Category: Offering Professional Services

Masu: On Demand Wellness Service

Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to whom?

Hi my name is Ella. I live with my partner (and co-founder) Tal and our two little ones; Lara, 22 months old, Adam, 6 months old and our business, 10 months old. You could say that it has been a very productive couple of years for us, or that we never get enough sleep.

What’s your business called?

Masu

Can you describe it in one sentence?

Masu provides on-demand wellbeing services, currently focusing on massages wherever and whenever you need (or simply want).

When did you become a Mumpreneur and what inspired you?

I have been working as a freelance environmental consultant for a few years, since leaving London, but after having Lara and taking sometime off, my big clients had to find new contractors and I found myself out of project work. I had always toyed with the idea of opening a start-up and my friend suggested I join the Campus-for-Moms, an entrepreneurship program which Google runs in Tel Aviv, London, Warsaw and other cities.

It is a wonderful opportunity for parents on maternity leave to utilise their time learning everything they need to build a start-up. They have inspiring lectures by top local mentors and entrepreneurs and it is baby friendly (which means that you can bring your baby with you no fuss).

The timing was perfect for me and shortly after the program Masu was launched (unaware yet that baby 2.0 was in development).

How did you fund your start up?

Self-funded or what is known as “boot-strapped”. Initially we were hoping for it to be a lifestyle business. Little did we know that businesses have a tendency of taking control of you life. So far we haven’t required any funding, the business has been consistently profitable and we manage to keep things lean.

How do you manage working around your children?

I use all the help that I can. My partner, his parents and my parents have been invaluable. It is challenging and every day is different. I’m sure my friends aren’t impressed as I never have time to see them anymore. I keep telling myself that it is all temporary- till Adam joins Lara at nursery (or till they both grow up and get their own place…). In reality, I know that it will probably get harder and harder with time. One thing that being a mother has taught me though is the busier you are, the more you get things done (someone somewhere said “if you want something done, ask a busy person”).

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?

On a typical day, if there is such a thing, I get woken up at 6am by either Lara or Adam. I nurse Adam, get Lara ready for nursery, maybe put the washing on, and walk her there and back whilst Adam stays with Tal. Once I’m back, we have breakfast and immediately after, particular if Adam is napping we turn on our laptops. When Adam isn’t napping one of us plays with him whilst the other one gets tasks done; managing the product and website, dealing with costumers and incoming orders, interviewing and managing our amazing pool of massage therapists / service providers and social media. I always work with a task list for the day and very rarely manage to complete 80% of it.
At 3pm I close my laptop and spend time with Lara for 3-4 hours before bedtime.
After 8pm (if both kids are asleep which is rare) we work for another couple of hours with the intention of watching some TV and relaxing together…but ideas and things-to-do keeps racing in my mind 24/7..
I really try, as hard as it is, not to be facing a screen or on the phone when I’m with the kids.

What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome?

There is definitely a learning curve that I guess every first-time entrepreneur has to go through. We spent months building our initial website from scratch working remotely with cheap unskilled developers only to realise that we were spending more time fixing bugs than actually serving clients. In the end, it was a hard choice but we decided to throw it all away and start anew with a skilled local programmer.
Most days present at least one challenge from dealing with client issues, staff issues, technical bugs, you name it. With so many ideas and intentions it really is a question of learning to prioritise. It is all worth it though, for those moments when clients give us feedback and tell us that they love our service and that we’ve made their day.

What’s the best thing about being Mumpreneur?

The best thing about being a mumpreneur, other than this awesome title, is the flexibility. I can be with my kids whenever I want and I don’t have anyone to answer to, except my co-founder, who also puts my kids first 😉

I love working with my partner – we learn a lot from each other and we balance each other out. I have the crazy ideas and he brings me back to earth, he is very logical and calculated and I am very passionate and get things done.

What are your plans for the future?

I think we’ve come to the point where we feel comfortable about our business and things are finally moving more or less smoothly. This is the point where we would like to work on growth and expansion and we hope to start getting into new markets and making it not just a local small business. Big plans for the future is to partner up with someone in another geographical location and make Masu a household name for well-being and alternative treatments.

What advice would you give for someone just starting out in business?

Be prepared to double or even triple the amount of time and money that you plan to spend. But (and I quote here) Just Do It! We only have this life to live, and if starting a business crossed your mind- then do it! You might lose some money, but you’ll learn a lot and quite possibly be successful and if not, at least you’ll have a great ride.

 

www.masu.co.il/en
Facebook.com/masuondemand

Beauty by grace - Beauty therapist

Being a Beauty Therapist: Beauty by Grace

Grace is a self employed Beauty therapist, she retrained after having her daughter, Evie who is now three years old and in nursery part time.

Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to whom?

My name is Grace Galley, I am 32, and married to my husband John who is a chef. John works 60 hour weeks, and at Christmas, even longer.
I have a daughter, Evangeline Rose who is 3. And at some point in the future, we would like to increase our family. At times I feel like I am a single parent! It has been hard, but John and I love each other and we are making it work!

What’s your business called?

Beauty by Grace

Can you describe it in one sentence?

