Unless they’re in business themselves, it’s not uncommon for friends and family to come across as unsupportive. When you’ve had a hard day and are looking for some support, many of them will ask what appear to be insensitive questions such as, “when are you going back to work?” or “when are you going to get a proper job?”

They don’t mean to be hurtful, they just don’t get it. But as we saw in the last blog, there is a lot to gain from having a good support network around you. So what can you do to begin building that network?...

Did you spend years craving freedom and independence? There’s no doubt that starting your own business can give you that. But that doesn’t mean that you’re not going to need a support network.

Many mumpreneurs might realise this when times are tough. However, a support network can be invaluable when business is great too. Below are our top 7 reasons why you need to build a support network.

1. Something Goes Wrong

Business is not always smooth running, whatever anyone else might tell you. You might see businesses around you that always seem to be doing well but behind the...

Have you ever heard the phrase “face your fears”? A person’s response to that tends to go one of two ways: instantly thinking, “Absolutely no chance” and sprinting in the opposite direction, or, a “yes, I CAN do this”, gun-ho, let’s-go-flat-out-and-defeat-this-thing approach.

And yet neither of these responses will allow you to come through those fears unscathed. One ends with no action being taken and the other, risks making you so vulnerable and overwhelmed, that you end up with your fear growing rather than dissipating.

There’s a...

Fear. Unrecognised and unchallenged, it can cause all kinds of damage within your business and home life. In my newsletter I discussed five different types of fear that we may have. In this blog, I take it one step further and look at the different ways in which we can react to fear.

Whilst we’ve evolved into civilised humans, we did not start off this way and the evidence remains in our brains. When we feel fear, the more primitive part of our brain responds pushing us into one of the “fight, flight or freeze” responses.

These days, our fears have changed - it’s no...

School’s out for summer – are you managing to hold onto your sanity? If not, don’t worry, you are far from alone! As difficult as it can be to find time to work on you, it really can help you to keep going during the holidays. Our last blog was about the inner obstacles that can stop you from reaching your potential. This one is going to give you some ideas on how to kick-start your personal growth in the areas we discussed. Lock yourself away in the bathroom for five minutes and try one of the ideas below. At the very least, it will give you a brief break from the summer...

In this month’s newsletter we explored the importance of personal growth and how we can be held back if we ignore it. The first step in personal development is to recognise which areas we struggle with so we can begin to work on them.

It is only by developing them, that you can begin to gain momentum and move forward. This blog explores three common inner obstacles that might be holding you back.

Self-confidence

Many women, particularly when they become mums, lack confidence in their own abilities. This can be exasperated when you start your own business and enter what appears to be...

It’s all very well understanding why we don’t prioritise our own self-care and the types of obstacles that get in our way, but it’s of no use if we don’t then do something about it!

In the last blog post, we identified the obstacles you might have. Now it’s time to take some action and begin making self-care a part of your life, regardless of your other commitments.

Realistically, how exactly can you do that? Here’s our step by step guide to making self-care happen:

Planning

Planning in time for you is absolutely key. Sometimes though, just...

In this month’s newsletter we explored the issues around why mums put everyone before themselves and we discussed a number of reasons why self-care is often at the bottom of our list. Today, we’re going to explore the obstacles that get in our way when we do realise that we deserve a little time because it’s only when we know what they are that we can tackle them.

A lack of planning

How many times do you decide that this week will be the week that you’ll finally make some time for you? It’s going to happen, you’re not sure when, you’ve just got to...

Life balance is something that so many of us struggle with. Whether it’s juggling family and work priorities or our personal life with other responsibilities, on the see-saw of life, maintaining equilibrium remains as challenging as reaching the spiritual state of nirvana.

We may feel that a sense of balance is something that we will always struggle to hold on to, that in this day and age, with our commitments and responsibilities, achieving balance is a nice idea in theory but not very practical.

We may look at others and their lives feeling that because they earn more money, have a...

Guilt, especially for working mums, can be all consuming. As the cost of living rises and career opportunities reduce, the option to work or establish a business is becoming a necessity in many households.

Mums should not feel guilty about working but embrace the many benefits it brings to their families. Here are some great tips to help you eliminate working mum guilt for good!

• No matter what type of childcare arrangements you have organised for your child, you will have done so with their best interests in mind. Reassure yourself that they are safe, secure and happy in whatever setting...