Up until 6 months ago I really didn’t ‘get’ blogging. Everywhere I turned I was being told that I should have a blog for my business. But in my mind a blog was just a very public diary and I had no idea how that could translate to the business world. Then in April Irene Houston, an online business trainer, came and spoke at one of our meetings about blogs. She explained that a blog, kept up to date with lots of fresh content, would drive traffic and support a more static business website, thus helping your SEO ratings. PING! The lightbulb in my head lit up – and I ‘got it’.

Days later our blog was up and running, albeit in a very basic form. Pressing the ‘Publish’ button on that first blog post was a scary moment – my ‘words’ were suddenly out there in cyberspace for anyone to read. But would anyone read it? I had no idea.

Irene had said that ideally a business blog should be updated at least 3 times a week. It seemed like a lot of work. What would we write about? But thankfully with two of us contributing to the blog, one of us has generally always got something to say! We also have lots of great members and contacts whose knowledge we can draw on to provide us with guest blogs, which helps to relieve the pressure and gets us out of a hole if we do happen to suffer from Bloggers Block!

And happily I have found the discipline of writing the business blog has unleashed the creative writer within. So much so, that I have, waiting in the wings, a personal blog, as some of these new ideas for posts don’t necessarily fit the audience or the tone of Mum’s the Blog. But the crazy thing is, I’m more nervous about writing for this second blog because a) this one will be pure, unadultered ME  and b) I’m scared that once I start, I really won’t be able to stop!

There is something really quite addictive about blogging. It is the writing equivalent of Pringles – once you pop you can’t stop! For aspiring or frustrated writers, having a blog is an immediate window for your creativity, and an opportunity to communicate directly with an audience. It gives you a platform to express your views, your frustrations, you failures and your successes. It allows you to record, for posterity, little snippets of daily life that are all too easily forgotten, to reminisce and to rant. And sometimes, along the way, you succeed in entertaining, amusing or inspiring your readers – which is both a joy and a privilege, as well as a huge incentive to do it all over again.

So, for anyone thinking of dipping their toe in the water, beware – blogging may take over your life. Everywhere you go and everything you do will be potential material for a post. So you’d better start carrying a notepad and pen around with you wherever you go!

And for those of you who are already hooked, what do you enjoy most about blogging? The fame, the freebies, the freedom or the just the fun? Do you find it easy to fit in your daily fix? And do you ever see yourself running out of inspiration?

Popularity: 2% [?]

Cake has been a fundamental part of Mum’s The Boss right from the start, so much so that’s it high time it had a blog post of it’s own!

Both of us like baking and eating cake, and from our very first meeting we have always brought homemade cakes or biscuits to our meetings. Our cakes have become somewhat of a talking point – both at meetings and on Twitter, so we have decided to add a dedicated Cake section on the blog to post some of our favourite recipes. That way, if you can’t make it to a meeting, you never have to miss out on the cake!

Apart from just liking the taste, there is something intrinsically comforting and familiar about cake. Whenever I am expecting visitors I always try and bake something to offer with a cup of tea or coffee. To me it shows I’ve made an effort and that this visit is important to me. For this reason it is important at our meetings to extend this same warm welcome – as for many of our members, this is their first and only experience of the terrifying world of networking! To be welcomed with a cup of tea and a piece of cake is a far cry from most business events, but has become a popular unique selling point for us!

So, to kick off our new recipe section, I will start with the cake that I have received rave reviews about most recently – my mum’s Carrot Cake. I made this cake especially for the meeting when The Efficiency Coach, Heather Townsend, was our speaker, as she has a dairy intolerance. Generally our cakes are quite heavily biased towards butter and chocolate, so it was a relief to have this recipe up my sleeve, as it uses sunflower oil in place of butter or margarine, and is a healthier take on Carrot Cake compared to the frosting laden versions you normally see.

Sam’s Mum’s Carrot Cake (I have no idea where this originated from!)

6oz soft brown sugar
6oz self raising flour
6oz finely grated carrot
6fl oz sunflower oil
2oz chopped prunes
2oz chopped walnuts
3 eggs
3tsp mixed spice
 
Sift flour & spice into a large bowl – mix well.
In a separate bowl beat the oil, eggs and sugar until mixture is light.
Stir in the fruit, nuts, carrot and dry mixture and fold together.
Place in a 2lb loaf tin
Bake in a preheated oven 350F, 180C for 50-60 mins

If you do decide to give this a try, please come back and leave a comment and let us know how you rate it, out of 5.

