Is your business your child?

I never thought I’d have to explain typos in emails because I was “typing one handed”. Don’t get me wrong – I’m talking about the fact that while one hand is in email mode, the other seems to be in constant motion, settling, feeding, playing with or just simply looking after my newborn daughter at the moment.

It’s brought an interesting dynamic to my “work life”. In that, I’m finding it hard to have one! My lovely little girl has been born with an innate knowledge of when she’s not the centre of attention, and frankly, she’s not a fan of it.

It’s show me that there are some really striking parallels between having a child and starting a business from infancy.

Both are completely dependant upon you in the beginning, but depending on how you choose to raise them, both should learn at some stage to make decisions and to act in appropriate ways without you.

At what stage is your business at right now? Does it cope when you’re away or are there tears? Can the organisation (other staff members) make decisions without you or do you need to hand hold them through all decisions?

Is your business an infant or independent?

Kirsty Dunphey is the youngest ever Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year, author of two books (her latest release is Retired at 27, If I Can do it Anyone Can) and a passionate entrepreneur who started her first business at age 15 and opened her own real estate agency at 21. Now Kirsty does lots of fun things which you can read about here. Her favourite current projects are Elephant Property, a boutique property management agency, Baby Teresa, a baby clothing line that donates an outfit to a baby in need for each one they sell andReallySold, which helps real estate agents stop writing boring, uninteresting ads.