My slogan is ‘Be your own kind of beautiful’.
I get fed up seeing overmade up women on social media. Be brave, and know yourself, and then tell your beautician what you want!

When did you become a Beauty Therapist and what inspired you?

I met John and fell in love, got engaged, got pregnant! Being pregnant made me so happy. Evie arrived and I continued planning our wedding, and we got married when she was 9 months old.
Even though I absolutely loved being a mum, I felt like I had lost myself, I felt like I had no identity.
I decided to go along to a college open day, with my aim to pursue a hairdressing course, when I got there I was told there was no availability on the course but there was room on the Beauty Therapist course.
I decided to go for it, and am so glad I did. My experience working in customer service has been so beneficial to this job, I feel like I am a natural. Although, I’m not a natural when it comes to business, and have found networking very hard. At times I have wanted to give up, there has been a lot of tears, but my love for Evie has kept me going. I want to be able to provide a future for her, and give her the opportunities that I never had.

How did you fund your start up?

I was lucky – my mother in law helped fund my college fees, and I received subsidised nursery fees for Evie, she went to the on campus nursery for one afternoon a week.
Since completing my qualification, any money I have earnt goes straight into the business, I completed my first year’s taxes and made a loss. But we are lucky that my husband is earning enough now to support us and allow for my business expenditures.
We have sacrificed other things to allow my dream to blossom, we don’t have a car, we rent our property, we don’t go on expensive holidays and don’t have regular nights out.

How do you manage working around your children?

I really struggle. Most of my big earning jobs are primarily at the weekend, however, John being a chef works every weekend.
Evie is now at nursery 2 days a week thanks to her 15 hours free childcare, so this has been a big help to allow me to get my important business related jobs done. I still have people wanting treatments in the evening, so I try to book people in on the evenings when John is home.

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?

No day is a typical work day, every day is a mum/housewife day, and then if I’m lucky – and depending on Evie’s mood, I may or may not get some ‘actual work’ done!
When I have a job booked and John is at work, I have to prepare everything the night before, and look after Evie up until the last minute and then race to my client. I then work without a break and then race back home to look after Evie! It is incredibly tiring, but the pay is good. I know in time it will get easier, or at least I hope it will!
What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?
I have successfully created my website and branding, something that took a lot of time to create and was completely alien to me!
I have had fellow colleagues let me down at a moment’s notice (twice this has happened), where I have then been left to deal with the clients on my own (both where a big party has been booked). Its shown me how hard working and conscientious I am, and that I am a true professional.

What’s the best thing about being Beauty Therapist Mumpreneur?

That I can choose the days I work, if I know I can’t find a close friend or family to look after Evie – I won’t take that client, work can always wait. Quality time with Evie is more important to me.

What are your plans for the future?

To continue to build my client base up to allow me to work solidly on the days when Evie is at nursery – and improve my work/life balance.
The ultimate goal is to one day have my own beauty salon.

What advice would you give for someone just starting out in business?

Don’t give up. It’s incredibly hard, and at times soul destroying! Believe you can do it and you will!
Also, before you start spending money, work out what it is you want and how you are going to get there. I did it all with no business plan and have wasted money as a result.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

I have tried to focus my business around being as natural as you can be, and highlighting natural beauty. I want to empower women and make them realise, that they don’t need ‘HD Brows’ and a smokey eye to be beautiful, they already are!
I also have recently starting introducing cruelty free and vegan products into my treatments. And I am now an Independent Consultant for Neals Yard Remedies.

www.beautybygrace.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com
https://www.facebook.com/gracegalleyNYRO/
https://www.instagram.com/grace.galley/

Self employed Beauty therapist

I feel you think that being a Beauty Therapist might be for you, have a look at the stories of other businesses offering professional services.

CV Writer

Mums Business Story: CV UK Writer Ltd

Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to whom?
Jo, I am a mum to two little people both under 5.

What’s your business called?
CV UK Writer Ltd

Can you describe it in one sentence?
CV writing service that is affordable and flexible to work with the needs of job seekers.

When did you become a Mumpreneur and what inspired you?
I started my business in 2012 because I wanted to stay at home with my little people, I have been in recruitment for many, many years and supporting and advising candidates is what I enjoy the most so this type of business suited that.

How did you fund your start up?
It didn’t really cost anything to start up as it’s all online, I still work so any costs like website development etc were paid for by my salary.

How do you manage working around your children?
I make sure the days I have off are focussed on them (No choice really!!), and days I work I allocate time at the beginning and end of the day to promote the business. I’m basically working 2 jobs, 3 days a week!

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?
A typical day starts very early with me making sure have my social media in order, I plan who I have to contact that day and start about sending emails, any calls I will make later on. I check emails, respond to clients and then the house wakes up and mum duties call! I get the children up, dressed and fed and then take them to their various childcare, I will then get on with my salaried role for the day. At the end of the day after dinner and the children are put to bed I will do more work on my own business, catching up on things I wasn’t able to do at the start of the day and perhaps planning for the next day.

What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?
I’m terribly time poor, I have a senior role I am salaried for which has to take priority over my own business during the working day so I have to squeeze everything in, I rarely get anytime to myself as it’s all full of work, on the days I have with the children I don’t do any work, I wouldn’t want to but it’s pretty impossible with two small people who need you (Took me 2 hours to send a fairly simple email one time for one reason or another!).

