Hidden extras? Yes please!

This week is National Cupcake Week and in the interests of supporting this most worthwhile of institutions, I bought a mixed box of cupcakes from Lulubelles in Winton to share with some visitors I had coming for tea.

There was much oohing and aahing over the pretty decorations, colours and flavours as everyone made their choice. I selected a “Jaffa” cupcake, one of the limited edition flavours created specially for Cupcake Week. It smelt divine and looked beautiful, a pale sponge base with a swirl of vibrant orange icing drizzled in chocolate. I was expecting it to taste good, but what really put a smile on my face was something I had not been expecting…the cake had a “smashing orangey bit”! The orange jelly layer you get in a real Jaffa cake! It was delicious but the surprise extra something was what made it so special.

Customers want to be surprised and delighted. Offering something above and beyond what they expect using creativity, thoughtfulness and attention to detail may not cost much and it will increase customer satisfaction, encourage customer retention and provide the potential for word of mouth or social media marketing for your brand.

Think about how you could add a “smashing orangey bit” for your customers…or get in touch and I’ll help you come up with some zesty ideas that will make a real difference to your small business!

A life less ordinary – the surprising truth about mumpreneurs!

Today it is the norm for women, and especially mums, to aspire to “have it all” – this means you will probably be hard pressed to find a mum who isn’t playing a whole host of roles as a matter of course in everyday life. From taxi driver to cleaner, cook to child-minder, PA to life coach, if you had to employ others to do the work of a mum within her family you would need a small army! Add to that paid work be it full time, part time or through self employment, and a small dollop of “me time” at the gym, socializing or whatever for sanity preservation, and it’s small wonder we are all feeling the pressure.

Mumpreneurs face similar challenges to other mums in juggling the demands of home and work but, in the early stages especially, the line between work and the rest of your life becomes so blurred it is almost imperceptible. There is no official start to your working day and no end of shift clock-off time, consequently it is easy to let your exciting new business idea take over every aspect of your life. Despite this being an entrepreneur is in some ways an obvious career choice for mums; self-employment allows flexibility, the holy grail for those seeking to balance work and earning potential with being there for their children. And yes, this sometimes means staggering bleary eyed to the computer in the early hours to get an hour in before the kids wake up, making calls and sending messages while you wait for swimming lessons to end, burning the midnight oil, and neglecting your ironing pile, but for most of us, that is a small price to pay.

Working for yourself can be lonely with no workplace banter or colleagues to bounce ideas off – but there is no reason it has to be! I started Networking Mummies, to go some way towards creating the support network you have within a “normal” working environment. So next time you see a group of mums chatting animatedly in Costa Coffee think twice – they might be discussing marketing strategies and the issues around patents as well as discussing X factor and the latest anecdotes about their children!

Having your own business is an immensely liberating experience after being in the traditional role of an employee – you are in control; your decisions determine the direction your business takes, and every minute of work and inspirational idea you have benefits you very directly. In simple terms you get out what you put in – not always the case as an employee! You can build your business and your profits while still being around for nativity plays, illness and school pick-ups. For me it’s an exciting balance of work and home that feels like an adventure our whole family is going on together!

So what is the surprising truth about mumpreneurs? I think it’s the idea that any mum can be one! It may seem too risky, too daunting, too difficult but is it really? If you have a dream, or a great idea you are passionate about and the support of those around you, your possibilities are endless! It’s true that you will need to be determined, work hard and think creatively to get your business to work, but these are things we can all do if we are motivated by the desire for a business to succeed.

Don’t let fear of the unknown hold you back – if you want to work for yourself or have a great idea that you want to turn into a business make 2011 the year you become a mumpreneur!

Is it luck or judgment?

As we enter a New Year it’s natural to reflect on the one that has been and gone, and look to the challenges and hopes for the one to come.

As I looked back at 2010 I was struck by how “lucky” I have been in the last year, particularly in terms of being able to start working for myself. I started looking for freelance work around Easter and replied to some Gumtree adverts for part time marketing or copywriting roles. One of my applications for a role doing some SEO copywriting turned into an interview that led to a far more interesting project. The employer decided that my skills were suitable for a much bigger role, but one that was still able to accommodate my need for flexible home-based working that had led me to apply for the smaller job in the first place. In the end my chance application for a small job led to several months of work that took up all my available working hours!

How lucky!

Following the end of that project I realised I had been so immersed in it that I had not been creating a good network of clients. When I saw a Speed Networking event advertised in the Netmums “What’s on” section while I was browsing for children’s activities, I booked up straight away!

How lucky!

At the event hosted by Networking Mummies I met many lovely people who were interested in what I could do including Lulubelle’s cupcakes, Wedding VIP card and of course the host Joanne Dewbury. A subsequent email Joanne sent out for me led to me being contacted by a further client…four clients from one evening out that was discovered by accident!

How lucky!

