Meet the women behind several businesses who have successfully founded their own ventures (while also unloading the dishwasher, walking dogs, and cooking their family dinners). These are stories of female entrepreneurs who are doing it all from the comfort of home.
In honour of International Women’s Day, The Homeworker is showcasing several amazing women in business who negotiate
Each issue of The Homeworker Magazine features a variety of homeworkers where we share their journeys and experiences around starting out and the insights from the lessons they’ve learned.
It’s not always about their financial success. We dig into their challenges and how they overcome the many pitfalls of homeworking: their work practices, their work environment and even their relationship dynamics.
Here are a few of the women who have featured, or are going to be featured, in The Homeworker magazine.
Read on to be inspired by women doing their thing – from home.
Denise Duffield-Thomas, Author and Money Mindset Coach
I want to be a cheerleader and reassure people, and say to women, that you are enough. I believe that most people who are called to entrepreneurship are smart enough and ambitious enough but something inside tells us we’re not good enough. If you don’t feel as if you’re good enough inside, you’re going to sabotage yourself at every turn.
Denise Duffield-Thomas
Denise Duffield-Thomas is renowned for her no-nonsense and no-stress approach to doing business. She coaches women about their mindset and their blocks when it comes to money.
A self-made millionaire, she is open and transparent about how much she earns, how she makes her money and how much help she has at home. She also happily admits that she looks for the easiest option and the path of least resistance every time. It’s the premise behind her new book, Chillpreneur.
In her
The full interview with Denise is a must-read and features in issue 2 of The Homeworker Magazine as well as in the print edition: The Complete Guide.
Emma Poncia: Owner, Mummy And The Bear
Running a business is a rollercoaster of emotions. One week the website can be really quiet and I start doubting myself. The next week it’s really busy and I feel amazing again.
Emma Poncia, Mummy and the Bear
When her youngest was just three-months-old, Emma Poncia started her online retail business selling good quality, contemporary baby products for mothers on a maternity-leave salary. Inspired by her own experiences shopping while on maternity leave, she began sourcing products and set up her website.
She had always dreamed of owning a shop and selling lovely items for babies but started her career in teaching before making the leap into becoming an online business owner.
Her story starts with the anticipation, waiting for that flood of orders to come in once she’d posted about her new business on Facebook. The reality then hit home and Emma had to discover which strategies worked for her, how to carve out a routine around her children, and what information and advice to listen to, and what to ignore.
She is now exceeding targets and seeing sales continue to grow.
It offers a great insight into selling online; the fears and the challenges and a few reassuring home truths as well.
Read her full story in the first issue of The Homeworker Magazine available to download here.
Rosemary Ikpeme: Founder, MYnd Map
It’s important to find where your business needs you most and recognise where your time should be spent and to be aware of delegating. Sometimes we can spend a lot of time on all the minutiae, rather than focusing on getting money coming into the business.
Rosemary Ikpeme, MYnd Map
Nearly three years ago Rosemary quit her corporate job and started planning her new venture. It was that process of planning that enabled her to come up with the concept for her own planner business. In fact, while she was learning about creating a vision board, she was wishing there were something that could help her. It was something that didn’t exist. A little while later, MYnd Map was born.
MYnd Map doesn’t just create planners. It’s a mindfulness journal and a goal-setting tool, as well as a functional
She successfully launched her business using a Kickstarter campaign and has been growing and developing ever since.
Rosemary is focused and driven. She talks about the power of setting intentions and creating the right environment for achieving your dreams.
Her story is one of positive action and the strategies she uses to stay accountable, flexible and productive.
Her insights into marketing, messaging and running a home-based business are essential reading, and with a product focused on goal-setting and productivity, her story comes with some great tips around those as well.
Rosemary’s story in issue 2 of The Homeworker Magazine. You can order and download your copy here.
Also read all her lessons learned inside the sepcial Women In Business section of the print edition.
