Our whole reason for going into business in the first place was influenced by the desire to do things differently and on our terms.  Andrew and I,  wanted to have the work life balance that we value highly, and for that reason  the different phases of our family life has always had a huge influence on the different phases of our business and affect what we could do and when.

It was a long time ago that I set out my plan for a career that talked about working for myself after having kids, and after having achieved everything up to then that I had set my stall out to do, it took a while to remind myself that it was the next step was in fact a possibility.  Chance meetings, and a hugely encouraging husband, and much dipping of toes in the water finally gave me the bravery to ditch the day job and commit to building a business that would support us both in the long term. 

That phase was three years ago, and whilst it has been incredibly hard in the last year or so, juggling the level of work I had managed to build up with only 3 days a week childcare, it has been worth it.  There were times that I wondered if I was limiting the business by not working more days, but my resolve remained strong and I kept telling myself to bide my time, and push for growth only when we were ready to.  Now it’s time for us to move outside of what has bizarrely become our new comfort zone move the business into the next phase that our changing family life will allow us to do.

What changes am I talking about?  Well, my youngest started school in September, which has provided the magical ingredient of extra time, but also financially we are in a better position for Andrew to leave his day job.  Andrew has been as much a part of this business as I have for the last three years in terms of the decision making, donkey work and behind the scenes admin, but professionally has just not been able to be the face of WBS Accountants.

The extra time has also allowed us to refine what it is that we do, who it is that we work with, and have confidence that there is a place for us in the market.  This is huge lifestyle change for us, but one that is right for us, and will allow us to expand on the reputation we have established.   We are now ready to move into the next phase of our business – but on our terms and when we are ready for it.  

Here at WBS Accountants we offer a level of personal support to our clients not normally available at an affordable price throughout all their business phases – what phases of your life has influenced your business?

For more information on WBS Accountants visit their website or contact Dona info@wbsaccountants.co.uk 

Here’s just some of the feedback:

“Great networking opportunities”   “The people were very welcoming”  “great choice of speaker” “very inspirational story” “So nice to have someone outside the area, but sharing the same experiences” “Well attended with lots of businesses” “Cosy venue and loved speed networking element too” “This was by far the best networking event I’ve ever attended. Thanks”.

Remember, Newcastle Business Mums is ‘pay as you go’ to events, which makes it convenient, flexible and affordable.

Make sure you keep in touch by registering for our e-news. Our next event is on 30th November where we’ll be celebrating the network’s 3rd birthday.

Thanks to Janine Rudin for our first Newcastle Business Mums guest blog. Here’s Janine’s story…

Running my own business was never part of my master plan – to me is was far too insecure and scary – but the plan changed when I became a mother a decade ago and I started training as an antenatal teacher with a national charity.

As my family has grown, so has my business – antenatal teaching has been my passion for 10 years but it only felt like half a service, which is why I now provide a doula service, Happy Mums courses, drop-ins and baby massage as Birth Basics, soon to become Birth & Baby Basics. This means I can provide support from pregnancy and right through those first few months as a new mum.

I love my job, it’s my passion and I pour my heart and soul into it. As anyone who runs their own business knows, it’s really hard work and it’s not for the faint-hearted. I constantly juggle roles within the business – running my classes and drop-ins, providing ongoing support for new parents, keeping on top of the admin and endless paperwork, marketing, networking and keeping an eye on the competition – not to mention keeping the house running and looking after the children.

Business has definitely been affected by the recession and there have been times when I have fleetingly thought about jacking it all in and getting a ‘proper job’ with a regular wage and, possibly, less stress. Thankfully, when I reach that point I get my fight back, I regroup and I keep going. Running my business and providing the support and services means too much to me to give it up so I make changes and remain determined to stay in business. For this reason, I set up the Birth & Baby Network in North Tyneside earlier this year. It links together experienced, professional and dedicated support and services for expectant parents and young families and it has been very well received.

Times are tough, there is no job security anymore and when I’m feeling the stress of juggling the demands of my own business, I remind myself that at least it’s mine. If I worked for someone else, I wouldn’t be in control – my theory is that if I put all the effort and time in, I can allow the business to grow and change as it needs to and the buck stops with me.

Through different networks I gain a great deal of support from other local businesses and this has been invaluable in regards to learning, adapting and sharing ideas. Running my own business is no longer insecure and scary – it’s empowering, liberating and very rewarding.

