I asked Louise Lloyd to write something for our readers about having an ethos – an approach to something, some mental or physically written down ideas of who you are, what your business represents and what your motivations are. Why? Because her website has just topped the 500 mark in terms of listings of baby signing classes from all sorts of independent and franchised baby signing classes all over the UK. It’s brilliant. And she’s about to get some national coverage that will direct people to the links to the classes and some people couldn’t work out why she’d be wanting to make sure that everyone was getting in on the opportunity. So this is her guest blog on the Baby Signing Mummy ethos:

Louise Lloyd aka the Baby Signing Mummy

Does your company have an ethos? When I first launched Baby Signing Mummy I was insistent on wanting an ethos that the business always stuck to. I have my principles and I love to be able to help others (a natural attribute that led me into the medical profession I am sure) so the ethos of Baby Signing Mummy was born.

The ethos of Baby Signing Mummy is to promote the wonders of baby sign language to all parents across the country and further afield. This means that we promote the use of any baby language no matter the company, no matter the signs that are used. I want as many parents and babies as possible to be able access classes, lessons and information on how to use baby sign language.

On our website we have a map of the world with classes entered from many different companies and allow parents to search for a class near them – if a parent finds a class from another provider and starts learning with them this is a success for Baby Signing Mummy – we have led that family into finding out more information and starting their baby signing journey.

When I first started out this ethos was questioned by others – why was I helping the competitors? I have several reasons for doing this; I am supporting other women in business, I am highlighting the importance of communication and interacting with your baby and I am getting the profile of baby sign language raised. I can only see that our ethos helps to increase our credibility as a company and I am so proud of being able to support all those other teachers out there, I really do feel like the Baby Signing Mummy ;)

Click the links for more information on Louise Lloyd and Baby Signing Mummy.

What is your Ethos? What guides you and your business?

Regular Guest Blogger Chelle McCann is back with tips to stay happy!

This week I have really been tested. With so many projects on the go this had to be the week where our little one was sent home from nursery with conjunctivitis and a chest infection. Already feeling like bad parents for not realising that it wasn’t just sleep in her eyes or just the usual teething cold myself and hubby got to see what stay at home parent life is like again.

Fizz was ill but hyperactic, two stressy parents with work to do too really did not help but later in the week I had the sense to stop everything and be a child again.

I watched This Morning who were doing a feel good section involving laughing therapy and Diva Dancing. It looked fab! So with baby wanting to shake her maracas we ran into her bedroom, danced around on the futon making loads of noise and jumping around finally giggling with an average age of ohhh 17 months fell onto a bed for cuddles. It was the most fun I have had in ages. I embraced motherhood again and vow not to be such a work junkie in the future.

So how do you stay silly/fun? How do you balance? Let me know as for me the jumping up and down and tickles with my daughter continue to ground me when I seem to be floating away!

Now really why are the 39 steps so important? Tauting itself as a modern guide for school leavers are we trying to teach our young the right needs for a modern society or are we being a bit pretentious? I really don’t think the 39 steps are the must know list and neither are the ones I can do appropropriate for the life I’ve grown into over 32 years. My ones mainly come from a mix of a university education, love of literature and things I’ve just picked up along the way.

The 39 steps are hideously out of date and although they are focused on a particular class of people they don’t really show any fun in life do they? Are they really life skills and should we just be keeping it simple?

I can so 11 of the steps in the article but to be honest none of those things make me a better, more knowledgeable person then someone who has less or more. Should we keep it simple with 5 simple steps to a better life?

1.      Giggle/Smile

2.      Make time for you and loved ones

3.      Support others

4.      Support yourself

5.      Work hard for the things you want

What would be on your steps for a better life?

We’ve got a guest blog from one of our own clients today, Dean & Steph from Daddynatal and Bump, Birth & Beyond. They’ve had a brilliant week, going from teaching local classes, to national coverage via a TV appearance. I thought it would be really helpful for other people who have small businesses to hear that opportunities for national coverage are out there, if you’re prepared to work hard and make the most of the opportunities available….. 

While everyone else seems to be winding down for Easter things have never been busier at Bump Birth and Beyond Ltd. It has been a hectic week, but a very positive hectic week!

Our busy week kicked off on Saturday, listening to the first interview Dean had recorded for The Baby Show broadcast on Star Radio. The interview was focused on the role of the dad in pregnancy, and very exciting for us, as it was the first ‘official’ interview Dean had done, and it definitely was a great learning experience.

Then, Sunday saw us officially announce our partnership with Peterborough City Hospital at Peterborough Baby Show. Bump, Birth and Beyond are now running DaddyNatal and Active Birth Classes, on behalf of the hospital, free to parents. How fantastic to have a Head of Midwifery who is so forward thinking, she really is one of the first in the country to recognise that fathers/birth partners have huge antenatal education needs which have never (until now!) been met.

