Mumpreneur the Magazine by Mumpreneur UK

mumpreneur Brand

New

Magazine

Brand

New

Magazine

Brand

New

Magazine

The Magazine

Diary of a Mumpreneur

The

whats life really like?

BIG Book

Bonanza

A round-up of the best business books

WIN ÂŁ500 to spend at Isabella Oliver

God Save The Queen The best Jubilee inspired products on the market

Is Up-Cycling the latest trend?

Style

The Essential Office

From School Run to School Disco

Everything you need for your home office

n o g a r D e h t r

Ente

naty

Ban n a c n u D

crets

is se h s e r a h ne s

May/June 2012

Digital services provider, Yell, is proud to sponsor the Best Start-Up Business Award at the Mumpreneur Awards 2012

Editor’s letter It may be a little later than originally planned but we are very, very proud and relieved to present the very first issue of Mumpreneur the Magazine! We’ve had so much fun compiling articles, choosing products and looking through some beautiful products trying to ensure we provide you with the most useful, relevent and stylish pieces on the market. Take a look through our style section for some fabulous school run to school disco outfits and then try your luck at winning £500 in vouchers to buy yourself some gorgeous clothes! With the Diamond Jubilee well and truly on it’s way we’ve developed Union Jack fever and we’ve sourced som eof the most wonderful Jubilee inspired products. Check out our interview with Duncan Bannatyne and see how he made such a success of his many businesses or maybe just grab a cuppa and have a go at our little crossword. Whilst it’s been hard work getting everything into one place and ready for publication, it’s been great fun and we really hope you enjoy our first issue. Remember, as always, Mumpreneur Uk and our magazine are here for YOU, so if there’s anything you would like to see in our next issue, get in touch and we’ll do our best!

Laura

Laura Rigney, Editor

Contents 4 God Save the Queen - The pick of Diamond Jubilee inspired products 7 Top Tips for busy working mums 9 Enter the Dragon - Duncan Bannatyne shares his business success secrets 10 Big Book Bonanza - Find the perfect business book for you 12 Diary of a Mumpreneur 15 Daddy Dearest - Father Day gift ideas 16 Mumpreneur Style - Release your inner yummy mummy 19 Is Upcycling the next big trend? 20 10 Things I learnt in my first year of business 21 Looking Good, Feeling Great - The perfect workout for mums 22 Do I Need A Website Now? 23 Your Guide to Common Web Terms 24 The Essential Office - Stylish yet practical home office furniture and accessories 27 DIY PR - Save a fortune using these PR pointers 28 Brainteaser 29 Competition 30 Next Issue

Pg 28

Sky Royal Remote £29.99 Argos, Sainsburys and Asda

Selectipon of Jubilee mugs 79p each from Home Bargains

Large 50’s decade sweet box £38.57 www.AQuarterOf.co.uk

C60 Trident Automatic Watch £350 www.christopherward.co.uk

Little Tikes GB Coupe £54.99 www.littletikes.co.uk

Bar-Be-Quick Instant Barbecue £7 Asda

Runaway Coast Union Jack Giant Cushion, £95 www.runawaycoast.com

God Sav The Quee

With so many Diamond Jubilee do you know which to choose? inspire you!

Mug £6.99 , Plate £7.50, Egg Cup £3.50 from www.tg-woodware.com

Britannia Cake Stand from £95 Royal Crown Derby

Thomas Kent 5" Union Jack clock £14.95 www.mylivingspace.co.uk

d ve e en

Apron £2.49 Home Bargains

Union Jack Wellies £114.99 www.thewellyshop.com Three piece tea-towel set £2.99 Home Bargains

Texas Scatter Cushion £59 Furniture Village

inspired products available how we’ve chosen our favourite’s to

Soreen Malt Loaf 70p-£1.25 Available from all major retailers

Union Jack Rug from £16.75 www.bircoonline.co.uk

Pink Spaghetti is an affordable PA service used predominantly by busy female small business owners who are short of time. Established by two professional mums; Vicky Matthews and Caroline Gowing in 2009 their business has gone from strength to strength and now provides invaluable support to a wide range of small businesses and busy people at home.

However we have learnt from these and we believe our business is stronger as a result.

‘’We started our business because we spotted a gap in the market for an affordable PA service that could support busy professional people who were trying to juggle running a home and small businesses around a family.

Uniquely we carry out tasks for their customers in their home as well as for their business. Tasks can range from supporting a business with social media to finding the perfect family holiday or selling on EBay. We love this variety and the challenge of working with so many varied businesses all over the country.

Our philosophy is all about making people’s lives easier and so from the beginning we have offered a simple solution. We have no subscription or membership fees and we want people to use us simply as and when they need help. Starting a business has not been easy, and we have had to become experts in everything and have made mistakes along the way.

Owning our own business is great and we love the flexibility of working for ourselves, meaning we can work around our family life.

We are now moving to the next stage of our business, and are about to grow our business through franchising. Of course we are excited to be moving our business forward in this way. We look forward to more learning and challenges in the months and years ahead.”

