Working for yourself is certainly one way in which to take control of your working hours, be more flexible with childcare arrangements and, more importantly, spend more time with your children when they need you. However, nothing in life is for free: everything has a cost attached. So what is the cost for work at home mums?

The house, the husband/partner/significant other and the children all continue to need you, and make demands on your time, but there is also a ‘New Kid on The Block’ – your business. For that to survive and be successful it also needs as much care & attention as a new-born baby. So when all these demands have been squeezed into a day….well there aren’t many minutes left.

On a personal level, being able to do the school run is a very important and key reason for choosing to work for myself. However, the pay off for that is a shortened working day, which results in working evenings and weekends. This in turn impacts on my relaxation time and time with my husband. So how do you counteract this?

Time management is one of the hottest topics around as we seem to be under pressure to cram more and more into each day. Mums generally are very adept at both multi-tasking and fitting 48hours worth of tasks and activities into a day. Where the problem may lie is in delegation and prioritising, especially when it comes to ensuring we still have time for ourselves and our partners.

If you start with 24 hours and all the things that have to be fitted in, you will quickly come to the conclusion that ‘cut backs’ need to be made. The trick is to ensure that every ‘department’ should take a part in these cutbacks. So rather than the ‘me time’ and ‘us time’ sections being all but eroded, why not look to all areas. Highest on my own list for a cutback is housework, and it doesn’t take me a lot of encouragement to miss the dusting for a week or leave the ironing pile for another day.  Likewise, much as I love cooking, there are times when the usual ‘home cooked from scratch meal’ is replaced by a take away or conveniance food, and – surprise surprise - the world doesn’t end!

The majority of mums take the decision to work for themselves because of their children. However if this enables you take and collect your children from school and be with them in the holidays, then  you shouldn’t feel guilty if Daddy does bedtime or you spend 3 hours working at the weekend; they will benefit more from the key times you are there compared to paid employment.  Equally it is good to have your partner onside who can help understand that your attention and energy is being drawn in a new direction, but will support you and understands that in the long term this is a solution which will benefit you all.

Most important of all is ‘you’ time. This in my experience is the first to go when working for yourself and takes real strength of character to maintain; you have never ending to-do list, the housework is falling behind and the family are missing your undivided attention.  How do you justify time for you, let alone actually find it?  Firstly you need to re-train yourself; not an easy job if delegation is not one of your strengths or you are used to being’ mistress’ of the home.  Secondly you need to gradually retrain the rest of the family that mummy doesn’t do everything, and accept that their way isn’t the wrong way.

And finally, convincing yourself that you deserve that time; you work hard all 7 days of the week for the benefit of the family……..so even if you only manage a half hour’s peace with a G & T in the bath, you truly need and deserve it. Without you, neither the  business nor the family would be so successful. Cheers!

Popularity: 9% [?]

This week’s guest blogger is Interior Designer and mum of two Sarah Barnes, owner of Ivy House Interiors. In this blog Sarah gives some handy hints on how to organise your workspace in the home.

It has to be said that the benefits of working from home, especially with children’s hectic and somewhat unpredictable schedules, are endless.  I’m lucky in that my commute (usually after loading up the washer) is up 15 steps to the spare bedroom and takes, traffic permitting (i.e. junk piled up on the stairs for “putting away later”) around 30 seconds. I can store my paint sample pots, off-cuts of wallpapers and mood boards without them getting in the way of the normal hubble bubble of family life.  But what happens if this isn’t the case ? If you are commuting to your kitchen table of sofa what could you do to create a practical, unobtrusive yet productive working environment? Here are a few suggestions to get you started…

Storage
There is no denying it, even if you run your business completely from your laptop and mobile you are still going to need some kind of storage space for those bank statements and other accounts paperwork if nothing else.  Rather than having a shoebox or storage crate that is constantly moved from one corner to the next, stake your claim on a permanent home for your business.  Time for a quick spring clean – ideal places include a kitchen cupboard, a few shelves in the airing cupboard, a shelving unit wedged into the bottom of your wardrobe or a small chest of drawers hidden in a corner of a room.  If you give yourself a base then you can keep everything together and are limiting your search area when that all important prospective client calls back and you need to get your hands on the paperwork quickly.