What’s the best thing about being Mumpreneur?
Being in control and feeling empowered in your own life, so much of it is taken up by other people its good to have something that is all mine that I control.

What are your plans for the future?
Ideally I would like to give up my salaried role and work for myself at home, that’s the long term goal.

What advice would you give for someone just starting out in business?
Be realistic, when I first started I was convinced it would take 6 mths for the money to come rolling in but it hasn’t worked out that way, sometimes a business takes time to grow and you should be prepared for that and not get disheartened, keep the end goal in sight and you’ll get there.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Networking is great to help you in all manner of things from admin contacts to technical support and you never know who might want to buy from you.
www.cvukwriter.com
Twitter @cvukwriter

Using Legal experience to launch a Business – A City Law Firm Ltd

Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to whom?

My name is Karen Holden. I have been with my husband Trevor for 16 years and we recently celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary.
I have a 5year old little boy called Bayley who is in reception
My husband was fortunate enough to take early retirement in 2014 and so he now works part time , with me, so we can raise our little man together

What’s your business called?

A City Law Firm Ltd

Can you describe it in one sentence?

An innovative firm of solicitors in London that offers company/commercial and family legal services.

When did you become a Mumpreneur and what inspired you?

The business started in 2009 and I became a mum in 2011

In truth I started the business as I was so disillusioned about how employers and specifically lawyers operated. Clients had become numbers and billable hours were far more important than the quality and integrity of the work. I wanted to create firm that dispelled this practice . I also wanted to start a family and didn’t see how a corporate firm would allow me a work/life balance let alone continue to invest me as I felt that being a mum would be frowned upon

How did you fund your start up?

I had a small sum set aside to spend on a lease deposit , computers and insurance , which hardly covered the start-up costs.
Whilst setting up the practice I had no choice, but to also consult for other firms to keep my income coming in, which meant very long hours and a 4hr commute daily for 12 months
I took my clients with me when I set up and for this I was very grateful as they gave me the start I needed
There were months when cash flow became very tight due to delayed payments that I recall even putting salaries one month on a credit card which was very stressful and I am relieved this is no longer the case

How do you manage working around your children?

I start every morning with cuddles with my little one before I dress him and take him to school.
I try to ensure I am home at least 2/3 times a week to put him to bed if I can, but often my husband assists as he works part-time now to accommodate my business hours.
Weekends are for my family and I try more so now to switch off from my emails and phone and have quality time with them. This is a tough challenge but I am improving.
If I need to work extra hours it’s usually after midnight when the house is asleep and I can work without the guilt of being away from my family.
Quality time at weekends, holidays or days off make up for the extended hours I work in the week

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?

After the school run , it’s the 30-minute train ride into work where I catch up on work emails , post my social media newsflashes or juggle my shopping and finances.

I manage a very productive team and handle client files , marketing and management on a daily basis. The best days are those where I meet with my start-up clients looking for investment or advice on the next stage and we create and implement a strategy that pays off – always a great boost to the week. I usually have 200-300 emails to address, a few articles to write and meetings with clients so it’s a very varied day.
Once the working day is done, I might head to a networking event 1-2 times a week and for the rest, I’ll get home in time to put my little boy to bed. My husband and I will then have dinner and a glass of wine before settling down to something on TV.
When I can I will try and meet my friends for a glass of wine and a catch up fun. I still like to socialise as often as I can with friends and my clients so it’s a full on schedule most of the time.

What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?

This was not a smooth ride at all. I made the mistake of setting up with other partners who I had worked with only briefly. Their attitude to work and clients did not mirror mine at all and I soon realised it had been a mistake. As such I had the terrible mess of untangling myself from the newly established firm which could of costs me everything due to insurance costs, the clients that had come with me, the money I had spent. I learnt a tough lesson, which caused me serious stress and anxiety, but I was not prepared to compromise my values and working ethics so I started again.

The biggest asset to me was the support of clients who came with me, many I had worked for over 7 years at that time, they did not lose faith and stuck by me, now 13 years on they are still with me

I then became pregnant in 2011 and needed to take maternity time so setting up the practice to accommodate my absence was a huge challenge . I took in a friend to oversee matters for me and whilst the firm stayed afloat her working style was different to mine and personalities I the office did clash. I however, mended the bridges on my return and continue to have a thriving team

The next challenge was being out priced in the city for office space and wanting to expand. We took the plunge and moved to Shoreditch and acquired a 4 story building and sub-letted the offices. Risky strategy , but luckily this paid off and we have our name in silver letters outside giving us a real presence that we could not of achieved in serviced offices. The gamble could of easily caused financial hardship , but I have learnt you need to take calculated risks to succeed

What’s the best thing about being Mumpreneur?

I can afford to take time off for school plays and sports days when required so I never miss an important date.
The flexibility of being my own boss means I can work remotely so I can take my family off on holiday and sun shine whilst I still manage the business.
A work/family life balance is very difficult to achieve in the City and whilst I still work long hours I work these around my family rather than the office taking priority over them

What are your plans for the future?

