Last month, we called all business mums to enter our BlackBerry Challenge to see if they could run their business on a BlackBerry mobile phone for a week – no laptop, PC, landline, fax etc!

BlackBerry kindly offered to give away two BlackBerry Curve 3G phones to two lucky winners, who would then blog about their challenge right here on www.motherswhowork.co.uk.

Introducing the winners…

Publicist Julie Sherwood of www.getinthepress.com
Working mum Julie Sherwood is a publicist and needs to be able to do all manner of things on a PC or laptop during her working day. She entered the challenge to see if she could make better use of her resources – and she wanted to see if this would be at all possible working solely on a smartphone. Here was her winning entry.

As I write my entry, I am in disbelief as to whether I really could survive running my business purely on a BlackBerry. Working for myself as a publicist, I have a hectic and demanding lifestyle where editors and journalists could call me at any time demanding press releases, high-res images or simply have a barrage of questions for me. The clients I represent include Penguin Children’s Books, where I am responsible for generating publicity for their children’s books. My work means I may need to access my journalist contact database on my PC, update my hourly changing work-schedule on excel, write press releases in word, and include high-res images. I need to check PDF proofs when they are sent through from journalists – often at tight deadlines. I need to make sure copy has been written correctly and that images appear spot-on in the magazine before the magazine goes to press.

I often have to sign agreements with publishers and need those faxed over at short notice – everything in my job is to deadlines, and you never know when you might suddenly be up against an opportunity that presents itself. I have to be available all the time. I have two children, aged five and three, and work when they are at nursery and school. The rest of the time I just about get away with being professional or I have to filter off calls or work until the evening.

Being self-employed, I always spend a bit of time each day going on networking forums, to chat with other entrepreneurs, offer advice and deal with questions from potential new customers. I need to access websites which require me to enter my password and username to do this. I am unsure of the security that a BlackBerry offers with inputting passwords. I also need to keep track of banking and cash flow throughout the week – can this be done on a BlackBerry?

In addition to this, I also volunteer at my daughter’s school with their publicity, and often receive calls from the local press, about the school, I may need to write out a press release, email it over to the local press.

Lastly, I would like to use the BlackBerry at the end of the working week to order a take-away curry!

Party Planner Cari Parker of www.partysprite.co.uk

Cari juggles the demands of running a business and family life and is planning for a big exhibition next year, so is always in demand. She is unconvinced that even having a BlackBerry will make a difference to her business life. Read her entry below.

I would like to be included in the draw for one of the BlackBerry phones to see how it can help me run my business.

I try my best to run my company while keeping on top of the housework and school runs – my husband works long hours most days so everything is pretty much left to me.

My company is currently working on a large retail event planned for August 2011, which is seeing me in a lot of meetings while the children are at school and my current mobile doesn’t really help me keep on top of exhibitor enquiries, all the planning and making all the arrangements for the entertainment we want.

I am not totally convinced having a BlackBerry will make a difference but would be very keen to be proved wrong!

What’s next?

Over the next few days, Julie and Cari will be sharing their experiences with us, and we will see how using a BlackBerry has impacted on their business – and if they were successful at the challenge!