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Popularity: 2% [?]

Having been inspired by Sam and her no-jeans challenge and her success, I am going to do my own challenge. This one is ‘work based’ rather than ‘me’ based….and contrary to most work challenges involves doing something less, rather than more…..intrigued?

The idea came about last Thursday. It was the first day of term and I knew that my son would be not only desperate to see me but also tired out from a whole day at school after a summer of ‘mummy days!’ So I pledged that I would turn the laptop off at 3 and I would not put it back on again until children were in their ‘post- tea glazed over TV mode’ just prior to Daddy’s golden hour – otherwise known at the bath & bedtime battle in our house!

It was fantastic! I left on time for school pick up which meant I could actually get a parking space, and catch up with the other mummies. My son had my undivided attention, as I wasn’t being distracted by the rectangular screen on the table.  Tea time went very smoothly as for once I wasn’t multi-tasking – just simply cooking & chatting to the children.

By the time I did turn back on for the ‘late shift’ it felt like I had had a proper break away, time to re-arrange my thoughts, and the added bonus of feeling great about being a proper 100% attentive mummy rather than 50% WAHMmy  mummy! And as could easily have been predicted, nothing earth shattering had happened in my 3 hour cyber absence.

With son 2 already part-time at school and soon to be full time I knew I was going to have to readjust how I work and what happens at different times of day. However this has shown me that although they are here less, my time with them can and should definitely be QUALITY rather than quantity.

And so this is my pledge: The laptop will remain OFF between the hours of 3pm and 6pm, and that will be my dedicated children/home/family time every day.  Can I stick to it?  I will keep you posted on my progress.

Do any of you have ‘work rules’ or set hours that are sacred to the children & family? Please share.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Let’s face it, we ALL have bad days. Sometimes it’s a Bad Parenting Day, when your children are testing you to the limits or you know you handled a situation badly. Or it might be as simple as a Bad Image Day, when you hate the way you look, none of your clothes fit and you can’t do a thing with your hair! Added to this, if you run your own business, then you are bound to have days when it all gets on top of you – maybe you lose a pitch, your supplier lets you down, your internet connection is flaky, your cashflow is dire, or you simply don’t have the energy or the enthusiam to carry on.

Efficiency Coach Heather Townsend recently wrote an excellent post on her blog entitled How Do You Bounce Back Every Time about being resilient in business and learning to bounce back after rejection. Her tips are helpful in any situation where you might find the enthusiasm for your business waning. 

But as well as having good strategies for coping with set-backs, it started me thinking about the things you definitely shouldn’t do when you’re having a bad day:

1.  DON’T let on to your customers
One misguided word or comment when you’re having an off day could end up having lasting repurcussions. Business is all about reputation. You only want people talking about how fabulous you are – not how moody, grumpy, offhand or downright rude you are. Even if a customer or supplier is being awkward and you’re just not in the mood for it, take a deep breath and smile (through gritted teeth if you have to).

2.  DON”T bottle it all up
On the flipside, don’t bottle things up completely either. Hopefully you have family, friends or understanding peers (online or off) who you can open up to. If not, it often helps to write things down, just to get them out of your head. If you’re angry with a colleague or supplier, write them a letter about how you feel, then rip it up. Or alternatively write down 5 good things about your day (in good health, sun shining, kids playing nicely, that sort of thing).  When you’re knee deep in a bad day sometimes a change of perspective, an outlet for your frustration or just a good moan can really help wonders.  

3.  DON’T comfort eat or drink
It may seem like a quick fix to reach for the chocolate or the wine to cheer yourself up but in the long run it really doesn’t solve anything and can lead to problems of it’s own (the least of which is not being able to fit into your jeans, causing a Bad Image Day all of it’s own!). If you can, try and address the issue, not mask it with food or drink.

4.  DON’T think that you are alone
Economic times are difficult at the moment and you are weathering this storm with every other entrepreneur and business owner in the country. Take advantage of all the great free business advice available on the internet and on business forums. And if you aren’t already, look to become part of a business network, where you can support each other and pass each other referrals and leads, the cheapest and the best way to promote yourself in the current economic climate.

5.  DON’T give up
Don’t ever make a life changing decision when you are having a bad day – and that goes for anything. Wait until you are feeling more balanced and can look at your situation objectively. And as Heather says in Point 5 of her article – Sleep on it. Things never seem quite so bad after a good night’s sleep (provided your children didn’t keep you up all night, leaving you feeling even worse, that is!). And remember, you wouldn’t have started this business if you didn’t think it was a brilliant idea – so chances are, it is brilliant, and so are you!

