Back to school. Back to business. Back to carrying everything.
If you’re a mum running a business, you probably know this season well.
Uniforms that don’t fit anymore. Stationery lists that read like a scavenger hunt. Permission slips, lunchboxes, school buses, emotional regulation…
And somewhere in amongst all of that, a quiet voice saying:
“Once this settles down, then I’ll really focus on my business.”
Here’s what you don’t wanna hear (and need to!)
Life doesn’t calm down. It just changes.
And if you keep waiting for the perfect week to start working on your business you’ll be waiting forever.
Why Waiting for Life to Calm Down Is Killing Your Momentum
The Reframe: Do Business Before Your Bandwidth Disappears
Stop Doing All the Things (Most of Them Don’t Matter)
The 6-Week Project Rule (This Changes Everything)
Design Your Business Around School Terms
(Not Despite Them)
Decide What You’re NOT Doing This Term
Stop Waiting. Start Building.
The Back-to-School Trap Mum Business Owners Fall Into
There’s a massive misconception that school holidays are a “break” for mums in business.
They’re not.
They’re often more work. More energy needs. More interruptions. More mental load.
When kids are at school, they’re contained and mostly entertained. When they’re home, everything lands on you, questions, snacks, sibling refereeing, emotional needs all while you’re trying to keep a business afloat.
So when school goes back, it feels like relief.
And that’s when the trap kicks in.
You tell yourself:
“Next week I’ll get into it.”
“Once things settle, I’ll focus.”
“Once the kids are back in routine, it’ll be easier.”
But it never works that way.
Because the load doesn’t disappear. It stacks.
They’re not.
They’re often more work. More energy needs. More interruptions. More mental load.
When kids are at school, they’re contained and mostly entertained. When they’re home, everything lands on you, questions, snacks, sibling refereeing, emotional needs all while you’re trying to keep a business afloat.
So when school goes back, it feels like relief.
And that’s when the trap kicks in.
You tell yourself:
“Next week I’ll get into it.”
“Once things settle, I’ll focus.”
“Once the kids are back in routine, it’ll be easier.”
But it never works that way.
Because the load doesn’t disappear. It stacks.
Not in business. Not in parenting. Not ever.
In nearly 20 years of running businesses, I’ve never had:
A week where no one was sick
A week where tech worked perfectly
A week where nothing unexpected happened
A week where everyone showed up exactly as planned
And if you keep waiting for that week to arrive before you build systems, restructure your business, or focus on what actually matters you’re delaying your own progress.
Worse? You’re carrying the load for longer than you need to.
In nearly 20 years of running businesses, I’ve never had:
A week where no one was sick
A week where tech worked perfectly
A week where nothing unexpected happened
A week where everyone showed up exactly as planned
And if you keep waiting for that week to arrive before you build systems, restructure your business, or focus on what actually matters you’re delaying your own progress.
Worse? You’re carrying the load for longer than you need to.
Instead of waiting for life to settle, we do something different in the Moxie world.
We plan for reality.
That means:
Kids get sick
School terms exist
School holidays exist
Energy fluctuates
Bandwidth is not unlimited
So we ask a different question:
How do I build a business that works inside my real life not around some fantasy schedule?
And the answer starts with this principle:
👉 Fewer priorities. Tighter execution.
Or put simply:
Do less. Better.
We plan for reality.
That means:
Kids get sick
School terms exist
School holidays exist
Energy fluctuates
Bandwidth is not unlimited
So we ask a different question:
How do I build a business that works inside my real life not around some fantasy schedule?
And the answer starts with this principle:
👉 Fewer priorities. Tighter execution.
Or put simply:
Do less. Better.
Most business owners are doing way too much stuff that doesn’t actually move the needle.
If you stopped doing half of it, no one would even notice.
Instead, we identify:
Your critical success factors (the small number of things that actually make your business work)
Your highest life priorities (health, relationships, wellbeing)
These are non-negotiable.