As a business owner, wife, step mum & wearing numerous other hats, I totally understand and appreciate how busy it can be trying to juggle all the different elements of one’s life and still remain sane and not appearing as psychotic or a control freak! As women, we are born being expected to multi-task and cope and sometimes it just ain’t that easy. The suggestions I have outlined below are not rocket science, you probably have read/ tried some of them before but they are tried and tested with my regular coaching clients and might just help you feel slightly less chaotic – more importantly, you’ll see that most of us are in the same boat, we could just do with a few more lifejackets! 1. And breathe…yes it’s a fundamental part of life but it’s amazing how we often forget to do it properly. Take time out of your day (if only for 30 second bursts) to just take a few deep breaths. This will give you time to consider any issue you might be facing and then rather than react, act calmly. Better for you and better for those around you. 2. Write lists – YES, it’s OK, it doesn’t matter if your husband/ partner thinks you’re mad, get it down on paper but make sure that at the end of each day, when you’ve crossed off some of the tasks you write a new list for the next day transferring the tasks you haven’t completed. The fatal mistake is the never-ending list

– it demotivates and just as it says, never ends so new list each day. 3. Pre-plan – Put aside some time to go through the calendar and identify birthdays/children’s parties coming up and then go and bulk buy for the next few months. I know money can be tight but even if it’s just birthday cards it’s a start and saves huge amount of time and anxiety. 4. Review your lifestyle regularly – by this I mean look, really look at how your week pans out, see where the pressure points are, identify where you could change a small action to create some space e.g. food shopping online, preplanning meals etc. It’s surprising how infrequently we actually look at how we spend our time and then wonder why it is we don’t seem to have much of it? 5. Be kind to yourself – nothing is forever and if this month you have a full diary with kids afterschool activities, birthday parties, general “Mums taxi services” allow yourself to NOT fret about missing a gym session or fancying a glass of wine, book the extra session for next month if the kids do one less activity then, it’s really not the end of the world! Manage month by month, rather than plan too far in advance, they won’t lose out and you’ll all benefit.

Mumpreneur member Louise Turner runs Your Virtual PR. The company offers flexible, great value communications solutions for businesses like yours. The business operates in much the same way as a virtual assistant but delivers PR and communications services instead. They’re on the end of the phone or email and will happily “meet” you by Skype. But the services are delivered remotely and overheads kept low so your costs can be too. After more than 12 years working in communications and PR in the public and private sectors, Louise wanted a better work-life balance while her children were still young. So in 2011 Your Virtual PR became her third baby. “I saw there was a need for a company to provide small bits of PR support for businesses at key points,” said Louise. “I strongly believe that PR done well can provide great business benefits but knew that a lot of SMEs couldn’t afford to retain a PR agency. So I created Your Virtual PR to fill that gap.” The company operates a clear pricing structure and you only pay for the time spent working on your behalf. They will even bill in 30 minute chunks so if that journalist enquiry takes half an hour, that’s all you pay for. Your Virtual PR breaks its services down into a number of packages: • • • • •

Story Finder - identifying the stories and getting strong coverage in the titles that count for your business In It To Win It – the company has a track record of preparing high-impact awards entries which give your business the best chance of getting shortlisted Media Savvy - take on the media on your own terms. They’ll use their years of experience to help you get your message across in a media interview, whatever the situation you’re facing The Whole Package - managing all of your business’s communications on your behalf. This is an entirely bespoke package, built around your needs and ambitions, customer expectations and resources Your Virtual PR also offers writing and editing services – from reviewing your sales literature to writing a whole website – as well as good old fashioned advice if that’s all you want.

Or if yours is a new business try the Flying Start kit – just £250 (inc VAT) for everything you need to launch your new business to the media. So whether you want someone to write one press release or provide on-going support, Your Virtual PR is flexible enough to deliver. www.yourvirtualpr.com

Enter the Dragon

Ever wonder how those famous entrepreneurs have made their millions? Surely there must be some kind of formula we can all follow and use to our advantage! Duncan Bannatyne, serial entrepreneur and multi-millionaire shares his business secrets...

Solid Plan with a Clear Simple Vision You need to establish from the beginning what it is exactly you are setting out to achieve and stick to a long-term goal. Don't confuse yourself with several ideas or concepts, just stick to the one idea you have and believe in it. If youtry to have too many fingers in too many pies early on, your ideas will suffer.

What makes you different? Thousands of people every day think they have the next big thing and could be the next business superstar, so what makes you different? It doesn't have to be an obvious thing, but something within the business or about you personally as an entrepreneur should make you stand out from the rest.

Neutralize negativity No one will ever believe in your idea if you don't believe in it yourself. You need to eradicate all negative thoughts and words from your vocabulary. The minute you start doubting your business, it's contagious, and everyone willlose confidence in you.