Popularity: 1% [?]

When you work from home around a family, time is always against you. There are never enough hours in the day to please your kids, your partner and your customers – not forgetting yourself! So when you need answers or inspiration you don’t want to spend ages trawling the internet looking for it For this reason we have put together 10 of the best web resources for business mums, where you should be able to find the practical business advice, the inspiration and the support from your peers that you need.

 Pure Business Advice

1.  www.startupdonut.co.uk
If you’re thinking of starting up your business then Start Up Donut is a great place to begin. Bright, fun and easy to navigate this site covers all aspects of running a business including You and Your Idea, Formation, Finance, Law, Business Planning, Sales & Marketing, Premises, Employment and IT. There is a forum where you can chat to other business owners, a search facility to find a local business expert and a series of useful templates to help with your planning, including templates for your Business Plan, Start-Up Costs Calculator and Cashflow Calculator.

2.  www.businesslink.gov.uk
Business Link is a free business advice and support service, available online and through local advisers. It is developed in partnership with subject experts within government and relevant business-support organisations to help you comply with regulations and improve your performance. If you are thinking of starting your own business or are in the early stages, then you would be well advised to contact Business Link and arrange a free session with one of their business advisors. The website really is a one-stop-shop for people new to business and has a number of very useful resources such as the Business Start-up Organiser where you create a personalised list of tasks to assist you when setting up your business, and the Grants and Support Directory to pinpoint potential sources of help. However it also deals with an extended range of topics, beyond that of just Start-Ups, so when you are ready to grow your business, employ people, trade internationally or eventually sell your business then the Business Link site is definitely one to remember.

Information about Home Working

3.  www.enterprisenation.com
Enterprise Nation is the UK’s largest website for people starting and growing a business from home. Its founder, Emma Jones, runs the Home Business Awards, produces the annual Home Business Report and advises Government on the topic, so has an excellent pedigree to be advising on the subject. The site is split into 3 main sections, Business, Lifestyle & Technology and is an excellent resource for keeping bang up to date with what’s currently affecting home business owners, and the newsletter is also well worth signing up for. If you need any reassurance that working from home is the lifestyle choice for you then this is the website you need!

4.  www.funkyangel.co.uk
Funky Angel is a fabulous site containing a wealth of articles and advice aimed directly at Work at Home Mums. The founder, Claire Burdett, started this website long before WAHMs were fashionable and now is considered an expert in the field, offering business coaching as The Business Midwife, as well as running the Funky Agency which offers online marketing and communications support to business owners. And, if you are a single mum wanting to set up a business, Claire tries where she can to coach single mums free of charge, just because she knows how hard it is doing everything yourself!

Online networking & cost-effective promotion 

5. www.mumsclub.co.uk
Mumsclub is THE business club for mumpreneurs! Inspired and created by mum Jane Hopkins, MumsClub provides everything from home business opportunities, business tips & information, a thriving community forum. It provides an online place for mums to meet, network and discuss the daily issues faced when juggling business and family life. Mumsclub also runs a Mumpreneur Directory where business owners can advertise at extremely reasonable rates. They also produce The Business Mum’s Journal, a quarterly magazine for mums in business, which includes an inbuilt directory of mum-owned businesses, and is distributed through Mothercare stores.

6.  www.netmums.com
In my mind Netmums is a must have resource for any mum, and if you want to work for yourself they have a good overview section in their Work & Money section about all the different work-at-home options available. The Working For Yourself section of their Coffeehouse chat forum is particular good if you want to talk to other mums in business and is particularly popular with those mums involved in Direct Selling. And if the target audience for your business is mums too, you should take advantage of the free business listings and cheap advertising to their massive online audience of mums.

7. www.everywoman.com
Everywoman is the UK’s leading provider of training, resources and support services for women in business. They work to increase the number of women in the UK economy and raise their status, using their experience and expertise to help women achieve their aspirations and realise their business ambitions. The website is free to join and allows you to promote your business and network with other businesswomen online.  It offers a range of business advice as well as a database of local networking groups and organisations who support women. 

