Running a Branding and Marketing Business with InnerVisions ID

Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to whom?
I’m Sapna Pieroux
Married to Andy, and IT consultant and entrepreneur
Two boys, Luc (2010) and Leon (2012)
Live in Ealing and love the culture and opportunities in London so have no plans to move to the country!

What’s your business called?
InnerVisions ID

Can you describe it in one sentence?
InnerVisions ID is a strategic branding, marketing and web consultancy specialising in helping ambitious and entrepreneurial companies grow.

When did you become a Mumpreneur and what inspired you?
My two kids were my inspiration

How did you fund your start up?
My husband helped by buying my laptop and paid for my my initial running expenses which were kept very lean. I now fund everything myself. Me and my team work from home and I have use of an office in London thanks to a very lovely client of mine.

How do you manage working around your children?
I work when they are at school/childminder and then at night when the kids are down (sometimes till 2-3am!) or at weekends – like now. I don’t mind; my husband is an entrepreneur himself and we love the flex this gives us to go to a school play (or for me to do drop off/pick up and and take my boys to classes). We also never have to worry about how many (or few) holidays we take.

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?
Drop the kids off
Go home and tidy up breakfast/get a wash on/tidy for the cleaners (on a Wednesday)
Check emails and action/respond where needed
Go through my jobs list and prioritise. Do the boring admin stuff, accounts and invoicing.
I still have a couple of ‘short’ days whilst my little one is at nursery and needs picking up at 11.45 – so on those days this is pretty much all I get to do!
On longer days I can actually plan meetings in the morning, in town, or a lunch meeting which gives me time to get back for pick up/after-school classes.
Get the kids home, tea on, do homework with my elder boy.
Hubby home, he takes over for bedtime and I cook (or vice-versa if the kids haven’t exhausted me already!)
We eat, chat and watch a bit of TV.
Hubby generally goes to bed much earlier than me, so I get my laptop out from about 10pm and complete my days’ work – tends to be the more creative stuff in the evening that need an extended period of time for and the silence when everyone’s in bed means I can get absorbed in it for hours (I try and do the boring admin stuff like accounts and invoicing in my short mornings). I have also started blogging so I find writing at night again is my best time.

What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?
Running round like a headless chicken trying to do everything. I got an assistant (another mum) and she freelances for me and does my social media so I don’t have to. She is brilliant. So much so my husband has started using her for his business too!
Next thing now is to start getting proactive as I’ve so far only had time for incoming business rather than going out looking for business – although I’ve been busy all year through referrals so I’ve not needed to so far either, but I need to if I’m going to grow and not just coast along.

What’s the best thing about being Mumpreneur?
Freedom to work when and where I want to – and be able to be there for my children and make their cakes and arrange their parties and do drop-off/pick-up and awesome playdates and days out.

(Although I personally hate the word mumpreneur. I’m a mum and an entrepreneur but when I’m being one, I’m not being the other – if that makes sense!)

What are your plans for the future?
Growing the business to the point of being able to actually employ Alex, I hope.

What advice would you give for someone just starting out in business?
Read, learn, speak to others who are ahead of the curve doing what you are doing. Do a course – mine introduced me to more people and opportunities.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Be wary – don’t trust everyone, trust your gut – and always get 50% up front!
There is no such thing as a ‘self-made’ millionaire: cultivate a network of great mum friends and potential collaborators to help you with your life and business.
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