There was an excellent response to the news of the classes, with signups both on the day and since. Both courses are already 10% full, and we are still awaiting the formal press release and for the community midwifery team to start promotion yet!

Sunday also marked the completion of the first part of training for our new Daisy Birthing teacher, Alison. Courses have been so successful that Steph cannot keep up with demand on her own, so we are extremely excited about Alison’s arrival. She will commence teaching in June which will allow us to offer more courses in even more locations.

On Monday and Tuesday evenings, Steph was out teaching her regular Daisy Birthing classes in Peterborough and St Ives. Steph teaches classes to around 40 pregnant ladies a week, as well as managing all the bookings and day-to-day admin of the company. And she looks after our two toddlers full time as well!

Little did we realise what more the week still held in store… At 10pm Wednesday evening, Steph arrived home from yet another Daisy Birthing class to the news that Dean had been invited down the next day onto The Vanessa Show on Channel 5 to talk about fathers at birth. Turns out a producer had heard his interview on The Baby Show website and wanted him there for a discussion segment about birth! How could we refuse…?!

So scrapping all previous arrangements for Thursday, Dean travelled to London to record the show. To say he was nervous would be a major understatement! He was petrified to be doing his first TV appearance only a few days after his very first ever live media interview! But, of course, he was also really excited. The people were brilliant and he had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Pearl Lowe and Christina Hopkinson, as part of the segment on the discussion of fathers at birth. They were lovely and certainly put Dean at ease (although nerves kicked back in once the cameras started rolling!). You can see his appearance here and judge for yourselves how Dean got on at The Vanessa Show.

Feel free to comment as we would love to hear your feedback. It was a long day though – Dean left home at 11.30am, and didn’t get home again until 8.30pm (luckily Thursdays are Steph’s evening off!)

But there was still work to be done… Friday saw us at a meeting at Peterborough Hospital to discuss some of the logistics of our partnership, and then followed by an agreement that we would produce contact and reference packs for the community midwives, so that became our focus on Saturday!

However, the support and excitement of what we are doing, coming direct from the midwives is so refreshing. It really is a pleasure to be working with them all.

And finally, we finished the week on Sunday with one of our Couples Antenatal Workshops in Kettering. Our classes are jointly run between the both of us, to make sure that we cover all the essential points from both the mum and birth partner perspective. It was a really great class – we thoroughly enjoyed it, and then arrived home in time to spend the remainder of the afternoon in the garden with our two children.

So a busy week made busier by some unforeseen media appearances! A great experience though and we look forward to seeing what the next few weeks brings us.

So that was our hectic week how was yours?

It seems like the press have very much highlighted the fact that Mariah Carey has decided to decorate her bump and her tweet about it after going into false labour over the weekend.

To me it seems a great bit of fun to be had – and to be honest has probably helped some of the boredom during those last few weeks of pregnancy.

I decorated my bump, with clothes mind you. But does everyone feel that sense of pride in showing off thier bump? I wore lots of stripey and tight tops to highlight the fact I was growing a little person. I loved the attention I got but I know that others feel completely different.

So if you want to show off your bump feel free to do so below and even if not tell us your thoughts on decorating your baby bump

I’ve started working with a life coach. I’ve started to notice since having my daughter that my concentration span is minimal and that I have become rather scatty.

Before having my daughter I was the organisational queen, Monica from friends wasn’t a patch on me, my OCD cleaning and my role as a Personal Assistant to a Head of Service within local government meant I was the ultra PA – I organised everything, even my knicker draw was laid out in a particular way and I’d organise husband’s draws too!

So when the offer came of working with a life coach in return for using me as a case study came along I jumped at the chance!

The first of my six fortnightly session was spent talking about where I thought I was going wrong. For me my organisational skills had disappeared. It took this person to show me what I already knew but also what I’d been missing.

My first task was to get diaries for different aspects of my life – family life/work life/business life  (I have my own business as well as having a 30 hour a week job). I was to give a set time to my own business in order to focus more clearly on each client, I was to put family appointments and diaries in order, I was to write a to do list everyday.

Now not all of this has worked but I’ve come to a happy inbetween to start with.

1) a family diary that has all birthdays/flat related items/important dates in

2) a rota for cleaning so that as a family we don’t waste a day tidying up at the weekend

3) A colour coded diary – so each area of my life has a colour and with my to do list I organise each day

Now – this has started to help, I feel I have more control and am starting to relax from the panicky state I got in if I didn’t do everything all at once. If something doesn’t get done it goes as a priority on the next day. I’m hoping to get to the stage where I’m not wading against a tide but am in fact focussed and more methodical. To be honest I’m starting to find it clearer now. Not so foggy and I can see the sunshine of my business blooming within this first two weeks.

The one I now need to plan out is my set times for business. This proves hard when I work with other people like me – mums who need to chat after the kids have gone to bed. Between 8 and 9pm is always the best time.