Informative Blogs

8. www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk/acatalog/blog/ & http://www.acpr.co.uk/pr-blog/
With Antonia Chitty you get 2 for the price of 1! Antonia has written a number of books about being your own boss including Family Friendly Working and Commercial Writing – How to Earn a Living as a Business Writer, and has another book being launched on 1st September called The Mumpreneur Guide. She also runs her own PR company ACPR providing DIY PR tools for business owners. Both Antonia’s blogs are always bang up to date with practical tips and articles on business and family, as well as motivating mumpreneur profiles. If you subscribe to Antonia’s blogs you will never be without a daily dose of information or inspiration!

9. www.selfemployedmum.co.uk
Self Employed Mum is a great blog if you want sensible business advice, in bitesize pieces. Set up by two mums juggling various business activities, Alison & Natalie wanted to provide “opinions, advice, and solutions in quick, easy to digest short posts” which is exactly what busy work-at-home mums need. Alison runs 3 businesses – a SEO Company, Tribal Mash, which provides SEO services for small businesses -  Arabella Miller – manufacturing organic baby clothes – and a baby bedding retail website. Natalie is a prolific blogger, writing Baggage Reclaim, Bambino Goodies ,Nest Goodies and Style Bambino. So between them they have the experience and the pedigree to write a blog that’s well worth reading!

10. www.mumstheblog.co.uk
Well, a little self-promotion never did anyone any harm, did it!

So, there are our 10 Top Web Resources for Work at Home Mums. If we’ve missed any good ones then please leave a comment – we’d love to hear about them!

Popularity: 7% [?]

Accountants are always a bit anxious about that first meeting with a new client – what will a client think constitutes good record keeping?  A carrier bag full of receipts and a few bank statements?  Its often confusing when you start out as to what records to keep.  There’s plenty of guidance on the net and plenty of software that promises to solve all your book-keeping needs, however, these come at a price and may not be the most flexible solution for your business.

So what should your book-keeping system cover?  Often a few accurately maintained excel spreadsheets will do the job.  The first absolute essential is a cash book.  This would often be divided into 2 spreadsheets, one for income and one for expenditure, and simply be a copy of your bank statement, labelled up by income or expense category, for example purchases, drawings, stationery, etc,.  Use categories that are relevant to your business, but not so many that it becomes confusing.  You should list the date the item appeared on your bank statement and give it a numbered reference which you would also write on your filed copy invoice or receipt so that there’s a clear audit trail for your accountant or an HMRC inspector.   You should “reconcile” your bank statement to your cash book at least once a month to make sure that the balance on your cash book is the same as the balance on your bank statement.  Make sure you record and investigate any differences, which are usually timing such as uncleared cheques and lodgements.

Of course, it’s not always possible to pay for everything from your business bank account.  There may be those times where you happen to buy something with your own cash, or someone else’s cash if you’re lucky!  To make sure you don’t overlook these genuine business expenses, you should also keep a purchase ledger.  This would include ALL purchases regardless of where the money comes from.  This would look very similar to your cash book, but would include all cash book outgoings, as well as purchases you have made but not yet paid for, and things you buy with your own money.  Make sure you put the date the item was paid so that at the year end your accountant can work out who your creditors are, ie the people you haven’t paid yet.  You should also record the VAT as a separate column, whether or not you are registered.  Who knows when you might hit that £68k threshold of turnover and have to start declaring VAT inputs and outputs!  Again, clearly reference the item and put the same reference on your filed receipt.

Next vital spreadsheet is the sales ledger.  This will record all your sales by invoice number and customer, and record the date of the sale and the date you were actually paid.  Keep track of who hasn’t paid, and in these recessionary times, chase for payment when the due date passes and try and work with your customers to set up payment plans if your customers are facing financial hardship.  At the end of the year, anyone who hasn’t paid will be recorded on your balance sheet as a debtor.  Again, keep a separate column for VAT, and keep track of your turnover for important thresholds such as payment of Class 2 NICs and registering for VAT.

You must keep these records, as well as all the supporting receipts and invoices for a whopping 6 years, so another business essential is a good sized filing cabinet.  Don’t forget, a good accountant will guide you through this process and point out any areas of weakness to help you develop a system that works for you, and the taxman.  You will feel more confident and you might just become your accountant’s perfect customer!

For any information regarding records and book-keeping, accounts preparation, tax returns, self-assessment, VAT, payroll and tax advice, please contact Amy Taylor  on 01767 260282/ amy@tayloraccountancy.net/ www.tayloraccountancy.net

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: 4% [?]

