Abiodun Oluokun, 32, runs NVQ Made Simple (www.nvqmadesimple.com) with her husband Peter. The business is less than a year old, but already it is generating the same monthly income that Abiodun achieved working as a trainer/NVQ assessor.
This is the dream that so many working mums want – starting a business that will at least match what they already earn, so they can get the balance between work and family life. Read Abiodun’s? story to find out how she manages the business, while being a hands-on mum to her daughters Beauty, 7, and Grace 3.
What work did you do before you set up your company?
Lecturing courses within health and social care in colleges and assessing NVQs in health and social care.
How did you fund the business?
Being an online business, there was not much of capital required, however new skills were required and time to learn them. Therefore I would say funding wasn’t an issue it required determination, time and about ?100!
Profit in first year
NVQ Made Simple is less than a year old but on average I’m able to say it’s exceeded my monthly income.
What was the motivating factor for starting your own business?
My husband and I had worked continuously as employees before we encountered some valuable information that changed our mindsets. There are different kinds of ways to make money and the amount of input required to generate continuous income varies. As employees, to generate income to meet our running needs we had to work full-time and overtime hours but we discovered you could create a system that can generate money continually without having to put in the hours on a continual basis. Work from home, be there for the kids and take holidays when we want and never need to ask an employer for time off.
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
I enjoy working around the children’s school hours and having to work with my best friend – my husband in the comfort of my home.
Running a business can be a mixed bag sometimes. What have been your highs and lows so far?
Well I would say it’s a big challenge to manage my time effectively as I don’t have a boss, well I sort of do (my hubby) but you know not the kind that will cut my wages if I don’t show up at work. There’s actually no opening or closing hours I just get on my laptop anytime it’s not family time or household routines such as cooking, eating, kids homework, church time.
The highs seems to be daily, as I keep seeing so much more opportunities and avenues to be financially free and be a source of inspiration.
How have you managed to stay on top of your career with the demands of motherhood while running a business?
I try to engage in a lot of online learning and distance learning, where possible, so I can maintain my flexibility and run the business with my responsibilities as a mother.
How has running your business impacted on your relationship with your partner and children?
It’s the best thing that could have happened to us this year. The children have so much time with my husband and I that they forget we still work to generate the money we spend. There’s a lot of laughter and joy as we are opportune to be part of the development stages of our kids which we cherish so much.
