Is there a downside?

I love Flying Solo. If you haven't heard of it, head over there now and subscribe for your free weekly e-newsletter. It's perfect for mumtrepreneurs. Go on, I'll wait until you get back.

Now, this week, Sam (who is herself a fabulous mumtrepreneur) shares the story of her friend who couldn't take the plunge into solo-work (aka freelancing, home-based business, consulting, etc). Sam declares 'there are no downsides!' And that got me thinking... are there really no downsides for mumtrepreneurs?

For me, the biggest challenge is the interruption into the 'mum' time. I work three dayd a week. The other two I hang out with Sam, who is 3, and do the school-run rush. I'll get calls from clients in the middle of mothers group. I'll feel the urge to 'just finish that article' while Sam creates space ships with tiny lego. I'll check for urgent emails as I get ready to go to the park. And I might find myself conducting important phone interviews while cooking dinner, madly scribbling notes and making urgent mimed 'ssshhhhh...' faces at the kids at the same time. OK, I found myself doing exactly that yesterday. It was exhausting.

Is that a downside? It could be if your choice is between work and not-work. And if your 'desk' job really does allow you to take sick days without dealing with the subsequent workload build-up, or you can clock off both mentally and physically at the end of a shift (as my friend the air-hostess can), then maybe this constant juggling could be a downside.

The key thing is how you deal with it. I know I have to get better at it.

Do you tell your clients you aren't available on Mondays and Thursdays? Do you set up an auto-reply on your email on those days so you don't feel the pressure to check and respond? Or do you cave in and buy an i-Phone, so you can do it all and look fantastically with-it at the same time?

If you find it too hard to squeeze some office space into the toy-infested clutter that was once your home, ask around to see if you can share a desk or office space with another part-time soloist a few days a week. You might be surprised at how many people are keen to hot-desk. That way you won't always be walking past the files, computer or stock - and you won't be tempted to 'just check...'

I don't see anything else as a downside. No paid holiday? No salary safety? At least I can control whether or not I'll have a job next week!

What about you? Do you see any downsides as a mumtrepreneur? Let us know! And maybe we can figure out how to deal with it...