It’s holiday time again and already you may be beginning to wonder ‘How am I ever going to fit in any work?’. Most of us are self-employed because of the flexibility this affords us to be able to be with the children during their holidays. But how do you keep everything ticking along?

Nobody said it was going to be easy….but mums are incredibly clever at multi-tasking and time management, and work at home mums even more so. Try not to feel guilty about finding time to do some work – you are still spending more time with your children than normal, and it is good for them to know you have to work sometimes, and that it is for the whole family’s benefit in the long run.

So – how do you do it? Here are some ideas from us to help you squeeze in some work whilst enjoying the holidays with your offspring;

1.  Family – Grandparents and other relatives are often happy to help – sometimes they are just waiting to be asked. Even if it is a trip to the park, a picnic or going with Gran to do some shopping, children enjoy being with other people.  And you’ll be amazed at what YOU can achieve in an uninterrupted hour!

2.  Friends – Most parents have friends with children of similar ages. Try and plan some time when you will look after each other’s children – the children enjoy having friends over and sometimes having extra children can be less work as they play together rather than needing you to entertain them. For the parents it frees up small pockets of time to get some phone calls made or other ‘work’ which is harder to do when the children are around.

3.  Time Out – Plan ‘quiet time’ into each day at home. If you still have children who nap, excellent. If your children no longer nap there is no reason why 20 – 30minutes playing quietly in their room cannot become a normal part of the day. When everyone is home together without the pre-school/school/nursery routines, some time apart can prevent the family niggles that build up when spending so much time together. This time can be used to check and answer any important emails each day.

4.  Holiday Clubs – If you can, why not look at local holiday clubs – some have very flexible arrangements and even if it is 1 morning a week you will manage to get a huge amount achieved. It is also a good way for the children to play with other children and be entertained in a different environment. Some Local Authorities also run very low cost summer play schemes in parks for older children.

5.  Evenings – All WAHM’s are familiar with working in the evenings once the kids are in bed. If you have a supportive partner maybe they can be persuaded to take over the tea, bath & bedtime routine a couple of nights a week – that way you can get some work done – and still spend some  evening time with them.

6.  Weekends – Weekends are great for family time, but also a great time to steal a couple of quiet hours to keep the business ticking over. If you have somewhere quiet to work at home that helps. If not, persuading the rest of the family to go to the park for an hour or two will help your concentration.

7.  Planning/Lists - take a notebook with you whenever you take the kids out. Any spare time you have while they play can be turned into a great ‘list making/planning’ opportunity. You can keep one eye on them whilst jotting down ideas and things that need to be done later.

8.  TV - Whilst we are not advocating your children spend the entire holiday watching it, it can be a valuable tool for the WAHM. If your children will sit and watch favourite programs  or a DVD  then use that time to your advantage.

9.  Organisation – Be ultra organised – have a clear idea of what is a priority and what the minimum amount is to achieve. Use time without children around to make phone calls and do tasks that require full concentration. Use other times to work on the computer and send emails as it doesn’t matter if you get interrupted. Keep a list and enjoy ticking things off, you will be amazed at what you can achieve.

10.  Take a break! – Have a holiday yourself – you are entitled and you certainly deserve it!  If you were employed then it is likely you would be taking a break at some point.  Don’t forget the reason for working at home is to be with the children and enjoy the holiday times.

Hopefully some of the above tips will help keep your productivity levels up this holiday – as well as your sanity! And if you have any good tips to share – don’t be shy – leave a comment!

Popularity: 4% [?]

This week Mum’s The Boss is attending a local business event – not as visitors as you might think, but rather as invited guests where we will on hand to talk to visitors who are thinking of starting their own business.

This marks a massive turning point for us. In less than a year we have gone from the people seeking advice to those giving it! It is also an enormous compliment that outside agencies rate what we do enough to include us in their event and a fantastic way for us to raise our profile amongst local businesses.

When we started out less than a year ago we contacted lots of local organisations asking for help and sponsorship and in all but a few cases never received any replies to our requests. We quickly got the feeling that people viewed us as ‘just a group of mums’ and not really worth taking seriously. It made me smile then last week when 2 of these organisations contacted us out of the blue with offers of assistance and support – obviously word has got out that this ‘group of mums’ is going from strength to strength!

