lifestyle
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A CAREER ACADEMY FOR MUMS Jane Knight founded Successful Mums in 2014 when she identified a gap in the market to help mums back to work after having children. The company is now an accredited and awardwinning team of 15, who’ve helped over 6,000 mums regain their confidence and purpose after having children. Q: What challenges did you face when launching your business and how did you overcome these? Applying for funding had its challenges, especially as a new start-up business. I did a lot of work for free to build up evidence and testimonials to use as part of the funding process. I now share the funding application process with others to fast-track funding.
Q: How do you manage family life alongside being a business owner? Lots of juggling! I haven’t met anyone that has managed this 100%. I have systems in place and I’m lucky to have a great network of friends and family. I get up early to get the life admin completed and dedicate time on a Sunday to meal planning and kids, clubs etc Sometimes I drop the ball, but I pick it up and keep going.
Q: What impact do you think the pandemic has had on working mothers? The need for digital skills for mums is even higher now, so any digital or I.T training should be part of every mum’s development plan. We provide these skills and of course there are many fantastic courses out there too. Recent lobbying for flexible working will continue to support mums to return to and sustain a career they love.
Q: What advice would you give to any women wanting to start their own business? The more niche your product or service, the easier it is to target your market audience. For example, a general photographer will need to do a broader marketing campaign than a photographer that focuses on new-borns. Being niche means you can then build your reputation in that area. Also think about your hobby and how you can work in an industry or environment that is similar.
Q: What’s new for Successful Mums? We’ve just won funding to support 500 London Mums in the next 12 months through our online coaching and training courses that include CV support, LinkedIn, Career advice, Personal styling, NLP techniques plus links to flexible employers. We are also kicking off a project to work with 100 employers to make their workforce more ‘women returner’ friendly through a number of women’s well-being projects, menopause policy and free advertising on our Job Board. For more information visit www.successfulmums.co.uk or email jane@successfulmums.co.uk
5 tips to successful networking Chas Jordan from Bromley Business Network outlines five tips to getting the most from a networking event: 1) Ask questions & listen – opportunity sometimes knocks very softly as Jackson Brown Jr once said. People love talking about themselves and by allowing them to do that you’ll create a great rapport and others will naturally warm to you. 2) Relationship building – networking isn’t about selling but rather getting to know what people do, who they’re looking to meet and what they need – that way you can help them and allow others to help you. 3) Consistency is key – attend events and do so regularly. People do business with those they know, like and trust. If you show up once, you’re not allowing people to get to know you – and vice versa. 4) Change your mindset – approach a networking event without any expectation of getting new business.
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Instead go with the idea of meeting new people and building relationships with those you already know. 5) Follow up – If you make a connection with someone, send a note afterwards to thank them. If you promised someone you’d email or call them – do so. And always return emails – even just to acknowledge you’ve received them - people are not mind readers. For details on Bromley Business Network, which meets every two weeks at Bromley Football Club, visit www. bromleybusinessnetwork.co.uk
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