Focus on Profitability vs. Revenue While revenue is important, it won't add value if your expenses are just as high. What's the point in bringing in £50,000 in your first year if you spend more than that running your business? You need to be flexible with your overheads and cut costs where you can. Think profit.

Finally, prepare to work hard It should go without saying but I’m always meeting people who simply don’t want to work hard to achieve their goal. As the founder or CEO you should be first in in the morning, and the one turning off the lights at night. Only once you’ve made a success of yourself can you begin to take it easy.

Business Book Bonanza GO DO! by Jeremy Harbour

£12.99

If you've ever dreamed of starting your own business, Go Do! will give you the practical information, inspiration, and reassurance you need to get started. It encourages budding entrepreneurs to take the leap into the dark, while shining a bright light on the first six months of a successful start-up. It breaks down what appears to be an Everest-size challenge into a series of small hills for you to conquer. Go Do! is written by successful entrepreneur Jeremy Harbour, who for 20 years has been taking the bull by the horns and taking risks, proving remarkably successful in everything from telecoms to running a cooking school. He argues that the skills and tactics of successful entrepreneurship can't be learnt except by doing. Jeremy has been there; he’s experienced failure and success and in GO DO! he maps out the steps any start-up needs to go through and guides you through the pitfalls you can expect. He shares his wisdom, demystifies the process and shows you how to get through those first six months, from formulating a good idea to turning a profit.

PIMP MY SITE by Paula Wynne

£12.99

Pimp My Site is a highly visual guide to show small businesses how to market themselves online through optimisation, search marketing, promotion, and social media. The global recession has sent tens of millions scrambling for alternative employment opportunities, and a great many of them have taken the leap into becoming their own bosses. As a result there is a crying need among small business startups, entrepreneurs, and independents working on a shoestring for expert guidance on marketing themselves and their businesses online. Pimp My Site fills that void. It is a complete, do-it-yourself toolkit structured as a fourteen-day course. Rather than fry readers' circuits with a lot of jargon-heavy technical descriptions, Paula Wynne, a successful publicist, marketer and award-winning online entrepreneur, takes a show-and-tell approach.

SELF-MADE ME by Geoff Burch

£12.99

Stop slogging away 9 – 5 for a set salary (plus the overtime you inevitably do and don’t get any credit for). Abandon the day job and go it alone. Start doing what you want to do, when you want to do it. Remember, you don’t have to sit in an office to get a job done. Self-Made Me shows you how to work how and where you want and earn exactly what you’re worth – not what an employer wants to get away with giving you. Be your own boss and increase your value. • • • •

It’s never been easier to be self-employed than it is today, with increased communications, mobile working and outsourcing This straight-forward and engaging guide will help you make being self- employed a success Shows you how to get paid what you are actually worth, and how to work as hard or as little required to create the lifestyle you choose

With so many business books claiming to offer the BEST advice on the market, how do you know which to choose? We’ve scoured the market looking For the best, most informative and inspirational business books to help you and your business! STOP TALKING START DOING by Shaa Wasmund £9.99

Sháá Wasmund's formula for success is: If you want results, you need to take action. Stop Talking, Start Doing is for anyone who wants to be more successful. Sháá shares her unique experiences of working alongside some of the world’s most successful and famous business people. From being the only female boxing manager at 21 to internet entrepreneur and single mum at just 38, this book will show you how to fulfill your potential in every area of your life, no matter what’s happenedbefore. • • •

The confidence to make your goal a reality Provides all the courage and motivation you need to take action and make a start Do everything in this book and live the life you really want – TODAY!

HOW TO BE GREAT AT THE STUFF YOU HATE by Nick Davies £12.99 No one likes a pushy, smarmy salesman – but most of us need to sell to some extent. How else can we get any business? We all have to do it now, whether we’re lawyers, accountants or startups. But don’t despair. As a trainer in business development skills, Nick Davies knows that the vast majority of nonsales people think that selling is something that you ‘do’ to someone. Furthermore, they regard it as some kind of dark art, practised be pushy, manipulative and basically dishonest people who can, using their ‘powers’, make people buy things they don’t want. The approach is simple. The flow-diagrams, quotes, matrixes, graphs, tables and other confusing nonsense that other writers insist on using aren’t there. And there’s no reference to a higher power or divine inspiration either. All you need to do is cut the crap, be yourself and win some business.

ENTREPRENEUR by

Lucy Tobin

£12.99

It takes hard work, vision, and intelligence to succeed as a Web entrepreneur these days. Learn from the best in Entrepreneur. Profiling today’s foremost web entrepreneurs, Lucy Tobin - who meets successful business founders every week writing an enterprise column for The Evening Standard – takes us through their start-up stories and maps out exactly what’s made them so successful. Inside are revealing, enlightening interviews with such notable entrepreneurs as Nick Jenkins of Moonpig.com, Michael Acton Smith of Moshi Monster, Justine Roberts of Mumsnet, and many more. With interviews, practical advice and insights, you’ll learn how they did it, what they recommend, and how you can do it too. Covering everything from starting with no money to how to grow your business, for anyone who wants to start a new online business, Entrepreneur offers the wisdom and insight of the UK's best and brightest.

