Life as a mumpreneur sure is busy! With all the goals, plans and ideas you have, is it any wonder you struggle to find the time to get everything done? Yet, with a little help from your personal support network, you can achieve so much more!

Asking others to help you as you work towards fulfilling business goals and lifelong personal aspirations is a great way to get ahead. Delegating time-consuming tasks or mundane responsibilities will really help you to find more time so you can enjoy your life. Organising your personal support network is a necessity for a successful mumpreneur.

A personal support network will include people who can offer help, guidance and time when it comes to your work, family and home.

Work
Administrative duties and marketing responsibilities, for example, can be outsourced to professional organisations that will ensure the work is done properly. This can be an enormous support and will allow you to get on with the running of your business.

A business mentor is a great contact to have within your personal support network. Approach someone you greatly respect and admire for his or her business success. Having a contact you trust is invaluable when you need guidance and support. Not only can you learn from their experiences but they will also help to develop your business acumen.

Family
When it comes to your family, you can set up a network of people that you trust so you’re happy to leave your children in their care. Grandparents are often called upon to fulfil this duty but if you don’t have this luxury, you have to build your own network. Set up a network with friends in which you each take turns to look after the children. This can work really effectively and flexibly, which is ideal for many entrepreneurial women. Alternatively, day nurseries and childminders are available if you require help during set times.

Home
Trying to juggle family life and your own business can be pretty time-consuming, without factoring in household duties. If you have the finances available, it is worth investing in cleaning or ironing services to help lighten the load. If this isn’t possible, schedule time each week to concentrate on household tasks so you can at least keep on top of the general household chores.

Don’t be too proud or afraid to set up a personal support network. It will bring countless benefits to your life, enabling you to get on with the things you most enjoy. 

Realising your business dreams – from seed to success.

If you have enjoyed this article, Empowering Mumpreneurs produces a free monthly newsletter, Succeed, which aims to support mums on their journey to starting up and growing their own successful business. Please use the newsletter sign up box to the top right of this screen to subscribe to the latest issue of Succeed.

Empowering Mumpreneurs provides support to all mums wanting to start up their own business or mums who are already in business. Whether you require the encouragement and support to realise a seed of an idea for a potential business or you need the insight, vision and know-how to take your existing business to the next level, Empowering Mumpreneurs will motivate, encourage and inspire you to fulfil your potential, achieve your many aspirations and ultimately succeed. Contact Empowering Mumpreneurs today on 01606 334015 or visit www.empoweringmumpreneurs.co.uk for more information.

A mum can be defined as The Carer. You care for the health, education, development, success, shortcomings, strengths and weaknesses of your children. You care about the needs, happiness and worries of your partner. You care about the well-being of your extended family members. You care about the cleanliness and tidiness of your home. So why do you find it so difficult to care for yourself?

Self-care gives you that vital time-out to relax and recharge your batteries. No one can expect you to give 100% to satisfying the needs of others without addressing your own. This is your chance to do something you enjoy doing on a regular basis.

So, how can you find time to introduce self-care into your already hectic routine? The answer is by prioritising time for self-care above other more mundane tasks; by scheduling it into your diary on a regular basis; and by asking others to support you by taking care of your family in your short-term absence.

If you do struggle to make self-care a reality, my essential e-book for busy mums, How To Find More Time, can help. This e-book features effective exercises that will help you to learn about your time – what it is worth, how you spend it, and how you can maximise it. You will not only improve your ability to organise your routine effectively but you will be able to schedule, experience and value quality ‘me time’ on a daily basis to help you live the life you truly want and deserve.

If you would like to know how it would feel to have more time to do the things you really want to do – things that give you joy and energy – then this e-book provides exercises, principles, techniques and tips to help you get the most out of your time so you can achieve the things you really want, enabling you to live a life with purpose, direction, balance and happiness. To find out more about this comprehensive e-book, please click here.

Please remember: self-care leads to happiness. Happiness makes you a better mum.

