Motivating Mum UK

Would you like to use Twitter more effectively for business? Is blogging part of your marketing toolkit? Would you like to learn more about small business?

Mumpreneur Marketing is offering you the chance to win a social media or business marketing workshop of your choice worth £45 pounds. The three-hour training workshops are held regularly in Putney, South West London.

You can choose from workshops on Twitter, blogging for business or small business marketing which covers marketing planning, online marketing, content marketing, avoiding common marketing mistakes and a low cost marketing checklist.

“Great workshop. I feel I’m a big step forward towards getting my business running. The marketing course has motivated me. I have new goals to work towards. I would recommend this course to anyone running their own business.”   Charlotta Pichon                                                  Read more workshop testimonials here >

To read more about the courses offered by Mumpreneur Marketing visit mumpreneurmarketing.com

Mumpreneur Marketing is a London-based marketing and PR consultancy offering affordable and professional marketing solutions for business mums.

To enter the competition, leave a comment below telling us what you find most challenging about marketing your business. Then fill inthe Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

by Jamie Lloyd

Six years ago on the other side of the world a group of Australians in their thirties were at a BBQ opening another bottle of wine with their friends when they decided the Christmas festivities had taken their toll. They decided to give up alcohol for the month of February and donate the money they would have spent to charity. This idea has grown into a national event. ‘Feb Fast’ has become a very successful national charity raising money for alcohol support services and charities.   Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Any working mother can tell you that being a working mum is like having two jobs. The level of commitment necessary to look after your children and still maintain a strong work ethic is often underestimated, and can often leave very little time for anything else.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Keeping fit as a working mum can be a struggle. However, if you follow these simple steps you can make 2013 the year you get fit and stay fit. Remember that staying fit isn’t just about exercise: incorporating a healthy eating plan or medication to help shift stubborn weight such as that by XLS Medical, should also be part of staying healthy and getting fit.

Make Small Changes

Rather than joining a gym or committing yourself to a strenuous exercise routine, try making small changes to your normal routine. Simply taking a lift instead of the stairs or walking home instead of getting the bus can have a large impact on your fitness. Try buying a step-o-metre to chart how much you are walking in a day.

This will keep you motivated to stay on track, without taking time away from your work and family commitments.

Join a Fitness Club for Mums

There are plenty of fitness clubs out there for mothers where you can find a team of people who have been in your situation and can support you with your fitness goals. Try searching online to find one of these clubs in your area – you may even find some playmates for your kids at the same time.

Keep up with the Kids

If your kids are of a walking (or running) age, then try and get more active with them. Young children love running around and are often extremely interested in sporting activities. By trying to keep up with your kid’s energy levels you will see the weight fall off and be able to combine getting fit with spending quality time with your children.

Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is an essential part of staying fit so ensure that you are eating well and incorporating all the food groups into your diet. If you find that no matter how hard you try you simply can’t shift the excess weight, you might want to consider trying a fat binder to give your metabolism an extra boost.

Getting fit doesn’t have to be a struggle, simply follow these tips and you will find yourself with lots more energy, and be able to lead a longer and healthier lifestyle.

When I was in full time employment (and single, and childless), I really used to look after myself.  My nails were always manicured (with extensions) to go with my business attire, I saw a personal trainer at the gym to make the most of my workout time, and I took regular time out for spa treatments – even weekends away with my other single girlfriends.

Of course once you become a mum, especially if you give up work to do so, all of this changes. Free time is almost non-existent, money may be tight (and such money as you have often belongs to your partner and is usually spent on the children), and when you don’t have an office or business meetings to go to any more, it’s very easy to say “what is the point?” Read the rest of this entry »

By Kate Miranda, Director, Mumpreneur Marketing.

The countdown to Christmas has begun. For many of us Christmas is a frenzied infusion of family, friends, presents, excessive food and alcohol, plenty of cheer and special memories. For mums, it’s multitasking taken to the max with the ever expanding ‘to do’ list. Have you found the perfect present for your husband’s visiting second cousin? What about his wife? Pass the wine, please!

The bizarre thing is, once the chaos of Christmas day has passed, it is often followed by a sudden and almost dull calm. The kids are occupied with new toys and gadgets. Dad seems content to potter and recuperate. These are the moments we have to seize for ourselves. Seize some time and space to think and create. Unleash your inner mumpreneur.

Mums by nature are creative beasts – I mean beauties.  We have occasional moments of inspired brilliance and the lucky mums have more frequent moments of brilliance. Many mums who act on these moments become successful mumpreneurs by transforming their ideas into businesses.

