Business Mum's Journal Edition 1: Original by MumsClub.co.uk

Publisher: Community Times Limited 0800 243 462 info@communitytimes,co.uk

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Jane Hopkins - Editor Editorial: 01675 465863 Advertising: 01675 465863 email: admin@mumsclub.co.uk www.mumsclub.co.uk Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. Community Times Ltd does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication.

8 Make a Recycled Monster 4 Babies & Children 12 Business Planning 11 Mother & Baby 16 5 great ways to stay motivated 15 Fashion 24 Fire up your finances 15 Friends & Family 18 Education & Activities 29 Meet some MumsClubbers! 18 Food & Catering 19 Business Services & Ideas 19 New Business Ideas and Opportunities

The Business Mum’s Journal & Directory

is the registered trademark of Community Times Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission of the publisher.

Welcome!

The Magazine for Entrepreneurial Mums

Welcome to the very first edition of the magazine for entrepreneurial Mums! Running your own business is a huge challenge but incredibly rewarding. MumsClub is all about giving recognition and support to those women who manage it despite the constraints working against them and manage to multi task in the extreme. In addition to our website, we’ve built this directory of products and services, all supplied by entrepreneurial mums, and have supported it with a series of articles and tips regarding running a business from home. If you’re a mum thinking of setting up your own business, you’ll find essential tips and access to the best advice and support network available and if you’re already running your own business then you’re now able to connect with other mums like you and help your business grow stronger. This magazine is a tribute to every mother who is striving to build a better life for herself and her family, and who stills manages to find time to give support back to other mums. To all the MumsClub forum members, you are all amazing women and I love that I’ve “virtually” met you all! See you there! Jane Hopkins, Founder of MumsClub

Jane x

Babies & Children

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Even if you work from home, dress as though you're going to work. You will feel in work mode, and will work more efficiently, and even sound more professional on the phone! - Claire Boynton, Generation One

Babies & Children 4

Babies & Children

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: My motto is persistence beats resistance - especially when I'm trying to look for more distributors for our products. Just keep going and you will get a breakthrough. It works - ask any toddler!! - Katie Sarl, Learn4life

Babies & Children 6

Babies & Children

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Keep your website up to date, make sure your keywords are relevant and remember content is King!

1. Create your Pattern First you will need to create a pattern for your monster. Either draw one yourself or ask your children to draw you one. If you get your children to draw one you may have to adapt it by making it bigger or simplifying it. This picture shows how I adapted a drawing by one of my children (on the left) into a design I could use (shown on the right). Transfer your pattern to newspaper or dressmakers pattern paper.

3. Cut out and Sew Together If you are using a piece of fabric then fold it in half so that you have two layers. If you are recycling then you should have two sides already. Place your pattern on top and pin it to both layers. Cut out your pieces leaving an extra 1.5 cm around the pattern for your seam allowance. For our monster we cut the Monster body out of the main part of the top and the Monster legs from the arms. If you do this you will need to sew the leg pieces to each side of the body before you sew the rest together. Remove the pattern and with the right sides of the fabric facing each other pin and then sew your monster together on a sewing machine or by hand using a back stitch. Use a ball point needle to prevent laddering. Remember to leave a small gap open at one side so that you can turn it inside out and stuff it.

4. Stuff your Monster Turn your monster the right way out pulling it through the hole you left in the side. You can either stuff it with shop bought stuffing, cleaned and carded sheep's wool or even small remnants of fabric. Use only small pieces of stuffing otherwise it will become lumpy. Push the stuffing well down the legs using something long like a chopstick if necessary. Even very small children can help with stuffing and they will delight in seeing the empty sack take shape before their eyes.

5. Give it some features Decide what features you are going to give your monster. It can be as simple or as complex as you wish. You can either cut out the features from fabric to sew on, or embroider directly onto the fabric with embroidery thread, or even paint them on. We used some off cuts of fabric to make two eyes and a mouth. We used two colours for each and sewed the smaller piece on to the larger one with a small zig-zag stitch on the machine. If sewing on fabric like we did then pin it first so it doesn't move around. We placed ours over the worst of the stains. Then sew the fabric on using small over and over stitches close together.

