I see this day as a positive new beginning.
(It’s never too late to have a new beginning.)

Today and tomorrow can be very different from yesterday if you can let go of yesterday and focus on today.

Look for things to feel good about, and watch how everything in your life will unfold to reflect that.

Taken from The Teachings of Abraham Well-Being Cards by Esther & Jerry Hicks

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Guest blogger Leigh Williams is the founder of Marketing & Business Coaching company Truesilver. She offers one-to-one, telephone or online coaching and is a specialist at helping small business owners tap into Government funding schemes. In this post Leigh guides you through the process of accessing funds and putting them to good use.

When I mention government funding to people, I tend to get one of two reactions: either disbelief or amazement. I’ve learnt over the last year or so that sometimes you really can’t give money away. Some people firmly believe that nothing comes for free and if they can’t find a catch they distrust it. Personally I feel that we all pay taxes, so technically it’s not ‘free money’ but if it costs you nothing to find out why not give it a chance?

And yet most people are truly amazed that they are eligible for any kind of grants or funding and open to getting all the help they can.

Show me the money!
Though it would be nice, and we could all do with one, there is rarely a big pot of gold available to pay for your business set up and running costs. If you take into account that there are over 4 million businesses in the UK and 99% of those are small or medium size businesses, it’s just not viable for the government to pay thousands (or millions)  of pounds to everyone who is starting up a business. There are, however, government guaranteed loans available rather than grants if you need money for assets such as equipment, stock etc.

If you’re looking for help with growing your business, then there are a couple of pockets of money (normally between £200 and £1000) available to most businesses. So how do you tap into them?

Which Grant?
Part of the challenge is keeping up with what’s available. We’ve helped lots of businesses in the past year get marketing, business coaching and training paid for by the various funding bodies. Business Link offer a lot of help and the Learning Skills Council are another main one. The key is knowing who to ask, what to say and how to apply for it. There are a lot of companies that will advise you and some will charge for the service. We give our funding advice for free as part of our initial free coaching session, the theory being that if people like our service and use the funding to pay for help from us, then everyone wins. You win because you’ve got some free help to grow your business, the funding body wins because they need to use up the money they’re allocated and we win because we get paid.

The main criteria for the various grants we help people with is that your business is less than 3 years old or you have 5 or more people in your business. We can often help companies who don’t fit that criteria as well, but if either of those sounds like you then you really need to talk to someone about getting the help that’s available.

Applying yourself
If you’re planning on applying for the grants and funding yourself, make sure you know exactly what the criteria is and how the application process works. Be wary of applying to funding bodies that aren’t completely clear on what you need to do to qualify. We focus on the grants where the application is as straightforward as possible, because we can generally get an answer within a couple of days if not a couple of hours. Charities have full time trained staff who’s sole job it is to contact funding bodies and fill out applications in the hope that some of them will be accepted. Most of us are too busy running our businesses to spend that kind of time, which is why we keep it simple and will only advise you to apply where you’re likely to be accepted.

Make the money count
Once you’ve been given a grant, the next stage is to use it wisely. There are some great marketing companies and business advisors out there but I’ve dealt with quite a few clients who haven’t got the best out of their funding. Either the company they spent it with didn’t give them the service they were expecting, or they were more expensive than the industry standard so couldn’t get the level of help they really needed. Always ask what the results will be from the program or service you sign up to. You need to make sure that whoever helps you is going to give you something long term. The reason these grants are there is to help Britain become “better skilled and more competitive.” It really is a case of teach a woman to fish…

If you’re looking for help in your business, you really aren’t the only one. Use someone like us who specifically helps small and micro businesses as generally they won’t charge you the earth and make sure you know exactly what you’re getting for your money. Ok, so it’s the government’s money, but hopefully if you think of it like your own then you’ll spend it cleverly and it can really help you get to the next stage in your business.

To find out how Leigh can help you access funding, or how she can help with your marketing plan or business coaching contact her at info@truesilver.co.uk or visit www.truesilver.co.uk

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Sue Bedford is a busy mum, running two companies in and around Bedfordshire.  After taking a break from her nursing career to have four children, Sue returned to her profession in 1998, initially working as an Outpatients Nurse and then as a Practice Nurse at her local surgery.

