Business is blooming
Get more balance like mum Victoria
MUM-of-three Victoria Jennings needed to make ends meet but juggling a traditional job and childcare was impossible.
But then Victoria, 39 from Stockport, Greater Manchester, had the bright idea to set up baby classes geared to help mums and babies bond. Two years later, her classes are held all over the UK and abroad.
I had a traumatic time when my eldest daughter Ana, now 10, was born and I went on to suffer postnatal depression and anxiety. I returned to work as a personal assistant to a managing director but I was only seeing Ana for an hour a day. Something had to change.
After a year of juggling, I decided to retrain as a childminder. I figured that was the perfect way to have flexibility. It worked after my second daughter Honey, now eight, was born but when Isla, now six, was born, I hit overload.
When Isla started school I looked at how else I could work for myself. Thinking back to how anxious I’d been about baby classes and making new friends, I realised others must be feeling the same and that perhaps I could help. I had taken a business studies degree after school which suddenly came into its own. I sat down and started to structure what I saw as being the perfect baby classes, focused specifically on helping mums and babies becoming close through music and song.
Bloom was the perfect name and out of my own experience, imagination and instinct, backed up by research,
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Victoria at one of her classes
I created a strong set of exercises, games and dances. I even created a big cuddly caterpillar Cooper who comes to every class.
I had no idea when I held my first class whether it would work, especially as there were several other types of class nearby. Through social media I attracted 10 mums and babies and off we went. I was so nervous. The classes are about being who you really are, so my nerves helped everyone relax. Through social media and word of mouth, it rapidly got to the stage where I couldn’t do all the classes on my own. I could only offer a certain number in
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any week, so I trained team members (and made more Cooper the Caterpillars) to cope with demand.
Last November I launched my first franchise, and since then, 13 other mums have come on board to run their own classes. I can’t believe I am now running a six-figure business across Greater Manchester, Leeds, North Tyneside, Cheshire and now even the USA. I want to keep on growing and I would love for the website (bloombabyclasses.com) to be the go-to parenting baby resource. I still take one class a week to keep on top of new ideas and without doubt the best part is seeing parents and grandparents really connect for 45 minutes with their babies. It’s also key for my daughters to see that anything is possible and you can follow your dreams.
It’s hard to believe that just a decade ago, nothing could have been further from my mind, especially when I was struggling with my mental health. The girls love it and are already planning the day they can get involved. Fitting a job round the kids can be tricky but there are a range of options. Direct selling can be one option, where you sell popular products (think Body Shop or Avon). Check out The Direct Selling Association (dsa.org.uk) which keeps an extensive membership list of established companies.
Some firms, such as Travelodge, actively recruit parents. As it opens 100 more hotels over the next five years, the chain is offering hours that fit around the school run, a work buddy to help you get up to speed and access to management training. Visit travelodge. co.uk/careers/working-parents.
Part-time jobs work too. From hotels, restaurants and pubs to office work, shops and supermarkets we have found 26,112 part-time jobs.
At fish4jobs.co.uk, we found 3,491, ranging from a part-time female support worker in Penzance (£17,550), junior school teaching assistants in Manchester (competitive) and a night support worker in Totnes, Devon (£16,250).
At gov.uk/jobsearch, there are 21,852 part-time jobs including an administrator in County Antrim (£8.21 per hour) and a production worker in Gwent (£8.50 to £9.50). Caterer.com has 769 part-time jobs, although many other full-time catering roles could work around the kids.
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I now run a six-figure business, and in the US too
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