Don’t Tell Me I Can’t

Busy mum Lucy Parley wanted to embrace her creativity ...launch a business at 40

Filling another Royal Mail bag with parcels ready to send to customers, I couldn’t believe how popular my Christmas-jumper collection had been. As I left the post offi ce, my mind whirring with new designs, I was thrilled to be busy doing something I loved –and something I never thought I’d have the nerve to do. Since going back to work as a sub editor in July 2012, a year after having my fi rst child, Reuben, life had been a busy juggle. I’d been harbouring dreams of starting my own business, but it felt a long way off. Then, when my daughter, Lois, arrived in 2013, life became even busier. But I knew I wanted to do something for myself, too –I needed a creative outlet. My husband Simon, 43, was a sales director and happy to support me, but he’d get frustrated with me for not believing in myself. ‘You’ll never know until you try,’ he would insist. Slogan T-shirts was an idea that kept buzzing in my mind –my signature school-run style was jeans, cool T-shirt and leopard print trainers, so a T-shirt line would suit me perfectly. But what did I know about starting a business? Plus, endless issues kept my dream at bay. My father was recovering from chemotherapy for bowel cancer and I suspected Reuben had ADHD. Life was exhausting and I began to wonder if I’d ever have the energy for anything else. Around November 2018, I met a friend for coffee and chatted excitedly about my ideas. When she asked what was stopping me, I made my usual excuses of needing to do more research, feeling like my focus should be Reuben. ‘Just do it!’ she said, g g y be a great mum and do something for you.’ She was right, I had to take the leap. So, despite still feeling out my depth and, worse, suffering extreme mum-guilt, I created four collections of organic, ethical, slogan T-shirts. And in March 2019, the month I turned 40, I launched my business. I called it My Other Life –because this business was about the other part of me –not the mother, the sub editor, the wife –but the creative entrepreneur. By then, Reuben had an offi cial ADHD diagnosis, which was a relief. I had confi rmation that I wasn’t being a useless mother who couldn’t cope, and my boy wasn’t being wilfully naughty –there was a neurological reason behind it. My T-shirts celebrate our busy lives and many aliases, poking fun at reality and fi nding humour amid the chaos. Bestsellers include ‘School Run Chic’, ‘Eat, Sleep, Wing it, Repeat’ and ‘Look on the Bright Side’. Then, in December, I ventured into hoodies and Christmas jumpers, too. Ten per cent of my sales go to ADHD Surrey UK, as its Facebook group has kept me sane and the hard-working women running it are doing such amazing work. Friends have modelled my collections, and ‘I HAD TO TAKE THE LEAP’ Lucy with her biggest fans, Lois and Reuben

m also part of a hugely supportive hatsApp group of mums who’ve also nched their own businesses. As the ing goes ‘when women support men, amazing things happen’. know my family is proud, too. uben, eight, and Lois, six, are always ing people that ‘Mummy makes T-shirts!’ and Simon and I often play with ideas once the kids are in bed. Then there’s my mum, Angie, 70, who helps with post-offi ce runs. It’s scary launching your own business, especially when you have self-doubt and you’re wondering if you’ve left it too late or whether you’re able to balance it. But if I hadn’t found my creative outlet, I wouldn’t have been the truest, happiest version of myself. I’ve discovered there’s never a perfect time to follow your dream, but sometimes you just have to take the leap and wing it as you go.

Yes, you can BUT REMEMBER… ✱ Work out your angle and brand values. What will make you stand out? ✱ Think about fi nances. What’s your goal? How much will you need to sell a month? Do you still need your old job? ✱ Find the balance. Starting your own business can involve crazy hours. Work out a system, prioritise and fi nd downtime to avoid burnout.