I intend to stay active and continue to build the business , but my plan is to recruit / promote from within. My longest staff member who I trained has recently been appointed a director and I hope eventually more of my dedicated team will come up through the ranks and take on more responsibility so I can focus on business development

What advice would you give for someone just starting out in business?

Take advice from a good lawyer and accountant before doing anything – they can really save you so much . If I didn’t have a tight partnership agreement when I first started I would of lost everything when I decided to start again. Always agree terms with co-founders and document this because if a dispute arises this will be the only thing to evidence what you agreed.

Understand the best structure for you , if its not a limited entity be aware of the personal risks as if it doesn’t go to plan you are exposed personally

Cash flow – never take this for granted – manage your payment terms, monitor credit you are extending and can you full fill a contract if it is to be paid at the end ?

Be honest with yourself as to your weaknesses , learn from your mistakes and realise you will make them its how you come back fighting that counts so don’t beat yourself up , too much, when errors happen

Make sure you have a good support networking for the highs and lows, you will need them

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

The biggest compliment to me to date is
1. The firm won the award of Most Innovative Law Firm, London 2016. This means a lot to me because it was a result of them believing that we are a firm that thinks and acts differently, that never sits on the fence or is slow to react to the market and clients. We pride ourselves on our ventures and alternative thinking and it has been great to be recognised for this. Looking after LGBT issues such as surrogacy or HIV discrimination has always been different to other firms, and we have been awarded for our services in these areas as again we have always thought outside of the box. Then throw in advising on corporate bonds, equity financing, tech start-up and we move into another circle of innovation which we proud to leading in
2. I was personally nominated for a working mums champion award for my staff working arrangements , talks provided to mums and my discrimination work – it was nice my own team and clients felt that I had supported them in the work/life balance rather than it being something only for myself
3. We made it this year into the Legal 500 which involved client interviews and references and for such a new firm this is monumental and something we never take for granted.

www.acitylawfirm.com
@ACLFkaren
https://www.facebook.com/acitylawfirm/
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/holdenkaren

Mum running a food business skills while parenting

Launching a Wedding Beauty Business – Pretty Please by Katie

Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to whom?

I became a mum on July 7th 2014. I remember it well ( i haven’t slept properly since!!) , I was overdue, id had the obligatory curry for dinner in an attempt to get things moving and then it began….. Just 8 hours later Felicity was in my arms. I was in shock for a good few days afterwards – what on earth had just happened?! How do I look after this baby?! What if I do it wrong?! Felicity is two years old now and I’m very proud to say she is the loveliest little girl ( I’m not biased at all!) so I must have done ok! My photographer husband Simon, our bichon frise fluffball Sunday, Felicity and I have recently moved to the countryside and into our new home and I’m pleased to report that life is pretty good!

What’s your business called?

My business is called Pretty Please by Katie

Can you describe it in one sentence?

I transform women from their daily selves into beautiful brides

When did you become a Mumpreneur and what inspired you?

After having Felicity I began to take my hair and make up business a lot more seriously. Where was I going with this? What was I trying to achieve? I decided to specialise in bridal. It was more lucrative, more controlled hours, and I could see that i would benefit personally from more job satisfaction working with brides on their wedding day. I work well under pressure, I’m creative and like every hairdresser – I can chat! For me my drive was the flexibility. Being able to be my own boss means that I can ( within reason!) choose my hours. I work evenings and weekends mainly which fits perfectly with my family. Felicity hasnt had to spend time in day care, i’m around to watch her grow, to teach her, to take her places and i love that. I love it that won’t miss Felicitys first day at school or her christmas play. I can work as much or as little as I like. If I want to take her on holiday and buy her nice things i can book more clients, if I want some time at home to potty train – I can book it off!!

How did you fund your start up?

Im proud to say that i managed to start my business myself. I spent many hours creating, branding, researching, writing documents, promoting myself at wedding fairs, on social media etc but hard work really does pay off. I didn’t have any type of investment or ‘money pot’, I attended every free course and networking event I could in order to meet people and learn from them. Im very proud of what I have achieved.

How do you manage working around your children?

I try to restrict myself so I’m not out every evening. i generally will send three full days with felicity at home and then three days at work. Even then ill schedule clients so i get up with her in the morning or I’m home in time to put her to bed. Sunday is my day off, thats our family time and thats really important. Balance is the key.

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?

On a typical day ill be up early, have a little bit of time with Felicity, get ready and leave the house by 8am to get to my brides location. The average wedding party probably takes around 5 hours so i might work from 9-2pm. Sometimes after this ill head home or sometimes ill go onto another location to meet another bride that has booked me for their wedding hair and make up. This bride will have whats called a preview session where we complete her hair and make up look so she can decide exactly what she wants to look like on her big day. Then ill head home in time for bath, bottle and bed ( and a glass of wine if I’m lucky!)

What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?

