Flyers printed, website live, Facebook page ready… now what?
Posted inHow to promote your business

Flyers printed, website live, Facebook page ready… now what?

This is a question that we get asked a lot on Motherswhowork.co.uk, and the answer remains the same…no customers and no traffic equal no sales and no business!

But many people expect to start seeing money as soon as they launch their new website – just because it’s online…often not realising that it takes a little while before you can start to see that kind of traffic. So, you have to start generating it in other ways:

Three mistakes to avoid when starting or promoting an online business
Posted inHow to run a successful website

Three mistakes to avoid when starting or promoting an online business

When it comes to internet marketing, there are some basic things that you need to avoid so that you will not waste your time or irritate your audience.

These are very common mistakes that even those who are more experienced should know better about (but often forget) and if you are able to avoid these, you will have an edge on your competition.

Real dad profile: Rhys Davies of Yourjigsawpuzzles.co.uk
Posted inReal mums

Real dad profile: Rhys Davies of Yourjigsawpuzzles.co.uk

Young dad Rhys Davies, 21, left school at 14 and jumped straight into his first six-figure business venture. Today, he’s dad to Ruby, four, and Dylan, two, juggling parenthood with a successful online store (www.yourjigsawpuzzles.co.uk) that he set up with just £25.

How to set up a green and sustainable home
Posted inFamily life

How to set up a green and sustainable home

Living a green and sustainable life has long been publicised in the media but, surprisingly, there still remains some uncertainty about the actual meaning of sustainability with many people reluctant to actively change their way of life to accommodate this.

Posted inHow to promote your business

Six ways to distribute your brochures and flyers locally

Offline marketing methods are still important to small businesses. Even with all the hoo ha about social media, if you’re trying to target a local audience, then things like flyers, brochures, business cards etc still work, and they should be an integral part of your marketing and promotion.

When it comes to brochures, bigger doesn’t mean better. It’s about the quality of the design and, more importantly, what you have to offer. If you package it correctly, you will grab attention and start to see an increase in enquiries and sales. Get it wrong, and your efforts will end up in the bin.

However, the best-produced brochure on the planet is going to be useless unless it is distributed effectively. So what is the key to effective distribution? Here are some tips:

Tips for working mums like Victoria Beckham on beating the guilt
Posted inFamily life Tips for working mums

Tips for working mums like Victoria Beckham on beating the guilt

Victoria Beckham has recently been quoted saying she often feels guilty about being a working mum and has to juggle like everyone else – millionaire or not!

Speaking at the Vogue Festival in London she said: “It’s difficult juggling working, having the children, having a husband who travels. I do have a bit of help, I have a nanny, I can’t do it all myself.

“I really enjoy being a mum, I love them [her children] and I’d do anything for them. But I also love what I do. I think anyone who says it’s easy is lying.”

Her sentiments are shared by working mums across the globe. We have to work for one reason or another, but the guilt of leaving our children with someone else, or missing school events because of work, or always being too tired and time pressed to chat and spend as much time with the kids is all too real.

So does the guilt ever go? The answer is no, but here are some important things to know:

How to dress for interviews…and do you really need to wear a suit?
Posted inA mix Get the Look How to look for a job

How to dress for interviews…and do you really need to wear a suit?

Making the best impression at job interviews is not always about what you say. Your clothes, hair and overall look can speak volumes.

If you’ve been out of work for a while, or are branching into a new career or sector, you may wonder what the protocol is style wise…it can get a little confusing to say the least. and the pressure of making the best first impression you can doesn’t help matters, either.

Here are some tips to get the balance right and win over a recruiter:

Tenderstem and chorizo pizza
Posted inFoodie Fridays

Tenderstem and chorizo pizza

A family favourite that the kids can help make and can be very easily tailored to suit different people’s tastes

Six ways to make money selling your unwanted possessions
Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it

Six ways to make money selling your unwanted possessions

Are you sitting on a small fortune at home with unused it’s you’ve left to collect dust in cupboards, in the shed and everywhere else in between?

If you’re thinking about decluttering and don’t want to just throw out unused possessions then why not get some money back for your efforts?