6. Give your monster to a lucky child And there you have it: you have just created a fantastic recycled monster. There is only one like it in the world and you have also done your bit to help save the planet. The sky is the limit here. You can make your monsters as small or as large as you like. They can have two heads, seven arms and three legs. Only your imagination is the limit. And if you like you can also create shoes, clothes and accessories for your monster. Get creating and have fun.

All about mum: Mairi Rivers is a work at home mum of three young children and she runs Pogglers an online store selling cloth dolls, dressing up clothes, toys, bags and more for babies and children. She started making toys when pregnant with her second child. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted to make something for my new born baby to give her big sister, so that she felt included and also had something to look after,â&#x20AC;? explains Mairi. She uses natural fabrics, predominantly organic cotton, with a line of one off Funky Dolls made from recycled material. Visit her website for more creative ideas like this one; www.pogglers.net

Babies & Children

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Running a business around family life can be isolating, but you're not alone. After the kids are asleep you'll find a whole army of mum's online, also building their empires! - Jane Hopkins, MumsClub

Babies & Children 10

Mother & Baby

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Make sure you have a good support network behind you, including family members, your partner, your friends and your online friends!

BUSINESS PLAN KEY FEATURES Executive Summary: You complete this last of all, but it is the most important feature. Some Lenders will only read the Executive Summary and the Forecast, as essentially, this tells them what they need to know in order to decide whether or not to invest in you. Your Executive Summary is a summary of your Business Plan, so should summarise your vision, your target customers, your products or services, why you are better then your competitors and of course, your figures. Your business, its products and services: What is your business, what will you sell, to whom will you sell? You need a clear idea of what you plan to do and how you plan to do it . Your marketing & sales strategy: Do you have a clear idea who your customers are and what their needs are? Why will they buy from you? How are you going to attract them? What are your prices. Your operations: Your facilities, IT systems, manufacturing or production facilities, etc. Financial Forecasts: Those all important forecasts and projections. It is absolutely imperative that your projections are realistic and plausible, but don’t be put off if you are hopeless at math, many banks will provide basic assistance.

Business

g n i n n pla

Writing a Business Plan

Careful planning leads to a

successful business... Starting up your new business is much like setting out on a long journey and writing up your Business Plan is one of the first steps you take in planning for that journey, says business service provider Mary Cummings. Studies show that businesses that have followed a Business Plan tend to be (no guarantees) more successful than those who have not. Why? Because they will have taken the time to thoroughly examine some of the following key factors:-

• How will you oper- posed to a product, ate your business?

• How long before you start to profit?

make

• What factors might affect your sales?

• What are your plans for growth or expansion? Writing a Business Plan will help you to understand your finances better, as you will have forecasted your sales and costs. If your business is providing a service as op-

having written a Business Plan will have armed you with sufficient information to determine how many customers you need to provide your service to and what to do if demand exceeds your ability to provide the service. Finally, if you need finance for your business, your Lender will want to see a Business Plan with sound forecasted figures before they consider funding you.

With thanks to Mary Cummings of Antecell Business Services www.antecell.co.uk

Mother & Baby

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: You don't have to be like a candidate from The Apprentice to be a successful Mumtrepreneur. Have the confidence to be yourself.......Many people can't say, or spell, Mumtrepreneur! - Claire Boynton, Generation One

Mother and Baby

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Have confidence in your ability, if you can bring up children successfully you can manage anything! - Alison , Dribblesbuster

Mother and Baby 14

Fashion

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Don't forget to work your network of friends, family & acquaintances. In a lean month a sale can make the difference between a good month or bad.! MelissaG, Castles & Rainbows

Friends & Family

great ways to

stay motivated!

