Welcome back to Self Employed Mum. Thanks for visiting!

Last week I got an email from a virtual contact of mine. Someone who lives in my village but (to my shame) all our previous communication has been online via various business forums.

I rang her for a chat and she suggested that I tried out a local breakfast meeting as her guest. Now, although I’ve now been self employed for a few years now, I confess that most of my networking tends to be online, in the virtual world that many geek type peeps inhabit these days.

The fact is that unless it’s a women’s event, almost every get together in “the real business world” is entirely geared around those without children – after all, how many parents can make a 7.00 am meeting unless it’s with Peppa Pig in their own front room?

So, thanks to my DH being able to get both children up, dressed and off to where they should be, I found myself off to try out my first ever breakfast network meeting.

The group was informal (thank goodness) and also much younger than I expected. There was the usual smattering of service types (accountant, solicitor) plus some other more diverse business types such as a lighting specialist. The format was pretty simple – introductions, news, a 10 minute talk from a member and then a very civilised English breakfast!

One rule I set myself is that I don’t do anything that takes up my time without taking some action for a positive benefit to the business. So I don’t lurk on forums for example. From this meeting I got a great contact that I’m hoping I can use to sort out some of my organisational needs, plus a meeting with a business coach, to access 3 months free coaching courtesy of Business Link.

And I was back by 9.15 a.m.!

I’ll keep you posted as to whether this group becomes a regular part of my working life. I’m certainly interested enough to go back next week. In the meantime, if any of you are in the Central Lancashire area and are interested in networking, you can contact Shout Network.

photo credit: arvindgrover

I’ve blogged previously about the usefulness of trade shows and how to get the best out of your visit.

It’s not easy to decide which you’ll opt for, but new start ups should take the time out to attend all they can and make a note of their usefulness  for the future when you may be more time-poor.

So here are some of my recommendations for six of the best UK trade fairs.

Don’t forget, even if you’re not sure you’ll make it, it’s still worth signing up for the mailing list, particularly Spring Fair which gives regular industry news updates throughout the year.

Always make sure you register in advance as sometimes you have to pay otherwise (and get stuck in a long queue when you’re itching to get started “walking the floor”).

1. Business Startups – general start up advice – worth attending more for the seminars and the training sessions. Some of the government exhibitors such as the IPO have useful 1-2-1 sessions.
2. Bubble - after the demise of Premier Kids this is now the best (only?) event to get the most leads for the children’s fashion industry. Originally a US import it’s now hosted at the cool setting of the Business Exhibition Centre, Islington. Not as quirky as before, but here in the UK, beggars can’t be choosers.
3. Spring Fair – hall after hall of types of gift related goods including toys, jewellery, household goods… Worth a two day visit if you are seriously seeking established brands. There’s also a smaller “Autumn Fair.”
4. Harrogate Nursery Fair – Great trade fair for picking up nursery suppliers and one of the very few to take place outside the the twin centres of the NEC (Birmingham) or the London Excel/Olympia circuit. Includes furniture and other nursery accessories as well as prams. Joining up with BPA Baby Show for a new event this October (2010).
5. Pulse – leading edge interior and living suppliers here with a contemporary twist. Pulse London offers the only Summer trade event focusing on the gift sector.
6. Top Drawer – Two fairs a year (January and September, London). Top Drawer covers the design-led gift, children’s, stationary and greeting, home and fashion sectors.

Have I missed any must-sees ?

photo credit: kevindooley

I trotted off to the Mumpreneur Conference at the weekend a little unsure of what to expect. Unlike most conferences there wasn’t much pre-publicity about the day’s content, and apart from knowing I was running a seminar about web site optimization, I really didn’t know what else was on the agenda.

I showed up later than planned, thanks to railway delays, and had a big surprise…

The City Inn, Birmingham, was heaving! The conference was in full swing and the atmosphere was fab. The conference comprised six seminars plus two presentations from renowned business women Tanya Rostron (Water to Work) and Wendy Shand (Tots to Travel). Tanya and Wendy were both truly inspirational and their generous presentations gave loads of practical advice instead of the usual focusing on individual “journeys” which is often a hallmark of keynote speakers.

There were lots of opportunities to network, but even so, I felt I only met a very small number of the peeps there… But those I did, like me, were thrilled to have the opportunity to network with others IRL rather than via cyberspace. I met some women that I have communicated with for years in cyberspace yet never actually met in the flesh.  Since returning home, my Twitter account has been buzzing with new followers to tweet with, which is a fabulous and an unexpected positive outcome.

My gut feel is that the organisers (who did a sterling job) had made a decision to hold back a little this year and pilot this conference rather than run ahead of themselves. It was a great achievement to make the event happen at all. I read a lot about gatherings like the Mumpreneur Conference being a regular thang across the pond and we seem to be a bit behind with networking opportunities over here in the UK. I think that the event’s future is truly exciting and something I look forward to hearing more about. I expect the next Mumpreneur Conference will be massively popular in view of the feedback I’ve heard over the last 24 hours and I’ll be booking my ticket to it ASAP!

This week is ‘Business Mum Week” with lots of networking events taking place around the UK.

Nat and I will be at the London meet up, hosted by the fab Tab (sorry, couldn’t resist the rhyme!) from Mimimyne over at at private room at Ping Pong Dim Sum (EC1).

I’ll be running a “how-to” session about using Twitter for Business and Antonia Chitty (of Mumpreneur Guide fame) will also be giving a presentation.

More details over at the Mimimyne blog. Hope you’ll be able to join us!

