Parents in Business Magazine by parentsinbiz

ISSUE 9 • JULY 2020

IN CONVERSATION WITH

Shakira Taylor Founder of Fitness With Shakira

5 parents share how they plan to bounce back and thrive IN CONVERSATION WITH

Rob Moore

Author, Property Investor and Disruptive Entrepreneur

Transform your mindset to achieve success

WHAT’S NEXT? Using the coronavirus crisis to assess your business and come back stronger

DO YOU WANT MORE EYES ON YOUR BUSINESS? INTRODUCING THE

Parents in Business Directory The Parents in Business Directory is here to help you! FEATURING YOUR BUSINESS WITH US WILL BOOST YOUR VISIBILITY LEVELS.

We will ensure that your business, and more importantly, what you offer, is seen by the RIGHT people.

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CONTENTS ISSUE 9

•

www.parentsinbiz.co.uk

J U LY 2 0 2 0

Parents in Business

WHAT’S NEXT?

magazine is available

Assess your business and come back stronger

6 SPOTLIGHT Mama and Me doula services

8 MINDSET Transform your mindset to achieve success

10 IN CONVERSATION Shakira Taylor founder of Fitness With Shakira Cover image photo credit Nux Photography www.nuxphotography.com

SPECIAL FEATURE Bounce back and trive

BOOK REVIEW Networking a successful small business

LEVERAGE PR Survive the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

SUMMER HOLIDAYS Surviving the holidays with your child one week at a time

IN CONVERSATION Rob Moore author, property investor and disruptive entrepreneur

IN CONVERSATION Rosey Davidson founder of Just Chill Baby Sleep

MINDFULNESS A mindfulness journey

DIRECTORY Parents in Business directory

in digital and print.

Don’t forget to follow us on social media, we love getting to know you!

CONTRIBUTORS SHONA CHAMBERS, MARKETING CONSULTANT Shona Chambers is a Marketing Consultant and owner of Shona Chambers Marketing, a Marketing Agency based in Nunhead near Peckham. Specialising in helping Small Business Owners and Freelancers with their Marketing. *Photo credit Portrayed Photography www.spaceat61.com CATHERINE ERDLY, FOUNDER OF THE RESILIENT RETAIL CLUB Catherine Erdly is the Founder of the Resilient Retail Club, she has over 19 years experience working with product businesses of all sizes from high street names (such as Paperchase, Laura Ashley and Coast), all the way down to brand new businesses with just a handful of customers. She helps product businesses grow their sales, manage their stock and make more money. www.resilientretail.com CAI GRAHAM, FOUNDER OF PEAK PARENTING AND CREATOR OF THE TEEN TOOLBOX™ SERIES: PARENTING EXPERT, AUTHOR, PODCASTER AND SPEAKER. Cai Graham is an NLP Master Practitioner Parenting & Expert. Cai Graham has been in the trenches of parenting and is now on a mission to equip parents and teens with the tools for navigating adolescence. She is a Parenting & Teen Coach, Speaker and Amazon #1 bestselling author of The Teen Toolbox™. She specialises in supporting families overcoming obstacles; including communication issues, loss and trauma so that they can enjoy a brighter future. www.caigraham.com JO KAYE , MINDFULNESS COACH Jo Kaye is a Mindfulness Coach she teaches a variety of Mindfulness courses to individuals, parents, teachers and carers both in private groups and 1-1 coaching and also in corporate settings. The Breathe Academy has one simple, main goal – to teach mindfulness and meditation to help parents better navigate the challenges and pitfalls, whilst skilfully balancing all of the demands we currently have on our lives. www.thebreatheacademy.co.uk FIONA MINETT, CONSUMER PR EXPERT Fiona Minett is a Consumer PR Expert and long-time supporter of small business. She spent six years running Peachy PR, an agency specialising in working with small businesses and start-ups and helped her clients make their mark through canny PR. Now, she wants to help you do the same. www.bossyourpr.com ZUZANA TAYLOR, HOLISTIC AND TRANSFORMATION BUSINESS COACH Zuzana Taylor is a Holistic and Transformation Business Coach and mum to two beautiful children. She supports and empower mums in business looking to step into their power, regain confidence, and are serious about building the business of their dreams. www.zuzanataylor.com BHAVINI LAKHANI , GRAPHIC DESIGNER Bhavini is an independent graphic designer specialising in branding and design for print, and is a mum of 2. She’s based in Milton Keynes, with a client base that spans global brands such as Conti Espresso, Barclaycard and British Gas, as well as local businesses across the UK. www.b81designs.com

Do you like what we do? Why not become a guest contributor. Let’s collaborate contact bridget@parentsinbiz.co.uk Magazine designed by B81 Designs www.b81designs.com Disclaimer views expressed in the articles are those strictly of the authors. Every effort is made to ensure that all information given is correct but Parents in Biz limited accepts no liability for inaccuracies, errors or omissions that may occur or their consequences. This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher. Copyright includes (and not limited to) the content syndication of the RSS feed of this publication. The content and images used in any of the articles of this publication. The Parents in Business Magazine logo and any of its derivatives.

EDITOR’S WELCOME Many of us over the past few months continue to face upheaval in our lives. Many business owners are still grappling with the impact that Covid-19 is having on their day-to-day life. In this issue, we are committed to supporting you to bounce back and thrive in your business. Catherine Erdly gives actionable steps on using the Coronavirus crisis to assess your business and come back stronger. Zuzana Taylor writes how to transform your mindset to achieve success. We have a special feature 5 parents share how they are going to bounce back and thrive. These individuals all represent a real sense of determination and grit. These are professionals who have managed to really be more in the face of a challenge. They have demonstrated that they are willing and inclined to fight for their business, and we’re very proud to hear their stories. The lesson to learn here is that when it comes to what can be done in the face of overwhelming odds, it’s sometimes better to hang up the rulebook and decide for yourself. These incredible people proved that they weren’t afraid to try and move on, and they did so well. Their stories are far from over, but the legacy that they have created and the impact they will have for business owners struggling with COVID-19 right now can not be underestimated.

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We have inspiring interviews with Shakira Taylor Founder of Fitness with Shakira you’ll read how she has diversified her income streams. Rob Moore Author, Property Investor & Disruptive Entrepreneur who became a millionaire before the age of 31. And in our interview with Rosey Davidson, Founder of Just Chill Baby Sleep shares how her sleep experience with her own children inspired her to start her business and help other parents. We are shinning the small business spotlight on Mama And Me Doula Services Founded by Vanisha Virgo.