If you are thinking about starting your own business or contemplating how to grow your mumpreneur business in 2013, use the Christmas break to get creative. Use the mental break from the daily machinations of work to think laterally. Brainstorm business ideas with friends or random relatives. Most will relish being involved.

Nothing saps your creative spirit like churlish children, cleaning or the cold so take time out to visit a place that inspires you, like your favourite gallery or cafe. Somewhere you can get headspace. Use this time and space to come up with creative ideas that will help you connect with more customers. If you haven’t changed your tagline in a while, come up with a new one. It’s great to keep things fresh. Brainstorm taglines and slogans with friends. Think of an idea for a PR campaign or competition idea you could run with a local media partner.

Go viral. Challenge yourself to come up with a viral campaign or a new product. Here are some great examples to help you get started. The tone of a viral campaign can be either funny (Meet Doug Pitt. The Second Most Famous Pitt in His Family), or funny and terrifying (Extremely Scary Ghost Elevator Prank in Brazil), or funny with a serious message (check out Vinnie Jones for the British Heart Foundation). Originality is what will create an impact. It won’t cost you anything but your creativity and time to make a video on your phone and upload it onto YouTube, which is now the second biggest search engine next to Google with more than two billion views a day.

If you are looking for a place to start, why not use the number 2013. How can you hang a campaign off these numbers? 2013 is the year of the Snake and the United Nations has declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa, a super food high in protein and gluten-free. If you are in the nutrition, diet or fitness industry, get creative with Quinoa recipes for your customers.

Bouncing off current affairs stories can also be an effective way to increase brand awareness. If you deal in fair trade products respond to the Starbucks greed on a grand scale story by launching an email or viral campaign around the word fair. We pay our fair share. We play fair etc.

If you are planning to throw a bit of creative marketing into the Christmas mix this year be sure to have fun. Be imaginative. Get carried away with possibilities.

If you are looking for creative marketing ideas, contact Kate Miranda or try one of her DIY marketing workshops designed for business mums who do their own marketing. kate@mumpreneurmarketing.com

from Thinking Slimmer and XPG at Debenhams

It’s December, and we’re all starting the chargedown to Christmas – season of good eating, good drinking and less exercise than normal.  How many of us will be looking to shed a few extra pounds (again…) come January?

Yes I can see a few sneaky hands up in the back row, and I will be there with you, as I seem to have a mince pie problem at the moment.

Thinking Slimmer is a new way to tackle weight loss. Slimmers listen each day to a special voice recording (a Slimpod) produced by Harley Street behaviour control specialists, and many find that their eating habits change and they start to lose weight without actively following a diet programme.

There are many Slimpod recordings, each one tailored to the size you want to become or your reason for losing weight (including drop two dress sizes or more, drop a jeans size, slim for your wedding).  There are also recordings that work on several triggers and bad habits  (cut out chocolate cravings, lose your sweet tooth, cut down on alcohol)

There is a free download at www.ThinkingSlimmer.com at the moment  - this Slimpod is called Keep the Pounds off over Christmas - and it is a great way to try out a Slimpod and see how effective they can be.  This Xmas weight control Slimpod will help you to avoid festive over-indulgence before you start the main weight loss campaign when the festivities are over.

I’ve been listening to my Slimpod recordings for a couple of weeks now.  It’s very early days yet, and my food battles are quite well ingrained, but I’m certainly finding that I am choosing healthy options more regularly than before.  I’m also doing more activity – walking further and faster each day.  

Now Thinking Slimmer has given me the chance to help one of you with your New Year’s resolutions.  They have teamed up with the XPG by Jenni Falconer range at Debenhams to offer a fantastic giveaway prize.

One lucky winner will receive a Slimpod and Fitpod of their choice, plus a hoodie, top and trousers from the XPG by Jenni Falconer range

To enter, take a look at the Slimpod range here   then leave me a comment on this blog telling me which of the Slimpods on offer you think will best help you with your New Year’s resolutions.  After that you can fill in the Rafflecopter below for some more ways to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Motivating Mum East Hertfordshire events continue at a pace throughout the autumn

Hope everyone is having a good half term! Since the clocks changed, and Halloween has passed, winter seems to be well on the way. I am very pleased to be able to report on the success of the most recent networking event that took place for this group, on the 18 th October in Hertford. Read the rest of this entry »

When you’re trying to combine a young family and a career, the prospect of working from home can seem like your ultimate dream. It’s a dream shared by a lot of women and the numbers setting up businesses that they can run from home has risen steadily over the past five years, and even recessionary times haven’t acted as a deterrent.

