- Tips for setting up your own business after having a baby
Having a baby is a life-changing event. For a lot of people, it also makes them re-evaluate their priorities and their life as a whole. Working full-time in an office or travelling for work may no longer seem possible with a little one waiting for cuddles at home.
Faced with this challenge, some mums decide to set up their own business. This can be a great way of spending more time with your family as it lets you manage your own time and you can often do a lot (if not all) the work from home. However, be aware that it can also be a lot of hard work for little or no money at the end!
Networking
When setting up and running your own business, it is really useful to be able to get tips and ideas from others. There is great networking group for women want to or already run their own business – Woman 2 Woman. The group is Bradford based and partly funded by Bradford Council. It is free to join and they hold monthly coffee mornings at various locations around Bradford. They can also offer training (for example, they run a PR and Marketing course) and help you with putting together a business plan or gaining access to a grant.
Another good networking group is Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE). The closest networks to here are in York, Calderdale, Huddersfield and North Yorkshire. It’s very cheap to join (c £40 p.a.) and you might find them great when you’re starting up – not nearly as intimidating as some of the male-dominated networking organisations that are around.
Getting started
Two local mums have shared their experiences with us of setting up their own business after having a baby. Read their top tips to find out how to get started and guide you along your way.
Step-by-step guide to getting started – by local mum Caroline from ArtyPartyz
Keep motivated and be successful – by local mum Karen from EcoMum
Help and advice
There is free help and advice available from Bradford Kickstart. Click here for further details.
Comments
If you would like to share your story to help other mums set up their own business, please contact us.