Following extensive experience in Network Marketing Carley decided to launch community magazine TW15 and, despite having no experience of publishing a magazine, is making a success of it.
Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to
whom?
My name is Carley, I am 37 and Mum to 2 lovely girls, Jessica, 10 and Jasmine
5.
What’s your business called?
I am publishing a magazine – The TW15 Magazine
Can you describe it in one sentence?
Local community magazine
When did you become a Mumpreneur and what inspired you?
Whilst pregnant with Jess I just knew I did not want to go back to work, even
before she was born I knew I had to find something that would allow me to be
at home.
How did you fund your start up to publish a magazine?
From a business perspective, it was relatively low start up, to me though, it was
my only savings!
How do you manage working around your children?
In the gaps! I plan my days around school hours, If I have to – I will pick up
work again once the girls are in bed, although at that time I am usually only
good for a glass of vino and Emmerdale! It doesn’t always work out, I have been known to lock myself in the garden to chat to a client!
Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you
manage your time?
I start each and every weekday with an hour power walk around my local park, its great to exercise but its also a great way to plan the day. I take my beloved notebook and write out everything that needs to be done that day, it could be chasing artwork, sending files to printers, chatting to new clients, catching up on invoices, proofing, whatever it is, it has to be on
my list or it won’t get done that day!
What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome
them?
At first, being taken seriously. The TW15 Magazine was only launched in July
of 2015, before that (since being at home with Jess since 2006) I must of
joined at least 10 ‘Work from Home’ opportunities, Network Marketing
companies (HUGE fan of NM) and delivered more Avon books than I care to
remember, so when I announced I had a new business idea, there was a bit of ….what is she doing now? I am tenacious if nothing else, so I went ahead anyway, It was a bit of a tough sell too, getting local businesses (the magazine is advertising funded) to advertise in a magazine that does not yet exist (it did in my mind!) was a hurdle, the tenacity kicked in yet again and I carried on, once the first magazine came back from print, it has been much easier and
now we have a sister magazine too – The TW18 Magazine and both have been
so very well received by the local community.
What’s the best thing about being Mumpreneur?
I call the shots, I plan my day, I decide if and when I exercise, when I have days off. I am there for both my girls, inset days, school holidays, morning assemblies, and when you get that call….the one where the school number flashes up and you just know one of them is coming home early….I am there.
What are your plans for the future?
Huge plans! We expanded areas last year, 2017 will see the launch of our brand new TW Property Magazine, with a monthly print run of 25,000 copies and plan to expand that into 3 areas by December 2017, we are also working on a Property Event for 2017 too.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in business?
Please Please Please, do something you love! I work harder now than I ever
did in my corporate job, but I love what I do, sometimes I cant see the wood for the tree’s, but I love what I do, there are days when I wonder if getting a job is a good idea or not! I Love what I do and that carries me through.
Have you ever a run a business that didn’t work out?
You name it, I have probably had a go!
Kleeneze
Avon
Utility Warehouse
World Ventures
Arbonne
Forever
Talk Fusion
Body by VI
and many affiliate programs too!
How long did you run them for?
I Pretty much spent the 7 years learning what did not work for me
What do you think went wrong?
Now when I look back, I wasn’t ready to step up and do what had to be dome to make a success of those opportunities. I was just looking for something to do whilst Jess was at nursery, when Jasmine came along, I felt like I was back at square one. It took me a few years to figure it out!
What did you learn from it?
I learned so much, from each and everyone. The biggest one – Personal Development, and the value of it, incredibly, not something I learned much of in my corporate days. Today Personal Development is top of my list and something I work on everyday