Here are six ways you can do just that:

Research shows that 70% of families in low incomes are not claiming benefits they are entitled to
Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it News for mums

Research shows that 70% of families in low incomes are not claiming benefits they are entitled to

There’s been a lot of publicity on government cuts since the Coalition’s budget reforms last year. But it seems that many families are just trying to get by without claiming benefits that they are actually entitled to.

New research published by Turn2us, part of national charity Elizabeth Finn Care, has found that families who could be in most need of financial help are not accessing the financial support that is available to them.

Fostering a child pays, but mums have no idea, finds survey
Posted inFamily life

Fostering a child pays, but mums have no idea, finds survey

The UK’s shortage of foster carers has been keenly do unwanted and advertised in the media, but according to one of the UK’s foster agencies, Compass Community, ignorance about fostering is hindering efforts to combat the issue.

More than half the mums surveyed on the Netmums website thought they would receive less than £5,000 a year for fostering a child, and nine out of 10 thought they would receive less than £15,000. The real figure is actually £20,000-40,000 a year depending in the needs of the child (disabilities etc).

Just one month to go until tax credit renewal deadline!
Posted inAll things tax

Just one month to go until tax credit renewal deadline!

If you claim tax credits, your renewal pack will hit your doormat anytime this week until June, ahead of the 31 July 2013 tax credit renewal deadline.

HMRC is urging people to let them know about any changes to their circumstances that they haven’t already reported, such as changes to working hours, childcare costs or pay. Claimants may also be asked, to provide details of their income last year, so make sure you’ve got your P60 and payslips handy.

Podcast: Are you trading from the right business entity?
Posted inPodcasts for mums

Podcast: Are you trading from the right business entity?

Are you thinking of starting a business but don’t know whether to set up as a limited company or declare self-employed income to the taxman?

Chorizo and olive pasta bake
Posted inFoodie Fridays

Chorizo and olive pasta bake

Ingredients

  • 400g pasta
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 crushed garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp thyme
Nelsons Mini Fab Fish Pie
Posted inFoodie Fridays

Nelsons Mini Fab Fish Pie

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 400g potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 100g carrots, peeled and chopped
  • A knob of butter
  • 2 tbsp milk
Illegal pyramid schemes and how to tell the difference between them and legitimate businesses
Posted inBusiness ideas Money - how to keep it and how to make it

Illegal pyramid schemes and how to tell the difference between them and legitimate businesses

Hands up if you know or have known of at least one Avon lady? Somehow when you see that brochure, you know exactly what to expect.

Did you know that Avon and other businesses like it (Virgin at Home, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Kleeneze…) are all network marketing businesses?

How to spring clean your finances
Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it

How to spring clean your finances

In times of austerity just about every savvy mum is looking for ways to claw back money and use it elsewhere, or save for those rainy days. It’s dull, boring, and sometimes a bit disheartening when you look at the cost of living your life and having a family to look after, but if you don’t take the bill by the horns, no one else can do it for you…

Here are three quick tips to help you deck utter your finances:

Free course for childminders from HM Revenue
Posted inAll things tax Courses for mums What's in the news?

Free course for childminders from HM Revenue

Are you a childminder? Would you like help with understanding tax, National insurance and learn how to keep your financial records in order?

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is offering self-employed childminders free online webinars to help with tax issues.

You can watch and participate in the live webinars from you laptop or mobile phone (if it’s a smartphone).

Free your family from secondhand smoke
Posted inA mix Family life

Free your family from secondhand smoke

As a working mother, you know the pressures of trying to keep up in the working world while also making sure your family is well taken care of. You know what it’s like to work long hours and feel under-appreciated. Yet your commitment to family keeps you pressing on day after day.

How to win the job war against young, cheaper graduates
Posted inA mix How to look for a job

How to win the job war against young, cheaper graduates

When you’ve spent time out of work making the decision to return to work can be a daunting prospect. You may have tackled the demands of being a parent, a 24-hour job – but the office is a different game.

You may be worried that there are younger, cheaper,  ‘more employable’ competitors out there fighting for the same jobs. Someone who’s fresh out of university and up to date on the industry news and trends is unbeatable, right? That’s not technically true.