Mom, Start a Business!

How This Mom and Parenting Expert Wrote a Book in Just 3 Weeks

March 11, 2021 Cami Layne Langston Season 2 Episode 18
How This Mom and Parenting Expert Wrote a Book in Just 3 Weeks
Mom, Start a Business!
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Mom, Start a Business!
How This Mom and Parenting Expert Wrote a Book in Just 3 Weeks
Mar 11, 2021 Season 2 Episode 18
Cami Layne Langston

📲Send Cami a Text!

EPISODE 018: In this episode of Mom Start a Busines, I'm chatting with mom of two, author, and positive parenting expert, Linsday Ford.

In this episode, you'll hear...
- how Lindsay wrote a book in 3 weeks with her kids at home
- how writing a book has changed her business
- how she started her business locally
- what Lindsay did when no one showed up to a class
- how setting clear expectations for your kids can help you grow your business
- and more!

CONNECT WITH LINDSAY
Website: www.theparentingframework.com

CONNECT WITH CAMI
Instagram: @camilayne

💌Connect with me on Instagram @momstartabusiness

Not sure what you could create to make passive income? Get the Create Your Niche Workbook to help you come up with your next great business idea!

Show Notes Transcript

📲Send Cami a Text!

EPISODE 018: In this episode of Mom Start a Busines, I'm chatting with mom of two, author, and positive parenting expert, Linsday Ford.

In this episode, you'll hear...
- how Lindsay wrote a book in 3 weeks with her kids at home
- how writing a book has changed her business
- how she started her business locally
- what Lindsay did when no one showed up to a class
- how setting clear expectations for your kids can help you grow your business
- and more!

CONNECT WITH LINDSAY
Website: www.theparentingframework.com

CONNECT WITH CAMI
Instagram: @camilayne

💌Connect with me on Instagram @momstartabusiness

Not sure what you could create to make passive income? Get the Create Your Niche Workbook to help you come up with your next great business idea!

Welcome to the moms. Start a business podcast. I am so glad that you are here. If you are new around here. My name is Cammie and this podcast is all about inspiring you as a mom to follow your dreams, to pursue your passions, have something for yourself other than motherhood. Um, And just encouraging you, giving you the steps to make that happen. So I am glad that you are here. If you are back again. Thank you so much for listening and supporting the podcast. Every download every share. 

Every review means the world. So I really appreciate you being here. So in this episode, I am interviewing a fellow mom entrepreneur, and her name is Lindsay Ford. She is a parenting coach and the author of the positive parenting framework. And let me tell you, she wrote this book. During a pandemic in three weeks, she. 

Literally, it was like, well, I didn't know what else I was going to do over the summer. So I wrote a book. Um, it's a great conversation. We talk about how she went about writing her book. We talk about how she went about starting her business. As a local business, a local service. And kind of what happened when she tapped out of her, her friends and family. 

Um, we talk about what it looks like to, to have routines  in place, to be able to actually do this whole motherhood and business thing. So there is lots of great info in this interview. I hope that you enjoy it. Let's get to it. 

All right. Welcome Lindsay to the podcast. 

Thanks so much for having 

me. Yeah. So let's get started and let's just tell everybody who you are. What is your business? Tell us about your family. 

Sure. So my name's Lindsay Ford and I am a positive parenting coach and I support parents on their parenting journey.

So I've really helped them interpret what their child is really saying when they're acting out and work with them to figure out strategies that work best for their child and their family. So that is the crux of my, my business. I do courses and one-on-one coaching through that. And I have, uh, two little ones.

Um, I have a, well, they're getting bigger, but a six year old and a four year old who are both in school right now. Um, and yeah,  

awesome. So, um, you know, this is mom. Start a business. So let's talk about how you got started. Where did this idea come from? You know, what is your background? What did you do before you started your own business?

Just kind of tell us about that 

journey. Sure. So I started, um, I have a degree in urban planning and I worked as an urban planner for, um, I think 13 years and. I my business, I never intended to go into business, um, for myself. Um, but when my daughter was born, I, I started a blog. I felt compelled to start a blog, which is something I never thought I would do.

But I just, I think like so many moms who start a blog, I just needed an outlet. I just needed a space to reflect and share what I was going through. And I found. I was learning so much about myself as I was parenting. And, um, I just, yeah, I, I felt compelled to start a blog. And then after my son was born and my daughter was a toddler, um, I started to be struggled with behavior issues.

