Good friends, and new MTB members, Fiona Haldenby and Carey Conway set up their online business Crafts4Kids when they saw a gap in the market – read all about their story below.

What inspired you to start your own business?

Good quality Toyshops were rapidly disappearing from the high street and branded toys appeared to be taking over the world. I loved to do creative activities with my children and loved to keep their little brains active with toys and games that made them think, explore and interact. I knew that there were great brands out there but shops such as The Entertainer and ToysRus who dominated the market, were not offering them. My close friend Carey Conway and I felt there was a gap in the market for a specialist provider of Creative and Educational Toys and an online business was the way to go not only because of the growing trend in online shopping but because it offered so much more flexibility to a working mum. We took the plunge and have thoroughly enjoyed working together.

What has been your biggest challenge?

It was a very steep learning curve as for us it was an entirely new venture. SEO is a massive challenge to get your head around from scratch and there are hundreds of people out there willing to take your money and not deliver results.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?

I think I knew myself pretty well before I became self employed, I knew that as an organized and determined person I was capable of making things happen. I also knew I had the capacity for hard work and that if I made mistakes, I would learn from them and move on. I have however become more confident of venturing into the unknown and trusting my instincts since becoming self employed.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?

Undoubtedly the flexibility it gives you to work around your family. I don’t mind burning a bit of midnight oil in fact I would rather do that than try to work at a time when I would really rather be doing things with my kids.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?

Working on something you are passionate about is truly motivating and gives you energy. You don’t have to conquer the world overnight (although good for you if you do) so take things on at a realistic pace. Being a mumpreneur should allow you to be more flexible and spend more time with your family, but if you don’t plan carefully or you over stretch yourself you will just be exhausted when you are with your family which rather defeats the object.

To see their full range of toys and gifts visit www.crafts4kids.co.uk

You can contact Fiona and Carey at contact@crafts4kids.co.uk and you can like their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/crafts4kidsonline

You will have seen how the likes of Tesco use the masses of data they hold on their customers to make all sorts of marketing decisions and perhaps dismissed it as being irrelevant to your fledgling business. The truth is that almost all big marketing ideas can be harnessed by small businesses too.

What is customer segmentation? Simply put, customer segmentation is a way of dividing up your customers into distinct groups depending on common characteristics. The key benefit of using segmentation is that it allows you to develop customised marketing campaigns for each group and thus increase the effectiveness of your marketing.

How should you segment your customers? The exact criteria you use to segment your customers will depend on your particular business. The groups you choose though will need to be meaningful (ie based on characteristics that make members of that group act in a similar way) and measurable (ie based on characteristics that you can identify and reach). It is all very well developing a segment containing left-handed Scorpios who enjoy windsurfing…but they are probably a pretty difficult bunch to track down!

If you are selling direct to the public, (B2C) some of the more common criteria on which to segment your customers will be age, gender, location and financial status. If you are selling to companies (B2B) your criteria could include company size, sector, and turnover.

Where do you start? You can start by looking at your customer base, working out which products or services they buy from you and trying to identify any common characteristics. If, for example, you are an accountant you will probably find that clients who use your VAT return service have different characteristics to those that simply call upon you to complete an annual tax return.

What do you do next? Armed with information about your different segments, you can start to tailor your marketing to appeal more precisely to your target segments. Sticking with the accountant example, you can see that there is little point in promoting a VAT return service to your smaller clients who come under the VAT threshold; instead perhaps you could offer them bookkeeping software to help simplify their processes.

What to look out for.  Apply a healthy measure of common sense when you are developing your customers segments and don’t be ruled solely by the numbers. Remember too that people, and companies, move in and out of segments so don’t miss an opportunity to sell more services to a growing company. Equally, children grow up so try to avoid sending baby wear catalogues to mums with teenagers!

For more marketing tips and to find out how Pippa can help you develop segment your customer base go to www.brainwork.co.uk

We’ve just heard about a fab media opportunity to appear in The Daily Mail and get your hair styled by a professional into the bargain. 

“Has your hair changed colour alot since you were a child?  Do you want to return to a more natural look?

I am looking for women over 35 to have a make-over to return their hair to their natural hair colour for a Daily Mail shoot. It follows the theory that women look younger is they use colours within the same tonal family as when they were a child.

I am particularly interested in women who have dyed their hair red, burgundy or another bright or bold colour and who want to return to a more natural look.”

Expenses to London for the patch test and shoot are paid.

