Showing posts with label starting a business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label starting a business. Show all posts

Thursday, 20 October 2011

Work Life Balance anyone?


It's hard to be in business and be a Mum

My former work life
- the only thing that's the same is the no. of coffees!
Anna and I have a system, it's not perfect and really neither of us keeps to it but we're in the early stages so we're trying to stick to it. You see – we're supposed to work 4 days on and 4 days off. So I'm supposed to switch off for the 4 days Anna is rota'd on and visa versa. This includes Saturday as a work day. We have a pretty spreadsheet to track our days, a holiday system and an IOU days system. It's all very organised but doesn't take into account one fatal flaw. Anna and I.

Neither of us switch off on our rota'd off days, OK so we don't blog, Facebook or watch the sales inbox but we both work those days in our own separate ways... Anna will do more press work and I'll do more website stuff. Each day, every day. It comes with the territory of starting a new business, you just don't switch off.

I'm actually writing this blog at 11.30pm on a Sunday, Daddy DayCare is watching some movie by himself while I tippy tappy at the laptop. He'll come and find me every now and then to see if I need anything [aka 'have you finished yet?!'] and then he'll pop back to his movie for a while. Needless to say he's been a little neglected for a while.

He's not the only one. While I still keep 100% of my attention on my daughter, I do find myself watching my iPhone far too often – sorry to say at least once a week I'll look up and she'll have her head cocked to once side and will have emitted a 'eee?' noise. Heartbreaking. I'm more than happy to put the phone down, if the laptop is on and I can hear the email 'bing' for those all important sales emails.

All weather gear
Just to quantify things a little for those that don't know me, I am very much a Mummy. My Daughter and I spend hours a day playing, we spend time gardening, reading, playing ball, swimming and being outside. Both of us have waterproof trousers and jackets so that we can play in all weathers and we often do! But we have our indoors moments as well, which is when I fall into the temptation of working and turn to the technology.

So I'm trying to keep a life work balance, it's hard but it'll be worth it, as long as I have managed the balance just right! 

The result of all this hard work is the website http://www.unikgifts.co.uk and the lovely products you find there.

[Please note DangerBaby and I are meeting Anna & The Naughty later today to walk around RHS Wisley - the kind of work life balance I like!]

Monday, 18 July 2011

Something for free...

Useful free resources for the Mumpreneur

For those of you that haven't read through the 21 pages of “about us” on the u-ni-k website (Anna and I 'talk' a little too much...) you'll not know that u-ni-k gifts is our first business venture. We combine over 23 years of experience in our separate fields of expertise but we've never launched a venture before.

There's lots of people out there who will take your money from you in order to help you start a business; you've seen the adverts on TV about 'learn at home' courses and 'use these 10 helpful tips I provide in my lecture for £99.99 for guaranteed success in your business' shiny magazine adverts. I've never been or signed up to any of these things and although we are still learning as we go, we've not yet paid above and beyond the odds to start our venture.

I'm not selling a 'how to start out in business' course or book here; I just want to pass on some of the free helpful places I have discovered when starting a business.

The best place to start:

Some useful reading for the legalities:

Free Online storage / document sharing:

Free blogging website templates and domain space etc:

Free professional website design feedback:
Website information every business needs:
Free website keyword tools:
Website improvement tools:
Website Grader
 


Social Media:
These are just a taster of what is out there. I promise to update you all soon with the free integrated stock system, accounting software, and some more 'fun' links for those who have mastered their work life balance!
Oh and if you've ever been to one of those seminars or done an online start a business course. Do let me know what you think?