Because future you will be pissed if you ignore them.
Your health compounds.
Your relationships compound.
Your business systems compound.
Busywork doesn’t.
If you stopped doing half of it, no one would even notice.
Instead, we identify:
Your critical success factors (the small number of things that actually make your business work)
Your highest life priorities (health, relationships, wellbeing)
These are non-negotiable.
Because future you will be pissed if you ignore them.
Your health compounds.
Your relationships compound.
Your business systems compound.
Busywork doesn’t.
When kids go back to school, there’s a temptation to go full noise.
Don’t.
Instead of trying to execute every idea you had over the holidays, choose:
One project to make more money, or
One project to build a better future
That’s it.
One (maybe two) projects that can be completed in six weeks.
If you do your critical success factors and your six-week project?
You’ve had a great week even if everything else was messy.
Don’t.
Instead of trying to execute every idea you had over the holidays, choose:
One project to make more money, or
One project to build a better future
That’s it.
One (maybe two) projects that can be completed in six weeks.
If you do your critical success factors and your six-week project?
You’ve had a great week even if everything else was messy.
If your kids are in mainstream schooling, you’re looking at roughly 13 years of school terms and holidays.
That’s not an inconvenience. That’s a design constraint.
And constraints are powerful when you plan for them.
Here’s what actually works:
Accept that school holidays = reduced capacity
Treat the first week back at school as a re-entry week (not full noise)
Make week two the ramp-up week
Use the rhythm of the term to your advantage
Present before nine.
Done by three.
Profitable in between.
That only works if you stop planning your business around a schedule that ignores reality.
That’s not an inconvenience. That’s a design constraint.
And constraints are powerful when you plan for them.
Here’s what actually works:
Accept that school holidays = reduced capacity
Treat the first week back at school as a re-entry week (not full noise)
Make week two the ramp-up week
Use the rhythm of the term to your advantage
Present before nine.
Done by three.
Profitable in between.
That only works if you stop planning your business around a schedule that ignores reality.
This part matters more than what you are doing.
Ask yourself:
What can I stop doing right now?
What can someone else take responsibility for?
What doesn’t actually need to happen?
That could be:
School lunches
School runs
Certain admin tasks
Low-value business activities
Things you took back from your team that shouldn’t be yours
Every “no” creates space for what matters.
Ask yourself:
What can I stop doing right now?
What can someone else take responsibility for?
What doesn’t actually need to happen?
That could be:
School lunches
School runs
Certain admin tasks
Low-value business activities
Things you took back from your team that shouldn’t be yours
Every “no” creates space for what matters.
Your systemised, organised business doesn’t magically appear one day.
It gets built deliberately. Step by step. Inside real life. Slowly, consistently over time.
If you keep carrying everything the business, the household, the back-to-school load you’ll always be too depleted to work on what truly matters.
Your time is yours. You just have to tell it where to go.
And if you’re ready to stop letting another year slip through your fingers…
Your next step
If you want a business model that actually works around mum life school terms, school holidays and all this is exactly what we do.
👉 Book a Moxie Breakthrough Session
We’ll look at what’s not working, what’s weighing you down, and how to restructure your business so it supports your life not drains it.
Because success shouldn’t come at the cost of your sanity.
Stay moxie 💛
It gets built deliberately. Step by step. Inside real life. Slowly, consistently over time.
If you keep carrying everything the business, the household, the back-to-school load you’ll always be too depleted to work on what truly matters.
Your time is yours. You just have to tell it where to go.
And if you’re ready to stop letting another year slip through your fingers…
Your next step
If you want a business model that actually works around mum life school terms, school holidays and all this is exactly what we do.
👉 Book a Moxie Breakthrough Session
We’ll look at what’s not working, what’s weighing you down, and how to restructure your business so it supports your life not drains it.
Because success shouldn’t come at the cost of your sanity.
Stay moxie 💛
Back to school. Back to business. Back to carrying everything.