During this time, Sue became interested in the role that poor nutrition and exposure to toxins play in the cause of disease.  “As a mum, I naturally wanted to give my children the best start in life”, says Sue.  “However, I came across information which showed that products I used to keep them clean contained ingredients which were known to be harmful!”  Sue wanted other parents to know about this so she set up Healthy Choices.  The website (www.healthychoices.co.uk) includes her research and offers advice to parents and parents-to-be.  It also includes a healthy home store to purchase a range of safe, toxin-free toiletries and household products.

Sue set up her health screening company, Pulse Health Screening, after purchasing a medical device that detects early signs of cardiovascular disease, called a CardioCheck™.  Having completed diplomas in nutrition and health promotion, Sue was able to combine her expertise with her health screening skills to deliver a unique service, locally.

Pulse Health Screening offers a variety of health assessments and tests which include food intolerance and allergy testing.  Sue also gives health promotion talks to local groups or companies.  “If a potential health problem is detected early, it is possible to halt or even reverse the condition” says Sue.  “I love it when someone acts on my recommendations and sees their health improve”.

What inspired you to start your own business?
I have a real passion to help people understand why so many of the diseases we suffer from are completely preventable if we just follow simple diet and lifestyle measures.  My experience as a health screening nurse, my diplomas in Nutrition and Health Promotion and my extensive health research seemed to be the ideal combination to set up a business which helps people achieve better health.

What has been your biggest challenge?
Besides seeing individuals in their homes, I also visit companies to offer health and wellbeing checks to staff.  Getting to the decision maker in the company has been my biggest challenge.  Letters or phone calls often don’t get past the PA, which is very frustrating. 

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?
That I do not give up easily.  I have a determination to overcome any obstacle that comes my way and if that doesn’t work, I’ll find a way round it! 

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?
Being able to choose when I work, which enables me to fit my business around my family.  It’s great that I no longer have to ask permission from anyone to take time off to attend a school event. 

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Meeting up with other mumpreneurs at networking events, or even through internet forums, can be really helpful.  They give an opportunity to share advice and ideas with other mums in business who understand the difficulties and challenges of working at home.

For more information about Pulse Health Screening, visit www.pulsescreening.co.uk or email Sue at sue@pulsescreening.co.uk .

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“Success is the sum of small efforts,
repeated day in and day out.”
Robert Collier, self-help author 

Whatever the challenge, remember you can’t make it happen all at once. But every little step you take, and each small achievement, will all add up to a greater success.

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Guest blogger Lesley Singleton has been working in consumer PR and the media for more than a decade. In that time, she has worked for big London PR agencies (including PR Week’s “Agency of the Year”) as well as in-house for a major airline and a high street bank. Here she gives some advice on how to use calendar hooks to make your news more newsworthy.

Your business is up and running and now you’re on a mission to drum up custom. You’ve done your research and already know your product is relevant to readers of the Times & Citizen/The Sun/Saga Magazine or whatever your target titles might be, but what exactly do you have to say?

Gone are the days where merely launching your own business was news in itself, even for a local paper. With increased redundancy levels leading more people to set up on their own and more mothers finding the support and confidence they need to take that step into business, journalists’ inboxes are bursting at the seams with “local mum launches new venture”-type stories, so competition for coverage is fierce.

Before contacting a journalist or attempting a press release, really ask yourself what the ‘news’ is. I am constantly prodding clients, asking them what they have to say, what ‘excuse’ do we have to speak to the media this week? What new thing can we shout about in order to generate a buzz?

One tried and tested way of increasing awareness of your product/brand/event is to give it a calendar hook – some of these dates are more obvious than others, for example, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Christmas etc. but why not think laterally and look at the more unusual anniversaries and awareness weeks? I’ve recently generated press coverage for clients by piggybacking events including National Cupcake Week, 2010’s Blue Monday (most depressing day of the year) and National Hypnotherapy Week and there are many more calendar hooks throughout the year which could be relevant to your business: if you run a restaurant, why not use British Pie Week (1-7 March 2010) as a reason to add a new special to your menu? Or if you’re launching a new organic product, you could pin it to this year’s National Organic Fortnight in September?

