1 1 FEATURE Saira Khan; from Apprentice to mumpreneur JACQUELINE GOLD INTERVIEW! The Ann Summers Millionaire mum gives us an insight into her life. FEATURE Melinda Holohan; An inspirational business mum SECRETS To promoting your own Business “Hand-made by mums” OF THE BEST 6 Central Edition www.businessmumsjournal.com Business JOURNAL MUM’S the Supported by mothercare FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! HOW-TO Blogging for business success Issue No.007
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Hello and Welcome!
Well the summer is now just a distant memory and we’re all into the new school
year and looking forward. This issue is a little different to past issues, as well as our
celebrity mums interviews; thank you to the super successful Jacqueline Gold of
Ann Summers, we also have a selection of speakers from the Business and Baby
Show who have supplied condensed versions of their seminars. So if you missed
the show, you’ll have some great tips here, and if you did attended we’ve saved
you a lot of note taking!
The Business and Baby Show was the headline event for National Business Mum
Week 2011. This time of year is when many women start looking for options;
perhaps the children have just started school full time and mum finds herself with
more time on her hands or with Christmas approaching she’s looking to earn some
extra cash. These are reasons why we announced that the beginning of October
would be home to National Business Mum Week.
It’s a week where mums from all over the country can organise events, small or big
from the Business and Baby Show in the Midlands to recruitment fairs in
Cambridge and Dorset and a Business Mum’s Conference in Brighton. It’s a great
opportunity to raise the profile of mum owned businesses on a local basis, and get
local media interest as well as connect even more local mums.
I hope you made it to at least one of the events this year, but if not keep it in mind
for next year when the kids go back...
In the meantime please do join our mailing list to keep up to date with
‘mumpreneur’ activities in the UK. The Business Mum Awards will be coming up
very soon!
We’ll have Christmas between now and the next issue so have a great one and
keep in touch with all of us at mumsclub; via the forums, on twitter and facebook!
Take care, wishing you every business success
Jane
Jane Hopkins, founder of the mumsclub group: www.mumsclub.co.uk
www.businessandbabyshow.com
www.businessmumawards.com
www.businessmumsjournal.com
@mumsclub and www.facebook.com/mumsclub
4 4 BusinessMumsJournal.com - Be your own Boss
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You’re an extremely successful
working mum - if you had to
attribute your success to one single
‘secret’ what would that be?
Being super organised! All working
mums know that there is so much to
get done every day so I am really
strict with my time to make sure that
everything I want to achieve as a
mum and a CEO can be achieved. I
am very lucky as I have a great team
around me who enable this to
happen.
You were a successful
businesswoman before you became
a mum - how has parenthood
changed the way you work?
My multi tasking skills have become
even more finely tuned than they
were before. I have also had to make
sure that every week I am dedicating
a good amount of quality time to my
daughter Scarlett. I like to be there
every morning when she wakes up
and home in time to put her to bed,
we also have every Friday together
and of course every weekend. Of
course there are weeks when this
can’t always happen, however I am
very protective on this time and will
only compromise it if I have to. For
me it’s all about priorities and being
clear to yourself about what these
are.
Have you ever wanted to give up
your career to become a full-time
stay-at-home mum?
I love my daughter more than
anything in the world, but my career
is very important to me. It’s of course
a huge juggling act but I feel
comfortable that I can be both a mum
and a CEO and do both jobs well. My
career has always been such a big
part of who I am and I hope that
when Scarlett is older she will respect
me for continuing to work and see
the benefits of and be proud of
having a mum who works.
All working mums have to balance
the needs of their family with those
As far as mums in business goes, Jacqueline Gold is one of the originals. She’s a super successful
business woman, a mum, a wife, a sister a daughter and do you know what? Nothing, not even the
cheekiest of products seems to faze her. Jacqueline took time out of her incredibly busy schedule to
give us an insight into her fascinating life...
BusinessMumsJournal.com - Be your own Boss
Cover Feature: Jacqueline Gold
7 7
of their career - in what ways do you
struggle with that delicate juggling
act, and what are your tips for
keeping all the balls in the air?
As mentioned above being organised
and making sure that every week you
set aside set times to ensure you get
that regular quality time with your
child.
What does a relaxed day off with
your family look like for you?
We always try and go out and about
with Scarlett so this summer we have
spent time at Peppa Pig World,
numerous parks, farms and of course
the occasional visit to West Ham!
You’ve had more than your fair share
of heartache throughout your own
life, could you tell us how this has
had a positive effect on your own
family life?
It has made me value family even
more. I am very lucky to have a
brilliant relationship with my father
and sister Vanessa. This strong family
network has always been a huge
support to me and my husband Dan
and I want Scarlett to feel that same
security. We don’t have a huge
family but we are a very close family
and Scarlett loves seeing her cousins
and the close family friends we have.
