Successful Births

For many women, motherhood is a chance to escape the career world - if only for a while. For others, the changes children bring to their lives inspire them to give birth to something just as time-consuming - a new business venture.

When Anne Doyle's 10-month-old daughter started choking on a small piece of Lego from a toybox in the hairdressing salon where Doyle had gone for a quick trim, her first priority was to rush to the hospital. Her second thought? To start her own business that would make the commercial and retail world a safer place for parents, children and business owners.

Doyle, 42, spent three years researching, registering a product name, fine-tuning the product design that she had first sketched out on butcher's paper and then finding a manufacturer, before Child Friendly Solutions was born.

Doyle's co-director in the Sydney business, Michelle Barraclough, 38, came on board when Doyle approached the marketing firm where Barraclough worked, in an attempt to commercialise the Child Friendly Solutions concept, only to be told her project was too small for the firm to take on.

"Michelle saw merit in the idea and offered to work with me on weekends to develop my financials and business plan further," Doyle says. "What started out as a casual offer of help has turned into a strong six-year partnership."

Despite professional backgrounds that span the marketing, corporate and retail worlds, both Doyle and Barraclough have found the challenge of building a business from the ground up difficult at times.

The fact that both have done it as the mothers of young children has made it even harder. Yet for many women, the concept and courage to start their own business comes only after motherhood has forced them to put a career plan on hold.

For some, the notion of running a business is simply an alternative to full-time childcare and a return to the 9-to-5 life. For others, it is a real shot at independent financial success.

For the women behind Child Friendly Solutions, it is a venture that is starting to pay off. After her initial start-up investment of $15,000, Doyle says, "Business is just starting to embrace it and think, 'What a great idea.'"

Although the business has only been trading for just under two years Doyle and Barraclough have an enviable corporate client list, including Westpac, Westfield, Esprit and NIB Health Insurance.

"Because we had been developing this concept for four years before we had a product, we had a lot of time to research the market, talk to prospective clients and build awareness," Barraclough says. "So when we eventually had a product, we hit the ground running."

To date, the company has sold about 460 play panels (a wall panel costs $440, freestanding units are $880). This translated into a turnover of about $80,000 in the first year, when the women were still working part-time within the business. Since making the shift to full-time work with Child Friendly Solutions, Doyle and Barraclough anticipate that turnover for their second year will increase substantially.

TOP 5 TIPS FOR MIXING BUSINESS AND FAMILY

"Persist. Persist. Persist. Even when things seem at their very worst, if you believe in your business concept and it's backed by solid research of your market and realistic financials, then keep going," says Anne Doyle of Child Friendly Solutions. "If you are passionate enough about what you are doing, then I think others will eventually share that passion," says Oliver and Coco's Nicky Long.

Get support. Running your own business can be lonely and when you are juggling children and family life as well, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Having friends or family who you can call on for help, whether it is picking the children up from school or simply offering a fresh perspective when brainstorming some new business ideas, can do wonders. "One of the first things we did, even when the business was not making that much money, was each get a cleaner to do our homes," says Kerry Gooch from The Complete Basketcase. "When you have children and you work from home, not having the time to do basic things like that can make you feel really stressed. The time we saved doing that let us put in more energy to make more money from the business."

Spend time every day on dollar-productive activities. "It is a common trap to spend a lot of time on administrative tasks and not enough on selling," says Doyle. Her business partner, Michelle Barraclough, agrees. "We make these huge long lists of everything we want to do and then make each other accountable for getting them done. Even when we're in the last half-hour before we have to pick up the kids, we will just get on the phone and make half a dozen follow-up calls. Then you feel like you've done something towards moving your business forward that day," Barraclough says.

Use technology. For many mothers starting businesses, office space is often just a clear spot on the dining room table. Virtual office facilities, where an office number can be diverted to a mobile or home telephone number, in addition to email and fax facilities ensures you are within easy reach of potential clients. Accounting software to manage your bookwork on a weekly basis can reduce days of work at BAS and tax time.

Share your successes with your children and family. It will give them a better understanding of your daily working life and may also have a positive effect on their own future. "Including your children teaches them about determination, goal-setting and not being afraid to be passionate and take a risk,' says Barraclough