Bridget

Bridget Daley Editor

We are a Work for Good Partner and give a proportion of proceeds to charity.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next? Using the Coronavirus crisis to assess your business and come back stronger Many businesses are currently grappling with the impact that Covid-19 is having on their day-to-day life. It is a worrying time as businesses adjust to sudden changes in demands from consumers, and potentially having to literally stop trading. If you have been left with more time on your hands as a result of the impact of the Coronavirus, it is easy to get caught in paralysing fear. The best way to avoid that fear paralysis is to be focused on action. Small steps every day will add up over time, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to do what you can to keep moving. A constructive way that you can use this time is to work on

longer-term strategies that will help your business to come out stronger. To help you do that, why not complete a SWOT analysis? A SWOT analysis is a simple review format covering your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen. Fold the piece of paper into 4 and start brainstorming. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overthink it. Afterwards, you can write up your notes into a more coherent report, but for now, just let things come out.

Strengths Your business strengths are your internal advantages - what has been working really well for you? As a business, your strengths could cover all kinds of different things from your brand story to your branding, your products or services, the people working for you, your business model, your marketing efforts or your customer service.

Really celebrate what has worked well, including identifying your best selling products or services and the marketing and promotions that have been the most successful in the last 12 months. Once you've identified everything that's worked well, see if you

can pinpoint what it is that has allowed the successes to happen. For example, when you identify your best products or services, what is it that has helped you create them? Do you have a fantastic designer who helps you? Are you really connected to your customer and able to work out exactly what they want from you?

Weaknesses These are the flip side of your internal advantages. Considering your weaknesses allows you to identify the skills and resources that you need that you don't currently have. For example, are you aware that you could do more PR to promote your business but don't know where to start? Are you not tackling key business activities like SEO? Could your business model be more diversified? At a time like this, it is easier than ever to identify where your weaknesses are, so use that knowledge. Has this crisis highlighted how reliant you are on one particular client who is now not operational? Is it showing you that you need to improve your digital marketing and online presence? Use the current difficulties to reflect on where you can improve as a business.

Opportunities Is there anything about the current situation that could actually become an opportunity? For example, if you are heavily reliant on a single client, which is a weakness, it is also an opportunity because it shows that if you build up your online presence, this will strengthen your business in the long term. Go back over the list of your weaknesses and ask yourself if any of them are also opportunities. In addition, are there any opportunities for your business to pivot? Could you add new methods of selling or new products or services that are appealing to your customer right now? Only you will know if a pivot, even a temporary one, is right for you.

Threats These are any external threats to your business from an outside source. The current situation with Covid-19 may be a massive threat to your business but consider if there are other threats that perhaps you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had time to think about during day-to-day life.

For example, changing consumer habits such as the move towards conscious consumerism - is that a threat to your current business as it stands? Are there threats to your business from new entrants into your niche? Does the Covid-19 crisis represent a shift in how your niche will operate? Can you look ahead and draw any conclusions about how life will be after the virus? These questions are painful and can be anxiety-producing, but it is much better to face them head-on. It is also better to get these niggling thoughts and worries onto a piece of paper so that you can start formulating a plan.

However, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve identified some more significant weaknesses or threats that you want to address, you may need to do so as part of a long-term strategy. Can you use this quieter time to work on some of the areas for improvement that you have identified? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always worth re-visiting your SWOT analysis once a quarter to keep moving your business forward. None of us know quite how long the Coronavirus crisis will continue to have a major impact on our day to day lives. Regularly re-visiting your SWOT analysis will allow you to keep adjusting as we navigate through these difficult times. Catherine Erdly Founder of the Resilient Retail Club www.resilientretail.com

What to do next Once you've completed the SWOT analysis, identify what you are actually going to DO as a result of this analysis. It may be useful to sort these into short, medium and long-term actions. For example, is there a short-term opportunity to offer a new service to your customers or to otherwise address the Covid-19 crisis in some other way?

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT My name is Vanisha Virgo, and my main business is Mama and Me Doula services.

What inspired you to start your business?

I say main as I have other businesses under the umbrella name of Mama and Me.

My son was born non-responsive and was rushed to the neonatal unit to be resuscitated. I had a postnatal haemorrhage, and I was rushed to the theatre as I was losing so much blood.

I am a single parent to one child, Micah aka Munch.

I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get the birth or postnatal care I envisioned. I got to met my son in the neonatal ward 6hrs after giving birth. My son spent 2 weeks in the hospital, and the lack of emotional support was hard for me, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get the wrong

The story about my business Mama and me Doula begins with my sons birth.

I had a few really good friends checking in on me every now and again but there were times I needed a hug and to talk to someone about what I was experiencing. Once home, I kept thinking about my start to parenting, but everyone kept telling me that everything turned out fine and focus on the fact that now I was healthy, and the baby was healthy. It made me feel as if I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talk about how I felt after my experience.I later realised I was seeking unbiased help and support for my birth trauma.

It was about 2 years after my sons birth that someone told me I would make an amazing Doula with my background in childcare. She gave me the details of a Doula trainer, Mars Lord, in my area of North London. I contacted Mars, and after talking to her about what a Doula is and how to become a Doula, I realised that what I was seeking in my early days as a new parent was the support of a Doula. I had always been the person amongst my friends, and my family who goes round to help the new parents, listening to them talk about their experience, helping by cooking or bringing

a meal, watching the baby while the parent's shower, wash their hair, has a nap etc., it’s only when I met up with and spoke to Mars that I realised that I had naturally been supporting friends and family in a postnatal doula role for years i just didn’t know it. This is what a Doula does, provides support for families and their babies prenatal, during birth and during the postnatal period, whether it is the first or 7th baby.

Offers As a person of colour myself I know there is a lack of representation within the Doula and postnatal community and I offer a discount to people colour. You can find more information about me and what I do as a Doula on my website. Mama And Me Doula Services www.mamandmedoulaservices.co.uk

Tell us about the services you offer? I am so glad I did my Doula training with Mars Lord of Abuela doula training, I have learnt so much and am better equipped to support families. I am now also a trained babywearing and breastfeeding supporter. I love being a doula and am passionate about helping families find their space and come into their own as they embrace their birthing and parenting journey

Services Birth prep Postnatal support Breastfeeding/Infant feeding support Babywearing support and sling hire for clients

Transform your mindset to achieve success Mindset is everything for business owners. The success mindset is a certain way of thinking, it’s about the way you approach challenges and mistakes. It builds confidence, resilience, enthusiasm and positive outlook on business and life in general. Mindset development leads to learning skills that allow you to work better and feel happier in all areas of your life. A negative, self-destructive mindset can lead to self-doubt and low confidence, reflected in your performance and business. This usually leads to failure. The fact that you are here means you want to do something about it. It’s time for you to change and develop your new success mindset. By reprogramming your negative thoughts, making changes and creating new habits, you will start seeing a positive effect, make progress and train your mind to succeed - developing a new mindset. The success mindset. Here are my 5 Strategies to help you develop the success mindset:

Put yourself out there, Find a mentor. welcome challenges A mentor has lots of benefits for new situations. personal and business growth, Being an entrepreneur, you face big and small new challenges daily. Learn to embrace challenges and not only that, look for them. WHY? It comes down to training your mind to overcome those challenging situations, learning to deal with them, building your confidence and letting you know you can succeed. Do something challenging every day, leave your comfort zone and build your confidence. When you have a small success, this rewires your brain, supporting you in developing a success mindset. Bear in mind it must be something interesting that resonates with you, otherwise, it might have the opposite effect!

some of which include: • someone who’s got your back • someone to hold you accountable • support in generating more money and ideas in your business • receiving feedback • a like-minded person to solve problems with • broadening your network • gaining guidance and learning the blueprint for success • learning from someone who has already done it • getting where you want to be faster, rather than spending time, energy and money figuring it all out yourself Shaping your mindset and investing in yourself allows others to invest in you. Be mindful that,

as with everything, ensure you are both a match. Research the person, have a discovery call or consultation before you start working together, making sure it’s a good fit.