Sign Up, Sign Up!
You will know from your website statistics how many people are visiting your site per month. These people are actively searching for your products and services. To capture their details for marketing purposes, you can add a newsletter sign up box on your website. Entice them to sign up by promoting some of the information you include in mailings. You can even encourage them to join the list by offering beneficial incentives and free resources. If you have an online shop, you can encourage your customers to sign up to receiving your newsletter at point of purchase. When asking them to sign-up, make it clear you respect their privacy and that you won’t share their personal information with third parties.

Grasp All Opportunities
If you meet your customers face-to-face, such as in a hairdressing salon or high street shop, you can actively discuss your e-newsletters with them and promote how it can benefit them. Explain how you include exclusive offers and latest product launches to entice them into subscribing. This is a great way to encourage customers to opt-in to your mailing list. You can maximise this opportunity by having newsletter registration cards on the counter, offering a discount or free entry – whatever is appropriate for your business – in exchange for an e-mail address.

Maximise Your Networking
If you attend networking events, encourage the people you meet to fill in a newsletter registration card. Explain how you will be using the details and that they could benefit from the content you will be communicating.

Be Professional
It is good practice to create a privacy policy, which guarantees the information provided by each recipient will not be shared to third parties. This will add to your credibility and professionalism, and safeguard your customers’ email addresses from potential abuse.

Growing your e-mail list takes time but it is worth the effort. Once you have a solid list of opted-in addresses and a newsletter with informative content, you have a powerful tool to attract more clients and generate business growth.

Realising your business dreams – from seed to success.

If you have enjoyed this article, Empowering Mumpreneurs produces a free monthly newsletter, Succeed, which aims to support mums on their journey to starting up and growing their own successful business. Please use the newsletter sign up box to the top right of this screen to subscribe to the latest issue of Succeed.

Empowering Mumpreneurs provides support to all mums wanting to start up their own business or mums who are already in business. Whether you require the encouragement and support to realise a seed of an idea for a potential business or you need the insight, vision and know-how to take your existing business to the next level, Empowering Mumpreneurs will motivate, encourage and inspire you to fulfil your potential, achieve your many aspirations and ultimately succeed. Contact Empowering Mumpreneurs today on 01606 334015 or visit www.empoweringmumpreneurs.co.uk for more information.

Having the confidence to live your life according to your core values will enable you to become the woman you truly want to be. If you feel like you have lost your sparkle since becoming a mum, increasing your self-esteem and self-worth will boost your confidence and help you to rediscover your true self.

Empowering Mumpreneurs supports and nurtures mums to rediscover their true identity by encouraging them to not only identify lifelong goals but to also create a step-by-step plan to make each one a reality. Confidence is often the greatest obstacle mums face when wanting to try something new, to return to work or to even make everyday decisions.

For this quarter’s Mums’ Struggles Made Simple [MSMS], I would like to invite you to complete a survey about confidence and self-esteem. I would particularly like to understand what it is you find most challenging so I can offer you the tools to help you overcome these obstacles so you can become a confident and happy mum.

The solutions I will offer to help you regain your confidence will be posted to my blog in two parts – the first on 21st May and the second on 18th June. All information shared by you will remain anonymous – I will not share your specific details with any other party.

And there’s more…

I will offer even more support by hosting regular MSMS Call-In Sessions through May and June of this quarter, following survey completion in April. If you are struggling with a particular challenge, you can call me and receive 15 minutes complimentary 1:1 laser coaching! So please keep an eye on our blog for MSMS Call-In details. Don’t miss out on taking advantage of this fantastic opportunity!

I invite you to click here to take part in my Confidence For Life survey! I would be grateful if you could complete your survey by 30th April 2012.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey: your comments will remain confidential and I will provide feedback to the variety of issues you may be facing via my blog.

To stay up-to-date with all future references to Mums’ Struggles Made Simple, please follow my blog, keep up-to-date with MSMS e-mails and follow me on Twitter, @TraceyWall_UK, and Facebook! #MSMS

Wishing you confidence, balance and joy!

Tracey Wall
Professional Coach Empowering Mums

PS In case you missed my ‘de-cluttering’ solutions posted to my blog last quarter, please check out the details here.