If you’re interested, send a colour photo of yourself as a child and also as you are now to  tanithcarey2003@yahoo.com

Image: healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A whipped cream & fresh strawberry Victoria Sponge I made for Book Club recently

There’s nothing quite as quintessentially British as a slice of Victoria Sandwich with a cup of tea (preferably in the garden!). I use this classic all-in-one sponge mix all the time, in varying quantities, for both large and small cakes and it never goes wrong.

The basic ingredient ratio for sponge is 4-4-4-2 (4oz flour, 4oz sugar, 4oz butter and 2 eggs which makes the perfect amount for 12 fairy cakes). This amount can easily be doubled (to 8-8-8-4) or increased by 1.5 which is the quantity I most often use( for a Victoria Sandwich (6-6-6-3).

If you have 20cm cake tins use the 8-8-8-4 quantities below. If like me you have 18cm tins then use quantities of 6-6-6-3 and adjust your milk & baking powder accordingly.

• 8oz /200g caster sugar
• 8oz /200g softened butter or Stork
• 4 eggs
• 8oz /200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp milk

Helen with friend and fellow Moonwalker Cathy

In less than 2 weeks time Mum’s The Boss’ very own Helen will be embarking on a massive personal challenge – The MoonWalk.

For those of you who haven’t heard of this, it is a marathon, done by speed walking rather than running……at night……dressed in your bra (creatively decorated) …….around the streets of London.  Although this might sound a little bit crazy it is an amazing event and, now in its 15th year, it raises loads of money for Breast Cancer Research.

Helen has been in training since January and has so far clocked up over 140 miles in preparation, including a 20 mile walk last Saturday, of which 17 was walked in the rain! “It has been as much a time commitment challenge as a physical one,” says Helen, “but I’m really glad to be taking part – both for my own personal sense of achievement as well as for the fundraising aspect.”

If you would like to contribute to Helen’s JustGiving page then she and the charity would be extremely grateful. And if you are taking part, or have done so in the past, then please do leave a comment, to help spur Helen on!

Dads are notoriously difficult to buy for, so why not make this Father’s Day special by giving him a pair of unique, customised cufflinks? They can be personalised with an image or design of your choice, and come in square or round, silver and gold frames.

Ring Jewellery, the Brighton-based jewellers specialising in men’s wedding rings and bespoke titanium rings are giving Mum’s the Boss readers the opportunity to win a pair of customised cufflinks.

Simply send an image you would like on the cufflinks to info@mumstheboss.co.uk along with your name and contact details, and we will select a winner in plenty of time so your cufflinks can be despatched well before Father’s Day.

It could be a family photo, a funny message or a logo. You could even scan one of your children’s drawings and have that transformed into a really special gift. Take a look at George Lamb and Theo Walcott’s customised cufflinks to get some ideas.

Deadline for entries is midnight on 27th May. The lucky winner will be emailed directly after this date. Good luck!

Our Helen is a recent convert to camping and we recently published a post on 3 ways camping could make you a better blogger. So, if you’ve never tried it, why not make your first expedition this year! 

Of all the years to go on a camping holiday in the UK, 2012 is probably one of the best yet. With marquee events such as the Olympic Games and Jubilee going on this year, there’s never been a better time to go on holiday in this country. And one of the best ways to experience 2012 in the UK is to go glamping. Literally meaning ‘glamorous camping’, this has all the perks of staying in a hotel, but with the added bonus of staying outdoors.

At a time when holidays abroad are gradually becoming more expensive, the option of staying in Pitch Up camping sites in the UK is becoming more appealing to hard-pressed households looking to get away for the summer. If you’re curious about camping, but want all the facilities that come with staying in a hotel, then glamping is for you. However, many ordinary campsites in this country have a wide range of on-site facilities which make it more appealing to first-time campers.

Many camping sites come with shops, restaurants, state-of-the-art shower and toilet blocks and cafes. However, some of them come with much more, such as indoor and outdoor swimming pools, games rooms, clubhouses, adventure playgrounds and even dog walking areas. Meanwhile, many campsites in the UK are close to National Parks, market towns, seaside resorts and in some cases, big cities such as London and Cardiff.

If you want to explore the UK and all it has to offer this year, the best way to do it is from a campsite. You could walk in the Lake District, go surfing off the Cornish coast, go rock climbing in the Peak District or go shopping in the Cotswolds. Regardless of where you’re camping or glamping, you’re sure to find something to do which you’ll enjoy this year.

