Motivating Mum UK

….or when not to trust your auto spell checker…

The title of this blog is a tweet that I actually sent to someone that I had only just met on Twitter.

I had been running Motivating Mum for a few months, blogging, updating the website and getting the hang of basic Twitter.  I discovered my first blog carnival and I tweeted to the organiser, wanting her to explain how she got the Linky to work on her blog, so that I could use it on mine.  Of course my iphone had never heard the word Linky, and so it made a hasty substitution.  And because I was typing too fast, I let it go… cue total embarrassment all round.

Generally I’m a stickler for grammar and spelling.  When I see typos and grammatical errors on other people’s posts it drives me mad, but if they are posting texts from an iPhone then I completely sympathise with their plight.

I guess we’ve all seen the jokes that go round of the worst (generally crude) iPhone spelling mistakes (if not, you will have to Google it because although I think they are very funny, I am not repeating them here to avoid offending others).  I don’t know if they are real or not, but if they are, then the person making the mistake must have typed the rude words at some time, because the iPhone is supposed to learn from your style what words you might like to use, and I don’t suppose some of those words are in the supplied dictionary.

With me, I generally get the names of obscure classical composers from my iTunes collection (Rossini popped up the other day, in the middle of a text to a friend about going for coffee – don’t ask me, I don’t know why either)

I did try turning the spell checker off, but then I realised exactly how ham fisted I am on the tiny keyboard – the checker is clearly finding and correcting properly more than it is letting howlers through.   And so , despite my objections I continue with it, trying very hard not to embarrass myself again.

Have you had any interesting spell-checker moments?  Please fess up here…

I’ve been chosen as a speaker at this year’s CyberMummy event and I’m getting really excited about it.

I’m going to be on the panel entitled Marketing Your Blog with Karen Cannard and Frederic Montagnon, which runs from 11.15 to 12.10.  For the rest of the conference I presume I will be milling about, trying to meet as many of you as possible, so please look out for me, and say hello.

When I first heard I was going to be on the Marketing your Blog panel, I was a little bit nervous – because I’ve only been blogging for less than a year, and the blog is only one little tiny bit of what Motivating Mum is about, and probably not the bit that I pay the most attention to either.

Then it dawned on me – CyberMummy is a bloggers conference – for a lot of the attendees their blog will be the central part of what they do, therefore all the sessions are titled to appeal to bloggers.  If I change the name of the session in my own mind from Marketing your Blog to Marketing your Online Business, then suddenly I am in my element again.

It’s still not quite a year, since I first answered Alli’s ad and looked into possibly taking over Motivating Mum. When Cybermummy was on last year, I had never even heard of it.  For me facebook was a place where I hung out with my mummy friends and played Farmville and Bejeweled Blitz obsessively.  Twitter and Linked in were still unknown to me – words I had vaguely heard of, but had no interest in finding out about.

When I look back on what one mummy has managed to learn, find out and achieve in the course of one year, I have trouble believing it myself.  I have over 7,700 followers on my main twitter account, started last September, and a good few of them come and visit Motivating Mum on a regular basis. I’m hoping to welcome my 8,000th follower round about Cybermummy time – it could even be you.

I am trying to write a book about what I have done and learned over the past year, but at the moment I am still a little too busy doing it.  I also need to get out a bit more and meet you guys, so I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at Cybermummy.

Sarah Hamilton – SJH Accounting

This Blog is about my journey as a Freelance Accountant. I’m still at the beginning of my journey but I’ve already learnt a lot along the way including:

1. You can never network enoughIn my experience joining networking groups has been an extremely worthwhile investment in my business. Networking has provided me with some fantastic leads to generate new business and more importantly has given me access to a wonderful team of experts to help my business grow. I would recommend investing as much time and money in networking activity as you can.Make sure that you update all of your contacts efficiently and that you have face to face meetings with people who you connect with. Collecting a pile of business cards is a waste of time and effort. The more you reach out and connect with others, the more you will benefit. You will also learn so much from others who are further along their business journey.
2. Support others as much as you can and you will reap the rewardsIn the early stages of your journey, be prepared to give advice and support  others wherever you can. Use every opportunity to demonstrate your expertise. Run free workshops, prepare useful, insightful blogs and always be on the end of the phone to support others. Also, be prepared to listen to others and take an interest in their business. Your business interests may not be aligned, but never under-estimate the connections other people may have.
3. PerseveranceAs a one-person business, you will encounter more challenges than you could could ever imagine. My advice is to persevere and stick with it and eventually your efforts will be rewarded.”The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”
   — Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)
4. Be prepared to move out of your comfort zoneYour work will no longer be handed to you on a plate. You will have to reach out and bring in new clients. You will also be responsible for all aspects of your business from IT to Marketing. You will need to ensure you have the best support your budget allows in these essential areas of your business.‘I used to have a Comfort Zone,
   Where I knew I couldn’t fail,
   The same four walls of busy work
   Were really more like jail……..

   I couldn’t let my life go by
   Just watching others win
   I held my breath and stepped outside
   To let the change begin’………..

   Anonymous

5. Be resourcefulIt is amazing what you can do to kick-start your business on a shoe-string budget. Be resourceful; look out for free training courses (also a good networking opportunity), free software and even answer questionnaires to gain rewards such as free subscriptions for different services and products. Sign up for newsletters provided by support networks such as Motivating Mum UK. There is a wealth of free advice on all aspects of business available from this website.
6. Use Social Media – it’s free!Get connected for free on Twitter and Linked In. This will enable you to connect with others and demonstrate your expertise.

These are my ‘Pearls of Wisdom’ that I have gained along my journey. I still have a long way to go and I’m still learning. Good luck. You will never look back!

Sarah Hamilton – SJH Accounting
E: mail@sjhaccounting.co.uk

This blog is one of 45 featured in my ebook  Motivating Business Mums – now available from Brightword publishing.

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