Mummy Moo's Blog

» BlogRoll / Reviews category

Running your Own Business is NOT EASY!

Posted on 11:15am Monday 5th Jul 2010

Listed under: BlogRoll / Reviews

bras4mums Well, it�s not for me, and not something I would recommend people jump into without considering all the options.

Some people say to me, �Ooh, it must be great being able to work when you want to and take time off with the family�. Little do they know the truth behind the swan like persona I exude!

The negatives (in my humble opinion):

No regular income guaranteed. Depending on how you set up your business you may borrow money, increase your mortgage, use redundancy, or savings. But what�s your GUARANTEED return?
No regular hours. Yes, you may be able to work around school hours, as I generally do. But, take today. No.2 son had played with my phone and managed to set an alarm for 5am � yes, 5am. I couldn�t get back to sleep, so I was up doing my accounts at 5.20am. I�m now, catching up on emails and trying to tick things off my list at 9.41pm. Not every day I grant you, but if you want to grow your business, sometimes you just have to put the time in
Who does your work when the children are ill, or your child-carer can�t help you out? Usually no-one. So, you�ve got sick children to look after, plus your business to keep going, and potentially clients to keep happy! Juggling balls is a very useful skill!

�There must be some positives�

I hear your cry! Yes. I certainly wouldn�t be doing the silly hours I currently am if I wasn�t getting JOB SATISFACTION from my business. I certainly wasn�t being challenged in my last salaried position (2007), even though it was quite a fulfilling job.

For me, I love helping others. I am PASSIONATE about what I do � making women comfy and feel good about themselves by selling bras after a bra fitting. My dream is a big one, and I�m working towards it. When I miss a child�s sports day (which I will next week), it�s because I�m working towards this goal.

You have to be committed. Some may say you have to have a certain mental strength, to run your business, and your family. There will be knocks along the way � some big and personal, others small, and the business ones? Well, they�ll be constantly there � challenging you to make things better for you and your customers. But why are you considering going into business in the first place? I guess it�s to be challenged and fulfilled � it�s not for the easy ride!

Tracey-Jane Hughes (known as T-J) is married with 2 boys, 8 and 6years old. T-J set up and runs bras4mums which is now growing through a network of agents across the UK. T-J blogs at support4women

youradhocpa.com

Posted on 10:44am Thursday 3rd Jun 2010

Listed under: BlogRoll / Reviews, Networking Mummies Dorset

Love having guest blogs and here is one from the lovely Kate from www.youradhocpa.com

A few months back, I had a bit of a meltdown. I was sitting in my daughter�s room feeding her in the middle of the night when a terrible realisation hit me: I have to go back to work. At the time, I�d been on maternity leave for about 9 months. My partner was made redundant last year from a highly technical (and thus hard to replace) job, and our money was running out. I looked down at my gorgeous daughter, beautiful even by nightlight, and burst into tears. I thought, �I can�t leave her�. Certainly not to go back to a thankless, day to day office job, working for someone else.

kate I decided then and there to do whatever it took to be at home with my daughter as much as possible. I�d been self-employed before, a few years ago, so I knew I could do it. And so Your Ad Hoc PA was born - a service providing as needed (and sometimes desperately needed!) help for people, both at home and at work. I love helping people and solving problems, so owning a business that exists for this purpose is perfect!

I�m an avid reader of the Mummy Moo�s Blog, and shortly after I made my decision to start Your Ad Hoc PA, one of her entries really touched me. Joanne was writing about how her daughter Megan will come into her office and colour while she works, and wrote, �This quality interaction with my children is what made me work from home. I would much rather work late at night than miss a moment with my babies.�

That is exactly how I feel. As I type this, my 8 month old, Emily is playing on the floor, laughing to herself. It�s a wonderful sight and sound! I know juggling it all will become far more challenging when her dad goes back to work, and then also when she starts crawling and then walking! But for now I manage by having a portable office � my netbook travels round the house with me. This means when Emily is playing or napping in her cot in the morning after breakfast, I am checking emails, networking and working on client projects. When I have to work from a client�s home, I am fortunate to have family near to watch her. When I am providing errand-running services, I can generally take Emily with me.

It can be done, making a living working from home, even on a very short and narrow shoe string! We benefit from it, and our children benefit from seeing more of us. And how proud will they be that we struck out on our own, and made things happen to give our families a better quality of life? Our belief in ourselves will help our children to believe in themselves, too.