Being a Mumpreneur – Page 4 – Business Plus Baby

November 21, 2015November 20, 2015

Running a business around your family has never been easier!

Being a mum and a business owner is hard work, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Running a business and raising a child are the two things I’m most passionate about in the world. A lot of people think that the juggling act is a difficult one, and they aren’t wrong. However these days it’s easier than it ever has been to build a business around your family. And I’m going to tell you exactly how to achieve this.

Do as Much as You Can From the Armchair

When you run a business around your family, you need to stay home as much as you can. If you have a toddler or infant, it’s not practical to be heading into the office every day. And that’s why I would advise trying to do as much as you can from the armchair. That’s the metaphorical armchair, of course. What I mean is try to do as much as you can from home so you can balance looking after the family and the company together. Bits and pieces that have to be done away from home can be sorted at a later date.

Use Software to Make Things Easier

Running a business is fun and fulfilling, but it’s never straightforward. As a mother, I like to use tools that will help me be more efficient and streamlined as a business. As a mumpreneur, I always make sure I research software that can help me with important areas of the company. For example, if you need to learn about utilising keywords and SEO check out the Keyword Canine 3.0 review. This helps me understand how the software works and how it will benefit me. If I’m looking for teleconferencing software, I will compare Skype and Viber and see which is more user-friendly. I want the easiest software that can help me grow my business.

Be as Productive as Possible

The fact of the matter is that being a working mum you may only have limited time to work each day. So it’s important to make the most of this. When you do get the opportunity to work interrupted, i.e. when the kid is asleep, knuckle down. Try to be as productive as you can with the times you have available. If you can be disciplined and structured you might be surprised by how much you can get done.

Don’t Try to Do it all Yourself

We all know how time-consuming it can be running a business these days. There are so many different facets to it, and trying to juggle that with motherhood can be too much sometimes. The trick is to let go of your pride and accept that you can’t do everything yourself. In fact, I don’t think you should even try. You’re not going to have the time or resources to carry out all your business tasks properly. But that’s okay, no one expects you too. And that’s where the wonderful world of outsourcing comes to the rescue! Anything you can’t do yourself you just need to outsource. This will help the business run effectively, and give you more breathing space.

As you can see, there are quite a few things you can do to run the company effectively. These will allow you to give your child the attention they need, and still run the company. Make use of my suggestions, and if you come up with any of your own feel free to let me know!

August 22, 2015

Flexible working works for everyone

For working mums juggling everything is clearly a huge issue. A recent survey carried out by the Mental Health Foundation in the UK found that 42% of women were not happy with the balance between their work and home life (their words not mine).

Another survey carried out by My Family Care showed that 60% of parents were not happy with their work life balance. In that survey, it was clear that one thing that would have helped the respondents was some flexibility from their employers. Sadly, 54% of the respondents were afraid to ask for more flexibility. They felt that doing so would have a negative impact on their career prospects.

Fortunately, not all employers are against providing their workers with the chance to work flexibility. In fact, there are firms out there that are realising that providing their employees with the chance to work flexibly means a less stressed and, therefore, more productive workforce.

A great example of this approach is AlldayPA. This, UK based, firm specialises in providing a complete telephone answering service for businesses.

Earlier this year the firm’s chief executive Reuben Singh announced the launch of the scheme, but a lot of work went in before that. This is because rather than simply launch a benefits package that the management team felt was appropriate they took the unusual approach of asking their employees what they wanted included. The management team wanted the AlldayPA staff to choose the benefits scheme that worked well for them as well as one that would benefit the firm.

High on the staff’s list of desired benefits was flexible work hours, so that was included in the deal as well as a generous bonus scheme and cash incentives tied to the quality of call handling. The firm needs a happy, motivated staff, which Mr Singh says ‘is the number one driver of customer satisfaction.’

If you are looking for work choosing a firm that already offers flexible working makes a lot of sense. You know you will not be tied to the 9 to 5 schedule, which rarely fits in with most people’s family obligations.

Of course, there are limitations to how flexible the firm can be. Most companies still require their employees to be in the office during a set of core hours.