We are just one tiny example of what mums can achieve when they put their minds to it. All over the country mums are making a difference to their schools, families and local communities as well as in business.  Look around you – Mum Power is happening everywhere!

In business mums inherently possess a number of skills which can make them great entrepreneurs. Bringing up a family makes you skilled in the art of multi-tasking, prioritising, negotiating and dealing with finances. As women we are good at thinking creatively, being supportive and generous with our time and often adopt a more more holistic approach to business. And working around a demanding family we can be incredibly productive given limited amounts of time!

Mums know how to get the best from social networking  by doing what they do best – making connections and chatting! Women concentrate on building relationships first and doing business second. Work at home mums with online businesses can generate healthy sales by promoting themselves in a friendly and generous way. How much cheaper is that than paying for expensive advertising that people may never read?

Sally Walker of Squash Box Media has written a brilliant article on The Power of the Social Media Mum. “If you want a piece of news to spread quick, you don’t need to publish it in the daily newspaper or hire a TV crew to come round and interview you on the news. Just find a Mum who has a computer and let her do it for you…..What better way to promote something than by getting millions of Mum’s worldwide to chat about it online.”

Plus a new genre of Mummy Bloggers has emerged, who are generating an enormous amount of attention from their online thoughts and recommendations. Some are even being approached by large companies asking them to review their products, such is the sway their opinion holds. Mum’s like to turn to other mums for advice, hence the growth of online communities and forums such as Netmums, Mumsnet and Gurgle. Individually mums have a powerful voice – but en masse they can be formidable! 

So whatever it is you do, or want to achieve, never underestimate yourself or your ability to make things happen. A mum who feels passionate about something is a force to be reckoned with. Never think ‘but I’m ONLY a mum’ – YOU are a superhero!

Popularity: 3% [?]

 This week’s Follow Friday theme is one close to my heart – Advice for Work at Home Mums.

@FunkyAngelClair – Claire’s website www.funkyangel.co.uk was the very first work-at-home resource I came across when I started looking for information on the subject, long before I got bitten by the Twitter-bug. Claire is one of the founding-mothers of the WAHM revolution and was instrumental in Mum’s The Boss evolving from just an idea into a reality. Her Thursday evening Consultants Hour on the Funky Forums also led to us gaining sponsorship from another businesswoman on the forums that evening.  As well as having a day job in journalism and publishing, Claire is a business mentor to some and an inspiration to many through the Funky Angel site. Follow Claire and add some Funk to your Favourites!

@antonianell – I discovered Antonia through Twitter and still marvel at how she has so many strings to her bow with 3 small children. Antonia provides do-it-yourself PR tools and advice at www.acpr.co.uk and has compiled a wealth of information about flexible working opportunuties at www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk/acatalog/. She has also written several books about business and family and offers a free online course to starting your own business through the Mumpreneur Guide. Antonia’s Family Friendly Working Blog is always up to date with interesting and relevant articles so if you are serious about being you own boss then you owe it to yourself to follow Antonia Chitty!

@e_nation & @emmaljones are the same person in different guises and both worth a follow. Emma Jones’ website Enterprise Nation is the UK’s largest website for people starting and growing a business from home. Emma also runs the Home Business Awards, produces the annual Home Business Report and advises Government on the topic of home-working. Her newsletter is well worth signing up for and her book Spare Room Start Up is a fantastic start up guide from someone who has walked the walk, as well as an excellent advert for home working as a lifestyle choice, not just a way of working.

Claire, Antonia and Emma are all incredibly helpful, supportive business women. They have all been instrumental in helping Mum’s The Boss directly, either by providing information, a platform on which to promote the group, the donation of business books, as well as bucket loads of encouragement and support. For this reason they are my Top 3 Twitterers for any mum hoping to become a Mumpreneur!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Now that I work from home my wardrobe of ‘work clothes’ consists of jeans, jogging bottoms and pyjamas! This is in sharp contrast to the vast array of trouser suits and shirts I wore to the office before I had children. So now, when I go to networking meetings or to meet with potential sponsors, I face a dilemma about what to wear. I want to look professional and businesslike – but I no longer feel comfortable in (or can fit into!) the suits of days gone by. So what is the dress code for a work at home mum?

Image consultant Penny Gregory helps women to dress to look great and feel fabulous every day. ‘When you run your own business, you ARE the business,’ says Penny. ‘In the words of the famous aviator, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, “The most exhausting thing you can be is inauthentic”. So why not just be yourself? Make the most of yourself and let that shine through into your business.’