I’d love to hear suggestions on how you time manage and what tips you have!

Marketing Week talks family stuff

This article in Marketing Week made me think today, about how organisations that market to people in pregnancy, the new baby / newborn phase, toddlers and beyond, really need to think a bit more about how they talk to people.

Because the person buying the buggy / travel system / stroller / cot bed is not neccessarily the parents. And marketeers need to think about this a bit more when they talk to people. When we bought our double buggy my parents and my in laws both wanted to check it out. Which I found a bit weird, but as they were paying, I went along with it. And I saw at the Baby Show in London the other week, that they do grandparent tickets, which is a smart move, but I wonder if the could go further, I don’t know how – but I think there’s mileage there.

And if you’re going to be leaving your Precious First Born, Ignored Second Child or Feral Third Child etc with grandparents for any kind of childcare you want to be sure that you are leaving them with kit that they can use – that is functional, light, works in the long term and is going to fit in their car boot as well as yours, surely?

So whose buggy is baby friendly and grandparent friendly? Anyone know of one? Would be interested to hear in something that’s marketed as being easy for everyone to use, including grandparents who are going to influence the purchase of things in one way or another….

What were you born to do?

What were you Born To do? The new campaign from Save the Children has not just caught my eye, it’s got into my head. Not least because I’m working for the PHG Foundation on the Born Healthy project, which is working in a very similar area.

But there’s another reason too. I’m trying to work out what my purpose is right now. DH and I are shattered, the boys are pooped and we’ve not got back into a routine since the Christmas holiday – and it’s March next week. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN????

So much good stuff has come our way since the start of 2011, but I don’t know, I’m just not sure what to do – I’m near capacity from a consulting perspective and that’s good, but it means I’m going to end up turning work away soon, which is something I don’t want to do.
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A big organisation is interested in outsourcing lots of their printed publications to Weston Communications. Another one is interested in bringing Weston Communications in to take their online and social media engagement  strategy  forward. And then there’s the New Baby Guides, and the Young Families Bump, Baby and Toddler Shows! As well as my usual smaller clients. Something’s got to give, but what? So going to the Born To bloggers conference today was the perfect opportunity for me to take some time out and think about it.

What was I Born To Do?

I’m using thinking about what I was Born To Do to help me focus on my life and where it’s going at the moment. I was born to be a mummy. Not just a mum, or parent, but a mummy. To me, I’m parenting when I’m teaching our boys how to do things, being a mum when I’m sorting out logistics for birthday parties and a mummy when I’m giggling with them when we read a book on the sofa, or letting them climb in our bed in the middle of then night. In ten years time, there won’t be much mummy stuff left that they want  from me, so I want to try and be as  much of a mummy as I can, right now, whilst it’s still wanted.
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But how do I do that whilst working full time? I don’t know if it’s possible, because I’ve been really struggling with it recently. Honestly, I don’t if it is possible….

Watching the videos today at Save the Children, I looked around at my fellow attendees and thought “Is anyone else finding this really hard?  Is anyone else on the verge of tears? Does anyone else want to stick their head in the sand and run away from this because it’s such a big thing – and I don’t  know how I can contribute to it?” I wore mascara today – so I didn’t sit there sobbing. But I wanted to. I had tears in my eyes. I felt so small, so inept, so, I  don’t  know, lost, I suppose. I felt so overwhelmed with thoughts of my family, the families I was watching, the families of the Save the Children staff who go into these countries to help people and children in need – and the families of the people who go to film, shoot and relay the situations back to us in real time.

It was upsetting. I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t. But what it has done, is give me hope. If #blogadesh can get a message to 10 million people about what’s happening in the world, if the Make Poverty History Campaign ensures that countries are relieved of their impossible to repay debt, and if Save the Children can get into stricken countries and set up safe play centres for children within hours, then I’ve got to be able to work out what I was Born To Do, haven’t I?

I wonder how I can be what I was Born To Do – be a mummy, a worker and someone who makes a difference. I’m going to keep working at it. Thank you #bornto and Save the Children for giving me insights into your campaign and the inspiration to keep working at what I was Born To Do.

Please comment below and tell me what you were Born To. And vist the Save the Children Born To site, so you can learn more about this brilliant, challenging, amazing opportunity we all have to contribute to making a positive change in our world…

What? I know. I’m nuts, telling you how to get more for your money when I sell advertising myself. But there’s a method in my madness, I promise, so stick with me. Advertising calls. How annoying are they? Very!! I know they are because I’m on the phone so much, selling it. I’m in such a tricky position because I sell advertising in the New Baby Guides and the Young Families Bump, Baby and Toddler Show programmes and know that I’m one of maybe five calls you’ll get each day, selling you something.