Last week I met up with a client to discuss a project and they invited a third party to join the discussion…this new acquaintance was, by coincidence, aware of the big project I worked on last year and may now turn out to be my best client yet! I’m meeting her next week to discuss options…

How lucky!

I was recounting my good fortune to my husband and he stopped me and said, “It’s not just luck – you create the opportunities! If you didn’t make the effort these things would not happen to you!”

I suppose he’s right, although I still consider myself a “lucky” person. Otherwise how to explain the time we were stranded at Florence airport with no taxi’s? At the moment desperation set in I spotted a minibus with the name of our hotel on it pulling up to drop off some passengers. The driver spoke no English and we no Italian but he let us in and drove us to the hotel, where we then realized he had no idea we were booked to stay there! He had thought we were just cheeky tourists wanting to get a free lift into the city and had done us a favour…now that is just lucky!

 

Working from home…how do you stay motivated?

Working from home has it’s advantages; flexibility to fit work around school runs and being able to bung laundry in the machine in between emails gets you closer to the “having it all” lifestyle we are conditioned to aspire to. Being able to juggle housework and home-working is a boon for many mothers and more and more people see this as the solution to bridge a work/life balance gap.

However working from home, especially if you work for yourself (and by yourself) is not a bed of roses – all the things you never thought you would miss from your office days from the gossip and bitching to the unreasonable deadlines, staying late and ordering pizza, even the commute (no Starbucks on my road unfortunately!) suddenly seem part of an exciting community you are no longer involved in. And the lack of need to dress smartly and wear beautiful shoes is a daily source of disappointment for me I can tell you – no point wearing stilettos to trudge through the mud on the school run!

In addition to these more “cosmetic” downsides to working at home is the constant need to motivate yourself to get work done to achieve your goals. In my experience there are three main reasons that simply knuckling down and getting on with it proves so difficult:

1. No peer pressure you have no boss or snooping colleague giving you disapproving looks if you spend the morning drinking coffee with a friend or browsing facebook/ebay/mumsnet/youtube (insert your own favourite online time wasting site – we’ve all got at least one)
2. Problems prioritising within a usual job environment it is fairly easy to prioritise the tasks on your to-do list as they all relate to your job. At home your to-do list will also contain housework, family commitments, anything and everything really. It is hard to know what you “should” be doing; buying fairy wings for my daughters debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy or doing my invoicing? Baking a cake for my sister-in-law’s birthday or writing a press release? Cleaning the bathroom or researching opportunities to generate new business? When you have a paid for commission it is not such an issue, but the admin, marketing and self publicity required to be successful can often fall by the wayside in favour of other things you feel you need or want to do.
3. No set working hours most people working for themselves from home do not work set hours. This coupled with the point above means there is a great many opportunities to say “I’ll do it tonight/later” and put off work you should be getting on with. This results in burning of the midnight oil, which is fine to a degree, but continual “mum-by-day/work-by-night” can bring fatigue and burnout that benefit none of your roles.

So how to stay on task? Well I have no magic answers, I favour detailed to-do lists (complete with tick boxes) that I review each morning to reassess my goals for the day. I’m still more likely to do the tasks that pay or that I enjoy most first, but at least I regularly reminded to do the other things too. And on the rare occasion I complete my list for the day – what a sense of satisfaction!

There are only 36 days until Christmas! Will your business be making the most of it?

We all know what it’s like; Christmas seems ages away until suddenly, somewhere in between digging out winter uniforms and woolly tights and ooohing and aaahing at the fireworks on November 5th, it just creeps up on you.

If you still haven’t got around to thinking about how to maximise the value of the all-important festival of consumerism that is Christmas, don’t despair! There is still time to boost your festive sales with a bit of clever marketing. Here are my top three tips for last minute Christmas promotions…

Is it a gift?

If your company sells a product or service that could be used as a Christmas gift make sure you tell all your customers – they might not realise that they could buy gifts or vouchers from you! Of course some things are a more obvious fit than others, a voucher for beauty treatments or some toys will be no-brainers, but vouchers for cleaning services or car valeting, takeaways or cafes, gardening services or entry to an attraction would also make interesting and useful gifts. Who wouldn’t want a voucher for a deep clean of the kitchen to use after the mayhem of Christmas cooking? Or a free Chinese takeaway as an antidote to all the Christmas stodge? All you need to do is decide on your gift proposition and tell existing customers with an email or flyer.

Make it an event!

Especially relevant for any companies who have high street premises is a Christmas event or two. Even if you don’t have your own venue, consider teaming up with someone who does for a joint promotion. Invite your customers or simply break out the bubbly and order some cupcakes or nibbles to entice in passers by. It’s a great way to showcase your products or services by offering samples or demos, as well as discount vouchers to be used against any future purchase to help secure some new customers.