Your desk 
If you can pick up and pack up at the end of each day then you can probably get away with the dining table or kitchen worktop but if like me you are a bit more space hungry then how can you squeeze in a nice flat surface ?  Time for a bit of multi-tasking – a dressing table doubles up perfectly, especially if its in a spare room and won’t get the remains of the day dumped on it each night.  Do you have an integral garage ? Could you make yourself a work surface out of a piece of worktop attached to batons on the wall ? (My inventive friend Mrs W has created a workroom in her utility room by buying another identical length of worktop but without the sink cut-out, this then sits snugly on top – perfect !)  Folding tables can be great – they bring back memories of caravan holidays when I was little – if you don’t quite get everything finished by tea-time it can stay put and just get moved aside. But when it’s time for Sunday lunch it can all be folded up and tucked away from view.

Keep it simple 
If you’re anything like me then buying stationery is second only to blitzing Boots make-up counters or raiding Space.NK.  You really don’t need to buy post it note dispensers or fancy desk tidies if you don’t have a desk ! A few old mugs or jam jars are perfect for storage especially if your home office is going to be hidden away from view.  Priority would be lever arch files and a stack of filing trays to allow you to prioritise your work load.

Keep on top of it
Give yourself a slot in your schedule to tidy away and file.  The last thing you need is to turn up to an important meeting at the bank to find that the statement that you left on the worktop has been used as part of a pre-schoolers art creation (or my usual trick, a coaster) – you may work from the kitchen table but its still important to present a professional image.

It’s a small start but who knows the contents of that kitchen cupboard could be the very things that lead to your first million – by which time you probably won’t be worrying about what your bank manager thinks of the kids colouring!

For help with de-cluttering, organising and prioritising for day-to-day living or before putting your home up for sale contact Sarah on 07711 293320.

Popularity: 7% [?]

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

Popularity: 9% [?]

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

Popularity: 2% [?]

Around this time of year I always start thinking about New Years Resolutions. In fact part of me likes the anticipation of a fresh start that the new year brings more than Christmas itself. All too often these resolutions include things like losing weight, eating more healthily and getting more sleep. But this year lots of these resolutions relate to the business, as well as my waistline!

Having just finalised our business plan for 2010 we now have a very clear set of resolutions or goals for the coming year.  Our main goal is to expand geographically, setting up more networking groups across the country. We have one new group launching in January and two pilot groups starting in February in Leicestershire and Warwickshire. 

Another important goal is to become financially independent, as this year we have relied heavily on the generosity of sponsors to run our meetings at a low cost to our members. We are also committed to raising money for our chosen charities next year, and raising their profile as much as we can. And our final goal (which is somewhat out of our hands, but it does no harm to dream) is to win an award.

If you have goals but you keep them to yourself it is much easier to give up on them. But once you have announced them to the world it makes them very real, you become more accountable and people can give you a gentle nudge when your resolve starts to waiver.

So, to focus your mind and keep you on track next year, why not tell us your business goals for 2010. Then, this time next year we can check back in and compare notes as to what we have actually achieved!

Popularity: 3% [?]

People use Twitter for many different reasons – to chat, to celebrity-watch, to keep up to date with a particularly industry or market sector, or to promote a blog or a business. Whatever your reasons for using Twitter there are certain things you should be mindful of but these are particularly important if you are using Twitter to market your business.

We started using Twitter 8 months ago and had no idea what we were doing. But through trial and error, and following some of the great advice available online we quickly got the hang of it. Like our Guide to Free Publicity, this is a lighthearted overview of what has worked for us. So now we are proud to present - The Mum’s the Boss Guide to Twitter!

Be Yourself – one of the huge benefits of social media is the ability to engage with potential customers and clients on a personal as well as a professional level, so let your personality shine through! Talk about things other than your business – your family, pets, hobbies etc – to give a more rounded view but always do so in a careful way without giving away too much specific information. And don’t ever try to be something your not. People like to do business with people they like. If at a later stage they find it was all an act it will not endear them to you. And apart from anything else, it’s hard work pretending to be something you’re not.

Know your audience – as with any form of marketing, knowing who your audience is and how to speak to them is half the battle. Once you have identified your perfect customer, speak to them in their language about things that will interest them, not just about your business, to help build up a positive relationship online .

