Working from home sounds the perfect solution if you’re a working mum. You can save time on your commute (by reducing it to…er…30 seconds!), you can work flexibly around the kids and you can even work in your pyjamas.
That’s all true, but there are downsides. It can be lonely, plus if you need to do any creative thinking, there’s nobody to bounce ideas around with. Then there’s having the self-discipline to ignore that pile of washing up. (If you got the house tidy before you started work, you’d never actually start work!)
That’s why Jelly is such a fabulous idea. Jelly is an informal co-working event where home workers, freelancers and home-based business operators get together for a day in pre-arranged venues to work, join forces and exchange tips and advice.
Jelly is massive in the US. The brainchild of two creative entrepreneurs from New York City, it enables business owners and professional freelancers to beat commercial isolation and work together in central locations. There are now groups right across the US and hundreds across the globe.
Jelly came to the UK in 2009 and already 50 groups are up and running, with new ones starting every week. To find a Jelly near to you, go to www.uk-jelly.org.uk.
The first Jelly convention in the world takes place in Ironbridge, the global birthplace of industry, on 25 March. It’s called The Big Jelly!
The BIG Jelly is expected to attract up to 300 delegates who will gather to hear from nationally renowned speakers, take part in powerful breakout sessions and experience a Jelly event. The BIG Jelly will be the first chance for UK Jelly fans to come together and the event is expected to inspire the launch of many more groups.
Expert speakers will be Louise Findlay-Wilson of PR Pro, Emma Jones of Enterprise Nation & Bitsy and Daniel Priestley of Triumphant Events. There will be breakout sessions on Home Working Wisdom, The Money Go Round, Demystifying Social Media, Marketing for Micro Businesses, Setting up & Running a Jelly and Website/SEO Clinic plus there will be…
- a Mini expo
- a Jelly room with free wi fi,
- Refreshments provided throughout the day from coffee and Danish on arrival to brown bag lunch and cookies, tea and coffee all day
- Event bag with useful content to take away
- Special rates for overnight accommodation at host venue, 4* QHotels Telford
- Plenty of time for meeting new people in the uniquely friendly Jelly atmosphere
The BIG Jelly is a not-for-profit event but in order to cover the costs of running a national event the tickets cost £50 plus VAT until 28 February 2011 and £75 plus VAT thereafter.
To book and for more information see www.uk-jelly.org.uk/uk-big-jelly/