Becoming a mum was a challenge in itself. It added another full time role to my life. Time is an awful thing, it goes far too fast! I often found myself saying ‘theres not enough hours in the day’. I soon learnt that everything is about priorities. Once i sat down and really paid attention to what my personal priorities were, and put boundaries in place to protect these , life got much easier. I would always try to fit everything and everyone in, in order to keep them happy. I didn’t want to turn anyone away – what if they went to someone else? But now i don’t worry about that. If they go elsewhere thats fine. If they want for me and my next available slot then thats even better! Im much more focused on what I’m doing, and the life I’m living nowadays to have the time to worry about pleasing everyone else! Again, its all about the balance and even if it takes time you do get there in the end!

What’s the best thing about being Mumpreneur?

Creating something that I’m proud of, and being able to show Felicity that mummy works hard so she can have nice things. being able to show her that i really do love my job, and one day she will find a job she loves too! When I go off to work now i tell her I’m going to make the ladies pretty , she replies ‘mummy , work, lady , pretty hair’, silly as that sounds that really does make me proud!

What are your plans for the future?

Im a qualified tutor so my plans are to start offering training course and education that i have created myself. I can see where the gaps are from my own training and I’m going to work hard to fill them! I love the idea that i can inspire and educate others.

What advice would you give for someone just starting out in business?

Believe in yourself and go with your gut. There are a million reasons why it might not work, but as long as you have one reason that you believe it will – go for it! Things will change and things will evolve and as you go along your ideas and plans might change completely – thats ok too! There are no rules. when its your business – you make the rules! Be nice to everyone. You’re not better than anyone else, nor are they better than you. everyone is at a different point, with a different story. Find someone who inspires and motivates you. surround yourself with people that lift you up and push you to be better than you ever imagined you could be. Sometimes you will fall down, and that ok, because these people will help pick you up.

www.facebook.com/prettypleasebykatie
www.prettypleasebykatie.co.uk
instagram.com/prettypleasebykatie

Mumpreneur Beauty Glo Box

Beauty Glo Box – Working as a Make Up Professional

Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to whom?

I became a mum in 2012 working as a Senior Consultant for a leisure management consultancy, this provided me with a career having first started the company aged 17 as an Office Junior. My son Jacob was born in 2012, I then went into have my second son Braydon in 2015. As my family increased I then decided that working out on the road didn’t suit my family lifestyle as I would often work away from home and late evenings. I then decided to change my career and moved onto working for A company who specialises in mergers and acquisitions selling privately owned businesses, I love my job as this really gives me a challenge and no one day is ever the same. Daily I speak to entrepreneurs about their businesses they have and what exit plans they have in relation to selling their businesses.

This then sparked an interest in me in that I wanted to do be good at something for myself, so in 2015 I left my employment to have my third baby – a little girl renae. Whilst on maternity leave I decided to go on some beauty courses as well as a semi permanent make up course.

I have since returned to my employment working Monday to Wednesday’s and then also run my own beauty room Thursday – Saturday’s where I deliver a range of beauty treatments to my clients,

What’s your business called?

Beauty Glo Box

Can you describe it in one sentence?

Offering semi permanent makeup, lash extensions and a variety of beaut treatments

When did you become a Mumpreneur and what inspired you?

In 2015, my children and my partner David inspired me.

How did you fund your start up?

My partner David has helped me become established, I could not have done this without his support

 

How do you manage working around your children?

They are in childcare nursery and school. I try to work my appointments whilst they are in school and nursery, I always dedicate Sunday as family time to spend with David and the children

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?

At beauty Glo box a typical day could be client consultations meeting ladies who want semi permanent make up, I could also then have to answer client questions and queries and manage my own diary as well as carry out treatments

What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?

Getting established with clients, adapting to the beauty sector and having a professional relationship with clients

What’s the best thing about being Mumpreneur?

I fit everything around my children, I can still work, bring an income in and spend time with my family.

What are your plans for the future?

To become well known in the semi permanent make up arena, potentially become a trainer for this profession and teach other mumprenurs what I have learnt

What advice would you give for someone just starting out in business?

Go for it! Invest in yourself and believe in yourself. We get one chance on this amazing planet so do what is in your dreams!

Facebook page: Beauty Glo Box
Instagram: beauty_glo_box

Running a Business around Children with Additional Needs - running online business

Baby Tone Ltd – Balancing a Fitness Business with Family Life

Tell us a bit about your family?
I live with my IT consultant husband and our soon-to-be three year old.

What’s your business called?
Baby Tone Ltd.

Can you describe it in one sentence?
Baby Tone classes are aerobic sessions designed for new mums to begin getting back in shape together without the need for childcare, using their baby as resistance in order to improve cardiovascular fitness and muscle tone

When did you start it and what inspired you?
I set up the business in 2013. After my maternity leave ended I decided not to return to my job in Central London (which was quite a trek, living in Kent). I began looking for local, flexible job roles, but could find nothing that I felt was worth leaving my son to go to each day. After some months of exercising at home as I was unable to get to the gym, I spotted a gap in the market for a baby-friendly exercise class, and after some market research I realised there was definite potential in this idea, and so spent the following months retraining as a fitness instructor.

How did you fund your start up?
After paying for my training, the costs for my particular business were actually quite low – some minimal equipment, insurance, some music downloads, etc – and so I was lucky to be able to set the business up using my existing savings.