Diary of a Mumpreneur

DO ol shoes ls O T cho k leve s y bu k stoc s nt d a r t c e n e ch ss ord accou ead an e proc meet buy br

Amanda Dilworth, Owner of Ruby and Freddies tells us about her journey so far... It’s been a hectic, speedy and thoroughly enjoyable start to the year and it just seems to be getting better! MumpreneurUK have asked me to jot down my progress on this whirlwind start to my business juggling being a new businesswoman at the same time as being a mum. I hope you enjoy reading the highs and lows, my worries and the excitement that comes from entering the world of “a Mumpreneur”(well I think that’s what I am....!) This first instalment is a bit of a longer one, you’ve got a lot to catch up on so grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy.... Firstly here’s a little bit about me: I have a BA(Hons)in early childhood studies, was a teacher in a private nursery school for several years, ran my own school holiday club, married my childhood sweetheart (Nick), later became a nanny to one of the families I taught and then I had my two gorgeous children (Grace and Daisy). So If someone had asked me last year what I thought I’d be doing in 2012 I certainly wouldn’t have said owner of Ruby and Freddies baby boutique and on the brink of launching my very own ”Made in Britain” baby clothes range! It all began with my best friends baby shower in July 2011, a cliché but true! I decided to “bake” her a nappy cake and after several attempts I had the perfect one...and several other nappy cakes for that matter! Before I knew it I was surrounded by nappies and taking orders, and the more I made the more I loved this unique and useful gift idea from America! The search had now begun for more beautiful, trendy but most importantly useful ingredients to fill my nappy cakes: I use baby clothes , baby toys, books, shoes, and beauty products. Once I’d enquired to the many companies I’d come across I realised I could sell the items too. Great idea but where was I going to do this? a little boutique? online? And what would I call it? How much should I invest? Did I really have time for this venture? So... after much thought (and very little sleep through excitement) Ruby and Freddies was born. In case you were wondering, the names are my Grandparents names – both entrepreneurs themselves! So I had the products and I had the ideas. Now I needed a web-

has been such a hard balance to get right. I had to try not to just stock all things I’d like for my children but to try and think of all those other new/practised mummies out there too. It’s already changing and we are only 3 months old! The official launch took place on January 9th 2011. I entered the MumpreneurUk website awards and got a Bronze website award, it was a nice surprise because with all the busy-ness of the business(and the kids) I’d forgotten I’d entered. My next mission is to continue making changes to up the stakes and get the gold! Next on the agenda was advertising-well there’s no point setting something up and no-one knowing about it, is there? Now to be quite honest, it’s a minefield and an expensive one at that, after all everyone wants to show you off...for a price!. In the end I went for an advertorial with Elite-magazine as my first piece of advertising combined with a feature. It is so nice to see something in print that I had achieved, made it seem very real, exciting and to be honest a little nerve-wracking. I can’t stress the importance of your local network too and so I go as often as I can to local networking meetings and have a friend in PR who is helping me out with that side of it. You can’t beat the right advice and sometimes googling it doesn’t quite cut it!! My next aim was de-

“The knowledge I have is growing every day”

site. Bespoke or build your own? Honestly the questions didn’t stop flying around my mind and the minutes turned to hours of work; for what started out life as being a part time nappy cake business, was now an online baby boutique. From the start, my key aim is to make sure my gifts are unique and useful, while keeping the choice relatively simple. I hate wasted gifts (and ugly ones – haha!) and so it was essential my gifts were unique and useful. I think it’s really important to keep choice simple, too much choice isn’t always helpful. I believe this help me create a really strong identity for my brand. I’m also a great believer in supporting British made products and so wherever possible I am now trying to make sure my products are made in Britain. The amount of stock and product choices really

signing and manufacturing my own baby clothing range . I had a fantastic idea, even if I do say so myself, so the next bunch of questions were; Where do I get a manufacturer? What design printer do I choose? How am I going to do the designs? For this I had Twitter, an old school friend who is a fabulous designer and instinct. As I said earlier, “Made in Britain” is so important to me and I wanted to manufacture somewhere I could get to if needed and

