AtHomeWithLorraineKelly2016 - 101

CAREERS ▲

A LEAP OF FAITH

'My business idea came to me when
I was looking at social media while
feeding my son in the middle of night.
I found a bunch of mums who were
making products - craft type
businesses - and behind each one
there was a unique story.
'I related to these women,
understood their world of working
and looking after children, and I
wanted to support them by buying
their products. But I couldn't ﬁnd a
marketplace where you could get the
products in one place, so I decided to
create one - All By Mama.
'To kick it oﬀ, I approached my
mum, Hilary, 59. She'd been made
redundant and, having owned a
business previously, had experience.
We got in touch with mums via social
media and, by the time we were ready
to launch, we had 40 of them on board.
We were pleased with the response
- it was a leap of faith for them.'

Mountain guide
'I had the assumption
that you can't earn
money doing
something you love'
SARAH MALIPHANT, 48, WORKED IN
A GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL COMPANY
IN VARIOUS ROLES BEFORE GIVING IT
ALL UP TO BECOME A MOUNTAIN GUIDE

FLEXIBILITY

'I was still working full time, now with
a one-year-old. My evenings and
weekends were spent on the
business, and ﬁnding a balance
was a challenge - I felt I was
neglecting my husband and son.
But I ploughed on, until I left
my job in October 2014 and
launched the business the
following month.
'Now, 18 months later, I
love the ﬂexibility, and the
fact that I can work around
my two sons - Cassius was
born in April. I am thinking
about work 24 hours a
day, but I'm able to check
emails via my phone while
I'm with my sons. It's
incredible to be able to
do that, but it's not easy.
Sometimes, I feel like
I'm doing both badly.
'My advice would be
to get into a secure
position before you
launch - I went back
to work so there were
options. Network, go
and meet people doing
something similar, start
small, talk to a friend,
design a logo. What I
have learned has made me
realise that there's so much
opportunity to do something
you're passionate about. I'm far
happier than I ever was before.'

"

'What tipped me into changing
my life was when three colleagues
died within a year in various sad
circumstances. It brought me up
short and my world went from a
guaranteed quantity to wondering,
"Am I living or just following my
nose and existing?"
'I'd spent 16 years since I'd left
university in a so-called sensible
job, working for a large industrial

PEOPLE ARRIVE
LOOKING TIRED
BUT LEAVE LOOKING
10 YEARS YOUNGER
company with great success and
awards. I started off in IT, becoming
programme manager and then into
marketing, with a loads of travel
and meetings that went on too long.'

SEED WAS SOWN
'I've always loved mountaineering
but had never considered it as
a career. I made the assumption
that you can't earn money doing
something you love - that's not how
the world works.
'But that very sad year, I needed a
long walk and went to the Himalayas
on a guided holiday. The leaders, a
couple, were so inspiring and, during
that trip, my love for the mountains
came back. What they were doing

appealed to me instantly. They told
me all I needed was a mountain
leader award. That equips you to
guide safely in the British hills.
'Two weeks later, I signed up for
the scheme and planned how to
get the qualiﬁcations I needed
while continuing my job. A year
later, I visited a lovely youth hostel
in the Brecon Beacons and the
warden asked me what I was
doing there. When I told her I was
training to lead walks, she asked me
to guide some there. The ﬁrst one,
with 16 people, was daunting, but
it was such a joy. The seed was
sown for my now self-employed
career running mountain retreats.'

BACK TO LIFE
'It didn't happen quickly - I only
left my job three years after doing
that ﬁrst walk. I found the business
side of things hard - it's taken me
a long while to realise you can
charge people for a generous,
personable service. At ﬁrst, the
money I was earning was less than
the weekends were costing me,
because I was so unsure of my
own value, but I wouldn't give up.
I now have 150 regular clients and
advance bookings.
'What I like best is seeing people
arrive looking tired out and, after
three nights, they look 10 years
younger, are smiling; they've come
back to life again. I could not have
conceived doing this at the age of
21 but this was the best decision at
this stage in my life. I love it.'
www.more-to.org

www.allbymama.com

www.athomemagazine.co.uk AUGUST 2016 | 101
AtHomeWithLorraineKelly2016

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