Written by: Danielle Hollinshead, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I just want to start by saying “hats off to you, Mumma”. Being a parent is hard at the best of times, but being a working one at that is testing. Hi, I am Danielle, 32 and mum of 5. At the age of 23 I took on my now husband's 3 children from a previous marriage, by 24 I was pregnant with my first and by 28 had given birth to my second boy. All whilst working full time in health care as a support worker. Juggling work and parenthood has its moments, but after starting my own successful business to work around my busy schedule I want to share my five simple tips to being a successful mumtrepreneur.
Tip 1. Relax – Easier said than done, right? It’s all about being realistic. Don’t let heavy workloads overwhelm you. Create a list of all things business, write them down in a designated note pad and work through each task one step at a time, ticking off as you go. If you’re a more visual person, try creating a vision board so you can see your ideas and creations come to life. When starting up your own business there is much to think about. Social media, website, email marketing, lead magnets, accounts, payroll (if you’re employing anyone) to name a few. Choose a flexible date to ‘go live’ and use that as your goal. Having a time-based goal will help keep you accountable and allow you to track your progress towards achieving it.
Tip 2. Be time flexible – It’s important to be realistic about your time needs, but at the same time, you need to be flexible. You’re a parent so naturally your 24 hours look different to those who don’t have children, or those with children of different ages. If your children are in school, you can use their school times as your business focus time. Now, obviously you still have your ‘normal’ errands to run, such as grocery shopping, dental/doctor appointments etc., but these can be considered and written in your diary…. Get yourself a time-slotted diary, I rely on mine, alongside google calendar, every day. If you have children who are still at home, then time is even more precious. I spent lockdown 2020/2021 building my business with all 5 children home and boy was it hard work! This is where time flexibility really comes into play. If like me, you have children that still very much rely on you for everything, then you need to plan for every eventuality. Little bums need cleaning, lunches and dinners need making, baths and hair washes need to happen, bedrooms need tidying, and washing up needs doing, along with a very long list of other day to day household chores. Set yourself working hours, for example: 9am until 5pm, use your diary to plan in lunch/dinner times and set yourself a small list of things to do each day rather than a big list to try and tackle all at once. This way, at the end of the day you feel like you have achieved more, and don’t end up overwhelmed at the sight of a seemingly never-ending list of household things that need doing
Tip 3. Get the children involved – ok, this one is age dependent but it’s easy to get your kids involved. Firstly, explain to your children why you are working, why you work from home and what your goals are. Children absorb so much information, so they’ll understand more than you think. Do you have a teenager? Get them involved by using them as social media spies, get them researching the latest trends, stalk websites and give you feedback on what they think looks good. Even if you don’t like their opinion, they’ll still feel involved and learn to respect the time that you spend focusing on your business. Do you have younger children? Ask them to design you a logo or ‘book cover’…. get creative, they will think they are doing something amazing for mummy and who knows, you could end up using it!
Tip 4. Be confident – Trust your own ability, be confident in your approach. You are building your very own business. It’s good to listen to people’s advice, especially if they have their own business but this is your business and your time to shine. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it. Sometimes family members or friends might not understand your reasoning for taking such a big risk but when they see you succeed, they’ll wish they took the risk too.
Tip 5. Take the risk- Many people are scared to take the risk of starting up a new business due to the fear of it not working. One thing we learnt whilst setting up our business is that learning only comes from failing. Failing isn’t bad. Failure helps us grow and build. You don’t have to give up your day job right away but don’t fear that being a possibility in the future. Do your market research, make sure there is a gap in the market for your chosen business idea. Build a social media presence and client base and make sure you are known for what you do. Trust yourself and your instincts and you’ll know when it’s time to take the leap from employee to businesswoman.
Danielle Hollinshead, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Danelle is a nutrition coach based in the UK, alongside with her husband, Ian, together they created IDeal Fitness & Nutrition, an online fitness, and nutrition coaching business. Between them, they have 5 children aged 4 years to 18 years. Together their mission is to tackle quick-fix diets and give people the knowledge and know-how to be able to create and maintain a complete healthy lifestyle. Alongside nutrition coaching, Danielle wants to take a stand and encourage more women to come forward and partake in a contact sport. Both Danielle and Ian are amateur kickboxers training and working in a busy martial arts gym in Portsmouth, South England. Danielle is keen to find more women of all shapes and sizes to step up and out of their comfort zones to take part in a truly rewarding sport. In her 4 years of training in kickboxing, Danielle has found it a struggle to find women of her size (UK size 16) that will put themselves forward for sparring and/or competitions. With a background of mental health issues and a negative relationship with food, Danelle has managed to turn her life around and wants to encourage more people like her to do the same.