“Where do I get a manufacturer? What design printer do I choose? How am I going to do the de-

quite possibly with two little people in tow. I kept hitting brick walls on this one until someone put me in touch with Sherry from Huddle & Bliss. She is not only my manufacturer but she has also been a wealth of knowledge, honesty and someone I now consider a friend and mentor. Choosing a printers was also tough; again I’ve found another lovely lady, Charlie who has not only greeted me with advice and patience but has also been happy to show me around the factory and see screen printing in action. The knowledge I now have of the clothing industry is growing every day, boy there’s a lot to learn! My designs are now being printed and the “Little Londoners” range is due to be launched in the next 4 weeks. We’re keeping the designs under wraps for the moment and so you will have to stay tuned for that one! So here we are up to date, I shan’t bore you with the extras like gift boxes, ribbons, swing tags, postage and packaging issues-I have them all covered for now after many a sleepless night! Our spare bedroom is now my office or as my brother calls it “The Boffice” (for those of you struggling it’s a bedroom/ office combined), my husband has learnt not to help with design issues but instead help me with the finance and “techy” stuff (he’s an Accountant) and my girls have learnt not to touch anything in the Boffice and how to make their own pretend nappy cakes. And I have learnt to be patient(ish) and to not get stressed(ish) because everything will fall into place....eventually! Hope to see you next time with another update, shorter(my initial brief was 300-500 and you’ve just read 1000-oops!) and probably more exciting because the garments will be ineek! Keep them peeled and wish me luck! x

a d n a m A xxx

Daddy Dearest...

Super Dad Gingerbread £3 and Country Living Seeds Gift Set £15 available from www.johnlewis.com

Men are notoriously hard to buy for so we’ve done the leg-work and found you some great gifts for under £20!!

Moroccan Babouche Slippers, £20 Chocolate Leather www.bohemiadesign.co.uk

Commando Dad £9.99 Available from all good bookstores

Pre shave oil RRP £9.99 Shaving cream RRP £9.99 After Shave Balm RRP £9.99 Deodorant RRP £3 Doubloon Brush RRP £6.99 www.bluebeards-revenge.com

Gucci Pour Homme 30ml £16.34 www.thehealthcounter.com Radox selection £2.03 each from all good retailers

Football chocolate set £6.95 each from www.chocolateonchocolate. co.uk

Suck Uk Sharpener Desk Tidy £14.99 www.giftsfromhandpicked. com Mini Desktop Swingball £9.99 Available from all major retailers Bright Side Man Tin £6.50 www.giftsfromhandpicked.com

James the Bookend £14.95 www.mydeco.com

WORK AND PLAY

Dresses and skirts that can be worn from the office to the wine bar. Stay chic in these fabulousl frocks!

STAR BUY Multiway dress Four looks for the price of one! £89

Stockists

(clockwise) Pink Sleeveless Drape Jacket £109 Black Cotton Sateen Tux Jacket £179 Black Ruched Multiway Dress £89 Wrap Leather Belt £69 Leopard Clutch £99 Pink Zip Knit Dress £99 Pink High Waisted Pencil Skirt £95 Orange Pleat Shift Dress £149

GET THE LOOK Go from the school run to the school disco with this chic ensemble...

Sequin Jacket £149 The Capri jean £89 Essential Skinny Belt £49 www.isabellaoliver.com 0844 844 0448 Samantha Smoke Mesh Shoe £145 www.rubbersole.co.uk 020 3026 9854 Large Leather Shopper Bag £40 www.pepperberry.com 01926 459 800 Tweetie Necklace from £69 www.aylssasmith.co.uk

Upcycling What is upcycling? Bridget Garrett of Inkahoots.co.uk explains what this new trend is all about. It's quite possible that we are in the midst of a new craze sweeping the nation… No, it's not the pursuit of celebrity or trying to impress Sir Alan - it's a much quieter pastime that's crept into our culture gradually over the last few years. Now is the time to start shouting about 'Upcycling' and appreciating the amazing results that can be achieved with a little time and skill! If you've never heard of it, you won't be alone, but put simply it's the act of taking something that you would otherwise throw out and finding a way to make it into something else, something better or more beautiful. Or, as I would say 'taking something a bit naff and turning it into something that someone might actually want!' So, why has it become so popular? There are lots of personal reasons why people do it, but the main themes are an interest in eco-living and not wanting to leave an huge footprint on the environment. Doing things like shopping locally, reducing energy consumption, saving precious resources and doing your bit by recycling and re-using in all its forms. The recession has played its part too, people are looking to save money and the planet Upcycling does both.

too, for mums like me, to set up a business and work quite happily from home, using a personal website or bigger craft websites, like Etsy or ArtFire. Also, it doesn't have to cost much to get started, you basically need glue, a bit of left over paint…. and there is inspiration everywhere you look on craft websites, magazines and Pinterest. There are even blogs and videos to show you how to tackle specific projects. I think that we’ve all got a little ‘Upcycler’ in us - the only thing to do is have a go - you never know what hidden talents you may discover. I'd like to see Upcycling Clubs spring up in our local communities - places where folks can go to be creative and artistic, swap ideas and finished products, sell their creations and, of course, do it over a cup of tea and a big wadge of cake…. now there's an idea…!

