Mum-economy, mumpreneurs... The mother of all invention?

My first battle station when working from home - the kitchen table

My new career in digital marketing

From office to home then back to the office 
After I gave birth, six years ago, I realised I couldn't go back to my job as inhouse freelance subeditor - and it became even more obvious when we moved out of London. The reason: a different outlook on life + you guess it, the childcare cost (and worry - think of those horrible stories in the media of children mistreated or neglected by childminders and nurseries).

I was an older mum so I had savings and yes, I missed work so I did a lot of volunteering, which continued (and continues) when I started to earn again.

Some women decide it's time to start their own business using the power of the internet  - think Mumsnet, Britmums and e-commerce websites that started in bedrooms, garages and even on kitchen tables. I did a homeworking carnival a few years back but it's still relevant now and it features a fella too! Read it here.

Work-life balance, not only for women, men want it too!
Behind all this there is the quest for improved work-life balance and the bonus of seeing your kid take the first step, climb all over the furniture and learn to use a computer as a toddler!

I didn't miss any precious moment - I had my daughter at home till aged three and eligible for the 15 hours - which I struggled to increase to a few more even if willing to pay as the preschool was oversubscribed. I used to get up at 5am to work as she had always been a terrible day napper. Then she went to school and I got her in an oversubscribed afterschool club one day, then two, then three and from September of 2012 full time. I felt a bit bad as it's a long day from 845 till 6 but it allowed me to start temping out of the house part-time while still working from home.

In retrospect homeworking was not for me, the dream didn't come true... I was doing well working for a publisher, writing copy for websites, but I felt lonely, depressed in the winter months. I tried to keep super busy by volunteering for a breastfeeding cafe, SureStart centre,  my daughter's preschool and school. I even helped out to publicise local events. And in spite of a beautiful view of the garden from my 'working window' (when we managed to buy a home), I was miserable. It was no good telling myself I was pretty lucky!

Then my partner found work he could do from home - so we decided that we would switch as he was fed up of commuting to London and come back at night because of the long hours. He hardly saw Michela except at weekends, he left when she was still sleeping and came back when she was in bed. And he worked away some weekends! I started applying for jobs and started my current job in April 2013 during the school holidays!

Now, aside my story, it's not only women who want to have a good work/life balance, men do too. I have met lots of them, especially here in Cambridge where the university is a more flexible employer. So let's see how it goes, I am on a temporary contract so anything can happen. 

I enjoy being 'the man' during the week, my partner has taken over childcare and gets lots of work done because he is saving hours on commuting. He is saving money, so he has not increased his day rate, so everybody is a winner!

Mumpreneuring - most working mums dream of it!
Research carried out in April 2013 by Swedish clothing company me&i - you guessed it, a children’s clothing company founded in 2004 by two Swedish mums working from their kitchen table - reveals that, given the right business idea, nearly three quarters (73%) of working mums would leave the financial security of their current employment for a more entrepreneurial life – in order to give them the freedom to spend more time with their family.

Of the 1,500 working mothers who took part the survey, conducted by OnePoll, 64% have taken steps to improve their work-life balance since having children, with 50% opting for part-time working. However, in spite of this, many mums still find working in a traditional office environment a cause of stress, particularly when having to deal with family emergencies, such as a child’s illness (54%).

This inability to attain their desired work-life balance has led to a rise in working mothers carving out their own careers – fuelling the growth of a Mum-Economy. Business journalist Rachel Bridge, says: “The challenges faced by women returning to work after maternity leave are well-documented. However, what we are now seeing is a shift towards working mums taking control of their situation and setting their own employment agenda for the benefits offered by an improved work-life balance.”

It's no huge surprise that the internet has played a leading part in facilitating this, either directly - with mums buying and selling items - or indirectly through the world of possibilities that it has opened up. Personally speaking, I did carve out a decent career out of digital copywriting and remote editing + I know of a mum who started an eBay shop using her small garage as warehouse.

The good news is that according to this research, the trend is inspiring consumers - many mums would prefer to buy from a business run by mums (35%) rather than a big brand name (16%). Again, everybody is a winner!

What do you think?
Let me have it... hit me with your strong opinions of whether it's best to be a homeworker or working away from home. I might have gone back to rattitude with my contract job but it's a reformed, cycle-to-work rat! I get home by 6 so I can spend time with my daughter and the weekends are all about her. She has bonded with her dad more and we are all happy now as my partner is less stressed - he hated commuting!

Homeworking, juggling blues and bigger beds

Today I got an email in my inbox, which made me reconsider my latest posts and realise that I have overdosed on product reviews! This wasn't planned - products have been piling up for months and I dealt with them in a big push - a bit like tackling a big laundry mountain! Looking at the past month or so it seems like I'm reviewing for England, with just a few chatty posts in between. How did it happen?