Um, as I think most people with toddlers do, and I discovered something called positive discipline. And I started using their strategies and I was finding they're working and they were really in line with my beliefs, um, in terms of seeing our kids as these beautiful human beings who are worthy of respect.

And I started sharing. About it. Um, I started sharing the strategies and stuff on my blog and talking about what I was doing and I decided to get, um, certified in positive discipline just to add credibility to what I was talking about. I ha I had no idea where that was going to go and part of my certification, um, I had to teach a class.

So I got together a bunch of my mom, friends. We did a wine and cheese night and they taught my first parents in class. And I, I loved it. And the response I got from them was so encouraging. And I started teaching, um, real classes a couple of months after that. Um, and meanwhile, I'm still working full time and doing this very, very part-time.

And I did that. Um, the, the part-time stuff and the full-time work for a few years. And it was really almost a year ago. Um, Christmas, 2019, where I decided to leave my full-time job and do this, um, and just, and to see my kids more because working full time and running a business and, and parenting, I just found.

I just found, I was always in a rush. I didn't have any really great quality time with my kids. I wanted, I wanted to see them more. I felt like it was missing out on a lot of, um, good quality time with them. And I felt like that. Caused a lot of behavior issues, quite frankly, that I was having with them because they were just wanted to hang out with me.

And I was just so busy, rushing around doing all the things and I, um, and it just got to a point where both in my business, I wanted to, it felt like the next logical step to move into it. Full-time and in my, in terms of my family, um, family life, I, I just wanted more space in my day. Nice. 

So. You said, you know, that first class, you just kind of gathered some friends, what was kind of the transition to speaking to strangers?

Does that make sense? You know what I mean? Like, like you started with your friends and I think that's really important and how a lot of people can kind of start, you know, is make use of the network that you have. But at some point you do kind of. Tap out right on your, your network. So what did that look like?

Kind of transitioning from just helping your friends to then actually speaking to random strangers on the 

internet. So a couple of things happened. Um, the, the friends that attended my, my, my first parenting class, um, wanted to host their own little parenting party at their house. So, um, so I started talking.

To, I guess the, the strangers that way. And also I was trying to figure out how to turn this into a business because in the world I was in, I didn't have many friends or hardly any friends who were entrepreneurs. I had all my friends had jobs. So I, I, I, um, I think on Facebook or something, message someone who owned a yoga studio, who I'd taken classes there before I had, um, you know, uh, we were acquaintances and I said, Hey, can I just take you out for coffee?

Um, I want to start a business and I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know anybody else. So I went out with her. And, and we were just chatting and her yoga studio is very family-friendly and she's like, well, why don't we host a workshop? Why don't we do that? This together? We'll well, I'll, I'll have the space.

We'll, we'll advertise together. You teach the class and we'll share the proceeds 50 50. And, and that's how, that's how I started was just that. And then once I started, so I did one big, big workshop. My first class had 27 people in it, which was. Overwhelming. Cause I was like, ah, what's happening here? I don't know how to manage all these people, but it was really, it, it was really, it went really well.

And my next one, I only had three people in it, so it was very different and it's completely different. Um, facilitating the discussion in a class with a large group versus. A small group. So I got, um, I got some practice at both ends right out of the gate. And, um, and then the next class at that yoga studio, we actually had to cancel it because there was nobody signed up.

But through our advertising for that, um, Someone else in our area who runs like a prenatal classes and early mom to baby classes, kind of that, you know, year, one, um, phase she had heard of, or she had seen the advertising and just said, Hey, like, we'd like to offer an extension of our services. Um, can we offer, it was a toddler program.

I was, um, We talked about. So, and, and I've been teaching with them for a few years. Um, just, yeah. And so the toddler program is my main in-person. I think actually it's the only one I do in person now, or now it's on zoom, but, um, so that's how I, I kind of stumbled into, into it cause it seemed really overwhelming to me.

And it's still kind of seems overwhelming to me the idea of like renting space and doing okay. All of the advertising and stuff myself. I really kind of like leaning on some other people with warm, warm audiences. Quite frankly, I find I found that really beneficial and, and helps with my own confidence in terms of that in-person stuff.