A book by William McDonough & Michael Braungart, 'Cradle to Cradle - Remaking the Way We Make Things', published in 2002, brought the topic into the fore by getting peopl to rethink the way they used things. It was only last year I discovered that Upcycling was the word for what I'd been doing for the last 5 years! The fantastic thing about Upcycling is that we can all do it and we can do it at home, in our lounge whilst watching telly or at the kitchen table. It's so satisfying to see something transformed from a very ordinary thing (or even a horrible thing!) into something that is unique, a one-off. Your options are endless - you can redecorate by using paint or decoupage, or change it completely, such as using an old jumper to make a doorstop or turning an unwanted children's game into hanging decorations. You'll find that lots of the handmade products, sold on Etsy and other craft sites, are made with Upcycled items. In fact, the number of products on Etsy tagged with the word 'Upcycled' rose from 7,900 in January 2010 to 167,000 in October 2011! The craze is here, without a doubt, but is it here to stay? It seems we are hooked on Upcycling. It's a bit like our obsession with vintage - that harking back to another time. Everyone recycled and upcycled during the wars - ‘Make Do & Mend' wasn't something invented to go on tea towels! There are opportunities

See more of Bridgets upcycling magic at www.inkahoots.co.uk 19

10 Things I Have Learnt In My First Year Of Business by Karen Paine of www.pamperpartiesoxfordshire.co.uk My first year of business has been a steep learning curve for me. Here are some things I have learnt...

recommendations, but my energy goes into Facebook and Twitter. That is where my potential customers are.

1. To expect some real ‘highs and lows’. Whether it is worrying about the amount of business you are getting, difficult people, fantastic feedback, an exciting new idea or simple hormones causing emotional reactions, there will be Good Times and there will be Bad Times.

8. The importance of separating your personal and business life. Easier said than done this one. If you end up just talking about your business, you are not going to ‘switch off ’ and no matter how excited you are about a new supplier or ad campaign you have going on, your friends don’t want to hear about it all the time. It is also important to remember that your friend’s don’t need to use your service/ buy your products. Some people feel more comfortable using companies they don’t know personally.

2. Things don’t necessarily have to cost a lot of money. If you can pay someone to do the things you find difficult, brilliant. Otherwise, if you are prepared to put the time into it, you can save a lot of money, to use elsewhere in the business. I built my own website, downloaded graphic design software to make my own logo and hunted for the best prices on all resources needed. If you do decide to pay for services, make sure you use someone recommended, by someone who has actually used them. 3. It is good to keep accounts from the word ‘go’. Don’t wait until you feel you are starting to bring a decent amount in. Get in the habit of keeping books up-to-date. 4. It is valuable to get feedback to improve your service. I use a free website www.surveymonkey.com to gain feedback after every party. You can generate your own questions, with a choice of question styles, email a link to the survey and the customer simply fills it in and clicks ‘send’. You then get to read it. I have a box at the end asking if the Parent would consider writing a review for my website. A great way to get testimonials! 5. It is important to gain an understanding about copyright. If you have something unique, look into copyright, trade marks and patents. Anything in print is automatically under copyright law, so someone cannot come and just lift pages from your website, but it’s more tricky with company names and concepts. I recently had someone directly copy one of my parties, down to the title, structure and even what was in the party bags. A strongly worded email encouraged them to remove it, but it is essential to know your rights and be covered. 6. You can expect a lot of unsolicited calls. I often get people calling me to tell me about the wonderful service they can offer me. I was once stupid, I mean naive, enough to believe one such caller. They were going to produce a Facebook Ad that would drive thousands of targeted customers my way. I paid my money, a sum far too embarrassing to disclose and got nothing. I later discovered the company were being investigated by Trading Standards. Always check a company out before agreeing to anything.

7. Not to underestimate the value of Social Media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare...I worked out the other day that one quarter of my bookings are from Social Media activity. It takes some working at, but once you have a good following on your Facebook Page, they are people happy to receive your news, updates and reminders that you exist! Work out which work for you and put your energy into that. I am on LinkedIn and Qype to help with my website links, and to help Google find

9. It is a good idea to make sure you are registered with the relevant agencies. Dull. Make sure you register your business with the tax people, even if you don’t think you’ll make enough to pay tax. Check out whether it is best to pay/ opt out of National Insurance contributions and get relevant insurance. You never know if someone will question you about such things. 10. It is important to take moments to pause and reflect. I’m bad at this. I wish I’d done it more often during the year. Take moments to look at, and celebrate what you have achieved. Running a business is demanding, but the rewards are great. Make sure you stop sometimes and give yourself a ‘pat on the back’.

Looking Good,

Feeling Great!