And next time I make one, I will take a photo and replace the picture that accompanies the post

Popularity: 19% [?]

Halloween has become a massive event in the UK over the last few years, and the shops have been packed for weeks with all sorts of accessories, dressing up gear and decorations. This is all very well, but if you want to celebrate Halloween with your children, once you’ve dressed up, what can you actually DO? Some prefer not to trick or treat, and some may be too young, so what are the alternatives? I have hosted a few parties so here are some ideas to help you along with some Halloween fun with just your own or a room full of children……

1.  Pumpkin Carving – the most traditional of Halloween customs. There is such a variety of pumpkins available you could have a variety competition with different members of the family. I recommend an ice cream scoop as the best way to carve out (save the inners – see idea 4).  An alternative for younger children is to draw faces or use stickers on big tomatoes – equally scary & fun! Or paint paper plates orange and add or cut out features – can double as masks.

2. Spooky Play Dough – young children in particular love play dough and it’s easy to make. Just add black, orange, purple or green food colouring, some glitter and hey presto – you have lots of spooky fun! Homemade play dough is very cheap and simple and keeps for ages if sealed properly.

3. Pin the nose on the Witch – this is easy to make – get the kids to help draw and colour and your witch, then cut out a cardboard nose or use nose stickers and find a blindfold.

4. Feely Boxes– these are great fun – just keep a few cereal or shoe boxes, cut a hole in and fill with something. This can either be yucky and slimy (like the insides of the pumpkin) with objects in which must be retrieved or could be a selection of things that have to felt & guessed. With older children you can have a second hole cut in the back of one of the boxes and then grab the hand that is doing the feeling – a guaranteed screamer!!!

5. Alternative Apple Bobbing – I remember bobbing for apples, not only was it difficult it is also potentially dangerous with younger children, so I have an alternative. Core holes through some apples and thread through a string tied between two chairs – children have to go underneath and try to bite pieces out without using hands – good harmless fun and a sneaky way to get them eating apples – when I played this at my party we got through 10 apples!

6. Treasure Hunts –children love treasure hunts so draw/buy/print out pumpkins, skeletons and other Halloween items and hide them for the children to find. You can give each child a different set to find or make it harder by finding one of each.

7. Skeleton Races – -cut out basic skeleton shapes, skull, arms, legs, ribs etc – then have race to see who can put it together the fastest.

8. Ghoulish Grub – no party is complete without party food so try these:

• Witches eyeballs – marshmallows with a smarty on top
• Spider biscuits – split Oreo biscuits in half, drape liquorice laces across as legs then stick the top back on
• Use a cutter to cut out sandwiches in ghost shapes
• Make bat or pumpkin cookies
• Make a jelly and put rubber eyeballs or jelly worms in

Halloween can be fun and inexpensive, and doesn’t have to involve knocking on doors in the dark. If you have any other suggestions the please let us know.

Popularity: 6% [?]

At Amy Taylor Accountancy, you will find a friendly, personal service where children are welcome.  Having been a chartered accountant and analyst for over 10 years, Amy Taylor recognised there was a need for local business people who are juggling a business and childcare to have somewhere they can meet their accountant and bring the kids without feeling intimidated. 

But it’s not just all about providing flexibility.  Having been an analyst for part of her career, Amy can assess your personal circumstances to make sure you get all possible tax reliefs available as well as help you with tax planning for the future.  “I won’t wait for people to ask me a question about their finances, but will go above and beyond to analyse their circumstances as a matter of course.  For me the enjoyment is legitimately saving my clients money.”

And on the subject of saving money, Amy offers clarity over pricing and will give you a competitive quote within 24 hours.  “I know as an accountant how important it is to budget.  How can you plan your finances effectively if you don’t even know what you will be paying your own accountant?”

What inspired you to start your own business
Being a Mum to 2 children, I felt that commuting into London and full time work just wasn’t going to be do-able anymore.  I thought about setting up on my own and friends and family were so positive about it, I just thought “Go for it Girl”!!

What has been your biggest challenge
Learning how to use twitter and other social networking sites.  My etiquette to begin with was terrible, but now I enjoy the tweets, tips from other business gurus and generating leads that twitter can offer.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed
I have learnt that it’s important to keep yourself up to date in your knowledge area, for your self-esteem, your employability and to keep your brain working – not always easy when you’re a mum!