Staying motivated day in day out can be really hard in any business. There is the regular grind of tasks you would rather not do as well as the issues which can take the wind out of your sales and maybe make you wonder if it is all worth it. Running a business and a family can be particularly taxing as you can sometimes be torn between commercial success and caring for those around you. If any of this sounds familiar then here are 5 simple tips to help you stay motivated when the going gets tough or pick you up if you are Trying to grow a business which is out of all feeling down. proportion to the time available is asking for trouble. There are only so many hours in a day and you need to decide if you really do have enough of them to grow a full time business. Of course you can involve others Of course business is all about finance but but they will make demands on your time money in itself is a poor motivator compared to too. So to avoid being out of control and what it can buy. So decide what you will do under huge pressure make sure your with the cash you hopefully will make at the end aspirations match your availability. of the year and be very specific. Even if you intend ploughing it all back in the business have at least one nice thing you will do or buy with a small proportion of it. Then make this goal both tangible and visible. There are lots of ways to do this â&#x20AC;&#x201C; put it on your screen saver or maybe find images which will remind you of your objective and make a montage. Whether it is a holiday, a car or getting the house improved you will be able to find images which will make an attractive and hopefully motivating picture.

1.Match your time to your business

2. Make your goals meaningful

3. Give yourself treats There are boring mind numbing tasks in any business and it is sometimes hard to maintain motivation to the end. To keep your energy up why not give yourself a little treat when the job is done. You can make this even more fun by writing down lots of little treats on separate pieces of paper, putting them into a bag and drawing one out when you have completed a particularly tedious chore. Learn to celebrate too. We are great at beating ourselves up when things don’t go the way we expected or we screw up but usually never balance this with recognising and celebrating our successes no matter how small.

4. Enliven your environment

your office space too with colourful stuff on a notice board and maybe some flowers. When I need to think or be calmer I light a candle. Also clear that desk. It really is energy absorbing having a lot of clutter around. The first thing I do when I visit a new client is look at their desk – it is just like looking into their head!

Changing the atmosphere and environment are great ways to pick up energy and stay motivated. I am a classical music fan and like nothing better than listening to an opera CD. But when my energy is low I put on a good rock station and bop away as I type. You can change

5. Create a support structure Running a business can be quite lonely at times, especially if you are surrounded by people who are not part of your business and don’t understand the detail. Creating an effective support structure is really important. When I raise this with my clients they often say they do not know anyone who would act in this capacity but when pressed it is really that they feel they do not have the right to ask. Believe me people are only too willing to show interest and lend an ear. You could even set up an advisory board of people with different skills and approaches which meets once a month over a good meal which you could cook. You get to update them on your progress and they get to add value and feel good about it.

Chris Kaday is a business coach and business mentor who helps companies start up and grow, sometimes for fee but often for free. He is also a broadcaster, author and entrepreneur. You can find out more about Chris and read his blog and business tips on www.chriskaday.co.uk 17

Babies & Children

Activities & Education Activity Classes for Pre-School Kids present

ALPHA BABIES CLASSES The pre-reading class for 1-3 year olds - the only class of its kind in the UK! Teach baby to read using flash cards, phonics, music, games, play, crafts and FUN! Low-key and no pressure yet effective - see what your baby can achieve! Tutors wanted nationwide!

www.hullabalookids.co.uk

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Don't be afraid to ask for help! Family and friends will often help out be it with time, help with the kids, labour or just someone to moan to! - Melissa Gardnerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Castles and Rainbows

Babies & Children 18

Food & Catering

If you dream of having all your favourite meals, hand prepared by experienced chefs, using quality ingredients, delivered to your door, we can make that dream come true - Go on Fill your freezer!

Choose from our range of over 200 dishes at www.kitchenmonkey.co.uk or call 0870 140 3213

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Do one thing to promote your business EVERY DAY!

Activity Classes for Pre-School Kids Join Hullabaloo Kids - the fastest growing pre-school franchise in the UK! Hullabaloo Kids offers franchise opportunities in: Baby Sign Classes , Baby Massage Classes, Baby Play Classes - the multisensory play class for 0-2 year olds and introducing our new programme: Alpha Babies - the pre-reading class for 1-3 year olds We offer low cost franchises designed for those with children. Take your children to work - no childcare costs, no hassle, just lots of fun! Our franchise packages start at just ÂŁ250. Join our supportive community of franchisees.

www.hullabalookids.co.uk 19

Business Services & Business Opportunities

New Business Opportunities

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Keep yourself motivated! Juggling family and business can be tiring so write down your future goals and keep reminding yourself!

