HelenOgg

Employment Background / Qualifications

Prior to obtaining my PhD, I worked as a secretary / P.A. in many different environments – the civil service, BBC, property management and business. I can touch-type and possess very rusty shorthand.

My doctoral research concerned how children learn their first words. During the course of my academic research I gave a number of oral and poster presentations about my research at conferences and to university research groups. I also conducted extensive statistical analyses of data collected in the course of my research. I became computer and web-literate during the course of my research.

I lectured also on many aspects of developmental psychology to both under- and post-graduate students.

Acquiring a doctorate demands the use of good organizational and analytical skills. However, my secretarial career means I am not unfamiliar with the more mundane aspects of working life (photo-copying, ordering stationery, filing etc. etc.).

Most recently, I have been a full-time mother to my little boy, now aged three years.

In sum, my working experience has been varied, and enabled me to acquire a wide range of skills.

Background to my Business

Using my knowledge of developmental psychology – particularly the development of infants – I have created a product that allows parents to record developmental milestones in baby’s first year of life: BabySteps®: The First Year.

Following much research I have concluded that I have a product that will be of interest to parents-to-be or those wishing to buy a gift for the expectant mum. The research involved examining comparable products, such as baby diaries, and establishing in which ways my product was unique. Did it have a USP – or unique selling point? Would it meet the needs of my potential customers? Where would I find these customers? Would the enterprise be financially profitable? Over what timescale? How would it affect my home/work balance? And so on?

All of these questions have to be researched and answered at the pre-start up phase, and incorporated into your Business Plan.

Support

I have received extensive and invaluable support from the St. Albans Enterprise Agency, BusinessLink Hertfordshire and, since moving to the Midlands, from the Women’s Business Development Agency (WBDA), Coventry and the Business Resource Centre, Rugby.

Quite frankly, without the support of these organisations, the project would have remained a dream. The first, and still most crucial lesson I was given, concerned the importance of a Business Plan. You write your Business Plan long before you start doing business. I attended a one-day course to learn how to write a plan. However, there are lots of self-help books out there to assist the aspiring entrepreneur. I have also attended courses on book-keeping, marketing, selling via the internet, and generating website traffic.

The WBDA is particularly supportive in practical terms – encouraging you to draw up an Action Plan in order to move your business forward.

Successes to Date

To date I have sent good quality samples of my product to many major retailers – Mothercare, Sainsburys, Waterstones – places where my potential customers may shop for baby related goods/gifts.

However, I did not receive a single order. So why do I consider that the exercise was a success? The answer is because the buyers gave me a lot of positive feedback. Most of them loved the idea and agreed my product was distinctive, and would have a market. And I learned why, in spite of the favourable feedback, they would not place an order. The product was the wrong size; the graphics aren’t great; we do not sell specialist baby products, for example. But the buyers’ comments persuaded me I had a viable proposition.

The Future

Following the feedback from buyers I had a re-think and then I re-wrote my Business Plan with a different scenario. Now I believe the way forward is to target customers via the internet, and to sell via independent nursery goods shops, who like to stock more idiosyncratic products which aren’t available in the bigger, mainstream baby stores.

Selling via my own website is a possibility. It will enable me to engage more directly with my customers – via a quarterly newsletter, for example. It would be difficult to build such relationships via a large retailer.

Advice to other Women

As a single mother, I suppose my own experience better qualifies me to advise other mums in particular, rather than other women in general. I think this is because, particularly if you are a mother of young children, getting the home/work balance correct is terribly important.

One thing did almost deter me from embarking on my business project. It was the potential threat to my time, and the time I would spend with my son. I did not want to embark on an enterprise that would consume every waking hour – no matter what the potential financial reward would be in the long term. In my view, time is as important as money, and time can get spent more quickly too! However, the messages you often receive from other (particularly male!) entrepreneurs is that there is no way you can succeed in business without devoting your time 24/7 to it.

From the very beginning I decided exactly how my working week was going to proceed. At present I work around 20 hours a week on my business project, whilst my son is at nursery three days a week. Of course, I do spend many more hours thinking about the business. But at the present time, this suits me, and I have lots of time with my son. My boy starts school in September 2005, at which point I will be able to work more hours. However, it will be a five day week, strictly 9a.m. to 3p.m. They say work can expand to fill the time. However, with good time management skills, organisation and self-discipline, you can accomplish all you need to do within your set time constraints.

The important thing is to think about these issues at the very beginning. Look into the future. If you see a happy workaholic, eating and sleeping her business project, all well and good. If you want the harmony that comes from a thoughtful division of your labours between work and play, factor it into your Business Plan.