Quality not Quantity – this does depend somewhat on your business but generally it’s better to have less quality followers than thousands of spammers and wierdos! If you have an online sales business it is obviously good to have a large following, however you will probably still be aiming your product at a specific type of customer, so seek out your ‘perfect’ customer to follow, in the hope that they, and all their friends, will follow you back. And if you find yourself following people of little interest, don’t be afraid to unfollow them – your live feed should be full of posts that add value, either personally or professionally.

Watch what you say – it can be tempting to get embroiled in long conversations or to bear your soul when you’re having a bad day, but do always bear in mind that anything you tweet is then in the public domain. Think carefully – especially if you are feeling low or have had a drink - you really don’t want to damage your brand or your reputation. Things can spread like wildfire on Twitter. Just think about the furore at Jan Moir’s article about Stephen Gately’s death or the torrent of support for Stephen Fry when he threatened to quit Twitter. You never know what might be picked up, and by whom, so always think before you tweet.

Mind your Manners – Twitter has its own online etiquette and it is polite to thank people who retweet your posts or recommend you. Many people also like to thank new followers for following them, and it’s always much nicer to get a personal welcome from someone who has taken the time to look you up and find out something about you. And lastly, try not to use bad language – you really don’t know how sensitive your followers are and it won’t do your brand any favours.

Use Humour (with caution) – nobody wants to be bombarded with sales spiel or lectured all the time and many small business owners and home workers use Twitter as their down-time, rather like a ‘virtual tea-break’ . So a bit of light banter, a link to an amusing news story, a funny quote or just something unusual that has happened to you that day is generally well received, particularly by any of your followers who may be having a bad day.

Be Interesting – there is simply no point in tweeting if you don’t add some value by doing so. Yes, your business is brilliant and amazing, but sometimes it’s just as valuable to share information about great service you have received, a great holiday resort you have visited, or a delicious recipe you have discovered. I for one have picked up no end of useful tips from people that have nothing to do with business – topical news items, interesting blog posts, information about films or TV programmmes. So if you discover something that interests you, chances are other people will be interested too – so share it around.

Pay It Forward - try and use your Twitter habit to help others. If you notice someone very new to Twitter is following you, introduce them to your followers and extend a warm welcome. If you have a large following, retweet relevant postings of people who have a much smaller following, thus spreading their message even wider. Retweeting is at the heart of the community spirit of Twitter and you will find that the more you do to help others, the more people will be inclined to help and support you. 

Don’t overdo it – lots of people find Twitter a bit addictive once they get going, and it can take over your day. But don’t tweet about absolutely everything you do (i.e. every meal you eat ot TV programme you watch, or when you go to the loo!). You can have TOO much of a good thing and if you appear too frequently on someone’s live feed they may get fed up of you and unfollow you. Don’t forget you can Direct Message people – not everything you share with your contacts has to appear publicly.

If in doubt, tweet about cake (or food in general) – it may seem banal and trivial but eating is a fundamental need that binds us all together, so sharing a virtual cup of tea and a slice of cyber-cake can provide you with those water cooler moments you miss when you work from home.  And if you ever need some cake inspiration, take a look at our recipes in the Cake section of this blog!

Twitter is an amazingly powerful, free resource for you to market your brand, and if used properly can reap huge benefits for your business. And if you found our guide useful you may also enjoy Mrs Stephen Fry’s Indispensible Guide to Twitter – one of the funnisest Twitter Guides you’ll ever find!

Popularity: 9% [?]

If you are looking for business help and advice, then the web has literally thousands of resources, so where do you start?

Julie Stanford, MD of The Essential Business Guide, presents a weekly radio show, Business as Usual, on RadioReverb 97.2FM and www.radioreverb.com. Each week Julie is joined by different expert guests and the show is packed with candid discussion and practical ideas for busy business owners.

Now in its 4^th series recent topics have included Thinking Strategically, Leader vs. Manager and Building Your Brand. Many of the expert guests have their own businesses and so give a very personal view of how they run their own businesses, as well as advice for others.

Following broadcast, the shows are posted at www.essential-business.co.uk/blog/ and on iTunes. (At the iTunes store, click on ‘Podcasts’, then ‘Power Search’ and type ‘Julie Stanford’ into the author field).

Well worth a listen – and a nice change from reading blogs and business books.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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: 16% [?]

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: 12% [?]

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% [?]