This week we have teamed up with fledgling jewellery making company cutey to give you the chance to win a beautiful charm bracelet of your choice from their range.

cutey was founded in 2011 to provide a quality range of customisable jewellery. Their initial range is designed as an everyday accessory that can be worn at any time and changed based on mood, time or outfit and they are “passionate about making very special things and making sure they reach their true owners”

We have 3 bracelets up for grabs and all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is take a look at their full range and leave a comment telling us which of the bracelets you would like to win and why.

Competition closes at midnight on Friday 4^th May 2012. The 3 lucky winners will be notified by email after this date. Good luck!

What’s the best way to market your small business? The best results mostly come from face to face business networking. However within networking, like all parts of business, changes happen and you can always learn new ways to become more and more effective in how you deliver your message.

So to honour of my favourite form of marketing, here are the 5 C’s of networking to help you achieve greater success:

C is for Create. Create opportunities. How? Think about how you start a conversation with a new connection at an event. What do you usually ask: “What do you do?” Are you not totally bored with this overly used networking chat up line? Next time you engage with a new business owner at an event, why not open up the conversation with this: “Tell me about your business…” or “What challenges are you facing right now/ “What recent success stories can you share?” These exchanges create opportunities to explore in greater depth, giving you the chance to find out more about how you can position your business solution.

C is for Consistency. The saying, “out of sight, out of mind” rings very true when it comes to networking. People who turn up once or only occasionally run the risk of being forgotten quickly and/or can be seen as not serious networkers. Admittedly not every style of networking meets with an individual’s personal choice. However successful networking is built upon reliable, strong relationships, which equals consistency. Good relationships take time and effort to develop and grow. Attend once and expect instant results? You’ve got to be kidding!

C is for Collaboration. Two heads are often better than one, so they say. Once you’ve established yourself in one or more networking groups that meet your objectives, it is a positive step to explore potential collaborative partnerships with those you trust. Consider linking with others who do what you do, with a different slant/experience perhaps. Collaborations are ideal to expand thinking, to bolster support and motivation, and to enhance prospective work opportunities.

C is for Choice. One of my favourite things about being a self employed networker is the fact that it is my choice with whom I connect and work with, and it is my choice as to the frequency of where and when I network. Choice allows you to be selective and it gives you a freedom that an employed networking professional typically doesn’t have.

C is for Connector. With networking as my primary focus to market my services, one learning point is to see networking as an opportunity to connect others. Rather than adopting a “selfish” attitude, however do have a strategy for what you want to achieve, think broadly when you speak with people and consider how you can connect them to other business owners you know. When you become known as a successful connector, people will flock to you for your knowledge, support and expertise.

Written by Gail Gibson of True Expressions
Discovery, Change, Transformation
Published Author, Writer, Coach and Trainer

Image: xedos4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When springtime arrives the days feel longer, we have more energy, and we’re inspired by everything around us that blooms and grows – including our children. Regardless of how much or little you have changed your children’s bedrooms since they were babies there is no stopping them from growing and changing every year. The same goes for their taste and what they are interested in, so perhaps a refreshing bedroom update is on the cards? Here are some ideas for small but high impact changes you can make to your children’s room.

A lick of paint

Repainting the entire room is a fairly big job, but it could give some fundamental improvement to a room. If you are not that keen on DIY and want the improvement to last for a good few years then choose a relatively neutral colour. If you still want to go for something quite colourful then try to find a soft and light shade in the same palette to give yourself more flexibility to accessorise and decorate around it.

Wall stickers

If painting doesn’t float your boat wall stickers can be a brilliant way to update the walls of your children’s bedrooms. There are hundreds of variations on the market, and the great thing about them is that they do not damage the walls. For more neutral decoration options, go for trees or flowers. If your child has a certain cartoon character or a theme (for example animals or the sea) they are particularly interested in, why not try and find something along those lines?

Bedding

Replacing bedding and bedspreads is an easy and cost-effective way of keeping up to date with your children’s interests and tastes. Try and sneak in at least one neutral set every so often so you have some that will last for longer, and then spice it up with some themed bedding sets as well. If you’re struggling to get your kids to bed at night, what could be more exciting than having their favourite superhero or cartoon character on their pillow as they fall asleep?

Fairy Lights

Give the curtains a fresher look by draping some cosy fairy lights around the frame. They come in a multitude of different designs such as leaves, flowers, hearts, butterflies, you name it. You could also find similarly themed lamps to complement the look.