There are some really excellent hooks throughout the year – here are some gems I unearthed recently whilst doing some client research, all of which are genuine and could be used to generate some news or create a promotion for your brand: Barbie’s Birthday, Kissing Friday, International Dance Day, Honey Week, Veggie Month… the list goes on. What’s more, 2010 also promises a General Election (on or before 3 June) as well as the World Cup Finals in June/July – journalists will be looking at various angles hooking back to these events, some of which might be quite tenuous (WAG and First Lady fashion tips, anyone?), so think about your own brand and whether you can create some lateral news as an excuse to speak to your target titles.

Once you’ve picked your hook, decide how to exploit it – if you’re using a PR professional, they’ll be happy to thrash out ideas with you, or try friends, networking colleagues etc and work up some ideas together. The important thing to remember is that you are trying to create ‘news’ to spike your target journalists’ interest, so make sure there is something genuinely interesting and newsworthy to say. A decent calendar hook is a great way of creating relevant, new, news and, as I’ve said, giving yourself a legitimate reason to contact your target journalists, bringing your brand front of mind once again.

To find out how Lesley can help you with your PR, please visit www.lsmedia.co.uk or email Lesley@lsmedia.co.uk

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No-one can have avoided the stories and pictures of the catastrophic earthquake that has hit Haiti. Estimates of the numbers killed by the earthquake range from 50,000 to at least 200,000 and while food and water are finally reaching some parts of the capital Port-au-Prince, large numbers of survivors are still having to fend for themselves.

To try and help in some small way the blogging community has set up a Just Giving page to raise money to buy as many Shelter Boxes as they can to send to Haiti.

Each box contains a 10-person tent, thermal blankets, ground sheets, mosquito nets, water purification equipment, a tool kit and a wood-burning or multi-fuel stove. Each box also contains a children’s pack containing drawing books, crayons and pens. Plus the box itself is lightweight and waterproof and has been used for a variety of purposes in the past – from water and food storage containers to a cot for a newly born baby.

The initial aim was to send one Shelter Box but thanks to the amazing generosity in the blogosphere they are already well on their way to having enough funds to send FIVE boxes already. So dig deep, count your blessings and donate as much (or as little) as you can to help the families of Haiti.

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As it’s a Monday morning we thought it would be nice to start the week by spreading a little happiness. Enjoy!

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This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

William Shakespeare, Hamlet, 1.3

This is my favourite quotation and one which, whenever I am in doubt about something, I call to mind. Whether the issue concerns your children, your partner, your friends, your colleagues or customers, the only thing you can ever do is be true to your own beliefs and do what feels right for you. Nobody knows you better than you know yourself – so trust your instincts.

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You may have a successful business, a fantastic product or a sought-after service – but how safe is your business idea and when should you start to think about protecting it? Here Trademark Attorney Aaron Wood gives you an overview of Wood’s 5W’s of IP – What, Why, When, Who & Where?

A successful business is made up of a number of assets: the skills of its people, the financial backing which allows it to weather the storms and the hardware and plant it owns.  Programmes such as Dragon’s Den have made the public generally aware of Intellectual Property (IP), but research by the UK government regularly shows that businesses are not fully aware, or have important misconceptions ,about IP.  In this short piece you will learn a little more via Wood’s 5 W’s of IP.

What is IP?  IP lies in the innovative products you produce (which may be protectable as patents), the content you create (which may be protected by copyright), the appearance of your products (which may be protected by designs) and the names, slogans, distinctive packaging and other elements you use to mark your products out from the crowd (which may be protected by trade marks).  IP also lies beyond these better-known areas in confidential information such as client lists and price lists.

Why does it matter? IP is an asset of the business, and so if identified (and protected where needed) it can add value to the business by bringing in extra cash flow (by allowing others to use it under licence or by using it as security for loans) or by allowing you to get a better price should you sell the business.  More importantly, IP gives you an advantage over other businesses.  You should be careful that the fruits of your research and hard work are not taken by competitors, and that you are not infringing the IP of other companies.

When should I think about it?  Most businesses are creating IP all the time, so it is generally worth thinking about which kinds of IP matter most to the business at the outset, and then keeping this in mind throughout the life of the business to make sure all the relevant business information is kept that you might need in order to be able to prove that you own the IP, and that formal protection is sought where necessary.

Who creates IP in the business?  As well as the founders of the business, IP can be created by any of the staff and the business IP is handled by them on a daily basis.  Salespeople may build up client lists, designers may be developing logos and product designs, accounting staff will have access to important financial information.  It is essential that IP is recognised and protected, not least to stop it walking out of the door with ex-employees!

