Posted inA mix How to run a successful website

9 things you should be monitoring on your website

Every online business needs to know how its website is doing. That’s the idea behind exit surveys, customer feedback forms, suggestion boxes and other devices that we often see on big brand websites.

Without feedback from your customers and other benchmarks, an online business can take a quick slide down a slippery slope, without you ever seeing it coming, knowing why it has happened or being able to stop the downward spiral.

What to do if you have an accident while at work
Posted inA mix How to cope with problems at work

What to do if you have an accident while at work

We all have the odd trip, or spill a hot drink on ourselves at work, but some accidents at work can be a lot more serious and could have some long-term implications on our ability to work.

Know your rights when you’re on maternity leave
Posted inA mix Work and career tips and advice

Know your rights when you’re on maternity leave

New and expectant mothers have a number of legal rights in the workplace.

Pregnant employees enjoy the right to be paid for time off work that is spent receiving antenatal care (employers cannot request that employees make up this time by working additional hours).

How to run a successful business meeting without boring other people and getting no results!
Posted inA mix Work and career tips and advice

How to run a successful business meeting without boring other people and getting no results!

We all complain about meetings which are a waste of our time and the truth of the matter is that many are exactly that because the person holding the meeting often doesn’t plan ahead enough, or doesn’t know how to steer the meeting on to keep people interested.

How to turn your hobby/creative idea into a viable home business
Posted inA mix Business ideas Starting and running your business

How to turn your hobby/creative idea into a viable home business

There are many entrepreneurs today who have set up a business from home selling items that they make or customise themselves. Anything from iPhone covers to jewellery can be turned into a profitable business through sites such as eBay and Etsy. But if you’re thinking of starting a creative business where do you start?

I am more than a mother: tips on having a life while being a successful a working (and a good!) mum
Posted inA mix Editor's word Family life

I am more than a mother: tips on having a life while being a successful a working (and a good!) mum

When you’re a busy working mum, it can be easy to get so engrossed in motherhood that your other relationships begin to suffer. It’s not intentional, but you barely even have enough time in your busy day to take a minute for yourself, let alone return phone calls or make friendly visits that aren’t child-centred or important family occasions.

About automatic enrolment pensions: what you need to know if you employ staff
Posted inA mix All things tax

About automatic enrolment pensions: what you need to know if you employ staff

If you run a business in the UK you’ll likely to be aware of the term Now Pensions auto enrolment, as this is the main plank in the government’s controversial changes to workplace pension legislation, which is due to begin properly this year.

Help! How can I start an online business with no technical skills or knowledge?
Posted inA mix Starting and running your business

Help! How can I start an online business with no technical skills or knowledge?

If I had a pound for every mum who thinks her lack or technical understanding, skill or knowledge means she cannot start an online business, I’d be writing this from a beach I own somewhere on an island only I knew existed.

If that’s what you’ve been telling yourself, get ready for a complete transformation of your thinking!

5 ways to keep your children from getting sick
Posted inA mix Family life Parenting tips

5 ways to keep your children from getting sick

Juggling work and childcare can be quite a challenge at the best of times, but add the never-ending need to take a day off because your child is sick…again!…and even the most understanding and flexible of employers will start to raise an eyebrow.

Are you worried about how energy bills are affecting your home business?
Posted inA mix

Are you worried about how energy bills are affecting your home business?

Gas costs are something that an increasing number of businesses based in the UK are worried about.

A survey by OnePoll about the cost of energy used by companies across the country revealed that a staggering 51% of respondents were concerned about price rises that could be detrimental to their finances.

Is job-hopping and career success related to each other?
Posted inA mix Careers Coach Blog Work and career tips and advice

Is job-hopping and career success related to each other?

These days, there is no such things as a job for life, unless you choose to create it yourself…but that doesn’t mean that recruiters turn a blind eye to CVs that show a lack of commitment to work.

Job hoppers do it for various reasons. More often than not they may not know what they are getting into when they agree to work for an employer and then stick it out for as short a time as possible before they leave so they can clock as much time as possible on their CV to avoid awkward questions.