How do you manage working around your children?
The fact that I could easily work this around my child was the driving force behind the pursuit of my business idea. I am able to practice the exercise routines during the day – initially using my son as a weight, but now he is older he loves copying me and learning the moves himself – deal with any admin in the evenings, and run my class each week while he is at nursery, with plans to add extra classes as his pre-school sessions increase.

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?
The priority every day is to make it to my son’s various toddler groups – music, football, swimming, etc – and this is what gets us up in the morning. After lunch I run through my routines to ensure I know them well enough to deliver during my class, which my son loves helping me with, and for the rest of the afternoon I manage to combine playing with and entertaining my son, cooking dinner, and doing any cleaning or jobs around the house that are required. In the evenings I am usually busy replying to emails, confirming bookings, sharing advertising, dealing with any HMRC paperwork, etc.

What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?
The main challenge I have found is the high turnover of clients, meaning that I constantly have to be advertising and filling empty spaces in the class. Whereas somebody may stick with a regular exercise class for months or years if they enjoy it, my class is only suitable for babies up to a year of age. Most ladies join when their babies are around 3 months, and complete 2 or 3 courses, but due to the nature for the classes I know nobody is going to be staying long term.
To ensure that my classes are always filled, I do as much advertising as possible – mostly online, on Facebook, Netmums, etc, as well as exchanging flyers with other local baby groups and working in partnership with my local children’s centre to offer my classes to their database of new mums. I also rely a lot on word of mouth, so encourage current clients to take some flyers and inform their friends.

What’s the best thing about being self employed?
The bext thing about being self-employed is the flexibility. I am able to do all the work required around caring for my son, and can choose the dates of my courses and when I am able to take a holiday.
It is also wonderful to be able to make all the business and creative decisions. I can be a bit of a control freak, and was previously frustratied in a job role where I had to rely heavily on others to do their job properly before I was able to do mine, and so I love the fact I do not have to rely on anybody else, and that the business’ success or failure is completely down to me.

What are your plans for the future?
At the moment I only run one class a week. I am hoping to expand this to 2 or 3 by the end of the year, perhaps further afield, and eventually have a successful enough business to be able to sell franchises to run all over the country.

What advice would you give for someone just starting out?
To just do it, and to do it properly. If you have an instinct that something might work, then it probably will, and if you ‘umm’ and ‘aah’ over it then somebody else may beat you to it, so have at it and give it all you’ve got.

www.babytone.co.uk
www.facebook.com/babytoneltd

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Running a Business around Children with Additional Needs - running online business

Running a Holistic Therapies Business with Deborah Jane

I worked as a secretary since leaving school at 15 until I was made redundant for the FOURTH time. Three days later my husband and I found we were expecting our first child.

Having lost faith in being employed, working hard and then losing your job, we decided that this was the time to consider taking a leap of faith and setting up our own company in 2004. I was 33, my husband 35.

We set up a simple website business – this was when hardly anyone had one so we created a winning formula and quickly built up a portfolio of clients. Several years later we were approached by a company interested in taking the website company over and we decided to sell.

We regrouped and my husband a talented IT consultant set about creating a new piece of software that would attract small businesses. He also worked for some corporate organisations as a consultant. During this time I started to lose interest in the business and at the same time we were talking about having another child and in 2007 our daughter was born, followed by our son in 2009. Having my work cut out with two young children I didn’t have so much time to focus on the business, my husband had a good hold of things by now and over the years I further withdrew from the company and focused on our children.

When it was time for our youngest child to start school, I had what I called a “mid-life crisis” at 41 when I realised what a gap not having children at home would leave and I yearned to go work again but really didn’t fancy doing office work again, I wanted a new challenge / but what? I realised I wanted a role around people and helping them in some way and I stumbled upon a local beauty course available during school times.

Once I’d finally summoned up the courage to do it, that took months – I started the course and I was reassured that all the students were similar ages to me! It was hard work, you can imagine but I stuck with it due to fantastic support and passed my exam as a beauty specialist.

I set up a room and provided treatments from home yet still something was missing. I loved carrying out facial treatments and the massage elements of my treatments but didn’t enjoy the other treatments as much. My tutor had mentioned the massage course and I kept thinking I’d really like to do it so some months later I trained as a massage therapist and something totally clicked.

I loved it and before long I qualified as a massage therapist so had a new skill to offer. Some months later I stopped offering most of my beauty treatments apart from facials, trained in a couple more therapies and re-invented myself as a complementary therapist. I loved what I did so much I wanted to give something back so I volunteered at Farleigh Hospice for a year massaging terminally ill patients and their carers.

Last year I made the finals in the inspiration award for holistic therapist magazine.

In November I finally took on a room away from home in a business centre!

My journey hasn’t been easy and I’m still studying but I am now getting paid to do a job I absolutely adore and I love seeing clients leave me so much less stressed and feeling better than when they arrived.

So for anyone thinking about it – don’t hesitate – take the plunge and never look back! It’s boosted my confidence and every day I go to work I love it and I’m so happy to be there. It’s flexible too – I work part time whilst the children are at school so I can still do the school runs and take the children to their clubs etc but I am so fulfilled now and have so much more confident than before.

