Tell us a bit about your family?
My partner and I have 2 under 2, boy and girl.
What’s your business called?
Techsixtyfour Ltd
Can you describe it in one sentence?
I sell wearable mobile phones/trackers for children aged between 5-10
When did you start it and what inspired you?
I started in Aug 2015. I was at a farm park in the UK and heard on the intercom that a little boy was lost. The fear of losing my children coupled with the fact that I dislike the idea of young children handling smart phones, I started my business.
How did you fund your start up?
From savings. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to do things in the cheapest way possible. I had my logo designed for £3 in 2 days!
How do you manage working around your children?
My partner has taken some time off work so I work for about 2-3 hours in the morning 3 days a week and I mainly work in the evening when the kids are sleeping. I send the kids to a child minder one day a week for 4 hours. I think a lot about what tasks I need to accomplish when I am taking my kids out for a walk and so I jot them down along with way. I then tick off the to do list as much as I can in the evenings.
Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?
At 730am it is breakfast time with the kids. Then I take 2-3 hours to send out emails, post on social media sites and make phone calls. I spend most of the afternoon with my kids and they go to bed at 8pm. I then spend about 3-4 hours looking at marketing strategies, talking to friends about my product, learning about anything and everything I didn’t know before, planning, finances..the list goes on.
What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I will face which I need to plan for is when a company like Apple decides to run me over with a similar product. My strategy is not that of a large corporation. I am just a mum who fears losing her children and I want to be connected with them to know they are happy and safe. I am truly passionate about my product and know that others mums and dads will feel the same.
What’s the best thing about being self employed?
I can work looking like sh**. Needless to say I never do video calls!
What are your plans for the future?
I will continue to juggle the business and looking after the kids and hope that the business will get to a stage where I have funds to outsource some tasks. Would hope to grow an extra hand or two at some point also.
What advice would you give for someone just starting out?
Tell anyone and everyone about your business. Develop some seriously thick skin. If one person can’t help you out, they might know someone in their network who can help. Also, always be kind to everyone you deal with. We all have to deal with a**holes every now and then but just stay calm and be nice. Don’t burn any bridges.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
When I hit massive road blocks, I play Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now.
Please visit my website at www.techsixtyfour.com for details of the watch and likes on my facebook page at www.facebook.com/techsixtyfour would be greatly appreciated!
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