Here are some tips to help you dress to feel comfortable and confident:

1.  Do not feel you must ‘conform’ to a dress code

2.  Wear clothes which flatter your figure

3.  Choose styles which reflect your personality

4.  Wear colours that flatter you – you will instantly look healthier and more vibrant

5.  Make use of colour psychology – wearing different colours can promote difference reactions in your clients/audience

6.  Build up a capsule wardrobe for work – several garments which can be mixed and matched to provide lots of outfits

7.  Wear one or two pieces of bold or eye catching jewellery or use texture and pattern to create a little individuality

8.  Be yourself – you will feel more confident and your customers will respond to that

You can find out more about personal style and image and sign up for Penny’s newsletter at www.pennygregory.co.uk

Popularity: 1% [?]

We all know how our children benefit from an after lunch nap, and as busy mums we are probably all guilty of using that precious time to crack on with work or housework.

But research shows that a 20-30 minute power nap after lunch can reduce stress, improve memory & patience, increase learning & efficiency and generally make for a more productive afternoon all round.

It may seem like a criminal waste of time to sleep when you feel you could be getting lots done but if you are lucky enough to have children who still nap, or who are at school, then maybe it is worth trying it for yourself to see if you can feel the benefits.  

Experts advise to keep the nap between 15 and 30 minutes, as sleeping longer gets you into deeper stages of sleep, from which it’s more difficult to awaken. Also, longer naps can make it more difficult to fall asleep at night.

So why not take the plunge and become a Lady Who Naps! Simply follow these 10 steps to the perfect nap – and feel the benefits!

1.  The best time to nap is between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm, just after lunch.

2.  Try to avoid large amounts of coffee or caffeine before your nap as this will make it difficult to sleep and to wake up.

3.  Switch off your mobile and put the answerphone on to avoid being disturbed.

4.  Set your alarm to wake you when you have completed 30 minutes of sleep. It is very common to lie down and sleep for a while and end up sleeping for hours!

5.  Set the scene for sleep – make sure the temperature is comfortable, pull the curtains and put some soft music in the background

6.  Try to free up your mind from any thoughts or alternatively focus your thoughts on something you enjoy.

7.  30 minutes of sleep is enough to relax. If you sleep more, you will end up with a headache and a bad mood.

8.  When you wake up, put some water on your face, drink a class of water and go out in the fresh air for a while. If you feel groggy or disorientated when you wake, sit down and try to relax for 5 minutes before standing up.

9.  If you are not feeling like sleeping then do not try to force your self to sleep – just lay and relax

10.  Do not feel guilty. Taking a power nap does not make you lazy – rather it will make you more alert and productive for the rest of the day, and improve both your mental and physical health.

As the mother of 2 toddlers who DON’T nap I can only DREAM of such a luxury……! But if you do decide to become a Lady Who Naps, we’d love to hear your comments about how it made you feel!

For more information about the specific health benefits of napping please see http://www.manageyourlifenow.com/Articles/tabid/60/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/19/15-Proven-Tips-For-The-Perfect-Power-Nap.aspx

Popularity: 2% [?]

A few years ago a friend of mine went to a meeting in a school hall, and as manager was the first to arrive to set up. It was during the school holidays, and as she walked down the corridor of a deserted building with the school caretaker, a man she had never met before, she suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable. She was absolutely fine, but it did make her realise how easy it is to find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation.

As a female who works from home, personal safety should be high on your agenda. Many of the following tips are basic common sense but worth remembering all the same.

1. When putting your personal information on websites, emails and business stationery consider carefully what information you share. Having separate phone and emails for work and business is important and easily done.
2. When meeting a client or business colleague for the first time, make sure it is a public place. This could be a cafe or restaurant, or make use of one of the many business incubation units which rent meeting rooms by the hour.
3. Get a work based contact number from the person you are meeting so you can ring to confirm the appointment the day before – it is a good way of checking that person is who they say they are.
4. Always make sure somebody else knows where you are going, who you are meeting and what time you should be finished.
5. You can always schedule a call from a friend or business colleague which gives you an opportunity to publically announce who you are with & when you will call them back.
6. If you do ever invite clients to your home, make sure the environment is as professional as possible, for example sit at the table rather than on a sofa. You could even try a ‘buddy’ system with somebody else in a similar situation that comes to work at your house so you are not there alone.