What has been the best thing about being your own boss
Not having to ask anyone for time off, or worry when your little one is ill that everyone in the office will be moaning about you taking time off.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Join a wonderful supportive networking group like Mums the Boss for fabulous business tips and to meet other people like you, and No they didn’t pay me to say that!!

Amy  is happy to welcome new clients across Bedfordshire.  She cares about the environment and in response to client demands, sends out as much documentation as she can by electronic means.  “For each page saved, I keep a tally and at the end of the year make a donation to the Woodland Trust which has woodland all over the UK including Bedfordshire.”

Call Amy now on 01767 260282, or email amy@tayloraccountancy.net. www.tayloraccountancy.net

Popularity: 10% [?]

I have been a big fan of Twitter for some months now, and there is no doubt that our business has benefitted enormously by the connections I have made online. As well as business connections though, there have been important personal connections, which in my view are just as important. People that I have connected to via Twitter and subsequently met in person have gone on to be good friends. And lastly there is the fascination of being connected to celebrities and being given a brief glimpse into their personal worlds – which is actually the main reason for this post!

Now I’m not a big celebrity stalker on Twitter but there are a few famous names that I do follow with interest. And, along with the rest of the civilised world, the main focus of my celebrity adoration has always been aimed at Stephen Fry. I think he is wonderful. He is so knowledgable and well read, so articulate and yet so funny. I have loved his comedy in Blackadder, his knowledge in QI, his brilliance as Wilde, his honesty in his documentaries about mental health, his enthusiam and wonder on his travels around America and in search of endangered animals. He is the one person I would most like to invite to dinner, or be stuck in a lift with. To all intents and purposes he is my hero. Have I made my point yet?  

I have tweeted @stephenfry a couple of times, generally in response to his clever 140 character witticisms, never daring to imagine he might ever actually reply. Then yesterday evening my Twitter dream came true. Quite bizarrely, earlier in the evening I had a post ‘retweeted’ by the Prime Minister’s wife. Sarah Brown. I felt hugely honoured and posted a message to that effect. A couple of people responded with RTs and comments, with other celebrities’ names being mentioned. To which my response was “Actually my goal has always been for @stephenfry to acknowledge my mere existence. Then life would be complete” Minutes later, and to much excited squealing and punching of the air I spotted the following response:

In the erudite words of my Twitter (and real life) pal Lesley Singleton – “OH. MY. GODDING. GOD!”

There then followed a barrage of congratulatory responses – to ME – saying how lucky and honoured I was to get a ‘Fry Tweet’. Anyone would have thought I’d just won the lottery, or an Olympic Gold medal at the very least! But what was so inexplicable was not how excited I was (that was OBVIOUS!) but how excited people were for ME! But on what other platform would I have ever had that kind of opportunity before? Years ago I might have handwritten a fan letter, posted it off to a fan club and then have waited for it a) to be read and b) to be responded to, which would have been both time-consuming and unlikely.

But now we have the chance to be connected in ‘real time’ to the people who inspire, amuse and fascinate us. Ordinary people can ‘chat’ to their heroes – they can express their admiration, show their support, ask questions, give feedback and even use their far reaching influence to publicise worthwhile causes and events.

And sometimes, there’s a 1/870,000 chance that they might get 140 character’s worth of their hero’s time

NB. Please excuse the indulgent nature of this blog post. I wanted to capture this golden Twitter moment for posterity! And Stephen, if you ever read this – thank you – you made a 30-something mummy VERY happy. Mwah!!!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Now my children are at school we have entered the realm of friends coming to play after school, and usually for tea as well.  So what do you feed them?  You want them to be happy, and to eat, and generally the obvious staple is fish fingers  or chicken nuggets , chips and beans . However I have been trying some alternatives which provide something a little more varied and balanced and will still please my own children who are very fussy eaters.

Here are a couple of quick, easy and tasty ideas:

1.  Traffic light pasta – make plain pasta (and this can have a cheese or tomato sauce with it) but have carrots, sweet corn and peas in it – easy, simple and healthy. Another variation on this is to make treasure hunt pasta – but a variety of veg/meat/cheese etc in bottom of the dish and pile with cooked pasta – get children to ‘dig’ for treasure and see what they can find.

2.  Spaghetti bolognese or carbonara, favourites with most children, are good filling dishes, easy to make and messy and fun to eat!