Where do I go for help on IP?  The UK Patent Office (www.ipo.gov.uk) provides a substantial amount of helpful information, and the British Library and major libraries around the UK give help and training on IP issues.  There are also two specialist bodies in the UK – the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (www.itma.org.uk) and the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (www.cipa.org.uk).  These bodies can help direct you to experts in your area to help protect this essential business asset.

Aaron Wood is the Managing Director of Wood Trade Marks and Designs, a niche firm specialising in IP.  He was previously a leading member of the IP team at a global law firm and worked prior to that in commerce at Unilever. For more details about how Aaron can help you safeguard your Intellectual Property email him at aaron@woodtmd.com . You can also follow him on twitter @aaronwood

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Just over a year ago I had a new baby, but it was very unlike my previous two children. It had been discussed for a short while and was very wanted, but there was some doubt as to whether this was the right time.  I already had 2 children, but I had a new partner and she also had 2 children, so how would the new baby fit in? Perfectly, because I’m not talking about a real baby; I’m talking about my ‘business baby’ – Mum’s The Boss.

Like many mums, both Sam and I rejected the ‘going back to the traditional workplace’ option once we had had children. We were both drawn into the ‘franchise type business model’  which were not what we had hoped for, but then we met and formed our support network. Mums the Boss was started from a casual comment on a forum, and has grown to what we have today – a large and growing network and support group for the many mums who have their own businesses.

 Recently a year old, I spent some time thinking about the journey that that we had been on and what had happened in the past year and I kept finding parallels with my own real children.  I was lucky that I had very few sleep deprived nights with my own children, but Mum’s The Boss has given me a few! Nights when I couldn’t switch off because of decisions to be made, excitement because of some good news and the fear that I didn’t have the first idea about what to do next! Is this sounding familiar yet?

 But it wasn’t just the night time – every waking moment it seemed that the business was there lurking in my mind. It may not be shrieking ‘mummy mummy mummy’ at full volume but it was  always there being thought about. Unlike going to work, and similar to having a baby or child, there is no ‘day off’ or lunch break as such, it is a constant companion.

Once we reached our first birthday though, I noticed a shift in my mental attitude. Yes the business still commands my attention, and yes I am still a novice. However we have created, grown and nurtured our baby, it is starting to ‘walk and talk’ independently and I am able to finally relax a little. We have made it this far, past all the initial hurdles that lie in wait for new businesses. I can leave the laptop off on a Sunday and know that whatever may be in the inbox will always wait until Monday. I know that a bad day will inevitably be followed by many good days, and that you can’t plan for every eventuality, but most things can usually be fixed.

We now have experienced a full year so are more confident about some of the routine and organisational side of things. However, just like with real parenting, just when you think you’ve got them all figured out…..they change again! This year we face we face new challenges and ‘growth spurts’ and however far we have come and have grown in confidence we will always have those lingering doubts, just as I do with my children; is this the right way or the best way?

Luckily, as ’parents’, Sam & I seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet, and both enjoy the natural antidotes to parental and business uncertainty; chocolate, cake, wine and laughter!

How do you feel about your business? Have you got words of wisdom for us? Please share your experiences.

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My future isn’t about my past
(Life is only about NOW)

Nothing that has ever happened has anything to do with now, unless, in my now, I continue to think and speak about it.

Fresh new thoughts give me a fresh new experience.

Taken from The Teachings of Abraham Well-Being Cards by Esther & Jerry Hicks

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Green and Brown’s ‘Style Council’, run by Image Consultant Elaine Boddy, is a new regular free image, shopping and money saving advice service open to everyone.

Throughout the year they will be holding lunchtime and early evening hour long events in Midsummer Place shopping centre, Milton Keynes, to share…

• Tips and ideas about what to wear;
• What’s good for different shapes and budgets;
• Plus general image ideas;
• Clothes will have been chosen from around the centre to show particular examples;
• Q&A time to be able to answer any questions that you may have;
• Refreshments will be available so that you can enjoy some lunch or after work nibbles;
• These events will be free and places will need to be booked;
• The venue will be the top floor of Café Italia by the Frog clock near Debenhams.

You can choose from 2 sessions in January- 12.30pm for a lunch time session on the 13th January or after work at 5.30pm on the 21st January.