Introduction
It’s good to balance professionalism with the personal within your introduction. You want to build a relationship with customers and very formal, corporate text won’t necessarily work to your advantage. You and your business have a personality and this should shine through here. Don’t forget to include the name of the recipient in your greeting so you can personalise the mailing (most distribution programmes have the facility to automate this function). Remember to use the correct form of address, as you need to quickly connect with the potential customer. If you address each other in the first person when communicating in face to face, it is okay to do so here. If you will have a more formal working relationship, this ought to be reflected in the greeting. Use your judgement here based on the type of business you are managing.

An introduction is a good place to build rapport. You could share some good news, comment on industry events or details about what has led you to communicate with the reader. Be creative and ensure the content captures the reader’s attention.

Core Message
Every e-newsletter has a core message the sender wants to communicate. Your article could share tips and advice, it could announce the launch of a new product, service or programme or it could showcase your latest creation. Whatever the subject matter, ensure you communicate the benefits it provides the reader. Give them a reason to read on and the more e-newsletters you send, the greater chance you have of building intrigue and desire to use your products and services. You will, after all, be portraying yourself as the leading provider in your field.

Spotlights
Most e-newsletters feature spotlights in a column within the e-newsletter, which quickly promote other elements of your business. Both Empower and Succeed utilise this style. This is your chance to raise awareness of other services within your company or to cross-sell products. You may use a spotlight to share a client testimonial or to promote the work of an associate organisation. You may even promote sections within your website so your prospects can find out more about you. You can include a number of spotlights to feature short sound bites of information about your business.

Call To Action
Every e-newsletter must have a strong, clear call to action. Clearly display your telephone number, email address and website address. You want people to contact you following the receipt of the e-newsletter so ensure you make it as easy as possible for them to do so.

I hope this article helps you to put together an effective e-newsletter so you too can connect with customers regularly. Please let me know when you are ready to send your e-newsletter so I can be added to your distribution list!

Realising your business dreams – from seed to success.

If you have enjoyed this article, Empowering Mumpreneurs produces a free monthly newsletter, Succeed, which aims to support mums on their journey to starting up and growing their own successful business. Please use the newsletter sign up box to the top right of this screen to subscribe to the latest issue of Succeed.

Empowering Mumpreneurs provides support to all mums wanting to start up their own business or mums who are already in business. Whether you require the encouragement and support to realise a seed of an idea for a potential business or you need the insight, vision and know-how to take your existing business to the next level, Empowering Mumpreneurs will motivate, encourage and inspire you to fulfil your potential, achieve your many aspirations and ultimately succeed. Contact Empowering Mumpreneurs today on 01606 334015 or visit www.empoweringmumpreneurs.co.uk for more information.

Since becoming a mum, do you believe you have lost your confidence and have little self-esteem? Are you ready to reclaim your lost sparkle, accept the woman you are and start living a life filled with confidence, balance and joy?

Life as a mum can be pretty hectic. In addition to the roles and responsibilities you have to juggle, you must retain your identity and a sense of your true self. Without doing so, you may be left feeling isolated, frustrated and resentful. By reawakening your mind to the power of self-acceptance, you will regain your confidence and have greater self-worth.

Learning to like the real you is the essence of becoming who you truly want to be. I have written and published the Accept Yourself And Build Your Self-Esteem And Self-Confidence e-book, designed to help you truly accept everything about yourself. Self-acceptance will increase your self-esteem and enable you to live your life according to your own beliefs and aspirations.

By embarking on a journey of self-discovery and self-awareness, you will learn to strengthen your self-esteem and self-confidence by truly accepting and liking every aspect of yourself. This e-book provides exercises and principles to help you on this journey and enables you to truly accept yourself by adopting life-changing techniques that improve self-esteem and self-confidence. For more information about this invaluable e-book, please click here so you can finally accept yourself once and for all and begin living the life you really want and deserve!

