I’ve been thinking about the skills one must have or gain to be a good mom and am beginning to feel like being a mom hones all the right skills you need to be an entrepreneur.

Even though I hate the term “Mompreneur,” I definitely see the benefits of being an entrepreneur AND a mom.

Here are just a few examples of the incredible skills moms have that are a real boon for entrepreneurs.

1. Multi-tasking. It goes without saying that multi-tasking is an incredibly valuable skill for any entrepreneur. Women tend to have this skill in spades. Of course, I lost this skill during the first six months post partum after the birth of my daughter. With a little help, I was finally able to “get my brain back.” The ability to juggle many things at once is akin to wearing several different “hats” for your business.

2. Negotiations. Now that my daughter is entering the toddler stage and is discovering that she has - and can try to enforce - her opinions, I’m learning negotiation skills like nobody’s business. I’ve never been very good at negotiating - especially when money is involved - but learning to navigate the emotion-charged path around baby’s demands is giving me great insight into the give and take of negotiations. Valuable skill for entrepreneurs.

3. Being prepared. Being a mom has tapped into parts of my brain that I’ve underutilized - the “preparedness part.” I’ve never been forced to plan for every possible contingency in every circumstance like I have with my daughter. I now know the importance of having not just diapers, wipes and a diaper pad in my bad, but I truly appreciate the value of having an extra diaper rag; a bib; several small books; several small toys; a few baggies of dry snacks; a change of baby socks, shirt and pants; a sippy cup with water; and a baby-sized spoon and fork. This kind of preparedness and attention to detail serves you very well as an entrepreneur, especially when getting ready for a business trip or presentation.

4. Being flexible. Nothing is predictable with kids just like nothing is predictable with a business. Just getting used to working on the fly when baby is napping has helped me change my work habits from clearly designated work times to being able to concentrate and get the job done when a window of time appears.

5. Finding patience. I’ve always been a very impatient person, wanting things done now and wanting to do things immediately. Now that I have a baby, I realize that I have to temper this impulse, and by learning to be more patient with baby and with myself, I’ve honed a new skill that comes in very handy as a business owner. I’ve found that I even have more patience when dealing with vendors and clients.

6. Doing research. I have never done as much research as I have since first trying to get and stay pregnant, then being pregnant, then giving birth, then having a baby. I’ve sharpened my Googling skills to a fine point not to mention my online forum research skills. I’ve rediscovered the library. I’ve even learned to skim books to glean only the most important and relevant information. All of these research skills are invaluable for an entrepreneur, particularly when working on a business plan or staying on top of the competition and industry developments.

As you can see, we moms have, by default of being mothers, honed some incredibly useful skills for starting and running a business.