3.  Naan bread pizzas – I discovered these a couple of years ago – and even better the kids can make their own and they are ready in minutes! Buy some mini naan breads and get the children to spread them with a tomato based sauce and then add whatever they would like – so ham, cheese, chicken, sausage and half cherry tomatoes – simply grill for a couple of minutes and serve.

4.  Wraps or tortillas - I came up with this to try and encourage my own children to join in when we had chilli. Simply cut tortillas into thirds and give to children to stuff their own. Have bowls with chicken, ham, sausage, cheese, tomatoes, cream cheese, grated carrots, sliced peppers, guacamole etc, giving them a great chance to experiment – also messy fun whilst eating as can all be done with fingers

5.  Stuffed pasta - you can now easily buy large pasta shells which if you pre-cook can be stuffed by the children with a selection of the fillings suggested above, or you can make a selection for them to choose from.

6.  Presentation – it’s slightly gimmicky but fun to make ‘normal’ dishes more appealing by presentation. I have just done mashed potato volcanos with beans spilling out and halved sausages up the sides. You could also try  jacket potato pirate boats – scoop out the potato and mash with cheese and re-fill – make a ‘mast’ with slices of bacon or sausage ‘oars’ on cocktail sticks and a ‘sea’ of  gravy with some vegetable islands.

And let’s not forget puddings!

7.  Pancakes – easy to make and again very versatile with fillings – fruit, ice cream and yoghurt are always big favourites….and if you are feeling very creative make your own fruit sauces

8.  Chocolate dip – provide a selection of fruit – strawberries, grapes and bananas are ideal, or shortbread and marshmallows with cocktail sticks for dipping.

9.  Fruit kebabs or fruit salad – allow children to make own and help with the chopping as well – most fruits are easy enough with blunt/plastic knives.

10. Ice-cream – make an old favouite  more exciting with sprinkles, sweets, sauces, grated chocolate, chopped nuts, or some fruit if you’re feeling virtuous!

If you have any ideas for fun food for kids then please leave a comment – the more the merrier!

Popularity: 15% [?]

Since leaving her ‘previous life’ career as a Buyer for a high street chain, Sarah Barnes has been working as an Interior Designer, setting up her company Ivy House Interiors in 2006. Ivy House Interiors aims to offer complete interior design solutions for everything from entire show-houses to the smallest downstairs loo!

Based on the Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire boarder, Sarah has a background of show-house and rental property design and project management. Whether you are looking to refresh the style of your bedroom or ‘start from scratch’ with your kitchen Sarah has the contacts and know-how to help – and if she doesn’t she will go out of her way to find it! Through relaxed and informal discussions Sarah can provide you with the solution to your specific requirements.

If you are looking to sell your current property, Sarah also offers a Home Staging Service, transforming your home to “Show House Standard” maximising the sales potential of your property by setting it apart from the competition and offering discounted storage rates. Sarah has also undertaken work for landlords who are looking to transform rental properties from un-furnished to furnished to provide a greater return on their investment. This type of work is often budget led – but with Sarah’s negotiation and fi nancial background combined with design experience, Sarah has furnished properties to a high standard whilst keeping costs minimal.

What inspired you to start your own business
Sitting in the back of an ambulance at 3am on a December morning being transferred to Banbury Children’s Hospital as Milton Keynes General was full with my 11 month old baby who needed oxygen and nebulisers for the 3^rd time in 6 weeks after getting pneumonia the week I returned to work. I applied to go part-time but was turned down, so I resigned. I realised that life is too fragile and precious to spend time worrying about how I was going to get my day job done when I have my family to look after. Our parents are 3 hours away, we have no ‘back-up’ support, so I needed to be able to do a job that was flexible around the children.

