Trisha Dash-O’Toole describes how she has managed to stay on top of her business and watch it grow, even surviving a couple of months of illness, while staying afloat.
Name: Trisha Dash-O’Toole
Age: 42
Children: Five-year-old daughter
Job title: Founder and managing director
Company: Indigo Sky Events, a bespoke wedding and celebration planning consultancy.
What was the motivating factor for starting your own business?
I launched Indigo Sky Events out of a desire to be truly passionate about what I do. I still enjoy every single day, whether it’s challenging or everything’s going according to plan and that keeps me motivated. Also, I wanted to run a company that gives me flexibility to spend time with my little girl, so I don’t miss out on her growing up.
What are the best bits about working again?
When my daughter was born I took a year and a half out of the working environment. I really thrive on the intellectual stimulus that running a company brings, and it gives me an opportunity to be ‘Trisha’rather than ‘just a mum’.
Running a business can be a mixed bag sometimes. What have been you highs and lows so far?
The hardest time for me so far, was when I was quite poorly for a couple of months. With nobody that I could completely pass projects over to, it was quite stressful planning weddings and being on top form when feeling so under the weather!
What is available to mothers now that you wish you had access to when your family was young?
There’s a far bigger choice of nurseries now in city centres too, which is really convenient.
How have you managed to stay on top of your career with the demands of motherhood?
It’s all about being mega organised! If you’d have told 10 years ago how much I’d have to pack into a day now, I’d never have
believed you! But with careful time planning it’s amazing how everything will fit in. After all, project planning is my job so I guess I’m used to it!
What has been the high point along the way?
I’ve found building a real brand for Indigo Sky has been hugely exhilarating. I feel so proud of my little company that’s grown so rapidly. It’s almost like being a proud parent!
What is your worst experience along the way?
Touch wood, nothing really awful has happened yet. But I think that one of the greatest skills for a mumrepreneur is resilience – we’re all bound to suffer knock backs at some point – the key is to get straight back on that bike!
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?
Don’t try to be superwoman and try not to feel guilty about stretching your time between work and family. Easier said than done, but being a thousand things at once is a fact of modern life! I find it helps to compartmentalise: I have work time and family time, and I always try to shut the office door at a sane hour each day, so that family life doesn?t suffer. That and learning to squeeze bits of work into odd times of the day, like before my daughter wakes up in the morning!