fter giving birth, the majority of us mums Workout for mums in 4 easy steps: look and feel awful. Let’s be honest, unlike • the celebrity mums, most of us don’t have a team of personal trainers and make-up artists fol- • Squats and lunges with baby in your arms. Keep baby close to you. Focus on small lowing us around ensuring we look our best at all movements, accurate alignment of your times. knees over your toes and keep your pelvic Whilst we can’t help with your hair or make-up, geting your figfloor muscles lifted whilst you do it. If you ure back is another matter. Michelle Smith, Director of The Piare feeling strong enough, hold the posilates Pod, has kindly provided us with some tips for gently posttion and push baby away from you then pull natal exercise to help get you feeling like you again. back in, adding tone to your arms. Make Congratulations! You've got your new little bundle of joy but sure your support baby's head! you've also got a load of baby weight to lose and some weak mus• Baby weights. Lie on your back with bent cles to tone as a result! knees. Push bubba into the air and then bend your arms, letting your baby be your First things first, DON'T RUSH back into exercise! It's vital you get checked for your abdominal muscles re-attaching after weight to tone those arms. they've been pulled apart from a swelling bump. You need to wait • Walk up and down your stairs at a con4-6 weeks after normal delivery, and 8-12 weeks for a C-section. trolled but steady pace. Keep baby in your But get advise from your medics. arms for added heart pumping/fat burning bonus. Of try going up and down one step, Once you're ready to start thinking about getting back into shape, you need to think about 4 things: down one step, as fast as you can. A challenge for those pelvic floor muscles! • Losing some pounds. • Kiss the baby. Press up position on all fours • Strengthening the pelvic floor, deep abdominals muscles (hands and knees) lowering your body over (Transversus) and your back. baby to kiss baby on the way down. • Toning your arms and legs to cope with the weight of •

holding a new baby all day. Slowly working on some flexibility and circulation exercises.

But you've got a new baby, no childcare, lack of money and can't face going outside! So how do you do it?

Remember with all these exercises, keep your abdominals drawn in a little and hold your pelvic floor muscles up like you are trying to stop a wee mid flow. Keep your shoulders sliding down your back as you work and think long tall spine!

Everything you need for a post natal workout is at home and you can even do it in your PJ's, no make up and baby can help too.

For more info on Pilates visit

www.thepilatespod.co.uk 21

Website Do I Need A Website Now?

In this day and age it is pretty much vital for a business to have a website. It is highly recommended to set a website up from the outset of starting your business – it doesn’t have to be a large website, a page or two introducing your business will do just as well. Yes, even for a small business and even if you are not planning on selling online.Why would you want a website? Read on...

Website Hosting

Blog

Domain Name (eg: glassraven.com)

Ecommerce

For a website to be viewed by other people it must be stored on a computer (server) that is permanently connected to the internet. A company that provides the website hosting is known as a web host. Tip: It is recommended to ensure that your hosting server is located in the country you are providing services A domain name is your address on the web – it is used to identify your website and provides an easy way to access the website files held on your hosting. There are various suffixes (known as TLDs or top level domain), the most commonly used for a UK business being .co.uk and .com Tip: We would always recommend a UK based business to purchase both the .co.uk and .com version of their domain name, if both are not available check who is using the other version – else you risk losing business to a competitor!

URL & Filenames

A URL is often also referred to as a web address. It refers to the full address of a page within your website. For example: www. glassraven.com/articles/10tips-google-adwords.php This is the URL for a website page about Adwords, the filename is 10tipsgoogleadwords.php which is held in the folder articles on the domain name glassraven.com

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Search engine optimisation is the process of selecting keywords/ phrases relevant to your website and ensuring your website ranks well for it on a search engine results page. It includes 2 main aspects: • Onsite SEO: Your site content (most importantly page headings and titles), structure, coding, • filenames, image alt tags • Offsite SEO: Links into your website, social media, article sharing, The most important aspect of SEO is selecting the right target keywords – there is little point in ranking well for a keyword if it is not being used by your customers. Find out more here: www.glassraven.com/web-design-resources.php

CMS (Content Management System)

A website content management system allows you to maintain your website via your web browser often without the need for any technical knowledge. They often provide you with familiar word processor style controls to format and edit your website content.

Blogs were originally used as online journals but are becoming a common marketing tool for businesses, providing them with a way to regularly write information in what are called posts. Each post has a date and can be categorised and tagged to make it easy for people viewing the blog to find information. The most commonly used blog platforms are Wordpress and Blogger. An ecommerce website or shopping cart describes a website which has software that allows customers to place items into an online shopping basket and purchase over the internet. Ecommerce software varies vastly in the functionality they provide and amount they can be customised. The basic functionality that most ecommerce software provides is the facility to update your own product catalogue.

Web Optimisation

The aim of optimisation is to reduce the amount of time taken to load a website and can help with your SEO as well as your website users experience. Websites are optimised by ensuring images are optimised, with not too many on a page and by ensuring they are well coded. Images are optimised by adjusting the quality and removing hidden data from your file, and ensuring you don’t use too many on each page! Tip: If your website does not automatically optimise your images for you then try out Photoshop Elements – an excellent piece of software

By Sadie Knight Glassraven.com

Focus Your Guide to Common Web Terms

When setting up your first website it can be a bit overwhelming with various terms you may never have heard before. Here we’ve defined some of the most commonly used terms to help demystify the process for you. Website Hosting

Domain Name (eg: glassraven.com)

A domain name is your address on the web – it is used to identify your website and provides an easy way to access the website files held on your hosting. There are various suffixes (known as TLDs or top level domain), the most commonly used for a UK business being .co.uk and .com Tip: We would always recommend a UK based business to purchase both the .co.uk and .com version of their domain name, if both are not available check who is using the other version – else you risk losing business to a competitor!