Yeah, 

for sure. And I think, I mean, that's one of the things I recommend people do is. Lean into other people's audiences, because at the beginning you don't have your own audience, but there's other people that are doing something, not exactly the same as you, but maybe similar with the same type of audience that you can utilize their audience, you can add value to their audience.

So they get benefit from it because they are positioned as someone that's bringing them value. Right. Um, And then you've got this audience that already trust this person. And then this person is telling them, Hey, I trusted this person. And so therefore it kind of transfers to you and you can make use of that audience.

So I think that's brilliant. I mean, in-person and online, you could do the same thing. 

And, and it's, it's been less scary for me than just going out and trying to figure it out by myself because I have people who are more established in their businesses, like teaching me in a way, like along the way. So it's, um, Yeah.

That's been really beneficial too. Yeah. 

So you mentioned that, you know, your first class had 27 people and then the next one had three and then one that didn't even have people sign up. Can we talk about just kind of like what was going on in your mind? When that happened, you know, like the first one, like, Oh my gosh, yes.

You know, I'm on the right track. But then that, you know, those next few, did you have any doubts there of like, maybe I'm not supposed to do you know what I mean? What were you, what were you thinking there? 

Well, the other, um, so the first one I did was a toddler, a toddler workshop. And then the other two, I can't remember what they were now, but they were different topics.

And. So I wasn't, I wasn't really sure what was going on. And, and now at the other place with the toddler workshops or toddler classes, it's. It can be up and down in terms of enrollment. And sometimes certain times of the year are really challenging than others. So don't, I don't even attempt classes in the summer.

Um, even a January, February class in the middle of winter and like snowy, dark days here, um, it's, you know, a challenge to get people out of their house. So there's been some experimenting with certain times of the year and, and yeah, I think it's. I mean, I think when you're doing your own thing and you're in your business, it's, it's emotional.

There's definitely some ups and downs in terms of like, am I doing something wrong or is this timing, was it timing of advertising? Like, so we've been experimenting with different ways of, you know, messaging the classes and, and, and now, um, I've gone from teaching a three hour workshop on like a Saturday or an evening to now a four week.

Virtual session. So I can actually, you know, checking back in, it's like half almost group coaching and half, um, half the workshop piece of it. And so there's been just different experimenting. And now I'm thinking of doing a pre-recorded version where people can just do it at their own pace, because I have a couple of other courses like that, and I really.

I, I think there's benefit that speaks to a different audience in some respects. Um, and it gets rid of that time barrier in terms of like committing to, you know, Tuesday evenings for a month or, or a Saturday afternoon. So I've learned to. Um, and I'm not perfect at it by any stretch of the imagination, but trying to more come at it from a position of curiosity rather than, um, you know, really beating myself up and crying about it.

Um, although I'm, I. Still have those moments for sure. 

Yeah. It can be easy to think that, you know, someone doesn't buy or they don't sign up or, you know, whatever, they don't come to your life because they don't like you, you know, or, you know, it's something personal. And so that's, that's a great outlook, you know, to just remember, to step back and just look at it from a lens of curiosity of like, why, you know, why is this happening?

Why are people not showing up or not purchasing? And just remembering that. You know, it's not about you, it's about whether the offer is, you know, exactly what they need at that time. And like you said, the timing, if you're, you're communicating, you know, the benefits. Well, if it's. You're not following up or, you know, whatever it is and looking at it and just kind of figuring out, I mean, that's, I feel like business is just a big problem solving game.

You know what I mean? It's just one kind of problem after the next and just kind of solving and figuring out and experimenting and seeing what works. 

Yeah, experimenting and tweaking and, and I mean, in many respects, that's what we're doing with our parenting too. And what I am teaching, teaching teaching, uh, the parents that come to me is we're, you know, we're developing a hypothesis and we're experimenting with strategies.

So it's the same, same in the business side of things. And it's yeah. So 

you have recently written a book and I want to hear kind of about that process because that's something that I do not have any experience in. And I know that a lot of people kind of have that on their mind as maybe not a right away goal, but maybe down the line, they would like to write a book.

So tell us a little bit about that process. 

