with precious family time. If it’s important to you to be available to pick up your kids from school and take them to their extra-murals, DO that, and plan your classes to happen while they’re out, or, even better, when they’re home and can take part. If you want to have full flexibility with your time, pre-record videos for online classes or sell kits - you could pack or record that whenever it suits you.

Remember that YOU make the rules.

 Tip #2: Learn to say “no” to extras 

How many times have you said “no, no, no, no” and then at the last minute blurted out “okay, yes sure!”? So there you are, selling cupcakes at the school fair AGAIN...!

As much as I loved that movie “YES man”, saying NO to stuff is actually really, really important too. As a business owner, learning to say NO is one of the best things that you can do for yourself and your family.

If you feel awkward saying no to people, here’s a tip we’ve put into practice that really helps to take the edge off an otherwise harsh-sounding “NO.” – it’s called the Sandwich Technique:

First, the ‘Bottom Bun’: Start with saying something positive: “Oh, wow! Cupcakes! What an awesome idea.”

Then, the ‘Filling’: Make sure you give a definitive NO. You can give a reason if you wish, but even something vague is fine – “I have a lot going on this week so won’t be able to.”

Then the ‘Top Bun’: End with another positive statement: “Please let me know how the fair goes! Would love to see how the cupcakes turn out!”

Saying NO will allow you to conserve your energy for what’s important – your two priorities – your family (first) and your business (second). There will always be another mom who can take over the cupcake sale.

You do NOT have to feel guilty about it not being you, and you do NOT need to apologise or promise that you’ll take part next time.

You have other things going on, and once your business is up and running people will see what you’ve been up to and understand why you had to say no – you were busy creating something GREAT!

 Tip #3 Involve your family in your business 

Yet another great thing about starting a kids arts & crafts club (yes, the list goes on and on 😉) is that arts and crafts are FUN.

You’re not starting a business selling cement or fixing old TVs, you’re filling your business hours with glitter, finger paint and pom-poms! That means that your family can get just as excited about your business as you are and can take part in turning your dream into reality.

Having kids is a major plus when you’re an arts & crafts business owner. You’ve got your own test subjects right there at home – little guinea pigs who you can test out your crafts on.

You can spend extra time with them doing something fun and they can help guide your classes – if the craft is too complicated or difficult for your 4-year-old, you’ll know that the craft would be better suited to an older class. 

If your 2-year-old creates a huge mess all over your kitchen table during your foam paint practice session, you’ll know you need to be armed with aprons and kitchen towel when you host your next toddler class.

Kids can also help you come up with ideas, letting you know what everyone’s into nowadays. When Moana is all the rage and Frozen has taken a backseat, you’ll be the first to know.

And what about that other part of your family – your partner in crime? Even if they’re not super artsy, brainstorming arts & crafts sessions can be a super fun thing for you to do with your partner. Involving your significant other in your business can make them feel like their opinions are valued and can involve them in another part of your life, in something that means a lot to you. 

When my hubby Werner jumps in to help pack creative kits or gives me an idea to try out, it means so much to me that he’s put thought and effort into my business, and being able to bounce ideas off of someone can be so beneficial – not only are you gaining a fresh perspective, you’re bonding with your special other at the same time.

Let’s wrap up

The major takeaway we’d like you to remember from this session is that your fear of taking time away from your family can be totally obliterated if you run your arts and crafts business in the right way. Time to ditch the ‘mom guilt’! 

To do a quick recap...

1. Remember, YOU make the rules. You plan your schedule around what works for you and your family.
2. Saying NO will allow you to conserve your energy for what’s important – your two priorities – your family and your business.
3. Involving your family in your business can create invaluable bonding time and help them feel like they’ve been a part of making your dreams come true.

We’ll leave you with one final thought. Here it is: Happy mom = happy kids.

If your family sees you happy and thriving and living your best life, ending every day with a smile on your face, exhausted but ecstatic, excited about what you do, this will have a major impact on everyone’s happiness levels!

See? You really can have your cake and eat it too - without the guilt!

Anyone still worried about how to manage adding your dream of a kids arts & crafts club on top of everything you already do? Anyone suffer from ‘mom guilt’?

Let us know in the comments what you’re worried about and let's squash those fears together!

Want more tips and guidance to help you get started with your club? 

Join the waitlist for our CCC Academy!

Click here to sign up: https://www.creativecraftingclub.com/waitlist-a