Mumpreneur Conference

Here at Self Employed Mum we’re still undecided whether the title of “mumpreneur” makes us gag on our cornflakes or beam with pride.  However, there’s a golden opportunity coming up for networking with, er, “fellow entrepreneurs who have a child” – at the first Mumsclub Mumpreneur Conference.

The idea of Jane, who manages the networking site, Mumsclub, the Mumpreneur conference takes place on Saturday 3 October 2009, 10.00-4.00 pm at the City Inn in Birmingham.  It’s the launch event of “Mumpreneur Week.” More of which we”ll be posting later.

There will be the opportunity to network, attend seminars and workshops and listen to speakers.

There will also be the announcement of the Mumsclub Annual Mumpreneur Awards – entries are still open till 20 September 2009. And there’s even a buffet lunch and refreshments thrown in!

The event costs just £11.50, which we think is a bargain ! More details here.

Hey, rather than call out our #Follow Friday list via Twitter, we prefer to say why we’re following these peeps, so you can decide whether they’re your cup of tea too…

@hootsuite – cool Twitter tool

@melissatalago – writes one of the best blogs around – “Home Office Mum.”

@MummyBloggers – UK network for, erm, mummybloggers!

@ProBloggerDeals – deals for bloggers! Enjoy!
photo credit: carrotcreative

Mumszone has a well established business zone amongst its general forums, and in contrast with many similar parenting sites attracts a high number of mums who own full-time businesses, and boasts several “bricks and clicks” members too.

Mumszone is a general parenting site and to be able to post in the business section you need to register and login first. The main forum is called “Working at Home Parents” and there are 3 related message boards

• WAH Business chitchat – a general board for business issues
• WAH Business Showcase – where regulars can promote their offers after meeting posting criteria
• WAH Private Forum – members only, see info below

Mumszone mods, while not as cautious as Netmums, try to make sure that the forums are not abused by those who do not contribute. In fact, the more you join in and get involved with the community, the more you are rewarded with extra privileges. Signatures and site links can only be added to posts after a number of contributions, and “anchor rich” text in formatted signatures, logo avatars etc are only awarded to site sponsors. This leads to newbies and forgetful regulars having knuckles rapped by mods from time to time, but site sponsorship is reasonable and could be worth the cost if you have a business which is relevant to members.

The biggest plus of Mumszone membership is access to the Private Section, “behind the veil.” Access cannot be bought and has to be earned via a fairly long apprenticeship – you must have posted at least 500 quality posts to the business chitchat forum to apply for access. After that, you must keep actively participating or you’re booted out. Lurkers are firmly frowned upon by the moderators.

The main boards have an established hardcore membership and the best advice is to get stuck in and contribute if you enjoy the MZ vibe and want to stay a while. The private section generates non-member complaints from time to time and accusations of cliquey behavior, but the access rules are applied across the board without exception. For regulars, the forum has a family feel – there’s a lot of loyalty with only the occasional fall out!

Best For: Full-time business owners, keen networkers, thick skins

Top Tip: Take time to establish yourself, give as well as take

Hey, rather than call out our #Follow Friday list via Twitter, we prefer to say why we’re following these peeps, so you can decide whether they’re your cup of tea too

@everywomanUK – Pressure group, networking forum and voice for female entrepreneurs

@Netmums- Ace networking forum for mums! We recently visited their business forum

@thegreenfamilia- Let Brenda the green coolhunter share the environmentally friendly skinny with ya

photo credit: carrotcreative

Ow - my eyes hurt!

Baby Greenhouse wins the award for most bizarrely structured online forum. Ever.

So odd does it look that I have known one or two peeps stop using the site because the layout confused them so much. Seriously, it’s like taking a tardis back to the early days of T’internet. Or roadkill in cyberspace. But don’t let all those crazy colours and mixed up discussions put you off. Baby Greenhouse is a bit of a gem.

Baby Greenhouse is a general parenting site and to access the business section you need to register and login first. The main forum is called “trading” and there are 2 related message boards

• Homeworking – the general chat thread
• Homeworker Specials – where regulars can promote their offers

Baby Greenhouse on the whole is a relaxed kinda place. There aren’t a whole load of rules about self-promotion and the forum seems to tick along quite nicely, bar the odd flare up between older members which I’ve seen (and they weren’t pretty, I can tell you!). The site seems to welcome newbies and the crowd seems to be particularly good for professional freelancers – photographers, VAs, bookkeepers etc.. There are also a lot of creative businesses stretching from artists to web designers.

The forum is organised along discussion threads rather than posts iyswim. This can be confusing at first as it makes it easier to miss conversations, but it does seem to keep the discussions moving along. What is particularly refreshing about Baby Greenhouse is the synergy between the Homeworkers Forum and the rest of the site. It’s normal practice that members pop along to the Homeworkers section to find traders of items they want to buy or services they need – “I want to buy a Llama. I think there’s someone on here that sells Llamas? Please get in touch” – OK, no Llama sellers, but it’s on BG where you can find most things you need, including a mum who will make your own kids nativity costumes – sheep a speciality!

Best For: Freelancers, creative peeps, sunglasses wearers

Top Tip: Take time to get used to the unique forum structure!!

If you’re running an online business networking online is something you really have to get right. Trouble is, cyberspace can be a confusing place to hang out, particularly for business owners. Here are five things to think about when you start online networking:

Find your forum: Some bizz forums are just that – an online forum solely concerned with business matters – only chit chat on the chit chat thread or you’ll be in trouble with the mods (see below). Other good business forums can be found hidden away as separate threads on more general forums – particularly in the parenting online community. Think about why you want to join a forum – do you want to access information and advice? Find trusty suppliers? Promote your business? Play online games? To varying degrees, you’ll find online business forums provide you with all these opportunities and more…

Continue Reading