Women entrepreneurs seem to be especially good at  searching out opportunities in niche markets, and new ideas, building on successful TV shows, like The Great British Bake-Off. There’s so much that can seem attractive, as any woman who works from home will tell you. No more frantic journeys to the nursery on your way to work, battling through commuter traffic, or feeling your stress levels rising through the roof as your boss sets the team meeting time for late afternoon.

Women who are self-employed will also tell you that the reality doesn’t always live up to the dream! Often that may be because you may have drawn up an impressive business plan, but have forgotten to plan for the equally important informal aspects of your new stay-at-home life. Many women who have successfully made the transition to running their own business will tell you that the biggest culture shock for them was the lack of the socialising and people contact that working in an office automatically provides. Being a stay-at-home businesswoman can get lonely, and much as you love your kids, you may start to long for adult company.

“Plan in down time and social time for yourself” advises Rachel Carter, who has a successful portfolio career running a natural cosmetics agency from her home in East Sussex, and also helps a friend with her thriving cake-baking business. She tries to get to the weekly Pilates session run by a local community group, and is strict about taking half an hour after dropping the kids off at school for her Yoga before starting on her day’s work. She also makes sure that she meets up with women friends for a morning coffee at least once a week, and plans in time in the evening to join a game of online bingo with Jackpotjoy, which she loves for the fun that it offers and the chance to chat with other players online.

One method of relaxation; Yoga, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You don’t just need the negative reason for combating loneliness to seek out social contacts. You may well find that there are groups for women entrepreneurs in your area that you can join, which will provide useful networking and sources of ideas and advice. Many run regular sessions on business-related issues such as how to market your product, or building an online presence. If you are just at the planning stage of starting a business you will gain invaluable guidance on how to set up your new enterprise from women who
have already experienced the joys and the pitfalls.

Many successful women entrepreneurs mention not only the need to plan in time for yourself, but also stress the importance of being realistic about how much you will really enjoy turning a skill that you use in your leisure time into a full-blown idea for a business.

Sometimes the attraction of a leisure-time pursuit is that it isn’t work! So ask yourself whether your talent for sewing would really translate into an enjoyable business activity if you were involved in running up endless numbers of curtains for clients? Some women who have set up their own businesses at home,  have found an idea from one of the many online advice sites, or from spotting a trend in the media, and have built a business around a new idea, leaving their leisure interest to be just that – relaxation time for themselves.

Late last night I received some fantastic news.  I was nominated in the Mumpreneur Champions section of the Mums Club Business Mum Awards, and it seems that I have made the shortlist of the Top 100 Business Mums in the UK.

To say I am bowled over by this is an understatement.  When I took over this business from Alli Price two years ago, I had never even used twitter, and certainly knew nothing about blogging.  When it came to last year’s awards season, I still felt too much like a newbie and did not feel worthy to enter any awards.  So the fact that only one short year later, I am going to be trotting off to an awards ceremony, at which I might just win a prize, is like all my Christmas and Birthdays come at once!

I just want to say thank you to all those lovely people who nominated and voted for me.  It still feels quite surreal to think that there are a whole group of people who read every word I write and yet I haven’t met them.  So to all of you, however you know me, a big heartfelt thanks.

MumsClub is encouraging us to bind together in our counties and make noise about the county winners. So I’d love to give a shoutout to the other winners from Surrey,

Venita Antonij of SheBizPower

Jo Mackay of Bookings For You

Amanda Sharp of Encouraging Natural Beauty and Networking Mummies

Together we will show the world that Surrey is a great place for Businessmums.

Congratulations to the other winners too and I look forward to meeting you all at the awards!

So you have the kids ready for the first week back at school – a last minute dash to the uniform suppliers and a 2 hour wait in the

shoe shop and you’re all done BUT…..

What do you wear?

How do you want to be seen at the school gate – because this is where you will make friends as well?

It’s easy for the children – they’re given a list of clothes and colours that they have to wear – whether it’s a blazer, a tie or a sweatshirt, but as Mums (and Dads) we have so much more choice for our “uniform”.