Spread the word

Father Christmas isn’t the only one who can deliver at this time of year – door drop your local area with leaflets that include details of your Christmas promotions and a discount for the bearer. At this time of year students looking for some extra cash can be a cheap way to get a door drop delivered – use gumtree or student notice boards to attract potential delivery elves! Split the costs with a non-competing company who wants to reach the same audience to make it even more affordable.

If you want any help in getting a Christmas promotion off the ground fast, drop me a line at jessboston@hotmail.com and I’ll come up with some ideas tailored to your business – you’ll be surprised how much we can do!

And next year I’ll make sure you plan for Christmas before the tinsel and baubles hit the shops!

Did you hear the one about the ballet dancer, the hypnotist and the cupcake maker?

If not you obviously weren’t at the Speed Networking hosted by Networking Mummies last Wednesday!

I heard about the event on the netmums.com notice board, and as a freelance copy writer and marketing consultant looking for some more local clients, I thought it would be a perfect way for me to meet some new people. Everyone needs marketing after all, right?!

I had expected the atmosphere would be a bit tense and was concerned that I would be confronted with people who were only there to hard-sell me their products or services (flashbacks of attending ghastly Chamber of Commerce events in my agency days were abounding!). Happily, I couldn’t have been more wrong; the twenty or so attendees were charming and very easy to talk to. Often the allocated ten minutes per person seemed too short, and not because I was trying to flog my services (although I was of course!), but because I was so interested in all the other participants and what they had to say.

It was a very diverse group and I not only met some lovely people, but also learned a lot including how to save money on the cost of a wedding, how hypnotism could save the NHS millions, the way Pilates can change lives, where to go if I need a horse photographed, the amazing benefits Aloe can bring, what “cake balls” taste like, and where to get hold of edible glitter…not bad for a Wednesday night!

I would definitely recommend Speed Networking with Networking Mummies to any small business or freelancer – and you don’t actually have to be a mummy (or even a daddy) to join in. You will have a very enjoyable evening, meet interesting people and even get some new clients if you’re lucky – I am excited to be talking with Lulubelle’s Cupcakes and Wedding VIP Card about possible projects already!

Give it a try – I’m so pleased I went, it’s probably the best £15 I’ve spent on trying to generate new business this year!

 

A volcanic opportunity!

I read today that Eurostar have increased fares from around £60 to £200 per person to take advantage of the increased demand they are experiencing due to the cancellation of all flights while the volcanic ash is in the air. How disappointing. This short sighted attitude will no doubt increase the profits this month but what an opportunity missed!

Passengers who had chosen flying as their preferred mode of travel are being forced to use alternatives like trains and ferries to reach their destinations – why not impress these reluctant users, encouraging them to become repeat customers? Pushing up prices in a climate where there is little choice but to pay can only have a negative impact on customer perceptions, damaging brand image and future profits.

By being less cynical and focusing instead on helping stranded travellers effectively, perhaps even offering cut prices or discount vouchers for future travel to those affected, these companies could reap the benefits of positive PR to boost public profile.

It’s not often ferries and trains make the news for positive reasons – why not take this opportunity before the dust settles?!

A three horse race?

Watching the election debate last night was the first time I have actively decided to “give politics a chance” being of the general opinion that they are all as bad as each other, and i’m glad I did! Nick Clegg (who I am ashamed to say I was barely aware of previously) really showed the others how it’s done. David Cameron usually relies on his charisma to help him rise above the dour Gordon Brown, but Clegg engaged more successfully with the audience, even remembering names of the questioners and mentioning them during his answers. The less said about Brown’s cringe-making scripted attempts to connect using pop culture (airbrushing/X factor etc) the better!

And while everyone would agree that most politicians’ promises need to be taken with a large pinch of salt, Clegg had statistics and facts to illustrate and back up all his arguments which gave him a credibility the others failed to build. It’s clear he had done his homework and he’s really made this election interesting.

For now at least – I agree with Nick!

Liberal with the litter…

I saw the Party Political broadcast for the Liberal Democrats yesterday – unbelievable! A landscape littered with broken promises apparently, but if you were not listening or the sound was down it just showed Lib Dems make a huge mess wasting A4 paper by strewing it around the streets and countryside. Maybe it was cgi. Maybe it was all recycled and ethically sourced. Maybe they have some good policies – I wouldn’t know…too distracted wondering about all the paper…

Dress up for books??

My children had World Book day at school today – dress as a character from your favourite book and bring it in to share. My daughter was adamant she dressed in her Minnie Mouse costume, needless to say we have never owned a Minnie Mouse book and nor could I find one in the shops so I settled for helping her make her own book using some Minnie stickers which was quite fun.

At the school gates you could barely move for pirates, stormtroopers and princesses but I bet if you could count the number of costumes truly inspired by a book rather than film/TV etc there would be a scant few.

Sadly the people who dreamt up World Book Day as a way to promote reading appear to have merely created a World Dressing Up day, very much fun but definitely NOT about books!