Fire up your finances! With Gemma Johnson from www.babeecard.com

With a national birth rate of around 700,000 babies born every year, keeping a tight control over your finances is crucial. At a time when income goes down and costs go up, planning, budgeting and keeping track of what you spend, where you spend and where you can save or cut back is key. Having a baby is one of the most amazing journeys a woman can take, so we have put together our top 5 tips to help you get the most out of your finances.

trays. 3. Kill your interest bill - "ringfence" your finances We all know credit cards can be an expensive way to purchase, so if you struggle to meet your repayments at the end of each month you could easily see yourself spiralling into debt.

1. Claim all your benefits don't miss out! - Child benefit, Tax credits, Sure Start maternity Prepaid (pay-as-you-go) grant, SMP/MA, Free MasterCards only allow you to prescriptions & free dental spend what you have on the treatment. card, this helps you to "ring2. Make your own purees! fence" your finances, budget Shop bought baby food can be and control your spending. very expensive, especially if you 4. Reduce your mortgage have a hungry baby in your payments - Switching to a midst. An average of 3-4 jars a flexible mortgage will help you day will set you back a if you are going to be off work whopping ÂŁ10 - ÂŁ11 per week for more than 6 months, and that's not even including alternatively moving to a fixed formula! rate deal will give you peace of So make your own purees with mind that your repayments are fresh produce and freeze in the same each month, enabling airtight storage pots or ice cube you to budget accordingly.

5. Save during pregnancy & save with discounts - Giving up alcohol, smoking and saving on your gym membership due to pregnancy could help you squirrel away those extra pennies whilst you are still earning. This will boost your maternity allowance once you are on leave and offer a buffer should you need it. Check for discounts, voucher codes, BOGOF and 3 for 2 offers when you shop or bulk buy to maximise savings.

Contact Gemma Johnson - gemma.johnson@paybyblueberry.com - www.babeecard.com 24

New Business Opportunities

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Keep a close eye on your sales. You need to know exactly which of your products are making the most money, because you need to ensure you have more money coming in than going out!

New Business Opportunities

MUMSCLUB FORUM TIP: Beware of the fridge and the kettle. Both become friends when you work from home! - Claire Boynton, Generation One

Overwhelmed by your photos? Don’t be. Photos are our business and could be yours, too! Sian Hendra, Creative Memories Senior Unit Leader tells how she sorted her photos and built a business as a busy Mum: “My photos were all over the place and I knew I needed to get them sorted and into photo safe albums. I wasn’t really looking for a job but a business in a bag for £95 - wow! It seemed too good to be true and yet in Creative Memories I saw photo products of the highest quality; and after all, everyone takes photos. I loved the concept of having fun while preserving my photos and memories and the idea of having a job that I could fit around a young and growing family was appealing. I decided to give it a go. That is how I started as a Creative Memories Consultant and like many before and since, I was unsure whether I could make it work. Here I am nearly six years later with a team of 145 all holding parties and having a great time! The Company provides a huge amount of support when you first start and then ongoing. We share ideas and tips to ensure success for all. My market place is anyone with photos. That includes nearly everyone, doesn’t it?! The range of products caters for all, from simple pocket-style albums to creative “scrapbook” style albums, storage and organisational products. In other words, something for everyone. Many of my customers love decorative albums but don’t have the time or skills to put one together. Creative Memories’ beautiful co-ordinating products mean they can’t really go wrong and it’s fast, easy and fun to complete albums. I help to “preserve the past, enrich the present and inspire hope for the future” – that’s Creative Memories’ Mission and it’s one we all share. Put simply, that means we Party with Passion, we have fun and ultimately we have a job we LOVE. How great is that?” Creative Memories - huge potential and choice in products and opportunities. Want to find out more? Take a look at www.creativememories.co.uk or call UK Head Office on 01635 294700 for more information.