Many thanks to those of you who took the time to complete my survey about de-cluttering, Free Yourself From Clutter. I received a brilliant response from you and I hope some of the solutions I provide in this article can bring some calm to your clutter chaos! 

i) The first survey question asked about the type of clutter in your home and the majority of you answered ‘paperwork, newspapers and magazines’. This clutter problem can actually be resolved easily if you establish a few processes into your daily routine. Here’s how you can maintain a paper-free environment:

a) Set up a paper-recycling bin in your kitchen. As soon as junk mail comes through your door, put it straight in this bin. That way you won’t leave it lying around cluttering up the hall or on the stairs.

b) In a convenient place, such as a drawer in your hall or a tray in your kitchen, place the paperwork that requires attention. When you get a few spare minutes, you can go to this drawer knowing exactly what needs sorting out and you can get on with it. This especially helps with documents like car tax renewals or outstanding credit card bills. You’ll never lose important documents to overflowing piles of junk mail or the children’s artwork!

c) Have a second file/drawer/box for paperwork that needs to be filed away, such as confirmation insurance documents or paid store card bills. If you don’t have time there and then to file them properly, at least you’re collating them in one place.

d) Buy a level-arch file with dividers for all your personal documents such as bank statements, insurance files, pension information etc. Have one lever arch file for each year. Each month empty the contents of the above file/drawer/box into the appropriate sections. Keep this file in a convenient location – on a bookshelf or, if you have one, a study – so you can quickly access the information when required.

e) Newspapers can be put into the paper-recycling bin as soon as you have finished reading them. Alternatively, keep them in a tidy pile in a cupboard so you have an instant table/worktop cover for messy tasks such as cleaning shoes, peeling vegetables or painting with the kids.

f)  You can easily recycle magazines by passing them on to friends. If they don’t want them, put them straight into the paper-recycling bin!

ii) My second question asked why you struggle to maintain a clutter-free home. You resoundingly replied, “I haven’t got time!” If your clutter is affecting your happiness and causing stress levels to rise, it is time to make de-cluttering a priority! Now you know it needs to be done, you must schedule time in your diary to make it happen. Don’t attempt to tackle all your clutter at once. Schedule fifteen to thirty minutes each day to begin de-cluttering an area of your home. Once you have de-cluttered your home, this is a great way to maintain your environment each day, as it will also prevent a future build up of clutter! Making a start on one kitchen drawer is manageable and achievable. Don’t blame lack of time for something that can be done in short blasts of time.  The key to success is to forget about the age-old approach associated with de-cluttering, “I’ll de-clutter when I’ve got a whole weekend off to get it all done”! It never happens, as something more interesting and fun always crops up!

You must view your de-cluttering plan as a long-term goal, not a short-term gain. This will help you to gain perspective. Prioritise the areas you most want to tackle – choose a room you use most and will therefore gain the most satisfaction and enjoyment from your efforts. Don’t let de-cluttering overwhelm you: take little steps that will give you a greater sense of achievement long-term. This really helps keep you motivated so you continue until you have successfully achieved your de-cluttering aspirations!

iii) Many of you said you have always had an issue with clutter, even before your family came along. It could be something deep rooted that makes you hoard and keep hold of lifelong memorabilia. If there are any negative thoughts associated with these issues, see if you can pinpoint the cause and try your very best to let it go. You cannot change the past so now is the time to stop it affecting your future happiness.

iv) The majority of respondents stated that clutter existed mainly in your bedrooms. Try using storage solutions such as bookcases, wall shelves, colourful boxes and baskets that will help to sort your clutter. Clothes that haven’t been worn for over twelve months can be donated to charity and toys that are no longer played with can also be passed on. If it is the kids’ bedrooms that give you most cause for concern, rope them in to help: it will give them an enormous sense of responsibility and encourage them to maintain a better living environment for you all.

v) An overwhelming 73% of you replied to say your clutter made you feel disorganised and stressed out, with the remainder of you feeling worthless, unhappy and dissatisfied! Living in a disorganised environment depletes your energy and heightens stress levels. Clutter is hoarded for so many reasons: you feel it will be a waste of money to throw something out yet you’ve never used it or you can’t let go of a great memory without holding on to memorabilia relating to the event. Don’t be afraid to get rid of things you don’t need or want. The money has already been spent in the past – you can’t get it back now. The memory will always live with you without the physical reminder. Try to tackle an area at a time and don’t get overwhelmed. You will soon get the de-cluttering bug, which will motivate you to persevere!

vi) When asked how you would feel living in a clutter-free home, the majority of you stated you would feel relieved! Here is a great exercise to do when considering the clutter in your home:

a) Picture your house completely clutter-free.

b) How does it look?

c) How do you feel? What emotions are you currently experiencing?