URL & Filenames

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Search engine optimisation is the process of selecting keywords/ phrases relevant to your website and ensuring your website ranks

well for it on a search engine results page. It includes 2 main aspects: • Onsite SEO: Your site content (most importantly page headings and titles), structure, coding, • filenames, image alt tags • Offsite SEO: Links into your website, social media, article sharing, The most important aspect of SEO is selecting the right target keywords – there is little point in ranking well for a keyword if it is not being used by your customers. Find out more here: www.glassraven.com/web-design-resources.php

CMS (Content Management System)

Blog

Ecommerce

An ecommerce website or shopping cart describes a website which has software that allows customers to place items into an online shopping basket and purchase over the internet. Ecommerce software varies vastly in the functionality they provide and amount they can be customised. The basic functionality that most ecommerce software provides is the facility to update your own product catalogue.

Web Optimisation

The Essential The things we need, love and want in one round-up The perfect accessory! This stunning, hot pink iPad case is just £29.99 from www.rightbag.co.uk This beautifully streamlined desk is the perfect solution to a small office space. The glass top will reflect the light and the design will ensure a spacious feel. Available from www.Ryman.co.uk for £234.99

The ideal desk accompaniment for all you organisational wizards, the Avery All-in-One Desktop Organiser quite literally has a space for everything! Available from www.avery.co.uk for £29.99

Fed up of boring magnolia walls and being unable to find that perfect print for your office wall? Call off the search! Rock My Wall have a fantastic range of wall murals from just £30 per sqm www.rockmywall.co.uk

l Home Office E V O L E W This gorgeous, retro feel, Orla Kiely laptop sleeve. The design is simple yet distinctive and we just can’t get enough of it! Available from www.rightbag.co.uk for £59.99

Small and perfectly formed, this silver, 5 drawer, desk top filing cabinet from Bisley, is available for www.Ryman.co.uk for £51.99

iPhone junkie? The Purple polka-dot iPhone case is just £19.99 available from www.rightbag.co.uk

DIY PR We all know that every penny counts when running your own business, especially in this economy. PR and marketing are often the first budgets to be cut as they often aren’t seen as being businesscritical. But getting your business in the media can lead to an increase in interest and sometimes in sales. It can be a relatively low-cost strategy, so if you’re looking for savings – or if you’ve not done much promotion of your business and want to start – here’s a beginner’s guide to identifying your stories and getting them in the media yourself. 1. Start by considering who you are targeting and what media is important to them. Who is your best customer? What do they read? Whose opinion do they trust? 2. Research the media you’ve identified – what kind of stories do they cover? For example, are the majority of stories positive and upbeat, controversial and hard-hitting or is there a mixture? 3. From your reading, note names and contact details for relevant journalists. Keep them in a spreadsheet for future use 4. Identify your stories. News is new, so have you got a new product, service or client? But more than that, have you got something unique? Try my “est test”. Have you got the biggest, smallest, fastest, first of anything? You get the idea. 5. Write your press release. There are lots of guides on the internet about how, but the basics to include are who, what , why, where and when plus contact details 6. Test your press release on someone. You want to know that your story is interesting to others so get someone you trust to read your press release and provide feedback on both the story and the way you’ve presented it 7. Find or take a relevant picture which illustrates the story (no giant cheque presentations please). A good pic can help your story get a better position on the page and more space 8. Send your press release to the journalists you identified. Paste it into the body of the email for ease 9. Follow up with a polite phone call a couple of days later if you wish 10. My final tip - do not harass journalists, they don’t need your stories (unless you’re Tesco) but you need them. Your best chance of success is to build a relationship with them and establish a reputation for providing quality news. Haranguing journalists will just mean your emails go unread, regardless of the quality of the story. Louise Turner runs Your Virtual PR, a PR and communications company specialising in working with small and medium businesses, especially those run by parents. www.yourvirtualpr.com

p U t e e F r u o Put Y Take a five minute break and complete our little brain teaser. Come on, you know you want to...

Across

Down

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just for fun! 28

Win...£500 to spend at

Our Isabella Oliver 365 women’s wear collection has been created for the modern, stylish woman and combines great design, beautiful cuts and luxe fabrics. The collection includes iconic ready-to-wear clothing, from fabulous dresses and timeless outerwear, to effortlessly stylish separates. Whatever the occasion, Isabella Oliver 365 offers versatile pieces that mix classic design with contemporary details. Style wherever life may take you

To Enter: Simply email hello@mumpreneuruk.com with the subject ‘competition’ and include your full name and contact number. The winner will be drawn at random on Friday 29th June 2012 See mumpreneuruk.com for terms and conditions

Next Issue July will see two editions of Mumpreneur the Magazine! The latest in our normal publication along with a summer special which will include some of the most inspirational mumpreneur and dadpreneur business stories around! Be sure not to miss it!

Next edition July/August 2012