They expect the school run and doctor’s appointments to be made outside of those core hours whenever possible. Some firms require all workers to complete a full 8-hour shift every day, but allow their employees to decide what time they start that shift.

Others are even more flexible they may ask you to work a minimum number of hours each day. Usually, if you work more hours than your allocated shift allow you to carry that time forward and take a morning or a day off later in the week or month. The best flexible work contracts allow you to work at home on a regular basis, as well as choose how long you are in the office on most days.

If you are lucky enough to land a job where flexible working is on offer be careful to follow the rules of the scheme. It is important for the workforce to be prepared to flex up and do extra hours when the firm needs them to.

August 20, 2015August 27, 2015

The benefits of working from home

More and more companies are beginning to give their employees a chance to work from home. As technology advances, people are better able to work from home while still being connected to the business they work for. Information can be shared easier through the cloud and online storage, as well as the ability to communicate through emails and video conferences.

Working from home has benefits not just for the employees, but for the businesses as well. An employee working from home used to be daunting, something a business could lose money and productivity over, but nowadays that’s not true. Working from home can actually increase employee productivity and create a better working environment for all involved.

Flexibility and Why Workers Need It

There are a few reasons why working from home is an option that more workers want to be able to have. To start with, many want to have a better balance between work and their life at home, including the time they spend with their family. It’s optimal for workers who have small children at home, or even a spouse who may need help in the day because of health reasons.

Workers also want this option to cut down on commuting and the cost of gas to get to work. It saves time for the workers and reduces stress. They don’t have to worry about traffic and if there is an accident or a jam somewhere on the road.

Working from home is also a good option for employees who might need a different environment because of health issues. Why get rid of an employee just because they need to be at home to better take care of themselves when they can work from home and get just as much done?

Increased Productivity

From a company’s perspective, employees working from home can actually increase their productivity. There are a few reasons as to why that is, starting with the fact that there can be less distractions in an office at home. Cubicles at businesses are noisy and busy, with coworkers walking around and chitchatting, or people upset about maintenance issues or any number of workplace annoyances. Working from home cuts out a lot of that chatter, allowing an employee to focus on what they need to get done.

Polls taken to show where employees go to get their most important work done shows that very few employees would actually choose to do their biggest work in the office during the normal work time hours. An overwhelming number, well over fifty percent, said they would choose to take that work home, while another eighteen percent would choose the office after work hours.

Working from home can cut down some of the stress of work place politics, grievances, and distractions, and this helps employees get more done at a better quality.

Health Benefits

One big health benefit of working at home is the reduction of stress and what it does to an employee’s mental health. They feel more comfortable at home and they don’t have to worry about the stress of a commute. It’s also been found that the closeness in proximity to the other employees can increase a worker’s stress and anxiety, making them less productive in the long run. They are better able to relax and take care of themselves when stressful situations arise than they could in an office environment.

Workers eat better at home than they do going into the office, giving them better health all around. They also have the ability to take small breaks for exercise, reducing stress and keeping their bodies healthy and able to fight off illnesses.

Employers will see a reduction of sick days taken off from employees who work at home. By not being in an office environment, employees can’t spread around germs and illnesses to each other. Not only that, but some things that would keep an employee home from an office wouldn’t necessarily keep them from working at home. They don’t have to worry about the travel and how that might make them sicker, or take way their worries of getting their coworkers sick.

How Technology Makes This Possible

We’re living in a decade where, thanks to technology, it’s much easier to stay connected and have meetings even if some or many employees aren’t in the office. There are many services out there that can let employees attend meetings from the comfort of their home office. Video conferencing is on the rise and carries benefits for employees who want to work from home, as well as employers.

Things like the video communications Bluejeans Networking can provide lets employers hold meetings with employees in the office, at home, or in other parts of the country or world. It opens up the possibilities of what a company can do from afar.

With services like this, there’s no need to stick with a strict office environment for all employees.

July 29, 2015

Freelancing – the best way to get started as a work at home mum?

Were the first ideas you had about being a mum with a business all about inventing a product or maybe a party plan?