Think of failure as a learning opportunity. Every ‘failure’ is there to learn something. Think about a situation when you hit rock bottom, it leads to a big realisation, a change, it prompts growth and forward movement, it taught you something. When you learn to see failure as an experience, way to learn, move forward and grow, your mindset will shift, seeing ‘failure’ as a positive thing. You will find it easier to take risks and deal with mistakes.

Surround yourself with inspiring people. As Jim Rohn said, “you’re the average of the five people you spend most of your time with”. We are social creatures, influenced by the people around us, surrounding yourself with people with a positive attitude will inspire you to learn something. Commit to becoming a better version of yourself. Reading inspiring books about successful people contributes to your skills, knowledge and motivation. Your mind reflects what information you feed it, the more exposure you have, the more you will think like them.

Developing success mindset takes time, it is an ongoing process, much like taking a journey, it requires focus and commitment. Putting these 5 strategies into practice will help to build your confidence, self-belief and develop a more positive outlook on life in general. You will also gain new

valuable skills and experience personal growth and progress in business - why not give them a try? Zuzana Taylor Holistic and Transformation Business Coach www.zuzanataylor.com

Start your morning routine. Waking up earlier in the morning, before everybody in your household, gives you time to focus on yourself. Choose morning yoga, meditation practice, or 5 minutes of breathing exercise. This makes a big difference to your day and the way you feel. It gives you a nice start to the day, setting you up to avoid all the stress and morning chaos. Once you start developing a new mindset, you’ll find yourself creating new habits!

In Conversation with

Shakira Taylor Founder of Fitness with Shakira Shakira Taylor is 38 and the founder of Fitness with Shakira and proud single mum to a 16-yearold daughter. Shakira is passionate about small businesses, a champion for change and diversity in all industries. She enjoys helping others to feel motivated to move and achieve more in their lives. She has run her business for over five years and offers a range of fitness and business services which includes personal training, online fitness classes, corporate wellness, fitness events and business coaching and support.

Image photo credit Nux Photography www.nuxphotography.com

I understand that you have various streams of income can you tell us how you got started in business? I began my own Personal Training business back in 2015, it was never my plan to start my own health and fitness business, but it made sense. I took redundancy from my full-time marketing and events job back in 2011 with no real plan on what my next career move would be, I spent the next few years doing freelance marketing and admin support for two small businesses so I began to experience what it would be like to have your own business.

Throughout this period of time, I began my own health and wellness journey, as I had always battled with my weight and hated exercise! As I began to understand more about my own body, nutrition and exercise, I was encouraged by my best friend, who is now my business partner to pursue my certificates in Personal Training. Once I became a fully qualified Personal Trainer and HulaFit Instructor, the next natural step for me, was to start my own business where I could combine all my previous skills of project management, marketing, events and now fitness. My business has grown over the past five years and has taken me into directions I never thought possible. As I have developed as an entrepreneur, I have realised the need to have more than one source of income, especially in fitness,

whereby the business is solely dependent on my body which can be physically demanding.

What are some challenges you faced in your business journey, and how did you overcome them? Starting any business comes with its challenges, obstacles and unexpected surprises to say the least! The main challenge for me as a curvier woman in her 30â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s starting a fitness business was acceptance by the Fitness Industry. Prior to starting my own business, I did not realise how competitive the industry was and how there was a massive underrepresentation of female fitness professionals who are in their 30â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, bigger than a size 12 and from a non-white background. I definitely felt I had to work harder to prove my abilities to be able to run classes and even gain clients and contracts.

Fortunately I had the confidence and self-belief to continue and rise above these negative and challenging situations. I have been so lucky to have the love, support and encouragement from my family and a few friends that have believed in me.

How do your values show up in the work you do? I am passionate about having the self-belief and confidence to demonstrate who you are and what you believe in. In all areas of my work, it is important for me to showcase diversity and the importance of learning through your own personal development journey. Throughout my business, I have been on a very public self -development journey that I have shared with my community, which in turn has inspired others to learn more about themselves. As a proud mixed-race woman,

it has always been in my core to empower woman from all ethnic backgrounds to believe in themselves and achieve.

How do you manage your time between family and business? This has most certainly been a challenge as I go through different stages with my business combined with the different stages that my daughter goes through in her life, with the transition from childhood to teenage years. Routines for home and work life have been essential in managing the balance between running and growing a business as a single parent. My time management skills have strongly come into play, and I will be the first to admit I have not always got it right. Throughout the growth of my business, I have encouraged my daughter to be a part of the

process and included her in some of my business decisions which she has enjoyed.

What was the last thing you did that made you really proud? The most recent experience that comes to mind is how quickly and efficiently I moved my whole fitness business online within a matter of days when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK. Previous to this, I was not delivering any of my fitness services online, however, I made the decision that I could do this in order to support more people with their fitness journey through these uncertain times. I, therefore, introduced a full schedule of online classes over 6 days which is something I had not done previously. I ensured that I liaised with and supported various community partn ers with whom I work to help with their transition to getting online. During this period, I have also been able to fully develop and launch my online business coaching service for Female Fitness Business Owners. I have been consistent throughout this period of change to ensure I am showing up in my business on a daily basis, supporting others with their own businesses and ensuring my clients are happy and moving.

You come across as a high energy person how do you keep yourself motivated? There are various things I focus on to keep me motivated, the main driver in all I do is the fear of failure. I always want my daughter to be proud of me in what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve achieved and what I am building. I hate to quit on anything, and even when I feeling demotivated, I think about what could be lost that day if I do nothing. I am most certainly a self-starter and thrive when given a challenge, even more so when I know I am helping others to achieve.