Fortunately the reality of you encountering problems is very small, but it is worth thinking about your personal safety so that you are never in a situation of feeling vulnerable. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Popularity: 1% [?]

As mums we beat ourselves up about a lot of things – what our children eat, how they behave, how much TV they watch – the potential for feeling guilty is endless. Add to the pot the added guilt that Work at Home Mums feel about not spending as much time with their family and you could be heading for guilt-overload.

Guilt is a state which occurs when you believe you have done something you shouldn’t, or conversely, when you haven’t done something you think you should - and so has the potential to pretty much affect most situations! But if it IS only a state of mind, then maybe a change in perspective is all that’s needed to turn guilt on its head. So here are some ideas about how you can turn a guilty thought into a postive one:

I feel guilty for relying on my family to help out with childcare
You are giving your child the opportunity to form a really strong bond with their dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles etc. Your child will benefit from these close relationships and you can relax knowing your child is being cared for by someone you trust and by someone who loves them as much as you do. Plus you are saving money on expensive childcare which can be spent directly on the family or channelled back into your business, making the most of the money you earn.

I feel guilty for not spending more time playing with my child
You are teaching your child how to be independent and how to use their imagination and initiative to amuse themselves, qualities that will stand them in good stead in later life. Plus the time you do spend together will be extra special to both of you.

I feel guilty for spending time on a business that isn’t making any money yet
You are building the foundations for your business. A big house needs a strong foundation, and by getting that right from the beginning you stand a greater chance of success long-term. Plus it is widely recognised that very few businesses will see a profit in the first 12-18 months, so you are not alone!

I feel guilty for not keeping on top of all the housework
In the short term you are helping your family learn about teamwork and contribution, and also to appreciate the things they would normally take for granted. By sharing out the chores your children are learning valuable life skills and in the long term, when your business is more profitable, maybe you could afford to employ a cleaner!  Plus, you are helping to build up a strong immune system in your child – a spotlessly clean house is not necessarily a healthy one!

I feel guilty for not spending more time with my partner
If like a lot of WAHMs your working day begins once the children are in bed, you may not spend the evenings together with your partner like you used to. But thinking back, were you doing anything really special with that time, or just watching TV? Make sure when you do spend time together that you try and make it really special – remember it’s Quality not Quantity!

I feel guilty for thinking about work even when I’m having ‘time off’ with the family
Without your contribution to the family income there wouldn’t be so many treats, days out etc. Your work helps to provide a certain standard of living for your family and you should be proud of your financial independence and contribution

I feel guilty for inflicting my business concerns on my partner
Men are natual problem solvers and relish the opportunity to help. Give your partner credit for being interested and wanting to support you. If he seems disinterested when you are talking about your concerns it may be the ‘way’ you are speaking and not the subject matter. Men like to get straight to the point and solve the problem – if all you want to do is offload then maybe a girlfriend IS a better person to talk to.

I feel guilty for not being able to do everything!
Nobody can! And anyone who looks like they can is just a really good actress! You are doing the very best you can with your given set of circumstances, you are being human and falliable and brave and amazing and wonderful – and don’t ever forget it!

American journalist Arianna Huffington once said “While all mothers deal with feelings of guilt, working mothers are plagued by guilt on steroids!” So more than anyone you need to retrain the way you think and learn to see your situation from a different angle – it might take a little practice but it’s amazing what a shift in perspective can do!

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Working from home presents an ideal solution for many women; being able to work between school hours, being at home if the children are poorly, fitting in some housework during the day, not paying rent for office space…..we know all the benefits. But how can we ensure that our home working is healthy?

1.  A decent office chair to ensure good posture is vital. Spending hours on a dining chair hunched over a computer, or perched on a kitchen stool is bad for backs and necks. Invest in yourself and your health and have a decent chair.

2.  Be aware of the dangers of RSI. Computers have done much to revolutionise work, but long periods of computer use without a break can be bad for backs and wrists.

3.  Good light to work in is important, without it you could suffer headaches and eye strain.  Arrange your working space in a room with a window where possible. Although being able to see out can be distracting, natural daylight is far superior to artificial. If you work in the evenings then good artificial lighting is essential.