If so it’s not that surprising because newspapers and websites love the ‘mum invents new product’ story and party planners are actively out there recruiting. For these reasons, these business types tend to pop up on our radar faster than other possibilities.

But there are plenty of mums quietly freelancing away too. Some pick up a few odd jobs in nap-times, others turn it into full-time self-employment. I was a freelance trainer for about 6 years in my LBK (life before kids) and I picked up a few freelance jobs when my kids were tiny, too. But my main focus has been on creating information products and promoting other people’s products as an affiliate.

Just lately a few things have happened, though. My kids have got a little older so I’m no longer working in a half-hour I can grab here and there (except for now when it’s the summer holidays), I’ve made a lot more video training and enjoyed it and I miss working together with a client to produce a satisfying piece of work. Yes, information products can get a bit lonely and isolating.

So I’ve decided to dip my toe in the freelancing world once more and I’ve posted my first ‘hourlie’ on People Per Hour. The idea of an hourlie is that it’s a short, well-defined job that doesn’t cost too much. It gives a clients a low-risk taster your services, which is great of you’re just starting out.

Tons of the services people search for on People Per hour can be done from home, such as writing, design and admin. I’m offering my voice-over services!

I’ve found the signing-up process is very straightforward, so it’s definitely worth a go (click here for more info).

(Photo – me with my tablet – we’re an Android family!)

July 15, 2015

How to pick the best car for you and your family

There are many very good cars on the market to choose from, so much so that choosing one can feel like a significant issue.

It’s important to establish your requirements and confine your search to cars that can meet them. A family car has to fulfil many functions from the school run, shopping, family holidays, long and short trips and maybe as a car for your teenagers to learn to drive in.

Having swotted up for their driving theory test it’ll help your teen considerably if the car they practice in is easy to drive so they can put their new-found knowledge of the rules of the road to the test.

What is a ‘family car?’

With cars in each class generally larger than their predecessors, the potential for a given vehicle to be the family transport is wider than before. For example, VW’s ‘supermini’ – the Polo – is now as big as the earlier generation Golf – the next size up in the range. Shoppers don’t necessarily have to think of the established ‘big’ models to transport their family around.

Small family cars

This class contains favourites such as the VW Golf, Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus. With decent cabin space and a hatchback, they may well be fine for your needs and, as suggested earlier, would still be a decent model to help a teenager to learn to drive in.

Family cars

Models such as the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia and Mazda 6 are what many would equate to the more traditional ‘family car’ size.

Estate cars

The estate car – more commonly available in the ‘family car’ bracket – takes load capacity a step further. Estate cars are usually very similar to their hatchback or saloon stablemates to drive – just with the all-important size advantage.

MPVs

MPVs (multi purpose vehicles) are also known as ‘multi-seaters’. Cars such as the Ford Galaxy and SEAT Alhambra are popular examples and allow a little more room for the bigger family.

SUVs

SUVs (sports utility vehicles) have the look of an off-road type of car even though they may not actually be off roaders. The very popular Nissan Qashqai is a good example and caters for families that fancy a sporty flavour.

Assessing your needs

Your requirements should point you in the direction of which class of car from the above will be most suitable.

Do you carry many people? If so, an MPV might be the best choice but beware of luggage space. If you have teenagers learning to drive – or about to – consider if it will prove a bit big and intimidating to learn in.

SUVs might sound appealing but be aware they’re not necessarily more durable or able to combat poor road conditions than other types of car. Some have four-wheel drive, but many have ‘ordinary’ car mechanicals.

A small family car might appeal from lower initial purchase prices and running costs, but will it really be big enough? If so, it’s a good choice of car that various members of the family can drive easily including young learners.

Draw up a list of requirements and make sure you tick off all the practical ‘essentials’ before moving on to style and taste considerations.

Safety is bound to be a key consideration, so plenty of air bags, anti-skid technology and – if you have very young children – facilities for the safe and easy fitting of child seats are important, although most modern models of all sizes should be good for this.

Once you’ve settled on a suitable class of car, buying information resources like this one will give you reviews and other data to help your research to narrow down your final choice of vehicle.