Staying at home during school holidays can ignite feelings of cabin fever. Yet every parent knows that it’s not just costs that can hold us back from taking the kids on a ‘proper holiday’. Mums Tania Gill and Emma Wisnia of Baby Holidays tell motherswhowork.co.uk how this frustration helped them decide to be a part of this business venture, while holding down part-time corporate jobs.
What was the motivating factor for starting your own business?
Tania: The frustration?of not feeling able to take the holiday I wanted when my little girl was small, due to worry over potentially not having the products we were both familiar with on top of the general concerns of going abroad with my new baby! We ended up holidaying in the UK, which was lovely, but not the sunshine break I was hoping for. It also gives me the opportunity to work from home more.
Emma: Personal experiences of how unrelaxing it can be when your baby is out of their home environment. Trying to give them what they are used to helps to change that. Also, the high costs of taking baby items away with you, as well as trying to purchase my favourite brands abroad. Resorts charged extremely high prices (almost double UK supermarkets), and excess baggage charges on airlines cost up to ?8 per kilo.
What are the best bits about working again?
Tania: Regaining a sense of independence, the mental challenge and the additional income.
Emma: Having a sense of purpose, being independent, and feeling like a woman instead of just a mother.
Running a business can be a mixed bag sometimes. What have been your highs and lows so far?
Tania: Highs include seeing the website up and running, receiving our first order and seeing our name in the press! The lows only really happen due to having to juggle the multiple demands on my time. It can sometimes feel like I am not doing justice to any aspect of my life through having so many balls in the air at once.
Emma: Highs ? seeing the website finished and working and seeing that people were interested in the service and wanted to log on and use it. Having a write up in The Independent, which was a great endorsement of our service. Getting a wonderful text of support from my husband just before a very important meeting with a potential large business partner.
The lows ? the time it took for our first order to be placed seemed like forever. The frustrations of trying to be a mum and run a new business sometimes get on top of me.
How have you managed to stay on top of your career with the demands of motherhood?
Tania: Being organised and being strict on my priorities and time allocation. Also having a supportive husband, in-laws and a good nursery!
Emma: Getting a balance between spending time with my husband and son, as well as putting the effort into Baby Holidays. I have a great support network of willing grandparents who will lend a hand whenever they can.
What has been the high point along the way?
Tania: The close relationships I have gained with Emma, and the other mums from the antenatal classes we met at. They and their children are all very special people.
Emma: Meeting Tania at NCT classes and then managing to forge a friendship and a business relationship with her, as someone who inspires me to push myself and who also doesn?t mind my over-enthusiastic late-night phone calls when my head is buzzing with new ideas.
What is your worst experience along the way?
Tania: Being away on a business trip when my daughter became really ill. It all turned out fine, but it was heart-wrenching that I wasn’t there.
Emma: The sense that all the effort of setting up the new business might be a waste of time. So much hard work went into getting the Baby Holidays service and product right that it was hard to wait for it to take off when we knew the idea was a really innovative one for parents. I also had postnatal depression, which is such a hard thing to come to terms with. Baby Holidays has given me a lot of hope and inspiration to move forwards.
Any tips for expectant mums, or mothers who feel that you can’t have a successful career and a happy family life at the same time?
Tania: It is very possible, and work adds a dimension to your life that is so valuable. I also firmly believe that time spent at nursery has been very beneficial for my little girl, who has come on in leaps and bounds in social situations. Many new mums (including myself) look to find alternate ways of working to help facilitate the delicate balancing act that your life becomes. It is hard work, but definitely worth it!
Emma: I think that my best tip for any mum to be would be to do whatever it is that makes your life easy. Never feel guilty about the decisions you make for you and your baby because you probably know what is best for you both.
Being a mother doesn?t mean you can?t be your own person as well. If you feel that you have an idea that might work or inspire others, research it, get feedback from your family and friends (who will always be honest with you) and try it out. Setting up your own business is not as costly as it might first seem, especially if you have someone to go into it with you – plus it gives you an element of control over your career and your income.
