Mums, family & business

By Antonia Chitty, author of The Mumpreneur Guide

Is your work taking over, leaving you short of time for your family and yourself. Or would you love to work but can’t find an opportunity with the right hours to fit with the kids? Antonia Chitty has some ideas to help you find the right work life balance.

Start by talking to a range of mums and find out how they combine work and family. I thought going back to work four days a week after the birth of my daughter would leave me plenty of time: I was wrong. I felt I didn’t have enough time with my daughter and couldn’t fit in all my work either. Other mums’ experiences will give you a range of views and you can work out if your plans are realistic.

Check your rights

You have the right to ask for flexible work if you have a child under 16. Your boss has to consider your request and can’t refuse outright.  She has to base a refusal on one of the following grounds:

• Burden of additional costs 
• Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demands
• Inability to reorganise work among existing staff
• Detrimental impact on quality
• Detrimental impact on performance
• Insufficiency of work during the periods the employee proposes to work
• Planned structural changes

Look at your budget

If flexible work isn’t an option, you may be thinking about quitting altogether. Whether you’re on maternity leave or simply stuck in a job you hate, work out an ‘essentials’ budget, to see whether you could afford to give up work. Remember that you won’t spend as much money on fares, lunches out and work clothes. Think about the cost of childcare too.

Making a change

If you decide to leave work, or if you are currently a stay at home mum, you may need to come up with some ideas for flexible work: very few of us can stretch the family budget enough to not work at all, and it is great to be able to contribute to bills and pay for treats. Here are some tips to get you started:

Look for flexible opportunities, using resources like www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk

www.flexibleskillsbank.co.uk

www.remoteemployment.co.uk

or

www.mumandworking.co.uk.

There are plenty of jobs out there and sites like this can put you in touch with employers who offer reasonable hours.

Why not turn your hobby into a business? This is not a way to get rich quick but plenty of women, and a few men, find that they can boost the family budget while doing something they enjoy. You may be an avid collector and want to turn your hand to selling as well as buying. If you are a crafty type, start selling your creations at local craft fairs or through online craft marketplaces like www.Etsy.com.

Set up a service. You may have a skill that will allow you to go freelance, like web design. You could think about becoming a virtual assistant offering typing and admin services. Or, could you offer to do ironing, collect dry cleaning or wait in for deliveries for busy office workers. Think about what could fit into school hours, evenings or nap times.

Look into direct selling. Pick a product you like, and which will sell well in your local area. Check that there aren’t lots of reps competing for the same sales. To be a successful rep you need to look beyond family and friends, and make the most of opportunities to sell at groups and get people to hold parties for you.

Get some support. You aren’t the only person in this position. Join a women’s networking forum like giantpotential.ning.com or find support on a parenting forum like www.mumsclub.co.uk. If you are starting your own business contact your local enterprise agency too.

See www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk for more ideas and resources, and an extract of the Family Friendly Working book. There is also a FREE e-course which will help you work out your options. You can also order the Family Friendly Working book (£9.99). This could be the start of a whole new life.

If you’re serious about starting your own business, visit www.themumpreneurguide.co.uk to find out about a brand new book, The Mumpreneur Guide’s Start Your Own Business Book. The book is specially designed for mums. It covers issues from business planning to childcare, finances to setting aside time for you. It is the best way to get your new business a head start.

Antonia Chitty is author of The Mumpreneur Guide (£18.00), available from www.themumpreneurgude.co.uk, www.amazon.co.uk and to order from any bookshop by quoting ISBN 9780955534522