Hormonal Journey of a Mumpreneur
Lorna Ive
Make September a fresh start!
September is my favourite time of the year, the bright sunshine, cooler weather and golden leaves bathed in the glorious sunlight.
I also find this time of year to be relaxing albeit busy with back to school uniform labels and packed lunches.
What do you like about September?
Do you look forward to some time for yourself or do you set yourself a new challenge, a course, new fitness regime or a new role in your career.
September is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts, how will you use this time for you?
This month I will be sharing with you my business advice to help you get set up!
Want to turn your hobby or passion into a business?
Do you have a solution to solve a problem? – how can you help people?
What do you enjoy doing most day to day? – think of your strengths and passions.
How much time can you commit to setting up your business? – can you devote your time to committing to being present to your new business?
Can you work on your own? – you need to consider this if you are a sociable person working for yourself can be isolating at times.
What are your goals? – are they financial, your lifestyle or has the pandemic ended your career? Have you been considering running your own business for some time but unsure where to start?
Take my advice and just do it!
What fires your belly? – you need to feel the energy and desire to get your business off the ground and running. Your passion and creativity will shine through to your potential customers and clients.
These are all the questions to ask yourself before setting up a business.
Let’s make your dream a reality!
My first piece of advice would be, that you have to love what you are doing, even more so as self employed.
At the beginning it can feel 24/7 of running your own business. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to keep learning and keep your skill set up to date. Through life we have to push ourselves out of our comfort zone, running a business will definitely make you do things that you have not tried before. You’ll learn about the latest technology from google hangouts to excel spreadsheets and tax returns. Understanding the costs of running a business from buying stock to making sales and making profits.
Firstly, grab a coffee and schedule some time out of your day to sit down and journal your thoughts and ideas. Note your strengths and goals. This will help you to decide and understand what you can offer and also highlight any areas that you may need external support or retrain.
I would suggest researching as much as you can online, your local area. Newspapers, magazines and word of mouth. A great way to check is via social media to see if your business idea already exists.
You may discover that your business idea is already out there, don’t be disheartened. This is good news as this proves there is a need!! You have found a solution to a problem!
Your services, skills and passion will deliver a great service.
If you believe in your business you will succeed. This is so true, you will want to eat, breathe everything for your business. It will become your baby.
A great indicator of a good business idea is that you wake up each day with a fire in your belly to work 24/7.
Once you start, you will notice your creative ideas will flow! You will be amazed to know that in the early morning hours some of the best ideas are created. These are the best ideas, I love an early morning idea, not great for sleep but you will know you have discovered a good idea.
Lorna’s checklist for new business ventures;
- Your hobbies – skills – previous work experience.
- Can you offer a solution to a problem?
- Work out how much time you can commit.
- Research your idea.
- Write a business plan.
- To include all costs, advertising, targets and goals.
- Collaborate with others in your industry.
- Power of social media. Use social media to help you be seen!
- Brand and logos are important. This will help you to stand out and to embody your business.
- Will your business need to be online or within premises?
- Networking. Zoom has transformed this for business owners, get networking!
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
- Schemes and funding available to help start ups from the government.
- Find out which technology SM platforms would best represent your business.
- Focus on brands that you recognise for sustainability, ethics and environment, diverse and equal ethos.
- Your Iphone! You can create some great shots using your phone to help you with your own organic content for promoting your business idea. So many apps available that you can run your business when out and about.
- Create a database of customers and send a regular newsletter with all your news and upcoming offers .
Check childcare costs and commitments. If you are considering running a business with a business partner, if they have to use childcare, maybe you could share childcare costs and commitments.
Once you have your plan in place, I would suggest blocking out time to focus on setting up your business. Register with Government online as self employed or Companies House if you want to trade as a limited company. This needs to be done first. Insurance is next on your list to provide you with the necessary cover.
Why not share with us here at The Sussex Newspaper your business details and let’s create an empowering network for business start ups. Sharing our advice and tips.
As I write, I am about to embark as a finalist for this year’s Ms Great Britain Classic Title Finals 2021!!
I am packed, prepped and ready to do my best! The team at Miss/Ms Great Britain are so supportive and encouraging to all finalists to be comfortable and to have the best experience.
The current reigning Queen’s have been such great role models during the pandemic providing support and raising awareness for their causes.
This year will be my second time competing, so I know how it works this time and have my soft gel pads for my feet at the ready.
I am looking forward to using my time with the Miss/Ms Great Britain organisation to share my voice for women of all ages experiencing menopause, midlife and women’s health issues. Wish me luck!
**I am not medically trained, this is my own experience and research. If you have any concerns or genuine issues please seek professional medical advice **
IP/Lorna Ive/ 13/9/21