Remember | Celebrate | Connect As diligent members of the Direct Selling Association, we remind you that it is illegal for a promoter or participant in a trading scheme to persuade anyone to make a payment by promising benefits from getting others to join a scheme; do not be misled by claims that high earnings are easily achieved. 28

Meet some MumsClubbers... Meet Gayle Berry aka “Baby Massage”, a former solicitor who has taught baby massage for the past six years, and has written a book on the topic: ‘Baby Massage - Expert knowledge at your fingertips’. Her strong belief in the benefits of massage led her in 1997 to launch Blossom and Berry - a natural and holistic lifestyle organisation offering classes which teach parents how to use massage and yoga to help relax, bond with and have fun with their babies. She has also manufactured a therapeutic range of products which she sells through her website, and her unique baby massage mat - designed by Gayle Pauline Adams “Qualitee” runs a thriving online business printing and selling maternity tshirts, big brother tees and promotional clothing too! She says “I joined MumsClub forum in December having been 'running' my printing side of the business as more of a hobby and selling on auction sites. At the time I only had a basic knowledge of computers but once I read all the ideas and advice and the technical stuff made easy from other MumsClubbers I had the courage to start my own website within 4 weeks of joining! The

provides visual pointers for a new parent baby massaging at home. Gayle has managed to launch her website and design her mat whilst maintaining a hectic work schedule and being a mother to three little children; all made possible by living on four or five hours sleep a night, which she is happy to do while the business grows! “I am new (to MumsClub) and so far it has been the best site I have joined for advice and help....it’s the best thing I have done in ages!” www. blossomandberry.com

support and encouragement from other mums who are also juggling a business, running a home and looking after their children is endless.”

groups in the local area she found that her little one unfortunately spent most of the time sat on her knee, as babies have differing activity needs to toddlers.

Pauline has now become our resident motivator! She is always ready to, and is superb at reciprocating all the support that she feels has helped her so much! www.teesonline.co.uk

She longed for activities that were specially designed for babies, and were only attended by babies and their carers. She wanted a safe haven where babies could be babies and mums could relax.

Sarah Jones aka “Sarah Lolly” is a Mum on a mission,

With a background working with children Sarah set about designing programmes suitable for 0-2 year olds - and so Hullabaloo Kids was born, and she has now turned her successful business into a nationally available franchise. www.hullabalookids.co.uk

Hullabaloo Kids was founded by Sarah when her daughter was just 4 months old. Whilst she enjoyed attending Mother and Toddler

Writing from Home Meet Sarah Barnard aka ”Soapnutter” who’s just published her first novel, “The Portal Between”. Sarah is one of the forum’s Eco supporters, she’s a single Mum who manages to find time to

write, run her online business selling eco-friendly products as well as keep her home and kids in order! Sarah’s first book can now be found on Amazon, Tesco’s and WHSmith. She keeps the forum

up to date with her journey to publication so you can find out more about Sarah and writing from home on both MumsClub and www.ethicstrading.com.

More MumsClubbers... Naomi Timperley aka “naomilovesdisco” is a Director of Baby Loves Disco UK Ltd, a monthly afternoon dance party for parents and their children from 6mths – 7yrs. Using the coolest venues in town, real DJ’s, bubble machines, face painting, a full spread of healthy snacks, and LOTS of dancing. A community event guaranteed to be the best time you’ve had at a kid’s event…..!

Hugely successful in the US, Baby Loves Disco was launched in the UK in 2007 in Manchester and London to rave reviews and has been sold out in London every month since then and is launching in cities all over the country in the Autumn. Naomi says “I have met some inspiring women on my BLD journey and I’m learning new things on a daily basis, the main thing though is if you don’t ask