Sure. Well, mine was not a right-away goal either. It was a down the line process. Um, that kind of got shifted, uh, as I was navigating what to do during COVID. And, um, I was, you know, in, uh, in my business parenting and parenting advice, it is a noisy, noisy market, and I was really struggling to articulate.

Why was different or what unique aspects of, of me and my messaging could like and how that could serve people. So I was really struggling with, with my messaging rather than just, you know, providing more strategies or you, you know what I mean? So, um, I was working with a business coach at the time and she was like, well, think about it as if you're writing a book.

And like, what is, is your overall body of work? Because I kept hearing, like, my perspective was unique, like from my clients are like, I really like your perspective. I like how you make me think about things. I'm like, I don't know how to like, articulate that in like social media and stuff like that. Um, so she was like, okay, well what think about it as your body of work?

Like, what is your overarching belief system? And then, so I sat with that for about a week and then I was like, well, Hi, it's the summer coming up. I, what else am I going to do? I'm just, I may as well write a book. I may as well just write it out and, and we'll see what happens. So I, I made a decision to write a book and I felt like that was something that would come way further.

Down the road in my career. Um, but I, I was like, okay, I can do this. And she walked me through that process. Um, and so I started writing a book in June. It took me three weeks to do a first draft. I love writing. I have a lot of ideas and I, lot of, um, yeah, content in my head, that's not my issue. Um, and then.

And then it was months of editing, which was painful and tears, and like it was grueling. So putting this book out into the world has been like, I'm almost birthing another child. It's been really up and down and really emotional and, um, no idea what's coming or what to expect when it goes out into the world.

So I put it out at the end of October. And, um, so far the, the, the feedback I'm getting is fantastic, um, which I'm excited about it. And now I get to do lots of promotion of the book, which, um, is interesting too, because I've always struggled with promotion. Um, and I've, and I've worked a lot on that over, over the years of, of, of that side of things.

And, um, and what the book has done for me is it has helped me clarify. My messaging and what I am saying to people, and it is now no longer just, um, thoughts floating in my head. It is like, it is in a book I can now, even if I need to, for whatever reason reference it, if I, if I need to, but it is, it's clear in my mind because I have, you know, I've written it down and I've edited and edited and edited it and refined it and refined it and refined it.



So what the book has done is it's made, it's helped me become a lot clearer on my messaging and it makes me like it easier to talk to people about what, I guess, what messaging I'm trying to convey in terms of parenting.

 The book is also, the messaging is coming across clearer through the book. As people are reading it, um, it's written in a very conversational way and very encouraging and approachable way.

So people are really resonating with, with the gentle approach of it. Um, And so I think overall, as people are reading the book and as I'm talking about the book, and even as I'm now rethinking some of my classes and talking to people through my coaching, I'm just way more clear on what I'm talking about because I've gone through that those months of refining what it is I'm trying to say to the world.

Yeah. I've never really thought about. Just that benefit, I guess, of writing a book of how it kind of forces you to really get clear on your overall, you know, theme and then like, what are those main points, right? That are going to be your chapters and that's. Really, I don't know a great perspective. I've never thought of it that way.

Maybe I need to write a 

book. 

You gave me two. I had never, it never occurred to me before, you know, before June. 

So now did you self publish? 

I'm guessing. Yeah, I did. Self-publish um, I thought about that. There's different ways you can do it. You can completely self published by herself. You can hop. You can go the traditional route, which is finding a publisher who will take your, take your time.

Fine. Or if there's this, like in between method where you could work with a publishing company, but you're still self publishing, but they'll give you some direction. Um, I ended up going completely by myself. I got help with editing, but, um, I shows I was working with a coach who had written a book and guided or written several books and who has guided people through several books.

So I felt really like, I didn't need a lot and I want it to focus my efforts. Um, More on, on, on the understanding, the marketing and how to position the book. So, um, I, I I've done more of that. Um, and the self publishing piece of it was part, like I wanted it out in the world. I didn't want to sit on it for a year or two.

Um, I wanted, I wanted to do it and because I looked at my book, not necessarily as. This awesome revenue generator. Um, it's a really, you know, from a business perspective, it is helping people. It is, um, uh, an, a low ticket item that they can buy. And also it is a. Um, there's an opt-in in the book. So the goal is to, you know, use the book to get people onto my email list.