To book your place for January’s Style Council, entitled ’What’s worth buying in the sales’ please email elaine@greenandbrown.eu

For more details about the services Green and Brown offers, please visit  www.greenandbrown.eu

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After a post-Christmas weigh-in I find myself with something of a problem. I am the heaviest I have ever been (including being pregnant) and I need to lose weight. Yes I’m a mummy, but this is not Baby Fat. This is Toddler Fat. Let me explain……

Call me a freak, but both times I’ve been pregnant I have lost weight. I spent the first 12 weeks feeling nauseous all the time, thereby losing weight. Then once the sickness had passed my body just seemed to turn all the food I ate into pure baby, leaving me a neat little bump and relatively slim thighs. Therefore, both times after giving birth I actually weighed less than when I had fallen pregnant. Weird.

Breastfeeding seemed to help keep the weight at bay during the early months. I stopped feeding DD1 when she was 9 months and by the time she was 10 months old I was pregnant again. And so the cycle of nausea, weight-loss and baby-growing began again.  DD1 was a very late walker, so when her sister was born I had 2 children who couldn’t walk. As I don’t drive I knew I would need a decent double buggy so I bought a Phil & Ted buggy and hey presto – I suddenly had my very own work-out regime.

I walked miles with that buggy, and as each month went by the weight of my 2 children grew and grew. Often the buggy would also have bags of shopping hanging from it, to add to my cardio-vascular workout. Then, inconveniently, my children decided they wanted to walk everywhere. So I downsized to a single buggy for DD2, but it just wasn’t the same because now I wasn’t hot-footing it down the street pushing 5 stone of child-laden buggy – I was dawdling along at Toddler Pace!

Toddler pace - 1. (noun) the rate of moving (alternating between walking at the rate of a snail or running off as soon as you get near a busy road) which is carried out slowly & distractedly by a young child to the annoyance of their parent;
2. (noun) to travel at a sporadic rate in the following manner: one step forward, two steps backwards – stop to pick up a leaf or a stick – drop bag on floor – sulk or complain – stop to read letters on road signs - put an umbrella up then down, up then down – stop to read house numbers – demand non-existent biscuits – sit down on the pavement in protest - touch people’s cars – stop to stare at complete strangers or dogs - complain of a stone in your shoe - pick up a leaf or stick (repeat as necessary); 
3. (noun) a manner of avoiding walking quickly which, in the extreme, can result in walking backwards from school.  

So, quite frankly, it’s no wonder I’m turning into a whale. The only time I break into a sweat now is when one of my children has a tantrum or openly defies me in public, and I am cringing with embarassment. Added to which they now leave me these delicious little morsels of food (a.k.a. cold fishfingers, half eaten chips etc) on their dinner plates, which are far more tempting than the globules of baby rice or pureed parsnip of days gone by. It’s a question of mathematics dear reader – an increase in consumption coupled with a decrease in activity = 2 stone weight gain.

So now, several years after their births, I find myself needing to lose, not Baby Fat, but Toddler Fat. All this at a time when my cupboards are groaning under the weight of left-over mince pies, selection boxes, bags of peanuts, bottles of Baileys and lumps of Brie. I’ll let you know how I plan to do this is Part 2. Anyone care to join me?

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In 2010 we have set ourselves a challenge – to raise £1404 to enable us to fund the training of 52 new business women in the developing world – that’s 1 new businesswoman for every week of the year!

In 2010 Mum’s The Boss’ nominated charity is Oxfam and, through the Oxfam Unwrapped programme, we want to raise enough money to train 52 new businesswomen in developing countries through Oxfam’s Train a Businesswoman gift.

The scheme helps aspiring businesswomen by developing and enhancing their business skills. Whether it’s help with money management, financial support, developing negotiation skills, improving production rates or effectively marketing the end product, this gift helps women work together – maybe even in co-operatives – to achieve their potential.

In the UK there is an amazing amount of information and support available if you want to set up your own business, and we see our networking groups as a small link in this chain. For that reason we decided this was the perfect charity for us as it allows us to do something for enterprising women in other parts of the world who aren’t so fortunate.

We will be organising various fundraising events throughout 2010 to achieve our target of £1404.00 and have set up a Just Giving page so that people can make donations online. So watch out for details throughout the year of ways in which you can get involved – and above all, wish us luck!

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