What has been your biggest challenge
Getting clients in the current economic climate. Also trying to dispel the myth that interior design is only for the rich and famous, and can in fact have a medium term saving. I’m currently thinking of myself as the Trinny and Susannah of houses – get rid of the stuff that doesn’t suit it and stop wasting money on a bit here and a bit there and buy, as an investment, schemes and accessories that are going to last.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed
Lots of things! I enjoy people’s company, so Radio 1 is a god send after leaving behind an office of 800 people. I miss a good slanging match – I haven’t had to ‘get angry’ like I occasionally did in my ‘previous life’ so my poor husband gets it taken out on him instead!  I’ve also learnt that Starbucks is addictive, John in Aubergine (my local deli) makes a lush sandwich, and we have a great community in my village that I was oblivious to before and I now feel part of. Also, running your own car is bloody expensive and you have to take it to the garage yourself and pay when something goes wrong rather than handing it back to the transport department! I’ve also learnt that I’m very determined and work crosses over into life more now because there is no drive home ,so it can sometimes get me down when things aren’t going to plan.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss
Flexibility, without a second thought ! If the small people are ill – I juggle my hours. If we need to take delivery of something – I can be here. Its endless, and you just can’t put a price on it.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Go for it but its not going to be easy and its not going to happen overnight. My plan was an 8 year one, taking me up until both children were well into Lower School – but I still expected it to happen sooner and I have to keep reminding myself there is still time. Plan your daily schedule and try to stick to it – if you have childcare, as I’m lucky to have, it’s very tempting to drop them off then spend the next few hours tidying up after them rather than doing the day job – sorry that was 2 pieces advice, wasn’t it?!

For more details or to see examples of previous works, call Sarah on 07711 293320 or drop an e-mail to sarah@ivyhouseinteriors.co.uk. You can also follow Ivy_House on twitter

Popularity: 13% [?]

Following on from our previous post about How to be an Accountant’s Perfect Customer, family-friendly accountant Amy Taylor explains to do’s and don’ts when claiming expenses for working from home.

If you use part of your home for business, you can offset utility expenses and mortgage interest against your income - but beware of Capital Gains Tax implications!!  Say you use 1 of the 6 rooms in your house solely for business and claim one sixth of all your utility bills and mortgage interest as an allowable expenses, when you come to sell your house, one sixth of any gain you make on the sale of the house could be subject to capital gains tax at 18%.  There are allowances that could reduce the amount of any capital gains tax to pay depending on your circumstances and you should consult an accountant for more details. 

A more common scenario is that you use part of your house for business, part of the time.  For example, you use the dining room during the day, and the family eat there in the evening.  In this case, you will only claim a proportion of the costs of using that room and therefore will not suffer Capital Gains Tax on the sale of your house.  HMRC have given us some examples of how to calculate how much of your utility bills and mortgage interest (not capital) that can be offset against income at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/BIM47825.htm.  These calculations are based on the amount of the house used for business, and the amount of time the room is used for business.

If there is only minor use of your home for business, e.g. writing up your books, you can put in a reasonable estimate, currently £3 a week, or £156 a year, excluding any periods where you are on holiday without risking investigation by HMRC.

You can also claim expenses for working from home if you are employed, but there are many rules surrounding this, such as you having no other option but to work from home, for example if your employer is in Germany and there is no UK office, etc,. 

For any further guidance on accounting and taxation services from a family friendly accountant, please email amy@tayloraccountancy.net.  Amy is based in Potton, Sandy, Bedfordshire, but also deals with clients across the UK remotely.

Amy Taylor Accountancy takes every care in preparing material to ensure that the content is accurate and up to date.  However no responsibility for loss to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of this material can be accepted by Amy Taylor Accountancy

Popularity: 9% [?]

In our first year in business we have spent the princely sum of £30 + VAT on promotional activity, paying for an insert service which interestingly had a zero return on investment! However we have managed to appear in the local press 3 times, the national press once, and have been interviewed on our local radio station. We have had a double page spread in a local parenting magazine distributed to over 10,000 mums through the school book bags, been featured on numerous websites and been promoted by several business agencies. We have also secured free venue use, free business advice, free business books and had over 20 prizes donated to a recent raffle. And we’ve done all this without ever having to resort to bribery or blackmail. So, how have we done it?

We are proud to unveil the Mum’s The Boss Guide to free (or very cheap) publicity!

1.  Be Friendly – if you are approachable and friendly when you meet people, chances are people will remember you and be more willing to help you out in the future. A warm smile and taking an interest in people costs nothing at all.

2.  Barter – if you can’t afford to pay the going rate for a service, barter some of your product or a service of your own in return.   

3.  Think Outside The Box – publicity doesn’t have to be paying for advertsing space. Think creatively about what is newsworthy about your business – or make something newsworthy happen – and submit it as editorial to the press. And think about all your contacts, and whether they could promote you to their client base, spreading the word through word of mouth.

4.  Know your audience – if you know exactly who your audience is it will be much easier to reach them by targetting your promotion accordingly. That way, if you do end up having to pay for advertising, you will save a fortune by reaching the right people first time.