And then hopefully they'll, they'll be that warm audience that will then buy courses and coaching from me if they need further support. So, um, yeah, I kind of looked at it as, you know, a way to clarify my message and, and really. Fancy elaborate opt-in right. In some respects. Yeah. I'm 

glad you mentioned that because I do, I think people kind of have this idea of like, Oh, well, you know, writing a book could make me a lot of money, you know, or there's just a, an authority kind of that comes with, you know, writing a book, but.

Not necessarily the, um, the income that people may, might think that it would provide. So because yeah, it is, it's a low ticket offer. Right. So, um, but that's a great way to look at it as just a kind of a fancy, you know, opt-in that they can come into your world. Really get to know you, right. And then be able to, to trust you, to buy from you with something else.

Yeah. And people learn in different ways. So some people will be able to read the book and really apply it. The what I'm saying, and that's all they will ever need. And other people will read the book and say, Oh, I want more, I want to have a conversation. Um, I want a video course, or I want to talk to this person, want one-on-one if I'm struggling with like one particular issue.

So, um, It's just, it's just one more way that people can get, I can, people can get access to my information and, um, and I can just support people in different ways. Yeah, 

that's cool. So I want to transition a little bit and talk about kind of your expertise in parenting and stuff, because this is for moms and, you know, although.

Main focus is business. I think that if you've got, um, some behavior issues going on, then it's going to be hard to run a business, right? Because if you're constantly dealing with children that are misbehaving and you know, that takes all of your energy, then it's kind of, it's hard to have something else and devote your energy to a business.

So let's talk about just kind of. You know, what is your book about what, you know, what is that kind of overarching theme and how do you help parents? 

Sure. So the book is, is about positive parenting, which is a giant umbrella term and it is a framework. So I believe that. All misbehaviors and miscommunication and that there's no one size fits all parenting.

So yes, I'm certified in positive discipline, but I, I don't believe that that is the one and only approach that everybody should use. I think there's nuggets of gold and. All sorts of approaches and ideas. So the book is designed to help you figure out what makes sense for you and your family and how it aligns with what you want to, um, accomplish in terms of your parenting goals and what you're hoping to, um, achieve at the end of this in terms of raising a decent human being.

So I look at, um, I look at parenting as this giant complex problem that I can't necessarily give you specific, you know? No actionables without talking to you directly, but I want to really support parents and figuring it out for themselves and understanding why their kids act the way they do and what to do about it and understanding the parent in terms of.

You know, we might really subscribe to positive parenting, but when our child is really determined not to listen to us, sometimes that just goes out the window and we default to our punishments and then we feel horrible after. And like, we're, we're messing up and we're not doing it. Right. So it's about understanding our default patterns and how to build habits to, um, replace those default patterns in a way that better aligns with how we want to parent and then setting boundaries.

Because I believe that setting boundaries or rules, expectations, limits, whatever it is you call them is how we communicate. What's important to our family, what we value as a family. And it is a communication tool, um, with our children. So it bridges, it, bridges how our children talk to us and respond to us and, and it bridges how we talk and respond to our children.

So it's, it's those components and, and how to, um, How to, how to do all of those components, um, recognizing that there is no one size fits all parenting. It's more of like, how can we think about this? What are our next steps? How do we think about our next steps in a way that aligns with how we want to parent?

Hmm. Nice. 

Yeah. I find my kids are four and a half and three just turned three. And I mean, up until now, we really like. They're great kids. Um, you know, obviously there's. Like issues, but we haven't had a whole lot of behavior issues, but I feel like they're kind of, you know, reaching an age where I'm realizing, okay, they're at a point now where we really do need to be communicating more, you know, what are our expectations and kind of have.

That conversation more rather than, you know, when they're younger, it's, it's a little bit more one-sided of MSU you communicate your expectations and things, but I mean, not, not quite as, um, I don't know, like formally, if that makes sense. Yeah. No, and I was, I was a teacher before, um, I had kids and so just kind of like, Oh yeah, like I probably need to be doing this, you know, where we actually sit down and talk about like what our expectations and really, you know, my husband and I get on board with like what our expectations and what's okay.

And what's not, and what's the, what are the consequences going to be? And what's right. You know, all of that kind of stuff. So 

well, and yeah, and half of the issue I find sometimes is knowing what our expectations are in our own heads. Like let alone communicating with our child, which we sometimes forget to tell them what we expect.