If you’d like to check my Facebook page please visit:-

https://www.facebook.com/holistictherapiesbydeborahjane/

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Mum plus one – Running a Fitness Business for Mums and Mums to be

Tell us a bit about your family?
I am a mum to 2 very lively toddlers, a girl and a boy, as well as a wife and owner of 2 cats!

What’s your business called?
Mum plus One

Can you describe it in one sentence?
I offer indoor and outdoor pregnancy/postnatal fitness classes and virtual fitness training plans for mums and mums-to-be who prefer to exercise at home.

When did you start it and what inspired you?
I started my business in April 2015 once my little boy was nearly 1 and slightly less dependent on me. As a mum of 2 I found it incredibly hard to fit any meaningful exercise into my life and having been a fitness instructor about 15 years ago decided to pick up that career again but specialising in pregnancy and postnatal exercise. As soon as I was qualified I started up my business!

How did you fund your start up?
I work 2 days a week from home in a paid job to bring in a steady income and run my business on the other days. I am completely self-funded through savings and earnings so far as my overheads are pretty low. I may need to look at a business loan in the future if I grow my business though.

How do you manage working around your children?
My children go to a childminder 2 days a week whilst I do my paid job and also when I teach my indoor class. Fortunately I am able to take them to my outdoor class with me in their pram. I do the rest of my marketing, social media, website updates and admin of an evening when they are in bed, or at a weekend when my husband is around to help out.

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?
My days vary hugely during the week. On a day when I’m teaching a class I have to sort out the kids and get them to the childminder, prep my my class kit, run the class then get the kids back again to look after. During the evening I’ll update my attendee sheet and budget to make sure nothing gets forgotten. I sometimes post on facebook or twitter about my class so people can see what we do. On another day I’ll update my marketing materials, write a blog for my website, contact some businesses or groups to promote myself to them, or even have a meeting with an appropriate local business to see if we can help each other. I manage my tasks by having a to-do list and scheduling my time into blocks so I can maximise my productivity rather than try and multi-task the whole time.

What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I have had so far is trying to get some marketing for practically no budget. If you don’t advertise you don’t get clients so I’ve been working really hard on networking, concentrating on local information services or other mummy groups. In order to get a wider reach for my virtual fitness training I am starting to list Mum plus One in various directories and write guest blogs.

What’s the best thing about being self employed?
I love being able to follow my passion and work flexibly around my family. I get a kick out of helping other mums with their exercise programmes and seeing them improve week on week. I also feel very lucky to be able to create my own business and run it and market it how I like. I can tailor my services directly to the needs of my clients, almost on a case by case basis. My ethos is quality over quantity and I’m very proud of that.

What are your plans for the future?
My 5 year plan is to increase my virtual fitness training offering to more clients and get more of a national interest in that and my classes. Ideally I’d like to work myself into the position of being able to franchise Mum plus One across the UK.

What advice would you give for someone just starting out?
My top tip is to do your market research to make sure you are offering something people want. Find out who your audience are and how to best target them. There are lots of pitfalls around advertising and promoting yourself so it’s definitely worth reading up before you start so you don’t waste precious time and money.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Many people don’t know much about virtual fitness training and mine in a slightly different model as I want to provide a bespoke service. I don’t just load videos onto my website for people to follow on their own. I actually design my clients a fully personalised exercise plan which I can demo over Skype if needed and then contact them at least weekly for a progress check. This allows me to make alterations to their plan as they develop so they get the most from it. I can also ensure they are exercising correctly and safely which is very important with pregnant ladies and new mums!

www.mumplusone.net www.mumplusone.net/#!virtual-training/c2088
www.facebook.com/mumplusone
www.twitter.com/mumplusone

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Shoot for the moon – Guest Post: Lindsey Fish, Founder of Little Fish Event Management Ltd and the Mums Enterprise Roadshow.

 

Like thousands of ambitious mums out there I launched my own business rather than return to my city job. I found my love of events as an apprentice 16 years ago, and since then climbed the career ladder until I had Molly in October 2013. My last corporate job was as a Channel Marketing Manager for a tech firm. Whilst on maternity leave, when it came to thinking about my working future it was clear that the figures wouldn’t work in my favour after taking out living expenses, childcare and commuting, so I started to research my options.

As a marketing manager I knew how to assess markets, audiences and competition and I had a good idea of how to write a business plan. I had always wanted to run my own business and was eager to start putting thoughts on paper.

First I listed all the things I could do. It really only came down to marketing and events as a service. I chose to focus solely on event management because although I have a CIM diploma in Marketing and have worked in business to business marketing for a long time. I know there are experts far more specialist and knowledgeable than myself. But when it comes to events I knew, 100% that I could deliver events for external clients. So I set about my research and created a marketing audit where you look into various aspects of the internal and external environments which will highlight any key challenges you need to overcome. And also may highlight areas which will help you create a key differentiator over and above your competitors.

I did a couple of surveys throughout the time from initial idea to launch, this was to get feedback on business names and whether or not people would use a service I was planning to offer. Thankfully I had a few yes’ which was enough for me to go for it.