Janine Rudin

www.birthbasics.co.uk

http://birthandbabynetwork.wordpress.com

Thanks to Janine for the first Newcastle Business Mums guest blog post. You can also follow Janine on Twitter

We’re always on the look-out for guest bloggers, which is great for the Newcastle Business Mums community and helps the mums and their businesses raise their profile and increase awareness of their products and services and more traffic to your own site = more business!

Being a guest blogger also opens up many PR opportunities with local and national journalists who often use our site for research and inspiration for stories.

If you’re interested in becoming a Newcastle Business Mums blogger, please contact vicki on vicki@vickistonemarketing.co.uk or tweet @vickistonebiz for more info.

It’s free to blog for us, and we’re happy to offer blog spots on a bite-size basis, with no pressure to having to keep writing week in week out.

Look forward to hearing from you soon

Contact: Wendy Parvin

Title: Owner

Conversations with Purpose
PO Box 288
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE6 5TW
UK

T: 07977 521990
E: wendy@conversationswithpurpose.com
W: www.conversationswithpurpose.com

I design and deliver entrepreneurship training and development programmes, both within higher education and the commercial business arena. My purpose is to motivate individuals to create ventures that inspire them, creating them a sustainable income, and ultimately, making a positive impact within their community. My approach is practical and pragmatic, requiring clients to engage in a creative process both as practitioners and entrepreneurs. Clients are supported to innovate within their product/service development – to identify, capture, and implement market opportunities.

I offer imaginative ways of working with groups to facilitate personal and professional change. Underpinning my work is the intention to empower people, to be proactive in co-creating enterprising opportunities. Clients learn by doing and are challenged to develop in three ways: engage in personal development, building their confidence; professional development to increase their management skills by building their capacity to learn entrepreneurship and thirdly, to gain the skills needed to own and lead sustainable ventures.

Contact: Jo Whitfield

Title: Voice-over artist

Newcastle Upon Tyne

T: 0790 8018903
E: jo@jowhitfield.com

I offer voice-overs for a wide range of services ranging from websites and corporate/educational training to telephone messages, narrations, documentaries and videogames.

I record from my home studio but also have access to a fully equipped external studio, with sound engineer(who also just happens to be a filmscore composer!) who can help with post-production and special effects to meet your requirements.

Please feel free to give me a call any time to discuss how I may be able to help you with your project.

Contact: Marilyn Angles

Title: Proprieter

Maple Cottage
High Angerton
Hartburn
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 4ET

T: 01670 772032
M:0780 1428188
E: info@magnetic-health.eu
W: www.magnetic-health.eu

MAGNETIC HEALTH is an authorised distributor of the world reknowned BIOFLOW magnotherapy ranges – located in rural Northumberland but providing products throughout the UK and many other countries.

Ensuring customers receive a high standard of personal service, as well as top quality products that provide real benefits, is paramount to the success of Magnetic Health and the satisfaction of its customers.

Magnotherapy has been used for thousands of years as a non-invasive, natural treatment to help relieve aches and pains and to accelerate healing.
If you’re setting up a new business or your existing marketing needs a fresh approach we can help you get better results, please give us a call. We can meet you for a chat and free marketing consultation.

Contact: Roni Singh

Title: Owner

10 Monks Avenue
West Monkseaton
Whitley Bay
NE25 9RT

T: 0191 432 8099
M: 07832 259566
E: roni@virtualassistant247.biz
W: www.virtualassistant247.biz

I provide professional business administration to individuals & companies. My services include document creation in Microsoft Office applications & Adobe Acrobat, email management, Sage accounts & payroll. i support all types of administration.

I support the company remotely, therefore there aren’t any employee overheads for example paying for holidays, sickness etc. Companies can ‘dip in & out’ of my services or pay a monthly fee for set hours.

Contact: helene Graham

Title: Director
PO Box 264
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE5 49AG

T:0191 2581590
M: 07768 367 790
E: mailto:helene@hgraham.biz

A small PR consultancy offering stategic and creative PR solutions to meet the commercial needs of a variety of businesses.

Having ran the North East PR business of a large national marketing chain, Helene realised that she wanted to create a business where her clients’ needs come first and where results really matter.

Contact: Anna Dorward
Title: Learning and Development Consultant

T:07903 509725

E: info@annadorward.co.uk
W: www.annadorward.co.uk

Anna is an experienced L&D practitioner who provides support to enhance individual and organisational performance, through participative, value for money and quality learning solutions.

The types of areas she can offer support include:

•Train the trainer
•Management development skills
•Personal development training (for example, presentation and facilitation skills, time management, effective communication)
•Facilitation of team building events and meetings
•Development of induction programmes
•Learning needs analysis and evaluation of training solutions