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The Brains Behind Business Mum Network

As you all know, I am part of a fabulous group of mums called The Business Mum Network This group has grown so quick in such a short amount of time! There are now over 1000 members in the group and it is growing from strength to strength. To celebrate reaching 1000 members, I thought it would be great for the lovely lady who started this group, Sher Hopkirk, to do a guest blog on why she decided to start the network. 
Guest Blog by Sher Hopkirk 

Why BMN? 

Before I dive into my background and tell you how the idea of how the 'Business Mum Network' came about, I first want to thank the amazing Michaela Dyer for not only asking me to guest blog on her wonderful Mum Blog 'The MummyBou Chronicles' but for her contribution to the BMN community. Michaela is an absolute star and I can't thank her enough for being one of my Head Hustlers and supporting other Business Mums at every opportunity. There is no doubt in my mind Michaela's new events venture will succeed. 

So about me. It's difficult to know where to begin because like many of you, my life has never been straight forward and I have had to contend with heart break, mental health issues & financial hurdles. My life truly has been filled with ups and downs. One thing is for sure, I have always been extremely career focused, pushing myself at every opportunity to learn, grow and develop my skills whether that be in my current role or in my own time in an attempt at preparing myself for the next big thing. 

Over the past 13 years my career has predominantly been within the private and health care sector. I started off as a Dental Nurse, gained additional qualifications in Teaching, Business Development & Management and quickly began climbing the ladder from Dental Nurse to Dental Nurse Tutor & Practice Manager to Regional Management Consultant & Business Development Manager. 

It all sounds great but something just wasn't right. 

Throughout my career I have always came across one major problem that I just couldn't get past.... 

....'I can't keep my mouth shut' 

This is not good when you come in to contact with so many employers who treat their employees in an unfair way to suit 'the needs of the business' - I put 'the needs of the business' in brackets because 9 times out of 10 (from my experience) it's not to suit the needs of the Business but to suit the needs of the owners bank balance. 

Not many business owners want someone who will call them out on their shit. Most business owners want a Managers & employees who are 'yes people' which is acceptable to an extent but that's not me. If you are doing something unethical I will call you out on it. So, it's fair to say I have butted heads with 1 or 2 employers in my time. 

From one role to another or whilst working in a role that saw me dealing with hundreds of business's I saw so many employees being treated unfairly (many of which were Mums). I myself have faced discrimination on 2 occasions (once during pregnancy & the other as a Mum)  I struggle to accept the fact so many business owners do as they please with their business irrespective of employment law requirements. Now, don't get me wrong, some of the places I have worked with are phenomenal and treat their employees with the upmost respect however; these companies are few and far between. 

It was all starting to grate on me and after having my daughter my outlook on everything changed.  It broke my heart everyday dropping her off with strangers to go and line the pockets of my employer. Why was I spending 9-10 hours a day away from my daughter to help build my boss's dream when I could be home, watching my baby grow & making memories?  

It was time for change. 

Fortunately I had been earning a small income from local contacts I was freelancing for and it gave me an idea. For the next few month I focused on creating an income for myself online. It was not as hard as I thought and before I knew it I was earning a salary close to what I was earning in my FT job. 

So what do I do? 

I work with a number of local clients as a freelance business development manager one of which I am VA for. Due to my passion for writing I ventured into the world of content writing which has been a great side earner for me.

There are a few other ways I earn online which are not huge but it's nice to have numerous incomes. When I started my research into earning online over 2 years ago, I was shocked.  There are so many possibilities you just need to know where to look (and be aware of scams!). 

All of the above is the main reason I created the Business Mum Network. 

I don't want Mums to fear going back to work after maternity leave if they don't want to. I don't want Mums to be frightened to take time off when their kids are ill because their employers will give them a hard time. 

I want Mums to have what I have.  I want Mums to be brave enough to step away from the social norm of a 9-5. I want Mums to spend every precious moment with their children. I want Mums to be the best possible role model they can by showing their children how to follow their dreams.  

The only way for us all to do this is to support each other.  To build a strong untouchable community that will allow us to learn from each.

Sher x

Such an inspirational woman! So if you are a :

~ Mum with a Biz
~ Mum who wants to start a biz
~ Mum with a blog
~ Mum who wants to start a blog
~ Mum who is a fur baby mums
~ Mum to be
~ Mum who wants to be more productive
~ Dreamers who want to be do'ers
~ Women who wants to actively support mums in biz

then head over to the group and join us! We would love to have you be a part of our network

-x- Michaela -x-

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