The third and final instalment of our story
Having a baby, Plan A, had delivered (literally), but in 2016 I wanted to get back to work. I had loved being a stay at home Mum 24/7 with my baby, but it was time we started to look for our own independence. She to go to pre-school and get used to spending time without Mummy, and me I needed to get back to business. How lovely that I had my own business to go back to.
It wasn’t all perfect, my plans were to return in September 2016, but my Mum passed away in the August, so I look back and think I should probably have held off for a few more months, but …. I stuck with the plan, and it was probably for the best, else I might have kept finding excuses.
Going back was once again was something eased very much by my client Nick …. who had another contract he needed me for. So I felt I owed it to him to stick with my plan.
In addition to going back to work, I also took on a bigger role within Girlguiding Bedfordshire. I became their Marketing & Communications Advisor. I had been a PR rep in Luton for some years, but this bigger role gave me the opportunity for further training and to widen my experience on social media, PR, website development and maintenance, electronic newsletters etc. something I love.
This was when Di said it was great I was back, but was concerned I had all my eggs in one basket. She suggested I try networking. Not the first time, but this time I listened to her. I tried a couple of groups, but felt most at ease with Busy Women Networking (BWN) in Milton Keynes.
Here I met the most supportive, welcoming and generous bunch of ladies. I joined and started attending regular monthly meetings, but was still unsure how to explain what I actually did. Then one of them, Jules, said I was a Virtual Assistant, and it all fell into place. That was exactly what I was. I had spent months, if not years, saying I did what my client did. But no, that was what he and his business did. I offered a different service.
Through my networking I have met lots of ladies who have helped me refine my business offering, and have picked up clients along the way. Sometimes clients have come directly from the networking meetings, in other cases it is though contacts like Lesley who happens to be an ex-Abbey colleague who I reconnected with through networking.
So what does the next 10 yers hold? Well my daughter is turning 8 this April, so while she remains at primary school probably not too much. But as she gets older, I will be looking to expand my business, taking on more clients and bigger projects. I guess as it is mine, Oyster Flame can be as big as I want it to be.