Here are a few top tips to help you to get dressed in the morning:

• Styles & fashions change every year, but the basic shapes of clothing and long sleeve t-shirts don’t.  For most of us what we wear at the school gate and day to day isn’t dictated by London Fashion Week!  It is all about finding comfortable, co-ordinating clothes that work for you, your body, your lifestyle and your budget.
• Think about how you come across to the other parents – if you do the school run on the way to your corporate office job then you won’t have much choice, but a severe black suit is going to deliver a more aloof message than a Mum in jeans and a jumper.  So soften your look with a scarf to make you more approachable.
• Did you know that if you have blue eyes, blond hair and fair skin you are more likely to suit light, pastel colours, where as if you’ve got brown eyes, brown hair and fair skin you are more likely to suit deeper, bolder shades?  Work out the colours that suit you.  I challenge you to really think about the colours and clothes that you feel good in – those old faithfuls that you rely upon.  Go to a department store, look at the scarf section and try some close to your face – see how your face becomes vibrant (like you’ve popped some lippy on) when you have found the right colour for you. Then bag that scarf and wear it on the days when you feel not so good or in need of a lift!
• As we move into the Autumn / Winter school term our thoughts will turn to clothes like jeans/cords/chunky tights and footwear that’s durable and practical.
• Layering in the autumn months is vital, and as a Mum you’re busy – some days start out with more than a chill in the air, but can be so much warmer by lunchtime and school pick up!  Wearing a vest/long sleeve top/jumper/cardi and then your mac, will probably have you stripping at the school gate (don’t!) but think about your day and how different layers might work for you.  A current favourite in the playground is a longer line top the same colour as your bottom half and then introduce different colour layers on top – try stores like H&M, White Stuff or Zara for inspiration.
• When you’re confident with your clothing … Accessorise!  Buy your accessories early – don’t wait until Christmas – think about a scarf and/or pashmina; buy two pairs of the same gloves – you are always going to drop one at some point! And do you want a hat? - Plan early in the season so that you are ready as the nights draw in.  It’s so much easier in the winter months to pull on a hat and…. sssshhhh then you don’t have to wash your hair!
• Talking of hair, make sure that you at least brush it, clean your teeth and apply a little tinted moisturiser before you leave the house.  You will feel so much better and you’re WORTH IT.
• You should be able to pull together five different outfits from a capsule wardrobe, it doesn’t need to be expensive – working within a small colour range you can ring the changes and you don’t need to have hundreds of items hanging up in your wardrobe.  Looking elegant isn’t effortless to begin with, it takes some organisation and planning – rather like buying a school uniform!
• The final key to a successful Mum uniform is – good outerwear – invest in a stylish coat or mac that you can throw on over anything – jeans, decorating/gardening clothes or even pyjamas! You will look great and no one need know what you’re wearing underneath!

I am passionate about colour – how it works with individuals and the staggering difference it makes to my clients perception of themselves.  It’s like the secret that nobody tells you about – if you get the colour of your clothing right, everything else will fall into place.

Also, acknowledge and celebrate the shape of your body, it’s yours and yours alone!

Be proud.  Stand tall!  For every one of my clients who is pear shaped there is a straight shape longing to be a pear and vice versa!!

If you would like to learn more visit www.theimagehouse.co.uk and sign up for my newsletter, there is a great 10 page article on colour and how you can make colour work for you.

PS No matter how tired you are, it IS worth making the packed lunch and packing the school bag the night before.  It’s also worth thinking about what you are going to wear the following day, then you don’t have to think and waste precious moments looking for a pair of tights which is knotted up with five other pairs!  Five minutes is all it will take but it might save you half an hour the following morning!

Good Luck.

I’m moving to a new class at school in September.

We took our new puppy Sirius out for his first walk today. We went out with Sirius’ mum and dad, and his two remaining siblings, who are still with the breeder as their new owners are on holiday.

Sirius wasn’t so sure about the outside world at first.  He sat on the front doorstep and sniffed the air.  He didn’t like his harness and jumped about, fighting against it.  then a car spooked him, and he sat down on the pavement and whined.  But with much encouragement and cajoling we made it to the park, where he was set free with his parents and siblings.

Once he saw his mum and dad rushing around, clearly having lots of fun, Sirius and the other puppies were super keen to join in. Before long the three of them were bombing around  like mad creatures, chasing mum and chasing each other.  You certainly wouldn’t have known that this was the first itme they had seen the open world.

Looking at them, I realised there was a lot to be learned for me and my friends.  I sometimes pause on the edge of something new, reluctant to take the plunge.  I can be easily spooked by the unknown and easily persuaded to sit down and give up when things just seem too scary.

But if I can get good advice and encouragement from someone more experienced than me, who can teach me how things work and tell me that things are going to be OK, and if I can get support from a peer group who are experiencing the same problems and fears as me, then suddenly the whole situation looks a lot brighter.

And that, in essence, is what Motivating Mum  (and Mums the Boss) is all about.

Over the next few months, I will be bringing together two mums networking groups into one giant sized organisation. Keep an eye out on our events board to see where you can get your very own support, advice and encouragement.  If there is nothing near you, why not take the plunge and set a group up – I can show you how.

Whatever you are planning, whatever you are uncertain about, get out into the big wide world and look for some support.