If you’re a mum running a business, you probably know this season well.
Uniforms that don’t fit anymore. Stationery lists that read like a scavenger hunt. Permission slips, lunchboxes, school buses, emotional regulation…
And somewhere in amongst all of that, a quiet voice saying:
“Once this settles down, then I’ll really focus on my business.”
Here’s what you don’t wanna hear (and need to!)
Life doesn’t calm down. It just changes.
And if you keep waiting for the perfect week to start working on your business you’ll be waiting forever.
If you’re a mum running a business, you probably know this season well.
Uniforms that don’t fit anymore. Stationery lists that read like a scavenger hunt. Permission slips, lunchboxes, school buses, emotional regulation…
And somewhere in amongst all of that, a quiet voice saying:
“Once this settles down, then I’ll really focus on my business.”
Here’s what you don’t wanna hear (and need to!)
Life doesn’t calm down. It just changes.
And if you keep waiting for the perfect week to start working on your business you’ll be waiting forever.
The Back-to-School Trap Mum Business Owners Fall Into
Why Waiting for Life to Calm Down Is Killing Your Momentum
The Reframe: Do Business Before Your Bandwidth Disappears
Stop Doing All the Things (Most of Them Don’t Matter)
The 6-Week Project Rule (This Changes Everything)
Design Your Business Around School Terms
(Not Despite Them)
Decide What You’re NOT Doing This Term
Stop Waiting. Start Building.
Not in business. Not in parenting. Not ever.
In nearly 20 years of running businesses, I’ve never had:
And if you keep waiting for that week to arrive before you build systems, restructure your business, or focus on what actually matters you’re delaying your own progress.
Worse? You’re carrying the load for longer than you need to.
In nearly 20 years of running businesses, I’ve never had:
- A week where no one was sick
- A week where tech worked perfectly
- A week where nothing unexpected happened
- A week where everyone showed up exactly as planned
And if you keep waiting for that week to arrive before you build systems, restructure your business, or focus on what actually matters you’re delaying your own progress.
Worse? You’re carrying the load for longer than you need to.
Instead of waiting for life to settle, we do something different in the Moxie world.
We plan for reality.
That means:
So we ask a different question:
How do I build a business that works inside my real life not around some fantasy schedule?
And the answer starts with this principle:
👉 Fewer priorities. Tighter execution.
Or put simply:
Do less. Better.
We plan for reality.
That means:
- Kids get sick
- School terms exist
- School holidays exist
- Energy fluctuates
- Bandwidth is not unlimited
So we ask a different question:
How do I build a business that works inside my real life not around some fantasy schedule?
And the answer starts with this principle:
👉 Fewer priorities. Tighter execution.
Or put simply:
Do less. Better.
Most business owners are doing way too much stuff that doesn’t actually move the needle.
If you stopped doing half of it, no one would even notice.
Instead, we identify:
These are non-negotiable.
Because future you will be pissed if you ignore them.
Your health compounds.
Your relationships compound.
Your business systems compound.
Busywork doesn’t.
If you stopped doing half of it, no one would even notice.
Instead, we identify:
- Your critical success factors (the small number of things that actually make your business work)
- Your highest life priorities (health, relationships, wellbeing)
These are non-negotiable.
Because future you will be pissed if you ignore them.
Your health compounds.
Your relationships compound.
Your business systems compound.
Busywork doesn’t.
When kids go back to school, there’s a temptation to go full noise.
Don’t.
Instead of trying to execute every idea you had over the holidays, choose:
That’s it.
One (maybe two) projects that can be completed in six weeks.
If you do your critical success factors and your six-week project?
You’ve had a great week even if everything else was messy.
Don’t.
Instead of trying to execute every idea you had over the holidays, choose:
- One project to make more money, or
- One project to build a better future
That’s it.
One (maybe two) projects that can be completed in six weeks.
If you do your critical success factors and your six-week project?
You’ve had a great week even if everything else was messy.