But sitting on the other side of the fence, I advise clients as to how to make the most of any advertising opportunity they are thinking of participating in. So here are my top tips to ask when you are thinking of booking an advert in something:

1. Ask them to send you a sample of the publication. If it’s new to the market be wary. Be very wary. Of course, I can only say this now my publications are up and running, but I’d be uber cautious about something where’s there’s no proof of concept.
2. Check them out with other people locally. Is this their real business? Their proper job? Or something they’ve latched on to as an idea? Or that they are copying from someone else? Ask them how they came to be doing the publication. What are their credentials?
3. Ask for an explanation of how they know their circulation (even more so if it’s new) and if they can provide evidence of it. As an example, we have a letter from our Heads of Midwifery for each New Baby Guide we do and it has in it, that we are working in partnership with them and what the circulation will be.
4. Check out the small print – do they charge you for amends to your existing advert? How much? We charge for this, depending on the size of the advert and how much work is involved. When it’s a bigger advert, we do it for free, because it’s important to us to show our clients that we want them for the long term.
5. Ask for recommendations. We put them on our Facebook pages and on our website. It’s good to do that sort of thing, to show people you are legitimate and proud of what you do.
6. Negotiate. Ask for either a) a discount if you pay now in full and with print ready artwork or b) for a small change to be made to your advert for free or c) some editorial for free if you are booking a big advert.
7. Ask about exclusivity. We offer it, but our clients pay extra for it. Don’t expect to be the only doula in a New Baby Guide as that’s not reasonable, unless you are prepared to pay for the cost of the other adverts that would be there from them as well as your own.
8. Join up with other advertisers who you are not in direct competition with. As an example, if a half page costs £545 and a full page costs £895 why not find someone else to do it with you, so you both pay £447.50 – and tell the advertising sales person that you want a discount for being organized!
9. Ask what page number you will be on and what’s going to be advertising/featured next to it. You want to aim to not be next to your competitors as it’s info overload for the reader. (with thanks to @iamcharlieross for thinking of this one for us)

Anyway, that’s just my initial thoughts on what to do when you are thinking about advertising. If you’re ever looking at advertising in something and want me to take a look over it, I’m happy to help, at no cost.  Email me at liz@westoncommunications.org.uk or call me on 01223 501520.Why? Because there’s nothing worse than people spending money on advertising for a publication that won’t go ahead, or looks naff, or has a poor distribution as you too, by association, will suffer. And it reflects badly on the whole industry. Believe me, I’ve seen some pretty lame examples…

And here’s my sales pitch: If you have a business, service or product in the pregnancy, parenting, birth or family market, please get in touch with us and see how we can help you reach more than 104,000 families each year in NHS branded publications. The New Baby Guides are the only publication that goes out via our NHS Maternity Units other than Bounty. Anything else that says it does is not representing themselves accurately.

We can send you samples of our NHS Maternity Unit publications – the New Baby Guides, references, referrals, letters from Heads of Midwifery stating that we are working with them and have a wealth of contacts who could help you cross promote your business at no extra cost to yourself.

What are your top tips to consider when thinking about booking an advert? Would really appreciate your input on this one…..

Hello, good evening and welcome.

Where has the week gone? I am so tired, but at the same time, thinking about some amazing opportunities that have come  my way this week. I feel guilty that I’ve not been blogging properly for a while, but I just can’t seem to get into it again, with everything that’s going on.

There’s so much that I’d like to be able to put down in words, but either can’t as it wouldn’t be appropriate or, because the deals aren’t done yet. So what I can write about is this.. Things I’ve learnt or re learnt this week:

1. When something feels like a big deal, it’s probably not. Sit on it for 48 hours. See if you still feel the same about it.
2. Be prepared to take a risk. Even if other people are telling you not to. If you don’t have a sense of intuitive “yes or no” on something, go along with it, be open to the possibilities, until you’ve made your mind up.
3. Be wary when people are overly flattering of you and offer you things that are too good to be true.
4. Phone trusted friends when you are happy, not just when you are sad. It’s good to share good news.
5. Pick your friends wisely. Do not trust people instantly, this will save problems and make 4 possible.
6. Help someone out when you can. Not because you think it will bring you more money, presence or prestige, just because it’s nice to do it every so often. But don’t give away your best contacts.
7. Stick up for yourself. Work out whether you are going  to respond to criticism of your business or ignore it as being the spouting of desperate people who are jealous of your achievements and want some of  it for themselves. 
8. Be yourself. Whether it’s the Chairman of Mothercare, a Trustee of Wellbeing of Women or a mum at pre school, be yourself. You’re fine as you are. In fact, more than fine.
9. When you get given lovely smellies that are lavender based and you don’t like them, pass them on to someone who will appreciate the thought.

I won’t stretch this to ten, because that’s my thoughts. I haven’t got one more, so I’ll leave it there.
What have you learnt or re learnt this week?