*Sponsored post
Being a mother is amazing.
When you’re
on maternity leave, it’s totally understandable that the idea of
going back to work might seem alien to you, at this point. But
whether you make the personal choice of whether to return at all in
the long run, there’s nothing to stop you starting your own
business! If you’re feeling totally in the dark, we’ve got a few
tips for starting up…
-
Have a clear idea of what it is
you want to do. Not all businesses have to be big, grand efforts, in
fact, you can even use your existing skills to create something
amazing from scratch. Just look at how well blogs can do! There’s
bound to be something you can do to earn a bit of extra cash,
whether it’s crafty, something writing based or even creating a
clothing line or design business. If you’re aiming for something a
little more corporate, it’s definitely a good idea to draw up a
business plan. There are plenty of resources online to help, and
there are an abundance of people who can also help you. Make sure
you also have a clear idea of how finances will work from day one.
There’s no use getting to the end of the tax year in a mad panic
because you can’t find your invoices and this and that and god
knows what else! You’ve got to be organised and committed from the
start.
-
Promote
yourself! Ignoring marketing is a rookie mistake. Clearly, tactics
are going to differ, depending on what your ‘niche’ is, but
there’s nothing stopping you getting on Facebook, Twitter, etc. In
fact, it’s imperative. There are absolutely loads of tips
published online about this almost daily, but if you do want a crash
course, consider something like this Social
Media class from the Guardian. You should also consider getting
into video. People go mad for it these days, and people = consumers.
According to Posh Gecko, it’s
helping businesses more than ever. Don’t get left out!
-
If the company starts growing –
congratulations! That’s great. The one thing you should watch out
for though is things getting too much to handle. Especially as a
parent, things can soon start to bowl you over. If things are doing
well, why not get a friend or partner in on the action? It can
certainly ease some of the burden. If things are doing really
well, enlist the help of some management consultants like Camford
MC – they’re bound to collectively have some years on you in
terms of experience, so if your business is now what you do, rather
than just something extra, by all means give them a call.
-
Keep track of what’s working.
There’s no point just winging it, because you’ll probably find
yourself in trouble eventually! Yes, this means doing boring stuff
like keeping an eye on Google
Analytics and analysing your traffic, but it’s worth it in the
long run! If you’re selling stuff, it helps to have a handle on
where your leads are coming from. Once you’ve experienced a
certain amount of growth, you can pull Calltracks
on board – their software allows your customers to see different
phone numbers for you depending on where they found you, all coming
through to the same place. So you know which places are converting
and which aren’t!
-
Think long and hard before
quitting your day job. If you have returned to work after a baby,
good for you, but if this is because of financial responsibility
rather than career building, you’ll want to make sure you can
still support the family. On the other hand, if you’re doing the
business because you wanted to be a stay at home mum, you’ll have
to think about your expansion plans to make sure it’s not becoming
so much that it’s no longer fun. Remember, the health and
happiness of you – and your family – comes first. Good luck!