I would love to share 3 top fitness tips? I love networking and sharing my knowledge. Sometimes it can feel very lonely running a business or being freelance, so having access to others in the same situation can help no end, support and collaborations are key. Trial and error. This relates to both eating plans and exercise of choice as you need to experiment to see what works for your lifestyle. Throughout my journey with weight loss, I tried every single food diet you could think, some healthy some crazy! By doing this, it helped me to educate myself on what particular foods, drinks and times of eating worked best for my body and my lifestyle. The same applies to exercise, I hated it as a child/ teenager but moving into my late teen's early adulthood I began

to try out different types to see if there was something I would like! This continued for years until I discovered hula hooping with a weighted hula hoop back in 2014 and that was the start of my love for fitness. Variety Your body likes variety in life, and that applies to what you eat and how you move. I personally donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enjoy doing the same thing over and over again, so I always seek variety to keep me excited and motivated. Challenge yourself Set yourself a challenge whether that be a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly challenge as you cannot beat that feeling of satisfaction when you achieve it.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I try and focus on calm activities and downtime to ensure good mental health, and work can be very full-on, so when I get time facials, yoga and family time are key.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? My number one hobby has to be travelling around the world with my daughter, it is what we both enjoy and look forward to. I love to travel as it is not only the travel itself but is the research that goes into choosing the right destination, mode of transportation, accommodation and trips. I thoroughly enjoy

engaging with friends and colleagues to gain insight and recommendations, which then can help me with my own research and planning processes. Then, of course, actually going on the holiday to unwind, relax, enjoy good food and learn about other cultures.

Who or what inspires you? There are many things and people who inspire me, these have helped to shape and guide me to where I am today. Seeing individuals flourish and succeed in the face of adversity has to be one of the main things - especially if they are female. To name one, in particular, it would have be the famous and beautifully talented Serena Williams. To me, she symbolises strength, determination and grit, and these are just some of the qualities I believe you need to be a successful entrepreneur. She has triumphed again and again in the face adversity, in situations where it appeared that everything was against her, she has strived for in her career and demonstrated that self-belief will always succeed.

Shakira Taylor Founder of Fitness with Shakira www.fitnesswithshakira.co.uk

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Special Feature Bounce Back and Thrive Being a business owner is difficult, to say the least. You have a lot of pressures facing you - growing your business, raising kids and finding time for yourself are all challenges. When COVID-19 came to the world, for a lot of business owners, it was a borderline catastrophe. For parent business owners, there was no ‘borderline’ about it. This was an unknown, easily transmitted disease with a very high mortality rate which put a lot of clients and customers out of a position to buy services. Despite this, many business owners have managed to bounce back in these trying conditions, and many plan to thrive. 16

The Unknown Future For a lot of business owners, this was basically a business-killer. One of the main issues that was no doubt being faced by parent business owners everywhere was the distinct lack of childcare. Most business owners could focus on their business during the day because their children were in mainstream education. This plan quickly went out of the window in the face of COVID-19. It was now the case that many parent business owners had to try and tackle a selection of issues such as homeschooling and having partners working from home. The situation was further compounded by the lack of business, late or even nonpayment for goods and services which many business owners faced. Many businesses relied on public interaction to an extent, and this was now not possible.

Prospering in the Face of Adversity Despite the growing number of issues presented for parent business owners, many were not going to just quit. There was a continuing and constant effort to try and keep businesses afloat during these challenging periods. Many adapted existing business practices to make them more habitable for a digitally

inclined lockdown. If a service or product could be sold and offered online, then business owners would find a way to do just that. It was a real sense of a “can do” attitude, and it made sure that in one form or another, many livelihoods continued. These individuals all represent a real sense of determination and grit, which is hard to properly explain. These are professionals who have managed to really be more in the face of hardship. We’ve been lucky enough to have some of these parent business owners step forward and share their experiences with everyone. They have demonstrated that they are willing and inclined to fight for their business, and we’re very proud to hear their stories. The lesson to learn here is that when it comes to what can be done in the face of overwhelming odds, it’s sometimes better to hang up the rulebook and decide for yourself. These incredible people proved that they weren’t afraid to try and move on, and they did so well. Their stories are far from over, but the legacy that they have created and the impact they will have for business owners struggling with COVID-19 right now can not be underestimated.

SPECIAL FEATURE Georgiana Tanner, Simplify By George www.simplifybygeorge.com

How has your business changed during this challenging time? During this challenging time, I changed my business to offer organising and decluttering services virtually rather than just in person. I realised early on that I needed to adapt and change to give my new business a chance of surviving. I looked at the core service that I provided for clients and thought about how I could transfer it to a virtual service.Â I put together a package which includes a series of video calls supported by a very detailed plan. The plan breaks down what can seem an overwhelming job into simple step-by-step instructions - which means the client can work at their own pace. I even recommend storage solutions to help organise the space if appropriate.

I am really pleased with how it has worked and the opportunities it has provided. The new way of working means I am able to tap into a new customer base as there is no restriction on location, and all the clients I have helped so far have found the whole process simple to follow and are very happy with the results.

What qualities do you admire in yourself now that did not admire before the pandemic? During this time, there are qualities I have needed to call on like adaptability and innovation; the ability to think outside the box so that I could change my business model. I also had to consider how I could continue to put people at ease when technology can be so impersonal.Â The work I do is in their home â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so it is very important to ensure clients are comfortable and confident with me sorting through their personal effects and changing their space, this is easier in a face-to-face scenario. It has also changed the way I approached social media; I have focused on videos and live streams so that potential customers can see the person behind the service.

Special Feature Bounce Back and Thrive Jason Nichols New Kings Coffee www.newkingscoffee.co.uk

How has your day to day changed since the pandemic? Not that there’s a good time for a global pandemic, but Covid-19 definitely came along at the wrong time for me and my business. We were about to launch an office coffee solution, plus my wife had left her corporate job to start working for the business, just as the pandemic took hold and locked everything down. This, along with the kids being off school, has meant that working days are very different at the moment. Whether that’s starting the morning encouraging my daughters to do PE with Joe Wicks, helping out with the home-schooling or going for a family walk in the afternoon, my business has had to revolve around the current situation.

But whilst office, retail and hotels are closed coffee sales have been challenging, the pandemic has given us more time to focus on our online offer and develop our website, and marketing systems, which has seen great results as more and more people are shopping online.

What plans are you putting in place for your business to come out stronger? Our focus right now is still on improving our online business, but our attention has started to turn to life after coronavirus. One interesting development has been working with a soft drinks company whose trade business completely dried up overnight. They sought to work with other brands who could benefit from their manufacturing capability to develop alternative drinks; in our case, a cold brew coffee that we’re hoping to have ready for the summer. We’re also ensuring our office coffee solution is ‘ready to go’ as people start to return to work. And we’re looking forward to returning to the office ourselves, if only to be around real people again, rather than virtual faces on a Zoom call!

SPECIAL FEATURE Melanie Allen Satisfy Salon www.instagram.com/ satisfysalon

How has your day to day changed since the pandemic? Since the pandemic my day to day has changed drastically, I’ve gone from practically doing clients hair every day to doing no clients. But I didn’t stress out, instead, I used the time to organise my house, paint my garden fence and shed. I then had time to work on a few project’s I’d had for ages but couldn’t find the time to work on before the lockdown. One being my YouTube channel where I show people how to re-twist their own loc’s during the lockdown and also quick styles for loc’s. I have also been putting my green fingers to the test in my garden, and the results are very rewarding and enjoyable to see the progress made.

What lessons did you learn in the past 3 months – how have you grown and improved? These past 3 months have taught me that you don’t have to rush around and be busy every day to achieve your goals in life. Being forced to slow down allowed me time to do other passions I have, and in doing so, I actually put myself to my next level in my career by expanding and branching out in my journey.

What plans are you putting in place for your business to come out stronger? I plan to keep up to date with my YouTube channel to engage in audiences of all backgrounds in order to keep growing as a business. I have also limited my services to be a more niche service concentrating on Loc’s and natural hair procedures to free up my time to allow myself time to work on my YouTube channel. I will also be branching out more into the teaching side, which will also contribute to making my business model stronger consequently.

Special Feature Bounce Back and Thrive Pamela Badham Four PR & Marketing www.four-pr.com

Photo credit Emma Martin Photography

How has your day to day changed since the pandemic? Yes, my day has changed a lot. My husband works in the events industry so has been furloughed since April, so I have now started working a lot more, while he looks after the kids. In many ways, life is actually easier now because everyone is working from home, so all of a sudden, my day-to-day life seems to be much more normal and acceptable to everyone else. I generally spend my days juggling kids naps, zoom calls, homeschooling and running a business.

What lessons did you learn in the past 3 months - how have you grown and improved?

entrepreneurs and SME’s elevate their brand profile themselves, without the prohibitive costs of monthly retainers.

1) Never take anything for granted - one-moment life is normal and then the next we are in a national lockdown. Clients are cancelling right, left and centre and a business I worked so hard to build up, became fragile overnight. I never stopped along the way to celebrate my small successes as I grew, and moving forward, I will always be more grateful for them. This has also taught me that if you've built something once, you are more than capable of building it again. You just need to take a deep breath, dig deep and get on with things.

3) It's perfectly acceptable to be a working mum at home, with young children - Before the pandemic, I always tried to hide the fact I was working at home with three small children in tow, but from now on I’ve promised myself that It’s something I’ll talk openly about and be proud of. I’ve managed to keep a business afloat during lockdown and be a mum to my three kids at the same time, and that’s something I’m really proud of.

2) Try never to put all your eggs in one basket with business and instead have multiple streams of revenue - Easier said than done, but I’ve realised that in order to safeguard your income, it's much better if it's coming from a few different places. That’s why I’m soon to launch The Press Academy, an online training platform that will bring together a community of like-minded professionals and offer them a series of training courses, supported with coaching and consultancy. I want to be able to support

SPECIAL FEATURE Cheney Hamilton Find Your Flex www.findyourflex.co.uk

I also had to furlough members of my team, as we were unable to access the CBILs loans being only 3 years old.

this #NewWorldOfWork and will be supporting job seekers and employers in making it happen throughout 2020 and beyond.

It’s been tough, but it has also given us the opportunity to have a re-think about what we offer as a business, hopefully putting in a strong position as lockdown gets lifted.

What challenges have you had to overcome recently? Even though we work to promote flexible working jobs, the sudden increase in candidates on furlough or from redundancies, meant that a lot of businesses who needed to pick up new flexible workers really didn’t need to advertise. We also had a lot of Hospitality clients prior to Covid19 who instantly put their roles & ad spend on hold – this meant that to keep any flexible jobs onsite throughout the toughest lockdown months, that we had to give away advertising space for free – we did this on all keyworker roles (To be honest it was one of the only ways that as a business we could do our bit!).

What qualities do you admire in yourself now that you did not admire before? My adaptability, positivity and resourcefulness in times of crisis. You don’t know it’s there in the normal day to day – or maybe it's just not as obvious!

What plans are you putting in place for your business to come out stronger? We’ve invested in our Media Sales team and launched a new fixed fee recruitment service which is already picking up new clients, we have upgraded and relaunched our digital platforms. We have introduced a new editorial division to write for our respective 4 audiences – hopefully helping to ensure that flexible working sticks around for the 95% of the UK working population who now want it! We think we are readier than ever to take on

How businesses can leverage PR to survive the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic There is no denying the cataclysmic effect that Coronavirus is having globally, let alone on UK businesses, the question is; How can we ensure the survival of our businesses through this uncharted terrain? Despite the initial business survival instinct to cut PR and marketing to stem the flow of expenses out of the business, the real value is in retaining and maximising any budget that you can allocate. Building an effective PR and communications strategy will be a key component to weathering this storm. Gone are the days when almost anything could be given the right angle to crowbar in the coverage. Frivolity and frippery have been replaced by value and empathy; any communications strategy now needs to educate, inform, inspire or, provide invaluable escapism. How can you navigate success through the pandemic, and how can you promote your business confidently and sell comfortably? Government guidance and all things considered; working safely has to be the number one priority. Beyond that, how do you create a PR strategy that can support you through such an unfamiliar time?

For starters, you have to be relevant and purposeful with any content you are creating. The chances are that some adjustments have been needed to your key messaging to ensure that you remain on-brand, yet mindful of the global circumstances. By retaining ‘educate, inform and inspire’ as a core focus of your content creation, you will be able to instil purpose in your

communication through the pandemic. This is not about capitalising on a global crisis; it is not about the ‘hard sell’; it is about building from a more measured and organic starting point to retain and engage your audience. You must be even more conscientious about spending time connecting with your audience and stakeholders. Acknowledge the situation and demonstrate empathy as everyone tries to adapt to the shifting environment and go above and beyond wherever possible to deliver extra value through the content you create and the time you share. It may be sharing expertise and guidance that would normally remain behind a paywall or closed doors. It may simply be offering time. Time to answer questions, to share advice. Consider how your content enhances the lives of your audience or makes it easier for

other businesses to work with you. Be open and authentic as the human connection will give your communication infinitely more power than transactional interaction. Paying attention to this aspect of your communications and ensuring that your audience, on every level, feel valued, will retain your audience, engender loyalty and foster goodwill that repay you through and beyond the pandemic. When working on your content, consider how you can add value for your audience. Value has always been a critical component of effective PR and communications and is even more pertinent in the current climate. Where can you up level the value you are able to offer both to your audience and customers?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Demonstrate an understanding of your customers, whether trade or consumer, what they want and need, then open your arms to being able to provide solutions where possible. Indulge and nurture any needs that your audience have, and you will be rewarded with loyalty.

It is crucial, at every stage, to ensure that a pandemic induced short term focus should not override long term vision. There are many aspects of a business that are currently so far beyond our control, that we need to seize those that are within in. Turning to PR will give you a proactive outlet to create and maintain a positive momentum that will support your business. PR is not without risks at the moment; when businesses get it wrong, it is noticed. Do not capitalise on tragedy or force a connection between your brand and the pandemic. Profiteering, while others suffer will instantly damage credibility, however, empathising and taking a proactive approach to the survival of your business will enhance credibility. There is nothing normal about the current cycle of content in the media, yet, there are still many avenues for promotion, across the media and beyond. Telling your story will give you a wonderful opportunity to open up to a wider audience. The public will support what they see; out of sight, out of mind. The avenues for you to

tell your business survival story include business sections of the national news media, regional media, trade publications, online business media, but also social media channels and business networks. Branch beyond your industry to increase your visibility; perhaps look at interviews, case study positioning and online opportunities to provide industry insights with bodies such as the Federation of Small Businesses or Enterprise Nation. Promote your offering and uncover the hooks. What are the trends in your sector? For both consumer brands and those working B2B, understand where your brand sits within the media landscape, what your target audience read and go from there. The scope for promotion is vast if you retain authenticity and value at the heart of your messaging and have the confidence to promote in order to survive. You will find your role in this pandemic and the emergence from it; now is the time to embrace the power of PR, cheerlead for your industry and ensure that it can emerge strengthened with renewed authenticity and purpose. Fiona Minett Consumer PR Expert www.bossyourpr.com

In Conversation with

Rob Moore Author, Property Investor and Disruptive Entrepreneur Rob Moore is a father of 2 and a triple best-selling property author, public speaker, entrepreneur, and multi-million-pound property investor.

How did you get started in business? My dad raised me to be an entrepreneur. But as I went through secondary school and university years, I lost my way. I came back from University to do a temporary job in my dad’s pub and end up being there for 3 years. The entrepreneur bug didn’t go away. And my dad had a nervous breakdown in his pub. I felt very ashamed and motivated to make a change. So, I started as an artist because art was the only thing I really knew how to do well. I did okay for 2 or 3 years, creating art, but never really made any money. Then by a good chance of fortune, a gallery owner who was selling some of my art, told me that I should go to a Property Networking Event. I normally would ignore something like this, that I didn’t feel comfortable with. But because my dad, his health was in a really bad way, I felt partly responsible, because he’s worked so hard to put me through school and University. I decided to go. I met my current business partner for 15 years at that event. And we’ve bought hundreds of properties together and built multimillion-pound company since.

Tell us more about the different aspects of your businesses? In the early years of business, I started as an artist. I then invested in property with my business partner. Once we built our own

portfolio, we then sourced and sold property deals onto other investors. When we’d done that to a good scale, people required knowledge and training from us. So, we started a property training company, Progressive Property, and it is the UK’s largest property training company today. We then also started to run business and personal development courses and public speaking courses. I became an author. And I’ve written more than a dozen books. A prolific podcaster of the Podcasts, The Disruptive Entrepreneur and Money. We have a Letting Agency that manages over 800 of our rental units.

What are some challenges you faced in your business journey, and how did you overcome them? There are always challenges in business. And it’s good to acknowledge this. The main challenges had been around initially lacking experience buying properties, initially lacking funds to invest, both of which I overcame by having a business partner who had more experience and more funds than me. As you grow, you have challenges of hiring staff, and leading and managing a team, recession of 2008 and the virus of 2020, and then your own internal challenges such as can I do this? Because for me, every day is a new day. I’m a brand, new entrepreneur reborn every day. Because I’ve

never been here before. And you go from 5 figures to 6 figures, to 7 figures to 8 figures, yet, every day is a new day.

How do your values show up in the work you do? My company core values are progressive, innovative and personal. They’re representative of the values of myself and the founders of the business. And then everything that we do, we like to try and keep the personal touch, despite growing to be a medium-size company. We like to be disruptive and innovative and be ahead of the curve in leading changes in the property market, whether that’s technology, or strategy. For example, we used to run about 850 training days a year in our property training company. We pivoted now to run many online courses. We’ve gone through various stages of property development, from single-let to multi-let, to serviced accommodation, to commercial conversion and semi-developments as the market has dictated. And I always think it’s better to disrupt yourself than have someone disrupts you.

How do you manage your time between family and business? It’s a constant challenge to manage your personal and business life. I can’t speak for everyone, but I love being an entrepreneur. I could be obsessed over my businesses 15 hours a day, and think nothing of it.

I tried to compartmentalise my time. I wrote a book called Routine Equals Results, which helps people block chunks of time with • key life areas such as family health, exercise; • key result areas, the big strategic tasks that you need to do to grow your businesses; • income-generating tasks, which are the high-income generating activities you can do; • and then everything else should become secondary to that. It sounds weird to booking date nights and time with your children. It feels like they shouldn’t be slotted in the diary. But, if entrepreneurs don’t slot them in the diary, they’ll slot work in the diary.

thing, I feel the greatest sense of satisfaction, then it’s how many tenants we housed, over 800, and I guess, the success of my book, Money. And maybe, becoming a millionaire before the age of 31 through a lot to me then, money doesn’t have the same meaning now. It’s not as profound as helping others.

What would be your 3 top tips to parent business owners on how to overcome the business impact of Covid-19? My top 3 tips preparing business owners to overcome the impacts of COVID, would be,

What was the last thing you did that made you really proud?

1. One, to plan any fears or difficult situations you feel you may have. But in paradox, take one day at the time. Each time you feel stressed, anxious, lost, sit down and plan some options and strategies to overcome the situation. And then just take every day as it comes.

Pride isn’t an emotion I feel too much because I’m always onto the next thing. I’m never satisfied and always looking to get better. I get a great sense of satisfaction out of helping my community, my customers, my clients. We raised £20,000 for the NHS for PPE, which satisfied me greatly. And we’ve helped thousands of people build pensions and property portfolios, and educate themselves towards having their own business and some financial independence. If I would say one

2. The second thing would be, to utilise that one trip out of a day you have, and go on a long walk, or do some long-form exercise. So, I’ve been doing 2-hour plus walks a day, where I can breathe in clean air, connect with nature. In fact, I’m doing it right now. And clear all my WhatsApp messages. Talk to people on the phone, because we can get so busy, we just quickly message them. But actually, talk to

people on the phone and connect with them. That really helps you to get through some potential lonely and anxious times through this lockdown.

3. The third thing would be to reset your expectations. I see many people homeschooling and beating themselves up that their kids aren’t progressing like they would be at school. But no parent is a qualified teacher. If your child gets 30 or 40 percent of the work done, they would have done at school, that’s a great success. At least you get to spend all day with them, which maybe, you know, you would have wished a few months ago. I think many people are still holding expectations before the lockdown, and therefore, they’re feeling very lost, and disappointed, and a failure. If you reset your expectations to a more realistic level, you won’t have that

tension and anxiety. And then you’ll probably end up getting more done and feeling better about it.

playing sports with my children, and I don’t really have much a life outside of that. I would like to try and keep exercise regularly.

How can business owners support each other?

Who or what inspires you?

Business owners absolutely should be supporting each other through this time. There’s been a lot of critics who had been lambasting business owners for trying to make a living, that profit is a dirty word, and that they shouldn’t be selling. In my view, this is utter nonsense, because if the economy dries up, then everything dries up. So, can you use local businesses? Can you go online, and still use and support small businesses? If anybody ever tries to sell anything or create a great product, could you share it? Could you push them and refer them? Could you talk to other business owners and discuss best practice strategies? I think that is really important because this is a tough time for most businesses. And we need to stick together.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I’m one of the lucky few who is more excited and passionate about business than most of it is hobbies. And so, my passion really is my profession and vice versa. If you were to take my podcasts, my books, my companies, my properties, my social media, communities away from me, you would see me enjoying listening to vinyl, to

Who or what inspires me is the same thing. Anyone who disrupts, innovates, anyone who overcomes their own strong challenges, and like a phoenix from the ashes rise, who is brave and courageous, and accepts criticism in the pursuit of their dreams, they inspire me. And they could be someone famous like Arnold Schwarzenegger, or they could be someone living next door to me, or someone in my Facebook communities. It really doesn’t matter. People inspire art, music, any great art form. Rob Moore Author, Property Investor & Disruptive Entrepreneur www.robmoore.com

"Business owners absolutely should be supporting each other through this time."

A Mindfulness Journey Hi, my name is Jo Kaye, and I am a mum, a wife, a founder and a coach! I grew up in North West London within a (slightly alternative) Jewish family. My mum and brother could both be described as fairly conventional, both still living in North West London with me. However, my dad was always searching for more and spent years in ashrams and following gurus, whilst my sister followed in his footsteps, eventually becoming a shaman who uses plant medicines to heal. I was lucky enough to be introduced to complementary medicines, meditation and alternative retreats from a young age by my dad, whilst my mum kept me firmly rooted in the conventional. My love for the practice of quiet meditation was further cemented whilst travelling around South East Asia at 18, and I also took the ‘Landmark Forum’ whilst living in New York at 19. I practised meditation and yoga on and off for many years. However, it wasn’t until I turned 30, single, living at home and hating my job that I took the

plunge and participated in a 10-day silent meditation retreat called Vipassana. I was at a stage in my life when I realised that I was standing in my own way, and the only chance I would have at creating a life I would love would be to look deeply and honestly at what I was doing to sabotage it. Doing Vipassana enabled me to experience meditation more deeply and integrate it into my life in a meaningful way. Soon after this experience, I met my now husband, got my dream job in sustainability management and had 2 children. It seemed to have done the trick! I have two girls 13 months apart, now 8 & 9 Years old, and whilst it was completely brutal in the early years, life is much easier with them both now. I was made redundant after my youngest was born, leaving me without a job for the first time in my life! I was a bit lost and was sure my skills of being a good listener, empathetic and supportive could be put to good use beyond my family. An encounter with Ruby Wax at the launch of her mindfulness book ‘Sane New World’ in 2013 had such an impact on me that it immediately became clear that mindfulness and meditation was something I could now

share with others. In particular to fellow parents, as I realised how important the practice of mindfulness and meditation is when it comes to parenting. As a co-regulating species of mammals we feed off each other’s nervous systems, so if we are highly anxious and activated our kids will feel it too. I decided to set up The Breathe Academy to provide tools to bring our children up equipped to deal with the increasing demands of 21st-century living, by starting with ourselves. I now teach a variety of Mindfulness courses to individuals, parents, teachers and carers both in private groups and 1-1 coaching and also in corporate settings. I am very busy supporting communities through this difficult time and have provided a lot of resources on my various platforms. Jo Kaye The Breathe Academy www.thebreatheacademy.co.uk

Book Review

When you run a small business, making the commitment to engage with networking becomes so much more important than in corporate life. Having a supportive group of people around who will recommend you to others, and want to build up successful businesses at the same time is invaluable.

Been there done that got the t-shirt

genuine useful relationships

The book 'Networking a Successful Small Business' by Joanne Dewberry is a fantastic resource, written by someone who has done exactly that. Joanne is an author, busy small business owner, blogger and networking group founder. Her list of awards is seriously impressive too.

to was Joanne acknowledging that often when we say we don't like networking, we mean that we don't like leaving our comfort zone. This is especially true when you include social media in the mix. We can chat with people online for months before meeting them, if ever. The thought of stepping out from behind the screen and being in a room with others can feel a bit scary.

Get out of your bubble

Networking Tips from Joanne

Marketing Consultant

Early in the book, one of the things I liked and nodded along

1. Great networking isn't about one-off meetings, but developing

2. Finding a group that meets at a time to suit you is really important. If 7am or 7pm don't work for you, you won't commit to going 3. If you find networking hard at the start, you won't necessarily always find it hard. It is a skill, you can improve. You can buy the book on Amazon. Shona Chambers www.spaceat61.com

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Surviving the Summer Holidays with your Child One Week At a Time How do you feel about having your ‘little angels’ hanging around the house for the whole of the summer? Perhaps you Gary Green isare thefeeling chilled and relaxed - or just maybe the very thought is filling you with dread. Lockdown has been very demanding for many of us; not least, for those principal accountant of us running our own business or juggling a career whilst working from home and having of Key Business to homeschool.

Consultants BUT - it doesn’t have to beLLP, a nightmare - with a bit of forward planning, families can get along swimmingly. Whilst it's the summer holidays, and the rules are relaxed a little - it’s chartered accountants. understandable that nerves might be frayed as you are still under the obligation of working on Haswhilst 3 children aged 4, “off school”. your business your kids are now

andchild 8 throughout the summer may feel both exhausting and expensive. It doesn’t Occupying6your have to be that way.

How to Navigate the Your Time Together: Just because it is the holidays doesn't mean you can't have a routine. Kids love to know what's going on, in fact, they thrive on structure. So let me introduce you to your holiday timetable.

It can be as detailed or as relaxed as you like. What I do suggest is that you have a theme for each day or even part of the day. As I said, do whatever works for you.

MONDAY. Tourist Day: As lockdown restrictions begin to ease - people are keen to get out and about. There is so much going on on our doorstep we just forget to look. Be a tourist in your own area, Google local attractions and events.

Surviving the Summer Holidays with your Child One Week At a Time TUESDAY. Cooking Day Not every day is a blue sky day –, especially in the UK. When the weather is questionable, spend some creative time in the kitchen. Bake cookies or cook the family meal together.

WEDNESDAY. Free-Play Day Every child needs to learn how to entertain themselves. Help them to dig deep and use their own imagination. Design a garden on a tray ( remember that?) or start a photo-blog.

FRIDAY. Health and Fitness Day

Whatever you get up to do, remember there are no hard and fast rules.

Get moving and get active whether you are doing child yoga in the sitting room or having a run around outside. Maybe get your child to develop their own exercise program. Build an obstacle course outside. Just get the blood pumping.

The summer holidays are an opportunity to spend some quality time with your child.

SATURDAY. Duvet Day Every once in awhile, we all need to collapse in a heap with a favourite book, or a bowl of popcorn in front of a good movie. Don't frown on the idea of being able to unwind. This world is often too fast-paced. Switching off and taking it easy is highly recommended.

SUNDAY. Arts & Crafts Day

THURSDAY. Play Date Day Sometimes the four walls start closing in; it's normal—time to mix it up. Invite a friend over – or do a child swap. Visit grandparents or family. (whilst paying attention to the social distancing rules.)

Get creative – get your hands dirty. Draw self-portraits. Make dried pasta necklaces. Get the box of lego out. Colouring in is a great de-stressor. Encourage your child to start journalling, another stress buster. Make a gratitude jar or a vision board.

That might mean them teaching you how to play their favourite computer game. There is nothing wrong with technology – so long as you are able to maintain a healthy balance. What this pandemic has taught us is that we are unlikely to travel terribly far - so get your creative juices flowing. Let this summer be different. Cai Graham Founder of Peak Parenting and Creator of The TEEN Toolbox™ Series : Parenting Expert, Author, Podcaster and Speaker. www.caigraham.com

In Conversation with

Rosey Davidson Founder of Just Chill Baby Sleep Rosey is the Founder and Lead Sleep Consultant at Just Chill Baby Sleep. Rosey is extremely passionate about making sleep information accessible to all parents. She is a mum of two girls from whom she drew inspiration to develop her method. She is not only a certified infant sleep consultant but also a baby massage teacher, event and panel speaker, podcaster and writer.

How did you get started in business? My journey into the world of sleep began when I was getting up five times a night with my daughter Daisy. She is now seven, but at that time, I was tired and exhausted, and something had to change. I read around the subject and talked to specialists, and I decided to adopt a “holistic approach” to bedtime. I looked at Daisy’s personality, her sleeping environment and our overall lifestyle, and within weeks I had Daisy’s sleep routine cracked. I wanted to share my knowledge with others, so I completed my training in October 2016

to become an expert in baby slumber and launched my business - Just Chill Baby Sleep - offering parents advice on infant bedtime.

How do your values show up in the work you do? I want to help parents lead happier calmer lives and empower mums and dads. By showing them how to get their little ones into a good sleeping routine, I’m quite literally helping them to change their lives. I’m also a workaholic. My business is my third baby – I live and breathe it. But helping parents gives the best job satisfaction you could ever ask for.

What are some challenges you faced in your business journey, and how did you overcome them? My business is growing, and I need to employ people and train them up in my methods. I already have a team of 3 sleep consultants, but expanding further brings challenges. I’m interviewing more consultants and managing the business side, and that takes time. I have to balance that with my one-to-one work with parents. I am also launching new online courses such as my Toddler Sleep course!

The business infrastructure is time-intensive, and I do most of it myself including social media, web updates, brand partnerships, training, there is always so much to do and only 24 hours in the day.

What have been your proudest moments? I’ve worked hard on my business, and I’m proud of the way it’s growing. I have more than 120,000 social media followers – across YouTube, Instagram and Facebook as well as a host of celebrity clients, including reality star Marnie Simpson, TV presenter Anna Williamson and Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington. I actually did an Instagram live with Joe Wicks a few weeks back where I spoke about how to get babies to sleep it was great and definitely one of my proudest moments.

How do you manage your time between family and business? I’m really strict about my time and focussed. The mixture of nursery, family and school usually gives me time to focus on my business, but often I'm working in the evenings taking calls and finishing work. That’s fine because I love what I do.

starting in business? Go for it! There has never been a better time as you can literally run your business on social media if you have a good idea. Get to know social media, Instagram especially and look at all the other social media marketing tools, there are some great ones out there.

Who or what inspires you? My daughters Daisy and Lola inspire me, and they are the reason why I get up in the morning, literally! I call Just Chill Baby Sleep a family business. When I was younger, I remember scrambling around for work experience, but my daughters don’t have to do that, they can come and work for me. In fact, they are involved already. Lola recently appeared in an advert for a potty-training company – so I put some money in her bank account. Hopefully, if I do this for them both, by the time they get to 17 they’ll be able to buy their own car or whatever they want. I don’t just see it as my business I see it as theirs and their future too. Rosey Davidson Founder of Just Chill Baby Sleep www.justchillbabysleep.co.uk

From your own experience, what would be your biggest piece of advice to parent business owners just

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Georgina Fihosy AfroTouch Design

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Afrotouch Design is an unapologetically Afrocentric brand that produces personal stationery items that showcase West African designs in a unique and memorable way.

Your everyday virtual admin solution providing personal assistant support to conquer general admin tasks, so consultants and small business can focus on growing their business.

Cards

Shannon of Mockingbird Makes, and I mindfully Make beautiful bespoke hand knitted crocheted or embroidered handicrafts, co-creating alongside my clients (partners, really). Mockingbird Makes have been called "sunshine in product form" that have a 'huge feel-good factor.'

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Handmade keyrings Handmade cardigans Handmade hats Handmade sunshine products and more www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ MockingbirdMakesCo

Services offered General administration Proofreading and editing Virtual personal assistant www.mjmvirtualsolutions.com

Louise Worsley Worsley Training

Nadene Martin Format Services Limited

Sara Bussandri Sara Bussandri Content Writing

Worsley Training is run by Louise Worsley, a professional teacher with an instinctive ability to make learning First Aid memorable and enjoyable. She has over fifteen years of hands-on First Aid experience, both as a global expedition leader and as a parent.

Format Services is a Virtual Assistant Company taking care of all of your administration needs. Offer various services which can support you to grow your business, and you can view them further in the Services section. There are many benefits of outsourcing your administration, and this is something that we can discuss further as every business is unique.

Sara helps personal brand business owners and successful podcasters with SEO-friendly blog writing and content re-purposing. Whether you'd like Sara to write your monthly blog content, or if you create a lot of video or audio content that you'd like to turn into standalone blog posts, Sara is ready to help!

Some of the courses offered Baby and Child First Aid Paediatric First Aid Mini Life-Savers (first aid for primary school children) Teen-Aiders (First aid for teenagers & secondary school children) Basic Life Support with Defibrillator First Aid Training So many other courses are on offer so be sure to check out the website. Notebooks and planners

Services offered Email Management Transcription Project management

Services offered Podcasting packages Blog writing packages Online 1-2-1 business blogging training

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VIP business blog management

And so much more be sure to check out Nadene's website