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? Here’s our top 5:

1. Attend Networking Events

Networking is a gre...

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 scenes there can be...

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 very logical reason why this happens. Once we understand t...

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 longer about predators. I...

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 madness!

The first o...

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 a who...

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 y
...

In this month’s newsletter, I spoke about the things we could do to start developing a mindset for success. Before we can get to that place, its important to get clarity around the beliefs that may be stopping us from maintaining a growth mindset.

As with all personal development making changes to the way we have always done something can prove challenging and may take some practice. In many ways it's like building a muscle. The more frequently we push ourselves out of our comfort zone to do things that make us feel uncomfortable, like changing a pattern of behaviour, the easier it gets.

T...

There can be a general assumption that women aren’t naturally confident, that it’s something most of us have to ‘grow’ into. If you feel this way you could be forgiven for holding onto the belief that confidence is something to be worked on. A quick scan of your favourite Disney films – or most films with female characters will show that for almost all female leads, confidence or bravery comes about as a result of facing a fear. To a degree there is some truth in the fact that confidence grows after taking action but this is only part of the story.

We are all born with unshakable confidence. ...

In this months newsletter I spoke about getting to a place where fear of failure wouldn’t be an issue. Wouldn’t it be great to dive into things headfirst without worrying about all the things that could go wrong? Often we can become our own worst enemies. On our journey we create problems that aren’t there and let uncertainty and doubt stop us dead in our tracks.

Those we look up to also have fears. Last year the Queen of US TV Oprah talked of her fear of playing the lead role in ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ It seems strange as she has been on TV most of her life and she had given...