5.  Use the Internet – take full advantage of the many sites and forums that you can list your business or event on for free. All it will cost you is your time. Make good use of all the social networking sites you belong to, such as Twitter or Facebook – they are perfect for spreading a message ‘virally’ as well as a fantastic way to make invaluable business connections and pick up free business advice.

6.  Blog! – if you haven’t already done so, start a blog. If you can attract a good level of readership your blog can become a fantastic medium for you to barter with, offering to promote businesses or review products in return for a favour.

7.  Be Different – the press likes good news stories or things that are quirky or unusual. If there is something unusual about you or your business then capitalise on this. If not, can you engineer a story with added interest, by linking your business to an event, charity or something topical?

8.  Add Value – if you are asking someone to do you a good turn you must be able to show them what’s in it for them. This may be something tangible like a complimentary product, or it could be as simple as giving them access to your contact network or promoting them on your website or blog.

9.  Be Cheeky – if you don’t ask you don’t get, and sometimes if you just have the confidence/brass neck to ask for a freebie or a discount people are surprisingly happy to oblige

10. Pay People in Cake! – This one NEVER fails. When bartering for people’s time, expertise or use of a venue always offer to bring homemade cake. Works every time!!

We are by no means PR Gurus and these tips are non industry-standard – they are just things that have worked for us and allowed us to enjoy a certain level of publicity for free! Do you have any creative ideas or tips for getting free publicity? We’d love to hear all about them (mainly so we can try them out ourselves)!

Popularity: 5% [?]

Today I read a great quote which really struck a chord with me. It said ”Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still”. It struck a chord because, at the moment, as business owners we find ourselves at somewhat of a crossroads – keep on doing what we’re doing (i.e.stand still) or take a leap of faith and take our business to the next level.

When you first start a business there is a lot to do – market research to carry out, business plans to write, finance to raise, websites to built, advertising and promotion to plan and customers to find. If this is your first business then there is a lot to learn and the whole process can become all-consuming. It can be exhilarating, discovering all the new things you are good at, as your comfort zone rapidly expands. And then there comes a point when you find that all that new and exciting stuff has become routine and everyday. You’ve actually achieved what you set out to do and you now need something more to keep your momentum going.

But the thought of the ‘next step’, whether it be expansion, diversification, taking on staff or acquiring premises, can seem overwhelming and daunting. The ‘next level’ may seem miles away from where you currently are. So, what do you do? Stand still or grow?

Many of the business owners I have met have more ideas than they know what to do with. As is often the way, you wait ages for an idea to come along, and then two come along together! But sorting the wheat from the chaff and knowing which idea is good or right your business can be tricky. Lots of ideas, not enough time, too little capital – sound all too familiar?

There is a lot of good, free advice available for business start-ups, but less that I can see for people wishing to expand and grow. So now could be a good time to find a business coach or mentor, to help you look at your ideas objectively and give you some advice and enouragement. With a certain amount of success behind you, you may also be tempted to want to see bigger and better results quickly - to want it all, right now! But ‘quickly’ isn’t always achievable or sensible. A big house needs strong foundations, detailed plans and hours of workmanship, and so does a successful business.

And this is where another old saying comes into it’s own. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Any task or goal, however momentous it might seem, can be broken down into bitesized pieces, one of which could be achieved today – right now in fact. Don’t be put off that the end destination seems a very long way away – as long as you have a clear objective in mind you can get there, as long as you keep moving, slowly but surely.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I currently find myself  in the enviable position of having both my children at school, and having gone through a period of ‘mourning’ at losing my babies, the day is my own to fill as I wish. When I was a stay at home mum most days had a vague routine of naps and feeds interspersed with activities - staying in, going to groups, visiting friends and fitting in the shopping, washing, cleaning as and when I could. Now my day has a clearly defined structure; 9am – 3pm are child free hours – free from routine and demands, for me to fill as I wish! 

When I was at home full time with the children I was happy to let HH (Helpful Husband) take over the reins as soon as he came in from work.  However, now my ‘babies’ have been gone all day this is my golden time too– hence my 3-6 laptop challenge where I am endeavouring to keep the laptop switched off between 3-6pm.  Having made that pledge I equally don’t want to be filling that time with shopping and cleaning.