If your kids are in mainstream schooling, you’re looking at roughly 13 years of school terms and holidays.
That’s not an inconvenience. That’s a design constraint.
And constraints are powerful when you plan for them.
Here’s what actually works:
Present before nine.
Done by three.
Profitable in between.
That only works if you stop planning your business around a schedule that ignores reality.
That’s not an inconvenience. That’s a design constraint.
And constraints are powerful when you plan for them.
Here’s what actually works:
- Accept that school holidays = reduced capacity
- Treat the first week back at school as a re-entry week (not full noise)
- Make week two the ramp-up week
- Use the rhythm of the term to your advantage
Present before nine.
Done by three.
Profitable in between.
That only works if you stop planning your business around a schedule that ignores reality.
This part matters more than what you are doing.
Ask yourself:
That could be:
Every “no” creates space for what matters.
Ask yourself:
- What can I stop doing right now?
- What can someone else take responsibility for?
- What doesn’t actually need to happen?
That could be:
- School lunches
- School runs
- Certain admin tasks
- Low-value business activities
- Things you took back from your team that shouldn’t be yours
Every “no” creates space for what matters.
Your systemised, organised business doesn’t magically appear one day.
It gets built deliberately. Step by step. Inside real life. Slowly, consistently over time.
If you keep carrying everything the business, the household, the back-to-school load you’ll always be too depleted to work on what truly matters.
Your time is yours. You just have to tell it where to go.
And if you’re ready to stop letting another year slip through your fingers…
Your next step
If you want a business model that actually works around mum life school terms, school holidays and all this is exactly what we do.
👉 Book a Moxie Breakthrough Session
We’ll look at what’s not working, what’s weighing you down, and how to restructure your business so it supports your life not drains it.
Because success shouldn’t come at the cost of your sanity.
Stay moxie 💛
It gets built deliberately. Step by step. Inside real life. Slowly, consistently over time.
If you keep carrying everything the business, the household, the back-to-school load you’ll always be too depleted to work on what truly matters.
Your time is yours. You just have to tell it where to go.
And if you’re ready to stop letting another year slip through your fingers…
Your next step
If you want a business model that actually works around mum life school terms, school holidays and all this is exactly what we do.
👉 Book a Moxie Breakthrough Session
We’ll look at what’s not working, what’s weighing you down, and how to restructure your business so it supports your life not drains it.
Because success shouldn’t come at the cost of your sanity.
Stay moxie 💛
There’s a massive misconception that school holidays are a “break” for mums in business.
They’re not.
They’re often more work. More energy needs. More interruptions. More mental load.
When kids are at school, they’re contained and mostly entertained. When they’re home, everything lands on you, questions, snacks, sibling refereeing, emotional needs all while you’re trying to keep a business afloat.
So when school goes back, it feels like relief.
And that’s when the trap kicks in.
You tell yourself:
But it never works that way.
Because the load doesn’t disappear. It stacks.
They’re not.
They’re often more work. More energy needs. More interruptions. More mental load.
When kids are at school, they’re contained and mostly entertained. When they’re home, everything lands on you, questions, snacks, sibling refereeing, emotional needs all while you’re trying to keep a business afloat.
So when school goes back, it feels like relief.
And that’s when the trap kicks in.
You tell yourself:
- “Next week I’ll get into it.”
- “Once things settle, I’ll focus.”
- “Once the kids are back in routine, it’ll be easier.”
But it never works that way.
Because the load doesn’t disappear. It stacks.
Hot Off the Moxie Mic
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Hot Off the Moxie Mic
Binge These Now!
Get to know your host...
SARAH
is a business owner who has gone from overwhelmed and overbooked to successfully running a business AND being a great mum and wife.
Through years of trial and error and PLENTY of mistakes, she’s learned how to create powerful frameworks that help businesses run sustainably, giving back time and energy to their owners.
Now, she brings her knowledge to other female and mum entrepreneurs so they too can have a business that works perfectly with their life!