Scarlett and Dan are so important to
me and the time we spend together
as a family is extremely special.
Having trust in those who work for
us, especially where childcare is
concerned is paramount importance,
so when your daughter’s nanny was
jailed for spiking your soup with
windscreen wash - did that
experience put you off trusting the
care of your child to someone else so
you could continue to work? How
did you move forward from that?
When all of this happened I did start
to question my own judgement. You
think you know someone and trust
them with the most precious thing in
your life yet they abuse this trust.
The reality is that with the pressures
of being CEO and Dan working in the
city we need childcare. We are lucky
that Dan’s mother is around to
support us, however she cannot do
this full time and so we knew we had
to employ another nanny. It was of
course hard to trust our new nanny
initially, however Scarlett adores her
and I am delighted with the care she
gives to her.
I wouldn’t want my experience to put
women off of employing a nanny, it’s
a reality that to make things work
then a nanny is for a lot of people
necessary and of huge benefit. My
advice would be to make sure that
you go to a reputable agency, check
lots of references and talk to the
families that have previously worked
with the nanny you are interested in.
What’s the biggest 'pro'
of being a successful,
powerful working mum?
The satisfaction of seeing
my business continue to
be successful and being
able to balance this with
seeing my daughter grow.
... And are there any cons?
There is never quite enough time in
the day!
Your first book, A woman’s courage’
portrayed your incredible story. You
mentioned to me recently that you
now have enough content for a new
book, could you possibly give us a
snippet of what a new book may
contain?
I would love to write another book
and I can imagine that it would focus
very much on career women and
supporting and sharing advice with
them. I would hope that a big focus
of the book would be on working
mums.
Massive thanks to Jacqueline
for giving us her time. You
can follow Jacqueline on
Twitter - take a look on
Wednesdays to see
what her #wow award
is all about!
@Jacqueline_Gold
Cover Feature: Jacqueline Gold
Free work at home advice, support, and online networking - MumsClub.co.uk
Jacqueline’s top tips! -If you are looking to set up your own business, research your
potential customer base and make sure there is a demand for your
business idea.
-Whether you are running your own business or working for
someone else, never stop listening to your customer. They will
give you the best insight in to your business and will help you to
deliver growth.
-Don’t doubt yourself. So many women don’t realise just how
powerful they are.
-Have the confidence in yourself and your abilities to make it
happen.
-Make time for the things that are important to you. If you are
strict with your diary and time then you can make it all work.
-Don’t ever lose the passion for your career / business.
8 8 BusinessMumsJournal.com - Be your own Boss
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Caroline Face
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www.pamperedchef.biz/carolineface
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As ever, we have scoured the mumpreneur
network for six of the best products or
services, so you don’t have to.
This issue, we have six of the best simply called…
Hand made by mum...
6
of the best...
Knot Just Jigs
Toniann is a busy mum of 4 who runs a traditional toys
business and incorporates her love of craft within this
by making and selling personalised party bags, cushions
and bunting and all variety of pretties but her biggest inspiration
(and best seller) of 2011 has been her owl cushions, each individual and unique
and can be made in any variety of fabrics to match room décor.
Prices of the owls start at a very affordable £12.99.
www.knotjustjigs.co.uk
BusinessMumsJournal.com - Be your own Boss
Chloe’s Mummy
Personalised photo board books are
handmade by me – Chloe’s
Mummy! Each one is unique and tells
the everyday story of a baby or child
with all their favourite characters, that
is their friends and family. See little ones face light up
when they are the star of their own bedtime story.
Prices start at £10.99
www.chloesmummy.co.uk
11 11
Sandy Ford Custom Dolls
Who wouldn’t want their own personalised paper doll? Artist
and mum of two, Sandy Ford achieves excellent likenesses
from photos. Her designs are customised for both boys and
girls, toddlers and adults and outfits feature dress-ups and
everyday clothes. The sets come in magnetic and digital
paper versions.
Sandy Ford custom dolls range from £12-£30
www.sandyforddesign.etsy.com
Clarkie Designs Emma at Clarkie designs has created a lovely collection of childrens
wall art and personalised nursery prints. All the pictures are either
hand made collages or fun, original prints. Whether you are
decorating your own baby's nursery, looking for your child's
bedroom, or buying that special gift for a friend, Clarkie
Designs creates beautiful artwork, especially for kids.
£19 plus £4.95 P&P
www.clarkiedesigns.co.uk
Who Loves Me? Award winning personalised flashcards. Each card has a
photo on the front and a brief description of the person on
the back (all uploaded by the customer on the easy-to-use
website). They help babies and young children recognise
and learn about their extended family, while encouraging
communication and language skills.
£11.99 (pack of 8 cards) www.wholovesme.co.uk
Free work at home advice, support, and online networking - MumsClub.co.uk
That's Sew Laura "Ultimate Party Dress"
This 100% cotton, fully lined dress was designed & created by
me. This image shows popper closure, but it can be made with
buttons. It has an integral bow & a beautiful puffball skirt.
