Mum’s planning pays dividend as business grows
AT THE aged of 28, it looks like JoJo Graham has got it all.
She’s an author, a high-flying businesswoman who earns a six-figure salary and a proud mum to her son Noah, who’s two and a half years old.
But she’s worked incredibly hard to get where she is.
Now, the Cardiff mum plans her weeks by the hour so she knows where she needs to be at any given time, has days devoted to growing her business, and used Noah’s nap times to grow her firm in its early stages.
“Being a single mum and running a business isn’t easy. Getting the work/life balance is also very difficult, but it is possible if you are very focused on what it is that you need to do to make that happen.
“For me, I am very careful with my time. I have to run my weeks like a tight ship. Every Sunday I sit down and plan my week to the very hour. I know exactly what I’m doing at every moment.”
From having a part-time job aged 16 to working through university, quitting the only profession she’s ever known, JoJo is one determined woman.
Growing up in Pembrokeshire, Jo Jo got a good set of grades at GCSE and A-level.She worked in a bank during the holidays, and worked as a barmaid and cleaner.
She continued working as she went to study business management at University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Carmarthen. After graduating, she moved away from home at the age of 21 – not knowing a soul.
“The one thing that changed things for me was when I was working in my bank job and it was 2014, and I went for a promotion which I’d worked years to get. Somebody else got it instead of me; it was the moment I realised I had to stop allowing other people dictate to me how much that I’m worth.”
Within three months, JoJo quit her bank job, set up a network marketing business at the age of 24. Quite remarkably, she had replaced her JoJo Graham with her son, Noah, aged two
full-time income within six months.
Then, she found out she was pregnant.
As the main breadwinner for her family, when her baby was eight months old, she decided to start another business: her own coaching and mentoring business.
“It’s not easy running a business and having a baby.
“I did it all through nap time when he was sleeping.”
She went on to earn a six-figure salary in her first year, and is now an
author too, all while being a very proud single mum.
Juggling it all isn’t easy, but JoJo says she makes it work.
“I’ve built my business to a point where I can afford a nursery two days a week,” she said.
“Tuesdays and Wednesdays are mum days and I don’t do any work.
“Noah goes to nursery two days a week, which is great because he absolutely loves it.
“It gives me that time to work on my business and stop for a moment.”