And we just kind of expect that they will, they will know what to do, but sometimes it's. You know, we're not sure where that, where our hard lines are. We're not sure they're the it's blurry in our heads. And, um, when our child acts out or pushes our boundaries, it helps us then understand that, okay, that part was not acceptable.

What, where, where is that line? So it helps us reclarify as we are going through that, that boundary feedback loop, um, in terms of what I call it, um, This process of our child resisting every time they resist, it helps us clarify where that hard line is because oftentimes we don't, we don't know until they push past it.

Right. And so is that what your book kind of helps parents walk through? 

Yeah, definitely understanding that boundary setting process, because usually when our child is pushing, pushing boundaries and acting out, um, It's there's, there's just, uh, something missing in terms of we're missing a piece of the puzzle.

And we just have to find out which, which part of the process it's in and tweak what we're doing most of the time. It's not a massive overhaul of our parenting. That's needed. It's a few tiny adjustments because we're doing like 90% of it. Right. And we're just missing the Mark, um, in a T like small areas.

So it's about just. Figuring out where in the process. And if we can start to look at parenting like a process, um, because it's easy to do when it's other people's kids, but it's hard to do when it's, when we're, when the behaviors, it feels personal. But if we can start to look at it as a process, then it's easier to just.

Tweak and adjust and understanding that, you know, you will never have well behaved children a hundred percent of the time. And most of us, when we reflect on that, that's not what we actually want because we want kids who stand up for what they believe in and all of those things. Um, so it's about understanding that parenting is a journey and we, as parents have never parented before, and we have never parented these exact children before.

And it is as much of a learning process for us as it is for our kids, you know? 

I love that perspective. Well, might have to pick up your book. So tell us before I forget what it's called and how people can find 

the book positive parenting framework. And, um, you can it's available on Amazon and, um, or you can head to the parenting framework.com and.

Pick it up there. Perfect. Okay. 

Well, we'll definitely link to it. So last thing I want to talk about is just kind of how you actually manage this. I mean, you said you wrote a book in three weeks over the summer with a six-year-old and a four-year-old. So tell us, how do you actually get so much done? 

Um, it definitely ebbs and flows.

Um, so when I have kids home with me, it's for me, it's all about. It's establishing those boundaries and then teaching my kids how to meet those boundaries. So it's not enough for me to just say, mommy's working for the next hour. It's it's okay. What do they do if they need me? What are, what are they supposed to do?

Um, you know, if I'm in the middle of a call or something like that, so it's teaching them how to behave. And then following through, like, if I say I'm working an hour, then I'm stopping and they know to expect, and they can trust that I will follow through on. The, the boundaries that I'm setting for myself, um, because then I expect them to expect them to do the same.

So it's about setting the boundaries and there, and the routine. I was never a big routine person before kids. Um, until I really understood that routines build habits and habits are done on autopilot. So. Um, strong routines, um, in terms of, and it helps everybody know what to expect and get on the same page and then integrating some fun time in between the work time.

So not trying to work five hours in a row, um, it's breaking it up with, you know, momming and, and working, um, and giving my kids what they need, which is really. You know, attention can some control over their day and some like fun and connected, connected time, and also understanding in terms of the work stuff when my brain functions best, um, is, and making sure that I am.

Or retiring the type of work I need to do within my like high brain moments. So like, I can write, I can get up at 5:00 AM and write to like 9:00 AM. I cannot write at 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM to save my life. So the, the T recognizing. Like using my time effectively in terms of, you know, when it works with my kids, um, in terms of our routine and also in terms of how I prioritize the work within those time compartments during the nice, 

can you give us an example of maybe a routine that you've put in place that works really well for 

you?

Sure. So, um, depends what we're doing. So when my kids were at home, it would be, um, we would wake up and we would get ready for the day. Like it would be any other other day, um, and we would be going out. So it would be going through the motions of, you know, Getting dressed, eating breakfast, all of those things and getting ready for the day.

And then mommy would start her work day. Cause mommy, mommy needs my brain functions best in the morning. So I would need to do, uh, um, work for about an hour, an hour, hour and a half. And then we would take a break. We would go outside and do something, have lunch. Um, and then they would get about, uh, not quite an hour of screen time.