Items are made to order & they can come in a range of fabrics.
Retails at £35 for up to age 2
www.thatssewlaura.co.uk
12 12
Have you ever had a nagging
feeling at the back of your mind,
wondering if you should be doing
something bigger or better?
Or even just something different? I
did... and after 20+ years of
working for someone else, I
decided to do something about it
and just did it - with a little push...
It was the end of summer 2009 and
the mood in the financial markets
was dire with the markets in
turmoil from the effects of the
credit crunch. I worked as a project
manager in the sales and marketing
department of a global asset
management. Two rounds of
redundancies had taken place in
less than a year, but I like many of
my colleagues had grown
disillusioned with the company and
my career prospects there.
I had only just returned from my
maternity leave with my daughter,
and I was given a non-descript job
that even my managers couldn’t
define upon my return. I came to
work but never unpacked my boxes
or put up any personal affect on my
desk. I never really worried about
being made redundant, as I had
gone through a personal tragedy a
couple of years prior, so everything
else was just a blip compared to it.
My family and I had just returned
from a trip to Ireland during the
August Bank Holiday weekend. I
had a manager’s workshop early
the day after. I was one of the first
ones at the meeting, when the HR
director called me out for a
separate meeting. I knew what was
going to happen, so I just sat
quietly and listened. When the
director was done speaking, I said
fine and asked him when I could
leave and when I could get my
severance package.
“I was compelled to
develop a solution. I
couldn’t sleep that night
thinking about how...”
I left work right after the meeting. I
called my husband and my family,
then went home and literally sat
down with a piece of paper and
made two lists: what was I good at
and what I enjoyed most, and I
decided to start a company based
on providing and developing
practical solutions for family life.
My company eleventyone Limited
was incorporated two weeks after I
was made redundant (although I
kept it on dormant status whilst I
learnt the ropes of starting a
business).
My mental archives opened like
floodgates and I recalled my idea
for the buggy accessory that I had
when I had first returned to work
after having my son Thomas. I
worked on this for a few months,
but came across too many logistical
issues that I decided to put it on
hold.
Mum’s Business Case Study
BusinessMumsJournal.com - Be your own Boss
A story of achievement;
Melinda Holohan’s
Circa The Circular
Calendar
13 13
In the meantime, one evening in
early February 2010 I was putting
my son Thomas to bed when he
asked me when he could go
swimming again. When I
struggled to explain the calendar
and the order of the days to my
son, I was compelled to develop a
solution. I couldn’t sleep that
night thinking about how I would
present the calendar in a simpler
way for children. I designed Circa
- the Circular Calendar that same
night and by morning time, the
basic design was completed and it
remains largely the same now as
it did that evening.
Having a close to finalised design
or an idea, however, does not
mean that mass production can
be achieved overnight. There
were a number of issues
regarding the best type of
materials to use for the toy, basic
design issues and some
communication issues as well. At
times the project came to a halt
until the best solution was found.
One time we were close to
abandoning the project, as I
couldn’t agree with the existing
factory regarding the material to
use. Whilst I am not an engineer,
my background in design and
logical thought process in project
management, helped me come
up with solutions to the various
problems, as well as helped me
push the project along.
“One time we were close to abandoning
the project”
Money has never been the driving
force in driving the projects
forward, but instead it’s
recognition for developing a
useful solution to a problem, as
well as finding enjoyment in what
I do. In starting my own company
based on my own ideas, it has not
only afforded me the flexibility of
being able to be there for my
children when they need me, but
also the freedom and enjoyment
in being my own boss and making
decisions that directly impact my
life. I get to wear different hats,
literally being creative one
minute, business minded the next
and then putting on the mum hat
where I have to fit in doing
laundry, shopping and cooking in
between starting a business.
It’s a lot and many times I have to
work late nights or very early
mornings when everyone is
asleep in order to fit it all in. But I
wouldn’t change it one bit. I love
being my own boss, as it gives me
the greatest satisfaction I have
ever had in my working life. I
always felt that I was supposed to
be doing something more,
something different and be my
own boss and I’ve now achieved
that and it feels fantastic.
I was adamant to turn a negative
experience into a positive one.
Also, I was turning 40 shortly after
being made redundant, and I saw
it all as a new chapter in my life. I
strongly believe that turning 40
was a turning point in gaining my
confidence back, taking control of
my life and enjoying the next
chapter.
I recall going into my old place of
work to pick up some things and I
ran into an ex-colleague who
when I told him that I had already
formed a company, he smiled and
said: “Ha! Melinda - like a cat!
Always lands on her feet!”
For more information go to
www.eleventyone111.com
- Practically Essential -
Free work at home advice, support, and online networking - MumsClub.co.uk