parenting – Business Plus Baby

November 5, 2012November 4, 2012

7 Top tactics for top business owner parents

Today I’m happy to welcome back guest blogger Neil Fellowes, business owning dad and founder of the Hot Chocolate Club. Neil’s other articles are Using your entrepreneurial skills to inspire your kids and Who else wants to overcome that back to school anxiety? Over to you, Neil!

You want to know what to do for the best in a given situation, but sometimes you find yourself in that situation with your kids that’s breaking new ground and you have no reference. Other times you’ve been in the situation often, but wish you could find a better way to handle it.

Quite likely though, you’re busy with running a business and you just don’t have time to think about what you can do that gets the results you need from your kids.

So in this article I’m going to give you my top 7 tactics to use. These are not necessarily tactics you will get from a self-help book. This isn’t just theory, this is what I do by default, so I’m giving you what I know works. Continue reading “7 Top tactics for top business owner parents”

August 1, 2012

Dealing with guilt as a business mum

As business owners and mums we have the best of both worlds. We get the satisfaction and mental stimulation of running a business and we get to see more of our kids than we would if we had a traditional job. Well, that’s the theory anyway! 🙂

That said, it can be very difficult to juggle all of our commitments. We want to be able to have everything and do everything and often that just isn’t possible. Then something gets pushed to the back burner and we feel guilty about it.

Guilt usually happens when you don’t feel you are giving one aspect of your life or work the attention it deserves. It’s probably one of a mum’s most difficult emotions to manage. It can feel overwhelming and it really can hold you back from achieving what you want.

The good news is that you do have certain qualities that can help you manage or overcome your guilty feelings. Here are some things to think about… Continue reading “Dealing with guilt as a business mum”

March 15, 2012March 14, 2012

Kids Coach Naomi Richards launches her first book: The Parent’s Tookit

Congratulations to Naomi Richards, The Kids Coach, who has recently launched her first book, The Parent’s Toolkit: Simple & Effective Ways to Help Your Child Be Their Best.

Naomi was one of my first Twitter friends that I met face-to-face (that was a few years ago now at Mums The Boss in Bedford). As I didn’t get out of the house much in those days – I had two kids under age 2! – people I met in the flesh were pretty special 🙂 So it’s been brilliant to see Naomi write her series of e-books and now become a published author.

We all know that we should be actively listening to our children, but sometimes it’s not as easy as it sounds. Then there are those situations which are a challenge for both parent and child, maybe when life isn’t fair (bullying, parental separation) or a big change is on the horizon (starting secondary school). It can be so hard to find the right words when you want to be open and truthful on the one hand, but you worry that you’ll only confuse or worry your child on the other. What I liked best about the Parent’s Toolkit is that it helps you pick the right words and the best approach. Often, just changing a couple of words can make a huge difference.

In The Parent’s Toolkit, Naomi gives us very practical tips and techniques to help us be better parents, to build a better relationship with our kids and to help them be happier and more confident people. She also includes her advice on building self esteem, sibling rivalry, friendship and helping your child develop important life skills such as decision making, dealing with boredom and timekeeping.

I’m looking forward to dipping into it whenever I encounter a parenting challenge!

Click the link to buy The Parent’s Toolkit: Simple & Effective Ways to Help Your Child Be Their Best

July 15, 2011July 15, 2011

I started a business with a baby: Kim McCann of Planet Tots

Tell us a little about your business

My mission with Planet Tots is to help parents build a bright future for their little ones. Whether it be supporting your child’s development or helping look after their environment Planet Tots is the one stop shop for products, services, information and advice.

What was your job before starting your business?

I’ve always known I’d start my own business I was just looking for the right idea so I deliberately chose jobs which would give me the right skill set for running my business. I started as a management consultant for 5 years. I then studied for my management accountancy qualification and moved into corporate finance. Continue reading “I started a business with a baby: Kim McCann of Planet Tots”