So my next challenge is to make everything else fit into school hours. That should be easy – I’ve never had so much time before. However I am someone who can be prone to prevarication, distraction and the most sophisticated of avoidance tactics when I want to. There is a danger that with what appears like so much time it will slip away unproductively and I will still feel like I’ve rushed around all week but not actually achieved what I set out to do.

 To counteract this I have decided to try and set myself a ‘timetable’ so that I remain focused on all the many things I need to do.  I am going to try to have set ‘work hours’ and be more disciplined about what I need to do during that time. However, I also plan to have times when I catch up with home based tasks so that I am not trying to fit it in when the children are home. A third element in all of this is me. I am going to make a concerted effort to ensure that there is time for me to go for a swim, catch up with friends, and ring my Dad without the sound of CBeebies in the background.

I still haven’t decided which is the best way to organise this…..a bit of everything every day….or whole days set aside for the different elements. It will probably be a combination of both as I am not too keen on rigid routine, and there will obviously need to be an element of flexibility.  So mum’s new timetable is still work-in-progress. So help me out. How do you organise your days? Do you have set work/housework days, or set hours for these each day? Or is your schedule chaotic and non-existant? I’d love to hear.

Popularity: 4% [?]

I am shocked and bewildered by an aggressive backlash to the recent Mumpreneur Conference in Birmingham, with delegates being accused of attending a ‘discriminatory’ event. One delegate has even been ‘dumped’ by a contact after discovering she had attended the conference.  So what can have possibly caused the UK Mumpreneurs to be singled out and vilified over what was supposed to be a celebration of achievement?

Is it because we are women? If so does that mean the end of the Women’s Institute, the WRVS, the Girl Guides and every other women only organisation in the world? Is it because we are mums? Perhaps then we should ban Mothering Sunday? If a group of mums running their own businesses is so objectionable, maybe we shouldn’t allow groups of like-minded individuals to meet up at all. No more industry-specific events, political party conferences and definitely no Star Trek Conventions – they discriminate against people who aren’t interested in space travel! And what about Fathers For Justice – do they now have to let Mothers join too?

Running a business around a family presents its own set of unique challenges which are best understood by like-minded business people. This isn’t being exclusive or cliquey – it’s common sense – and I’m quite certain a single-dad responsible for childcare would understand that perfectly.

The question of discrimination has been raised about our group too, presumably because we have the word ‘mum’ in our name and run a creche at our networking meetings. We always reply that we aren’t exclusive (it’s not like we check for stretch-marks as people come in!) but that we are targeting a niche who simply aren’t catered for by other networking groups – or the business world in general.

If you are a business man or woman and are not responsible for childcare, either because you don’t have children, or they are grown up, then the world of business networking is pretty much at your disposal. The thing about us though, is that rather than accuse everyone ELSE of discriminating against US, we have got off our backside and done something about it.

Discrimination is a dangerous word to bandy around and a serious allegation to make, and needs to be based on fact rather than assumption or sour grapes. There is a BIG difference between discrimination and addressing the needs of a niche audience, particularly one that is making a genuine contribution and achieving such great things.

Popularity: 7% [?]

The Knowledge Hub is the gateway for business support at the University of Bedford, offering organisations of all sizes the chance to develop via access to a number of initiatives. We have a variety of tools available to businesses, a wealth of experience in delivering business support and we are dedicated to helping companies become more innovative leading to sustainable growth. 

The Knowledge Hub is hosting a FREE lecture series aimed at those wanting to find out more about starting up a business. They are open to the local community and new businesses, as well as the students and staff. Each lecture is presented by successful leaders in businesses who have been through the process of starting up their own company, or have been involved at the start-up stage of new businesses.

The lectures;

• Explore the practicalities involved in starting up, in a relaxed and friendly environment
• Are uniquely delivered by successful entrepreneurs
• Provide an invaluable insight into building a business from people who are ‘doing it’, rather than just talking about it!

The series of lectures are specifically designed and targeted at those who want to:

• Find out about entrepreneurship and determine if it’s for them
• Learn how to start a business by developing basic business skills
• Gain practical experience of turning an idea into a business

Doors open at 6.15pm and the lectures start at 6.30pm and last for approximately an hour. They are totally FREE to attend, and you can pick and chose which ones you want to go to. Most are based at the Luton Campus, but 2 will be at the Polhill Campus in Bedford.

For a full schedule of the lectures, speakers, directions and registration form please visit www.beds.ac.uk

Popularity: 23% [?]