I’d imagine you’re feeling happy, elated, self-satisfied, relieved and joyous! These are amazing emotions! Try to remember these feelings as you embark on your de-cluttering project, as they will drive you to succeed so you can finally free your space and free your mind!

vii) So many of you want to live in an organised home with more living space. Here are some of my top tips to help you organise your home:

a) Use adequate storage solutions for sorting and storing all sorts of things throughout your home. Don’t go mad on purchasing lots of storage solutions – only invest in the things you really can afford. Try to find innovative storage solutions, especially for small spaces.

b) A great guide for when you’re wondering whether to keep something is to ask yourself when you last used– if it was over twelve months ago, you don’t really need it.

c) Get everyone involved. Avoid nagging your family to join in, explain to them properly why it is so important that they help you de-clutter your home. If you tell them how it makes you feel and how they will all enjoy a nicer home, the more likely they are to join in and maintain a nicer living space.

d) Memorabilia, including children’s artwork, can be photographed and stored electronically rather than physically. You can then get rid of the piles of paper cluttering your house. If you have memorabilia of financial value, it may be best to store this appropriately and put it away in the attic.

e) Maintenance is key. Once you have initially sorted your house, schedule 15 minutes each day to complete a mini de-clutter and ensure you continue to maintain a nice living area.

viii) I asked what would be your top three de-cluttering challenges and your answers corresponded with many of the tips I have already outlined. My suggestion would be to write down each challenge and work out how you are going to resolve it. For example:

a) You need more time. Schedule time in your diary to do short blasts of de-cluttering. Identify your time wasters (catch up phone calls, checking emails, surfing the net) and use this time to de-clutter.

b) Depleted energy levels. Does self-care mean anything to you? As well as diarising time to de-clutter, diarise a slot each week to recharge your batteries! Make it time for you to regain lost energy. You’ll feel much more positive about embarking on a step-by-step de-clutter of your home!

Now you have a plan from which to work, and goals to achieve, you can set out on your task with purpose and direction.

On completion of the survey, you gave me lots of feedback about the areas of your life in which you’d like more support in the near future. Don’t miss future #MSMS surveys and solutions as I will be featuring topics such as:

• Finding more time
• Quality life balance
• Enjoying relationships
• Setting up your own business
• Health, well-being and energy
• Goal setting and achievement

Next month I will be asking you to complete a survey that relates to Confidence and Self-esteem, so I can offer solutions that will help you build your self-esteem to become a happy, fulfilled and confident woman!

I hope these tips have been useful and will make a difference to the way you maintain a clutter-free home in the future.

If you need further help with your de-cluttering efforts, you can check out my amazing ‘De-cluttering: Clear Your Space, Clear Your Mind’ Self Study Guide here or alternatively you can contact me, Tracey directly on 01606 334015 or via enquiries@empoweringmums.co.uk, and I  will be happy to discuss how to overcome your challenges.

To keep up-to-date with all future references to Mum’s Struggles Made Simple, #MSMS, please follow me on Twitter @TraceyWall_UK, Facebook and via e-mail!

Wishing you confidence, balance and joy!

Tracey.

Being resilient does not mean you are cold and mean-spirited. It relates to your ability to function effectively despite emotional issues. You must continue to deal with the challenges life throws at you but at the same time continue to function on an even level. It is important to deal with your emotions without letting them dictate your thoughts, feelings and actions.

Commitments you have to your clients, finances and family offer a focus in which to maintain resilience. Allowing other issues to distract us from these goals creates disharmony and adds to the challenge of success.