Mumpreneur Business Directory – tell our 105,000-plus mums about your products and services
Posted inA mix How to sell online Starting and running your business What's in the news?

Mumpreneur Business Directory – tell our 105,000-plus mums about your products and services

Having an online business that only you, your friends and family know about is like having a shop in the middle of nowhere that people only come across by accident.

You want get enough traffic, let Lone make those all-important sales and soon it will become very demotivating indeed.

Tips on advertising your business online for free or for next to nothing
Posted inA mix Starting and running your business

Tips on advertising your business online for free or for next to nothing

Once you have started your business, the next thing that you are going to want to do is to advertise your product or service so that you can get more customers. If you leave it to word of mouth only at the beginning, business will likely be slow and this can be demotivating and financially crippling,

Most small businesses have a very limited (or non-existent) advertising budget. If that shoestring is so thin and you really can’t afford to pay out for much-needed advertising, here are some free and cheap ways to advertise your business online.

Working from home: a plan of action, a plan for your ultimate success
Posted inA mix Business tutorials

Working from home: a plan of action, a plan for your ultimate success

Many people wrongly think that working from home will give them the flexibility to work when they want, and how they want all the time. For them, the dream can mean ignoring the alarm clock and getting up whenever they want to get up.

Yes, running your own business from home means you are your own boss, but if you go into it with the same mindset as London Mayor Boris Johnson thinking that you can just skive at home eating cheese, then you’re in for a very rude awakening.

How to stay positive in your business when your spouse or partner is unsupportive
Posted inA mix Children & Relationships Relationships tips and advice

How to stay positive in your business when your spouse or partner is unsupportive

Started an online business can be an exciting and daunting prospect, but when you’ve got no support from those nearest and dearest to you it can feel like an uphill struggle.

So – before you start thinking divorce, or ditching your business altogether, here are some tips to help you make the most out of your situation when your spouse or partner seems to have no care in the world.

What to look for when thinking of buying into any business that’s already established
Posted inA mix Business ideas

What to look for when thinking of buying into any business that’s already established

One of the problems that people run into when they have decided that they’re looking for a product to sell is finding, choosing or deciding what product to sell.

Are you in that situation? If you want to start making more money working from home, selling products or buying into a franchise, there are a few questions you should ask yourself in order to help them choose a product.

Is your child starting school in September? Or moving to secondary school? Top tips on preparing them and you for the big change
Posted inA mix Children & Relationships Parenting tips

Is your child starting school in September? Or moving to secondary school? Top tips on preparing them and you for the big change

Starting school is a big step for every child, especially if the surroundings are completely new to them – ie a new school where they didn’t attend the nursery school, or a secondary school that has no ties to the primary school or prep they used to attend.

This can be exciting and frightening all at once – and that’s just not your feelings, by the way!

To help make the transition as easy as possible, we’ve compiled a few tips:

Are you putting your toddler at risk by putting them in a forward-facing car seat too soon?
Posted inA mix

Are you putting your toddler at risk by putting them in a forward-facing car seat too soon?

Should parents be encouraged to keep their children in rear-facing car seats for longer? Yes, according to a campaign launched by motors.co.uk, which suggests that rear-facing car seats are “up to five times safer” than the more popular forward-facing versions.

Four ways to make working during pregnancy stress-free
Posted inA mix Health news and tips for the family Work and career tips and advice

Four ways to make working during pregnancy stress-free

Congrats! You’re going to be a mums, and what exciting times you have ahead. Unfortunately, while your family, friends and colleagues may be excited for you, strangers on your commute probably won’t share the joy…

So, how can you make your commute to work as stress free and comfortable as possible?

Summer nights making you feel restless? Adding a few ingredients to your dinner can make all the difference
Posted inA mix Family life Health news and tips for the family

Summer nights making you feel restless? Adding a few ingredients to your dinner can make all the difference

As well as sleeping on a good bed in a well-ventilated, dark and quiet room, achieving a great night’s sleep can be affected by what you eat before bedtime.

According to The Sleep Council, certain foods are known to aid sleep – in exactly the same way that caffeine is known to help you stay awake.