I’ve been sitting on this news for over a month already, and I’m so glad that finally I can share it with you all.  I have agreed to take over at the head of Mum’s The Boss, a networking group and blog very similar to Motivating Mum, as Sam and Helen have decided to move on to  other projects.

I’m so looking forward to taking this on, and to sharing the best bits of each group with the readers from both.  Look out for more posts on exactly what this means in the next few weeks, but for now, I’ll just leave you with the official press release on the Mums the Boss blog

Meet the new owner of Mum’s The Boss – Debbie O’Connor

My vision is to take two very successful mums networking organisations, and knit them together into a big amazing family, providing huge support to entrepreneurs, mums in business and anybody who has a dream of working from home.

Please wish me luck as I take on this giant project, and I look forward to seeing you all online, and meeting many more of you in person very soon

I’m very pleased to hear this report of the first networking event in our new East Hertfordhire franchise, run by the multi-talented Stephanie Adams.  If you live near Hertford or Bishops Stortford, please keep an eye on our Events page, to see what Stephanie comes up with next or sign up for the newsletter to be kept informed of events as they are planned

As a mum of two pre-schoolers I had been looking at the possibility of becoming self-employed and the idea of organising networking events for stay at home mums who are either already running a business or thinking about doing so really appealed to me. As, like myself, there are so many mums out there doing this!

With a background in PR, marketing and events, and having spent a lot of time doing my research,  I knew Motivating Mum was exactly the sort of informal, friendly and supportive networking group that I wanted to be a part of. So I met up with Debbie, and I came on board to run Motivating Mum East Hertfordshire networking events, with the first two launch events set for late June and mid July.

The first event took place on Wednesday 27th June at Cafe Rouge in Bishop’s Stortford, and I was delighted to be amongst a lovely group of nine mums, plus some children too (and I had brought a bag of toys and colouring activities for the children to use during the morning).

Everyone had the chance to chat to each other at the start and the end of the 90 minute event, over a hot drink and a piece of cake, and there was an informative talk from Viv Ronco, founder of childfriendlycottages.co.uk, about setting up and running her business and combining it with family life. Thank you very much to Viv for being able to give this talk (and there are 440 cottages on this website, so well worth a look with school summer holidays approaching!)

Towards the end of the event there was a chance to look at a range of reference books and magazines and collect business cards and flyers from other mums before being given a small goody bag to take home (in exchange for a completed, and not very long, evaluation form!)

Thank you so much to everyone for being able to join this first Motivating Mum East Hertfordshire event, I thoroughly enjoyed it myself as the host and it was really important to me that the atmosphere was friendly and supportive.

The second launch event takes place on Thursday 12th July at Cafe Rouge in Hertford (from 10am) and Katie Neilson from Little Bees will be talking about setting up her independent music business alongside family life and there will also be a small goody bag to take away at the end of this one too!

I am really looking forward to developing a programme of events from the autumn, in line with the feedback I am receiving, and these will include workshops and brainstorm sessions. So, I hope to meet more mums soon at events that will be coming up!

If anyone reading this would like to set up a Motivating Mum events franchise in their own local area please contact debbie@motivatingmum.co.uk

Here is a press release announcing the launch of yet another Motivating Mum franchise – this time in Chester and Wrexham.  I hope to be able to invite many more people to Motivating Mum events in the future.  A full list of current franchisees is on our website.  If we are not in your area yet, why not consider setting up a group yourself.

Chester mums launching or running their own businesses no longer have to do it on their own, in between nappy changes and the school run. There are now events designed specifically for mums in business across the UK, and they are coming to Chester and Wrexham. Read the rest of this entry »

Motivating Mum is coming to Milton Keynes – starting with a Mums Networking Meeting on June 19th 2012.

Starting a business is one thing, but maintaining it and keeping it afloat is another hard thing to get through. That burden is heavier when you are a mum balancing family life and the desire to realise your business aspirations. But, that is not the case when you got yourself a network to depend on when times get though or the competition gets stiff to survive. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I celebrate 10 years of marriage to my wonderful and lovely husband.

It’s been an interesting time, with job, location and status changes for both of us (take a look at my mumpreneur story if you want to know more about it). Read the rest of this entry »

Recently an overzealous cleaner ruined a £690, 000 artwork because she thought it was dirty. Now, not all work errors land up as a headline in the media but it is important for people to know how to deal with the stress of ‘messing up’ so they can move on.

Messing up at work does not have to be the end of your job, with the correct approach after you’ve realised a mistake has been made, you can still move onward and upward.

Here are 5 steps that have worked for me. Read the rest of this entry »