School = more hours - not!
Before Michela started school a couple of months ago I marvelled at the amount of time I would gain, but have been finding out that it's still a struggle to fit work, household chores, volunteering and various other activities into school hours. My 'free' hours have gone up from 15 to around 30 but my list of things to do has not diminished. I suspect it has expanded and devoured the extra hours in a big gulp. I'm still lucky in that I work from home, if I had to factor in commuting to an office, it would be even harder.


Homeworking - is it the answer?
I have been mostly working from home for around three years now and although it's more flexible (if you don't mind working on weekends if required), it is not less demanding. In the past year or so I started to feel a bit lonely, so I relish volunteering at a breastfeeding drop-in for a few hours each week. 


When work is going on well, I'd like to be able to work throughout the afternoon - picture me typing away, glancing at the clock and jumping up because it's three o'clock and I need to go to pick Michela up. I did work in an office for a few weeks back in spring on a copywriting project, but could only take that gig on because my partner was around. If a similar job turned up now, I'd still need childcare for the rest of the afternoon. 


Perhaps a career change might be the answer for my homeworking blues. I will need to retrain next year, but I know I'd enjoy the challenge. By then Michela will be old enough to attend an afterschool club. She is quite keen on it, but most of the children are older so I'm not sure it's right for her.


I had to make quite a few adjustments to work from home as my previous occupation was inhouse, but it seems that many mums are ditching their pre-maternity job title/occupation to set up a business. Many are doing quite well by selling innovative products or even using their creative skills. I really admire their entrepreneurial spirit and I'm always glad to read about successful mumpreneurs (or dadpreneurs).


A funny press release? Read on, it makes sense

"The joy of extra space in bed – but this standard double gives each person just 2’3” of room"

Last but not least I want to comment on a press release I got in October from the Sleep Council. The headline screams: BUILDERS SCUPPER DREAMS OF BIGGER BEDS AND BETTER SLEEP. This is a dramatic statement, but it's sadly true. According to The Sleep Council, "Most couples would get a better night’s sleep if they shared a king-sized rather than standard double bed". 


However, most modern homes have tiny bedrooms with only enough space for  a double bed. Apparently the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) has conducted a study and dubbed many new builds "shameful shoe boxes".

So I finish this post with 10 reasons why a bigger bed leads to better sleep (kindly supplied by the Sleep Council):

1. Because a standard double bed (135cm/4ft 6in) gives each person just 2ft 3in of space – less than a baby in a cot.  Now how squeezed is that?

2. Ergonomic studies show that couples sleep better in a bigger bed. Before the trials only 15% said they would buy a larger than standard bed.  Afterwards 50% said they would. (Ergonomic pilot study by the National Bed Federation, 1995.)

3. Because you spend a third of your life in bed – by the time we are 50 we’ll each have spent some 16 years in bed. So, if you are going to spend all that time there, why take the trip to dreamland in tourist class when you can go first class?

4. Because it doesn’t necessarily cost a whole heap more to move up a size.  Over seven years, for every £100 spent on a new bed, it costs just 3.9p per night.

5. Because 16 other countries can’t be wrong!  That’s how many boast bigger average bed sizes than Britain.  Top of the league are Belgium, Greece, Holland, Iceland, Finland and Switzerland where most people sleep in a roomy 160cm by 200cm bed.  By contrast we Brits still buy more 135cm by 190cm beds.

6. Because you spend as much as you can afford on the best possible house, holiday, car, kitchen, TV and sound system.  So why so stingy when it comes to buying a bigger bed?

7. Because you wouldn’t want to get left behind! Although two-thirds of us still opt for the standard size, larger beds are becoming ever more popular among those with the bedroom space to take one: 33% of double divan and bedstead sales are now 5ft (king-size) or larger.  (GfK NOP Consumer Scope Beds and Mattresses Market Monitor, December 2010).

8. Because the average person wriggles and turns some 60 to 70 times a night – so you want to put as much space between you and your mate as possible to reduce the disturbance factor.

9. Because you may not be as young as you were – or as slim!  A 2009  report from the NHS Information Centre said almost a quarter of adults in England were classified as obese in which case the ‘two in a 4 ft 6ins scenario’ could be putting a severe strain on your relationship.

10. Because once you’ve slept in a king-size, you’ll never want to be a second class sleeper again!

As the Sleep Council is a body founded by bed manufacturers you might feel it's a bit biased, but  I'm a fan of the kingsize bed and I do dislike houses with tiny bedrooms - every time we have been househunting, it has been a right nightmare to find a decent-sized house to buy or rent.