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When it came to funding, I literally had the last of my maternity pay which would have only lasted a couple of months. I didn’t get any loans and I set the business up on a shoe string. My website hosting was only £15 per month, my domain name was cheap, I use gmail but you pay to use your domain name (xxx@my company.com) which is only £3.50 a month. And thankfully my brother is a graphic designer so he created my logo and brand colours which is very important. Design and aesthetics are important, again from a marketing background I wrote my brand personality and values and provided my bro with a comprehensive brief which included background about my idea, target audience etc.

I set a date to launch Little Fish Event Management on 2nd June 2014 and that would be when I would officially be open for business. I needed to secure my first client within 2-3 months, otherwise I would have to consider looking for a ‘real job’. Luckily for me I managed to win a bid to help organise the National Apprenticeship Awards. Pretty cool and almost like fate, seems as though I started and found events as an apprentice myself 16 years ago…spooky.

This was a total cold call, from doing my marketing audit I had decided who my audience would be which helped when I started to sell. I looked companies up on the web and basically started to cold call, it isn’t the best approach I have now found out, but that is what I used to do when I used to sell so that’s what I started with. I don’t cold cold call now, rather I am always increasing my network and have found linked-in to be a great way to connect with your target audience, and when the time is right you can approach them about your business or idea. I have done so well from this for Mums Enterprise.

Back in about March 2015 I started having an idea for Little Fish’s own event. Because I had launched my own company I found just how many awesome organisations there were out there, specifically supporting mums and women in business. I also spoke to many other mums about the challenges they faced about work and career. I knew for certain that an event would be an ideal platform to bring support, advice and opportunities together so ambitious mums can find the support they need face-to-face and be inspired. I now know just how much of a common conundrum it is, deciding what to do after a career break or maternity leave, it’s a big big deal.

I did some research as always, but this time Talented Ladies Club helped me and sent a link to my survey to their email database as I had ran the idea past Hannah Martin, Co-founder, the same with Debbie Gilbert who runs a local networking group Viva Networking and Mums Unltd – both were so supportive and thought it was a brilliant idea.

So when I decided to go for it, again it was time to start planning. Writing a business plan for this project and another marketing audit.

I pretty much launched this idea in the same way I launched Little Fish. Researched, planned, then created the name, brand and website. Mums Enterprise needed a lot of branding and design work and is why I now have a business partner in the form of Lucy Chaplin, she is a friend of mine who was also a freelance graphic designer. Again I wrote a comprehensive brief for Lucy, gave her background to my idea, what I was aiming for and she came back with an amazing mood board. I literally cried of happiness when I saw it, Lucy had got exactly what I wanted. It was perfect and the match was too good for us not to become business partners.

The events are taking place in Hertfordshire this June (2016) and I am really excited and of course nervous. But they have been so well received so far, the brands we have on board are just fabulous like our partners Virgin StartUp, Talented Ladies Club and My Accountant Friend. We have over 25 exhibitors on board now with more coming on board every week, all are just as passionate as me about supporting ambitious mums. It really is amazing.

My aim is for the Mums Enterprise Roadshow to be the UK’s number one event of it’s kind I have no doubt I will succeed at this, something special is happening. And for Little Fish I am still organising client events and very much intend to grow that side of the business and bring in further support so we can deliver more events for more clients. I really am considering angel or crowd funding investment to really get things moving.

So that’s it really.

I have been working for the last 18 months in my kitchen, literally just pushing and pushing every single day. I have written all my own copy, press releases, marketing plans, newsletters, web copy, content and blogs. Everything you see is from my head and I am just loving every moment. I am working so hard but I know, I can feel it in my bones that both Little Fish and Mums Enterprise will be the success I can see in my mind. Because I won’t stop until I make it happen. So there you go my Mumpreneur story.

These are just three things which may just help give insight if you are thinking of starting a business.

1) Speak to an accountant before you launch the business. I started as a sole trader and now wish I became Ltd from the get go. I have just turned Limited and basically the company doesn’t have the value of the turnover I made in my first year. I am gutted about that as its just lost revenue which could have been and should have been owned my Little Fish.

2) Think about setting your family’s expectations: When I started the business I didn’t really take into account the sacrifice my family would also be making for me to #shootforthemoon. It may be 2 or even 4 more years before I actually earn a salary anywhere near the one I had before Molly. My partner pays most of the bills, there isn’t much chance of a family holiday aboard for a while yet and there is certainly no shopping trips for me. It’s a big change and it’s not just your change, it’s a family change. I also work in the evenings and although I try to avoid it, I do work at weekends sometimes. I don’t think my partner expected my work to consume me like it has, although I absolutely love it. I guess it’s just a big shake up to the usual 9-5 routine. But my thoughts are a baby shakes all that up anyway, so why not shake your whole life up?

3) It really is like taking one step forwards and two steps back. Expect it to be hard work and don’t expect instant results, be patient. I have cried tears of joy but also tears of frustration, anger and sadness. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. But it’s your roller coaster

Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you’ll land amongst the stars.

You can find out more about the Mum’s Enterprise Roadshow here:
http://www.mumsenterprise.events/

https://www.facebook.com/mumsenterprise/

http://www.littlefisheventmanagement.com/

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