Being resilient in business does not just relate to balancing our emotions with our ability to perform. It is having the strength of character and the determination of mind to make solid decisions and remain true to your own objectives and core values. If you don’t want to do something, have the resolve to say no and stick to your decision.

Wanting to please everyone all the time does not necessarily equate to good business sense. You do, after all, have to prioritise what is important to you and ensure your needs are at the forefront of the decisions you make.

If you’re currently facing a crossroads with your business, a project is underachieving or a number of opportunities have been thwarted, remain true to your goals and keep striving to achieve them. Emotional resilience is vital to surviving the business world and it may mean the difference between success and failure. Don’t let a lack of resilience and questionable doubt affect your ability to perform. Have unwavering belief in what it is you are trying to achieve and go for it!

Realising your business dreams – from seed to success.

If you have enjoyed this article, Empowering Mumpreneurs produces a free monthly newsletter, Succeed, which aims to support mums on their journey to starting up and growing their own successful business. Please use the newsletter sign up box to the top right of this screen to subscribe to the latest issue of Succeed.

Empowering Mumpreneurs provides support to all mums wanting to start up their own business or mums who are already in business. Whether you require the encouragement and support to realise a seed of an idea for a potential business or you need the insight, vision and know-how to take your existing business to the next level, Empowering Mumpreneurs will motivate, encourage and inspire you to fulfil your potential, achieve your many aspirations and ultimately succeed. Contact Empowering Mumpreneurs today on 01606 334015 or visit www.empoweringmumpreneurs.co.uk for more information.

Enjoy Mother’s Day and remember you are a magnificent mum! Take this rare opportunity to enjoy a day of relaxation with your family!

Wishing mums across the world a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Write down your thoughts and ideas
Keep a journal in which you log all your thoughts related to your business. That way you won’t forget about any opportunities and ideas that come your way. The more ideas you have – and see through – the better chance you have of success.

Visualise success
Don’t be afraid to consider how it will feel to reap the rewards success brings. Enjoy the feeling – get comfortable with it. Now think about all the other feelings associated with running your own business and you will begin to understand what to expect when you start generating business. This will motivate you to make those feelings a reality.

Allow yourself time
Give yourself a timeframe in which to gain clarity and allow yourself the space to consider your thoughts and business vision. Taking time to reflect on your situation and gain clarity will help you formulate a strategy and plan of action so you can start realising your goals.

Keep learning
Don’t think for a second you know everything there is to know about business just because you feel ready to enter this world. Stay ahead of your competitors by understanding the market, why it behaves as it does and how you can start to pre-empt trends. Classes will help to strengthen your knowledge of a range of business tools that will support your development.

Acknowledge your abilities
Don’t lose sight of your strengths and learn to believe in your own capabilities. Don’t doubt yourself, as this will limit your prospects.

Create a network of support
A support network is essential to the success of a mumpreneur. Ensure you have support in all aspects of your life from a business mentor, domestic help and health/fitness support. All this will help you to achieve your life goals more efficiently than going it alone.

Enjoy it!
Finally, enjoy the moment when you start trading. You have finally overcome the self-limiting obstacles that were preventing you from succeeding! Managing your own business can be hard work but the results are definitely rewarding for both you and your family.

Realising your business dreams – from seed to success.

If you have enjoyed this article, Empowering Mumpreneurs produces a free monthly newsletter, Succeed, which aims to support mums on their journey to starting up and growing their own successful business. Please use the newsletter sign up box to the top right of this screen to subscribe to the latest issue of Succeed.

Empowering Mumpreneurs provides support to all mums wanting to start up their own business or mums who are already in business. Whether you require the encouragement and support to realise a seed of an idea for a potential business or you need the insight, vision and know-how to take your existing business to the next level, Empowering Mumpreneurs will motivate, encourage and inspire you to fulfil your potential, achieve your many aspirations and ultimately succeed. Contact Empowering Mumpreneurs today on 01606 334015 or visit www.empoweringmumpreneurs.co.uk for more information.