4.  Working from home, the kettle and biscuit tin are constantly available. It is very easy to be drinking more caffeine than you realise and snacking throughout the day on biscuits and sugary snacks. Try and set a time for a morning and afternoon ‘break’ when you have tea or coffee and drink water in between. If you start the day with a good breakfast and eat lunch then you will be less tempted to snack.

5.  Have a proper break. Working from home it is very tempting to just keep going to fit in as much as possible in the time you have.  Having a break allows important time to re-focus and re-energise.

6.  Working at home often means sitting at the computer and talking on the phone. Exercise is vital to help keep your energy levels up, strengthen your immune system and will release powerful ‘feel good’ endorphins.

Always remember, the most important element in your busy life is YOU – take care of yourself and then you can take care of everything (and everybody) else!

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“I’ve just got SO much to do!”…….sound familiar?

Saying no can be really hard….but sometimes you just need to.

I don’t know if you are anything like me, but I find it incredibly difficult to say no to people. There are several reasons for this; I am flattered to be asked, I enjoy helping other people, and finally I just struggle to find the words to say no, fearing I am going to upset somebody. The result of this is that I end up with too much to do in too little time, running around like a headless chicken, a seemingly endless list of ‘must do today’s’ and feeling resentful towards those who I am trying to help. This happens as much in my personal life as when dealing with work and that can end up compromising time with my family not to mention any valuable ‘me’ time disappearing!

Sometimes it seems like the easiest solution is to just say yes, but if you think about it rationally, will your life, or that of the person asking, suddenly grind to a halt if you say no?

So how DO you say no? Next time you are asked to help with something, or do something for someone else, instead of your usual ‘Yes, of course’, try a new line;

1. ‘I’d like to but I already have made a commitment to something else at that time, maybe another time I will be able to….’
2. ‘No I can’t help you with that, but I know somebody who may be able to…..’
3.  ‘Can I let you know tomorrow, I must check with my family/partner/diary first’
4. ‘Yes, but it will have to be tomorrow/next week/on Thursday….’

Saying no, or yes but on your terms, gives you back more control over the extra tasks you take on,. And maybe once you stop being such an easy ‘yes person’  people will stop being so reliant on you being the one who always says yes.

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The topic of discussion at our last networking meeting was ‘How to be more like a man in business’. We women often congratulate ourselves on our multi-tasking abilities but maybe sometimes we would do well to emulate our tunnel-visioned counterparts and really FOCUS on one thing at a time. But as mums, is that really possible?

For most working mums, our career is just one of many balls we are juggling in the air at any one time, along with the kids, the home, the shopping, the cleaning, making sure everyone is fed and has clean clothes – the list goes on and on. These multi-tasking skills date right back to prehistoric times when Mrs Cavelady looked after the Cave-Babies, picked the berries, made sure the fire didn’t go out, and used her powers of intuition and perception to watch out for any signs of danger. Meanwhile Captain Caveman was entirely focussed on his ONE goal – bringing home the dinner.

I myself am RUBBISH at concentrating on one thing at a time. If I’m on the computer working, I’ve always got numerous windows open, flicking from one screen to the other. I think that by doing lots of things at once I am being ultra-productive, but maybe I’m kidding myself. So, I’m going to TRY taking a leaf out of Captain Caveman’s book. I’m going to try and be 100% present in whatever task I am doing. If I’m working on the website or sending emails I won’t have Facebook or Tesco.com open in the background. And equally if I’m playing with the children I am going to TRY not to feel guilty or resentful for the work I could be doing.

So, as a gentle introduction to exploring my ‘masculine side’ I took a leaf out of my partners book this afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the girls and I spent most of it in the garden. Normally I would be pottering – doing a bit of weeding or dead-heading, reading a book, moving my pots around the patio – just keeping busy. But today I reclined the deckchair and just sat. I even shut my eyes for a while and tried switching off my brain (and the guilt) for a little while.

It felt worryingly good!

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Working from home means different things to different people. Some may have a garage full of stock, a bedroom converted into an office or a purpose built workshop at the bottom of the garden. But for many work at home mums their workspace is their dining room or kitchen table.

In my case I have a laptop on the dining room table, a kitchen cupboard full of stock and a laser printer tucked away in the corner of the dining room - and hey presto, I’m a self-employed business woman!! 

Mum’s The Boss would love to hear about your home working arrangements. From the mundance to the bizarre, we’d love to know how all you WAHMs are balancing family and work.

Please leave a comment on our blog and share your resourceful brilliance with our readers!

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