“Every mum who ever dreamt of setting up her own business needs this book! Enter your very own Fairy God Mother in the shape of Mumpreneur and PR guru, Antonia Chitty. Antonia expertly holds your hand and leads you through the adventure of creating your new business. From writing your business plan, managing your finances to making the most of the web and planning childcare, Antonia is there every step of the way. I especially liked the useful exercises and worksheets ~ instead …

If you have just found out that your are pregnant, will you be going back to work? Ask anyone who is nearing the end of their maternity leave, and you will find that many mums are looking for flexible work ideas so that they can stay at home, yet still contribute to the family budget. Becoming a freelancer is an ideal way to get a good work-life balance. You’ll find that freelancing allows you to:

use your existing work skills and talents
set up a business that generates an income right from the start

But …

I know lots of visitors to Family Friendly Working are already working on a freelance basis or thinking about going freelance. I’ve been self employed for around eight years, and have had plenty of experience in generating plenty of freelance work. Here are some tips to help you develop your freelance career:

If you work from home, make sure you have a clear workspace. I sometimes feel like I need to erect barbed wire round my desk to stop the family covering it with their possessions – I’m currently working with …

“Every mum who ever dreamt of setting up her own business needs this book! Enter your very own Fairy God Mother in the shape of Mumpreneur and PR guru, Antonia Chitty. Antonia expertly holds your hand and leads you through the adventure of creating your new business. From writing your business plan, managing your finances to making the most of the web and planning childcare, Antonia is there every step of the way. I especially liked the useful exercises and worksheets ~ instead …

On this blog, I write about mums in business, flexible ways to work and useful books and products to help you. What I perhaps don’t mention enough is why we’re all doing it.
It is easy to get so wrapped up in running your business that you forget why you started it. I know that this happens to me: a book launch co-inciding with the last days of the summer holidays was not great planning. Because really, I’m doing this so I can be around for the children. And so I need …

Louise Chunn has edited the Guardian’s Women’s pages, Elle, InStyle and Good HouseKeeping. Her high powered career meant that, as a single mum, she relied on nannies. Now, though, she has gone freelance and her third child is benefitting from being dropped off and collected from school by mum. In an article for the Guardian, Louise says, “Regrets, I have a few – but the truth is, for most of my full-time working mother life I did not have the “luxury” of chucking in the towel when family problems impinged. I …

Hollie Smith has been writing for a living for more than two decades. Her she shares her story and tips for successful freelancing.
For me it was a no-brainer: I had no intention of returning to my full-time job as a magazine commissioning editor once my maternity leave was up. The decision – made back in 2001 whilst expecting my first child, Lily – was mainly driven by a desire to be with my baby as much as possible; and partly by dillusionment with the job in any case. But …

There are ups and downs for every mum who juggles work and family. Here, one Aussie mumpreneur shares her tips on coping – see if they help you too.

Here is my up to date list of websites to help you find jobs by the hour, flexible opportunities and part time work. If you know of other sites like this, let me know. I’d also be interested in positive and negative experiences of using this sort of site – let me know if you have found work this way.

www.elance.com
www.flexibleskillsbank.co.uk
www.GetMyJobsDone.co.uk
www.jobs4mothers.com
www.mumandworking.co.uk
www.people4business.com
www.remoteemployment.com
www.shiftshack.com
www.sliversoftime.com
www.ten2two.org
www.workingmums.co.uk
http://yummymummyjobs.com

According to the Telegraph, more and more people are making a living from a series of freelance gigs – coining the phrase Giganomics. Read here to find out how different people do it – I’m included at the end of the article too.
Antonia