Featured – Page 7 – Business Plus Baby

October 22, 2012October 1, 2015

Your first ever YouTube video: how to get over the fear

Is the fear of being on screen stopping you from promoting your business using video?

That would be a shame, because not that many small businesses are using video. So you could easily get ahead of your competitors simply by making a product demo video on your mobile phone and uploading it to YouTube today. Also, being able to see you talking is great for building a relationship with your clients, especially if you run a web-based business.

I uploaded my first ever proper vlog (video blog) a couple of weeks ago – you can see it here : why comparing yourself to other mums in business is such a bad idea.

I had a great response, which has been brilliant for my confidence (thank you!) And it certainly showed me that people pay attention to blog content that’s just a bit different to what they usually expect (well, from me at least 🙂 )

A few people said that they’ve been meaning to get around to creating a video for a while, but they keep making excuses!

So I thought I’d share a four tips that really helped me get over the ‘cringe factor’ of making my first video.

In the video I mention Screencast-O-Matic, which is free, quick and easy software for making screencast-style videos.

I also want to tell you about a blog that has shown me just how do-able video really is: SimpleVloggingTips,com. So a big thank you to Jendi, the owner.

And if you want to make a software demo video, take a look at my tutorial.

So what are you waiting for? Go and make that video!

Don’t miss a thing here at Business Plus Baby! Let me keep you up to date with new posts…click here to get my newsletter. I’ll also send you a copy of my e-book Running a business around a family: 9 steps to success.

October 19, 2012October 17, 2012

How to be a stay at home mum

OK, so if this is a blog about having young children and a business, why would I be telling you about how to be a stay at home mum?

The media would have you believe that it’s a straight choice between being a working mum on the one hand and a stay at home on the other. But I know that real life isn’t so black-and-white.

Often mums with businesses start up very slowly. After all, if we want to spend time with our kids we’re probably not going to rush into a full-time business. So even though you have a fledgling business, you may find you’re basically a stay-at-home mum for most of your day.

While that may sound like the perfect work-life balance, it’s not without its challenges! I know, I’ve done it. The change in rhythm from a full-time career to being at home with small children takes some adjusting to. And that’s just the beginning.

That’s where I think this new e-book ‘How to be a stay at home mum‘, could be really helpful. Continue reading “How to be a stay at home mum”

October 15, 2012October 15, 2012

How to grow a mum-owned business: Julia tells us her story

I’m Julia, owner of www.kidstravel2.com which specialises in children’s luggage, travel games and family travel accessories. Helen kindly featured me on Business Plus Baby back in August 2010 and you can read all about how I started up here.

Over 3 years later and KidsTravel2 is still going strong and we have just launched The Happy Skylark (www.thehappyskylark.com) offering holiday gear and unusual travel gifts for grown ups. Helen invited me back to chat about how I’ve grown the business, the challenges I’ve faced along the way and share any useful tips for other mums setting up and growing a business around bringing up their children. Continue reading “How to grow a mum-owned business: Julia tells us her story”

October 12, 2012October 15, 2012

Why comparing yourself to other mums with businesses is such a bad idea

I’ve finally done it – I’ve made a proper vlog!

What I mean is that I’ve made a video blog post by putting my face in front of a camera at last. I’ve done slide-show style videos with me talking over the top, but I’ve never spoken directly to the camera before.

And if you’re thinking of doing the same, it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. So go on, give it a go. 🙂

In the video I’ll tell you why comparing yourself to other mums in business is really bad for your confidence.

(And I’ll let you into a little secret about what’s behind my camera, too.)

This is part of the presentation I did at The Big Business Get Ready last week, so I may do another video from the rest of the presentation soon.

Hope you like it!

If you’re into video, you might like to subscribe to my Business Plus Baby YouTube channel here – thanks!

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

October 10, 2012October 9, 2012

Eight tips on how NOT to start up your work at home business

Helen Neale is owner of the Printable Reward Charts business, KiddyCharts. She is a former business analyst who gave up her role as an outsourcing expert, to focus on being a parent and a freelance writer. She is a Britmums editor and writes regularly on parenting, and small business issues. She can be found, perhaps too regularly, on Twitter and Facebook.

We all make mistakes – and I am pretty sure that many of you have made a few in setting up your businesses; from the smallest coaching company to the 100,000 consultancy business.

I know that I have made a few, and continue to do so. None of them *shesayscrossingfingers* have been catastrophic ones, but some have cost me money. Money I shall never get back, but has give me a valuable, if painful, lesson.

So, to those thinking of setting up their own business, here are some classic mistakes….so, let’s not start that new work at home business…. Continue reading “Eight tips on how NOT to start up your work at home business”