After lunch. And then I would do some more work. And when the screen time was done, um, they would put it away. So we, we operate with timers. So when the timer goes off, they're expected to put it away. And then depending on what I was doing, if I was on a call, then they would just be expected to quietly, like go to play with something else.

And then we would, um, I think do some snacks and more outside time or quality time before starting dinner. And then, um, then we'd just be into the dinner, dinner, bedtime routine. So that was how our days were structured when they were both home with me. Nice. 

Yeah. I think timers are wonderful. So much better.

It's so much better for a timer to tell you that you need to put your screen away than mom. 

Exactly, exactly. It totally shifts the power dynamic and it's not you telling them what to do and it's, and, and it's. It's not at your whim either. They don't really know how much time has passed, but they know a timer is running.

So it's a little, it's different, but it's functional. Yes, 

it is. Well, and I use it a lot in like when it's time to go or, you know, something like that and giving them some extra choice to have. Like, you know, for, at the playground, like, okay, do you guys want to leave now? Or do you want to leave in five minutes?

You know, and just giving them the power that then they think like five minutes, you know? And so it's like, they're choosing like, okay, we're leaving in five minutes, you know? And so then it just kinda makes it that much easier to transition and. 

Well, yeah, and kids like, like choice. They like having some independence.

So even with, even when we were at home, I would still pack snacks for them and put them in the fridge and then they could go in and they could choose what, which snack they were having in the morning, which snack they were having in the afternoon. And then if I was in the middle of something, I didn't have to get up and give them a snack.

It was already pre-made and they could just go help themselves. And. Yeah. So that's a good idea. I love, they love independence. Yeah. 

Awesome. Well, this has been super helpful for me, so I know it's going to be helpful for everybody else as well. Um, can you tell everybody where they can find 

you? Sure. The parenting framework.com is the best place to start.

Awesome. Okay. Well, thank you so much for coming Lindsey. 

Thank you so much for having me. All right. We'll talk soon. Bye.

All right. I am back after the interview. I hope you enjoyed that. I know there were lots of little takeaways for me. Um, I love just her story of getting started in just, just doing kind of those local parties are reminded me a little bit of. You have network marketing and that, you know, party a model. And I thought it was so, so creative to get started that way. Um, and I encourage you, you know, maybe that would be a good way for you to get started if you really enjoy the in-person side of things. I know we talk about more online business here and, and courses and, you know, digital products, but. 

That doesn't mean that you can not do something in person and local where you can get that interaction. And it's a great way to kind of get your feet wet. See if there's interests, get feedback. And practice right. Teaching, whatever it is that you want to teach. Um, so maybe that's something that you could do as well. 

Um, and then I just think it's incredible that she, you know, she decided she was gonna write a book and she went after it. Um, I, that encouraged me and just, you know, if there's something you want to do, just go for it. Um, hunker down and you can get it done. And just the perspective of how the book really helped with her messaging. You know, messaging is huge. And so I think that. 

It's a great idea to really, even if you, aren't going to write a book, think about if I were to write a book, write if I were to write a book that encompass, encompassed everything that I want to convey. Um, you know, what, what I'm really about, like what would those chapters be? What would kind of that pillar content be? And that's a great place to start and to really think about, you know, what is it that you want to be sharing on social media? 

What does your program actually look like? You know, in, in my program, when I work with people, I, I help them to create their own. Framework or their own method, their own. Um, path, you know, that they want their people to follow. And really creating that, you know, what's, what's unique about your process, right? 

Um, because there's probably going to be someone else that teaches the same thing you do, or, um, you know, has a similar business, but. When you can differentiate yourself and have your own unique method. Then that is going to set you apart in. You know, in that sea of people doing the same things and it gives you something to talk about and it allows you to stay really focused and people to know what it is your about. So I loved that. 

All right. Thanks again for being here and listening. Every share every download every review. Um, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um, speaking of, I would love to hear from you. I would love to see that you are listening, um, with the podcast. I can't see who it is. That's listening. So take a screenshot of you listening. Take a selfie. 

Um, and tag me on Instagram, I would love to know that you're listening and it also helps get the word out so that more moms can listen to the moms, start a business podcast and be inspired and encouraged to start their own business. All right. I will chat with you in the next episode.