Mum of 5, Donna Pavey, aka “metalgreymon” became a WAHM (work at home mum) when she was offered the chance to have a free online store following the birth of her youngest boy, Llando. She had always had part time jobs outside of the home, but through motherhood she discovered a whole world of lovely baby items and saw the opportunity to base a business around just that. Her market was baby products but she was also passionate about breastfeeding, so planet Llando was born. Donna has enjoyed the successes of her new Lisa Jackson aka “Baby Not Included” started her business because she wanted more freedom to choose when to work and when to live her life. She says “I started Baby Not Included in May 2007 when I finally plucked up the courage to take the plunge. I chose an on-line baby shop because I love all things baby, and let’s face it people aren't going to

you don’t get! MumsClub has been a great source of information and I have met some fabulous women through the forum” www.babylovesdisco.co.uk

business but since becoming one of our ‘serial networkers’ she has found the additional benefits of networking with other mums and has seen her sales increase from MumsClub members as well as seeing a boost to her hit counter. She says “I joined the forum and I learnt how to make my site more "findable" by search engines and therefore my customers, I made many many contacts and swapped links with them, gaining a much wider audience for my store.” Her confidence has now increased greatly, Donna says “I am now brave enough to upgrade to a paid for store and really make a go of being a WAHM!” www.planetllando.co.uk for babywear, babylegs accessories, slings, knitwear, skincare probreastfeeding sloganwear ... and much much more!

stop having babies! I really enjoyed it but found it very isolating being web based without physical human beings around. Then I found MumsClub and started talking to loads of people, all from different working backgrounds, but at the same time all working towards the same thing, combining working around being a mother instead of the other way round. I now have somewhere I

can vent my frustrations, get great advice and also just general chit chat with likeminded people.” www.babynotincluded.co.uk

Victoria Dixon, 30 years young mum of two (age 3 and 7 weeks!) decided to set up in business back in February 2006. Initially, as a hobby, she had played around with image-editing software on her computer, and had submitted a few pictures to art galleries – which sold well. Later she did a few freebies for friends, who had requested that photographs of their children be transformed into fairies. These friends had such a positive reaction at the

final result that she decided to dip her toe in the water and put the service online. Very little financial outlay was required – Victoria had practically everything she needed! When her website went live Victoria really wasn’t sure what to expect. “I was surprised at just how quickly the orders came flooding in. I can’t even begin to describe how thrilling it is to find people who like and want the work that you do!” So far she

Meet Sherilyn, “Tots Corner” who together with her mum runs TotsCorner an online baby goods store. selling personally recommended baby essentials, beautiful gifts including organic items, personalised name prints, nappy cakes and a range of toys including the Wheely Bug. Prices include UK postage which means customers know exactly what the cost will be before they checkout.

trading for a year when I came across MumsClub which is a great resource. A wide range of businesses are represented and we can offer and gain advice from different perspectives, which has proved invaluable. We have met several new suppliers through MumsClub which gives our customers the widest choice along with our personal service. We would recommend MumsClub to anyone who is thinking of starting or is already in business. www.totscorner.co.uk

Sherilyn says “Being a business mum is hard work, we often work evenings and weekends packaging customer orders and adding new products which can be tiring but ultimately is a rewarding experience. We had been

Based in Brighton, Nicky Chisholm, aka “Nicky Chis”, Mum to Calan (3) and Finley (13 weeks) set up Mums in Biz to run Business Start up seminars that focus directly on issues that affect busy mums and provides answers, fun and inspiration to get those businesses moving, all with the ultimate aim of helping mums establish a business that they can enjoy in tandem with motherhood. The seminars include sessions on

has turned children, adults (and even the occasional pet!) into pirates, fairies, dragon slayers, mermaids, angels, elves, racing car drivers, spacemen, cowboys and princesses. They have been standing next to their favourite pop star, or sitting in Santa’s sleigh, and best of all, the results are completely photo-real. www.enhance-me.com

business planning, time management, child care opportunities, life coaching, training, funding, sources of information, finance and provides business profiles plus what to do and where to go next. Mums in Biz is a huge supporter of MumsClub, and has used the website not only to raise her business profile but also to look for advice, carry out research and keep up to date on what is

happening in the mums community. Nicky says “I have also used the site on a personal level to chat on the forums and find support and inspiration from other mums that are going through the daily battle of looking after a family and running a business from home.” www.mumsinbiz.co.uk

MumsClub would like to thank the following businesses for their support throughout the production of this publication: