Motivating Mum UK

My name is Becky Goddard-Hill.

I am a freelance writer and blogger, and I specialise in writing about creative ways to have a great family life on a budget.

Here is my journey to becoming a mumpreneur.

Background

I was a Social work training officer prior to having my son. I had also just completed my third degree, a postgrad. in Psychotherapy. I had always loved to study but work really didn’t float my boat. I had a boss who was rude and unsupportive and I hated the 9-5. I planned to take 6 months maternity leave and return part-time. I was the main earner and this seemed like the only option.

When Franklyn was born he weighed 3lb 2, We were in hospital for about 6 weeks. I was advised to keep him out of nursery for the first year due to his vulnerability being so little. That was fine by me and work agreed I could have 1-6 year career break. There are some perks to being a social worker!

My husband had a small start up so I became a full time mum. I learnt a lot about myself, I really loved being a hands on stay at home mum. I learned I was really good at managing on a budget and I did not want to go back to work and leave my son in someone else’s care.

You have to work out what you want and you need to be able to manage money

We needed more money but I didn’t want to return to work so I worked out my problems the way I have always done. I talked it over with trusted friends. Views on what I should do differed widely In the end my mum said children are tiny for such a little time, if I could have time off she thought it would be something I would never regret. I trust my mum completely so took her guidance.

You have to have faith in yourself and be positive

Well I have never been one to sit still for long so I did all sorts of entrepreneurial things to keep us financially afloat:

• I sold stuff on ebay
• I bought books from car boot sales to sell on through Amazon
• I hosted book parties
• I ran a tinytalk baby signing franchise
• I did online surveys
• And we massively cut back on our spending.

I learnt:

1. There are many ways to make the extra money you need with a bit of hard graft and imagination
2. It’s good to try a few things to see what interests you in the long term
3. Home and work times need to be clear. Kids hate to see the back of your head.

It started with a conversation

One day my husband said to me,” You know you really should write about how we have afforded you staying at home”. I love to write, I had a degree in literature, and writing was a fun easy thing for me to do. “Great idea”,  I thought and I whipped up a book proposal. I borrowed the writers and artists yearbook from the library and took its advice. 40 letters of rejection later (that isn’t a typo I meant forty!) I found an agent who got me a book deal at Random House in 3 days! Wow. I was over the moon and convinced I had a new career ahead. Thrilling times.

You have to enjoy and celebrate each triumph it keeps you going when the hard graft sets in.

The benefits of being published

How to afford Time off with your Baby got me good press and sold a few thousand copies. It gave me credibility and had been a bit like a business card for me in some ways …saying hey, I can write!

It hasn’t however been a guarantee of making money. Despite pretty good sales for a first book I have never made much from it. You have to sell a lot of books to make good money. To promote the book I began a blog. Luckily for me, my husband makes websites. So I had no outlay. I spent many hours when the kids were in bed exploring the blogging community and getting to grips with social media.

You need to get to grips with social media it is a huge help in advertising your goods/skills

Blogging For Business

I realised that blogging in itself bought me contacts and opportunities and working as a blogger enabled me to have that full home life with the kids I wanted. I now write 4 blogs:

• Baby Budgeting
• Family Budgeting
• Book Reviews for Mums
• Kids Love Parties

Each blog brings products for me to review, and I make money from sponsored posts and advertising. I have written a play blog for Chad Valley, budgeting articles for Philips Avent and Kiddicare.

For me, being able to work flexibly and have the holidays and after school with my kids is the KEY requirement right now You really need to know what you are prepared to compromise for. I get up at 5.30 so I can work full time but still have the time I want with my kids. If I had childcare I could probably earn more but the priority now is the kids.

You must be willing to make compromises in order to balance your business/homelife

I would definitely earn more as a psychotherapist BUT I would be more stressed and not have the time flexibility

I absolutely love blogging. The community is strong and I have some amazing peers who really root for me. This is a MUST for me as although I work on my own from home I like to be part of something bigger with other people to bounce ideas off.

Do something you love it makes you happier and more successful

I now manage to make a full time living from what i love. I have worked many hours more than I would if I did a 9-5. I have to learn new things all the time. Things haven’t always gone right. My party blog plans never took off for example

Sometimes it won’t work . but you have to be firm; you pick yourself up and try something new.

Nowadays, my ebooks are doing well and my blogs are lucrative and I am very happy with my work. Having a mentor when I lost direction for a while was a huge help to me and I would highly recommend it. If you are stuck. I used Helen Lindop from Business plus Baby and she was a wise guide. Well worth the small investment –  time with Helen totally helped me turn things round and now they are on the up.
Consider mentoring as a way invest in your business and yourself

Good luck with your journey wherever it may take you

 Becky’s books and ebooks are available to purchase on Amazon – click the images for more details…