Danielle Uhl: Business Coach and Founder of Underexposed Photography
A lot of people are afraid to charge more. I quickly learned that at the cheaper end of the scale, the people that you attract are still going to want to haggle you for a cheaper price. They don’t value the service or product that you have.
Danielle Uhl, Underexposed Photography
Danielle Uhl runs not just one, but two businesses from her home office.
Her first business as a photographer came about from her passion for taking pictures, but she soon realised she’s multi-passionate and had other avenues she wanted to explore.
Her second business, as a coach, has been operating for almost a year; she is navigating how to dedicate enough time to each business, her clients, her dogs – and herself.
Her story speaks of the move from the corporate office world to set up a business from home, and the measures she took to ensure a successful transition.
It’s full of the highs and lows, the lessons learned and the strategies she uses to keep her mindset positive.
She offers practical advice around pricing and charging your worth as well as knowing when to leave the day job to pursue your own entrepreneurial dreams.
The full interview is featured in issue 2 of The Homeworker magazine. Get your copy here. Her tips and lessons learned are also included in The Women In Business section of The Homeworker print edition.
Emily Bright & Sarah Campbell: Founders, Parrot Street
The hardest thing has been managing my own expectations of what I can achieve in the limited time I have. When I put my mind to something, I like to keep going until I’ve achieved my goals, so I’m having to learn how to be a little kinder to myself.
Emily Bright, Parrot Street
Over coffee, Emily and Sarah, already firm friends, discussed their vision for a new business venture. While they were either working part-time or taking time off to raise children, they realised it was the perfect opportunity to pursue their idea and become two inspiring women in business.
Sending out monthly subscription reading packs to primary-age children, this year the pair is consolidating on their success and looking at how to expand their customer base.
Their story is one of taking consistent action and forming productive work practices. They talk about the juggle with working from home with young children, what they’ve discovered about themselves and their advice to anyone thinking about setting up on their own.
Continue to read their full interview in the first issue of The Homeworker Magazine, which you can find here.
Lorna Nanda: Founder, The Little Indian Kitchen
This year I’ve put things in place that are for me… The universe is changing. There is a lot more empowering going on and women speaking up. There’s a big shift and I’ve been thinking more along those lines, rather than just kids, business and cooking. There’s more to life than the daily ins and outs.
Lorna Nanda, The Little Indian Kitchen
Winner of the BBC’s Big Family Cooking Showdown, Lorna now successfully runs her business teaching tailor-made cooking classes and selling her homemade food at various markets and food festivals.
She really does cook from a little kitchen at home and she manages the running of her business alongside being a mum to three children.
Her story starts with a dream, a vision and a small bistro and cookery school in Wimbledon, London. She has since gone on to win a prime-time BBC cooking competition, appearing on stage to give cooking demonstrations, and being a regular in her local media.
She talks frankly about the perks and pitfalls of being a homeworker and working mum. She discusses the challenging parts of running a business, and those moments when you need to back yourself and be comfortable with the direction you’re going in.
She admits to struggling when it comes to charging friends and family and reveals the mindset required to move forwards.
Part of her journey has been learning how to incorporate time for herself and her own wellbeing, and what to say “no” to as much as what to focus on.
The full interview with Lorna is in issue 2. Find out more here. And read her lessons learned from starting up in the Women In Business section inside The Homeworker: The Complete Guide
Kate Gregory & Michelle Cairncross: Founders, Little Ankle Biters
There is such a massive difference between working for yourself and someone else. The level of passion you feel and the drive you have when you wake up in the morning to get started is an incredible feeling.
Kate Gregory & Michelle Cairncross, Little Ankle Biters
After taking voluntary redundancy from their corporate jobs, Kate and Michelle realised it was the time to launch their own business together.
They’d recognised a need for a place where parents, grandparents and carers could access trusted information dedicated to their local area, giving them up-to-date reviews on days out and venues to visit with children.
With four children between them, they were perfectly placed to understand their customer’s needs.
Their story explores the challenge of and preparation for making the leap from the stability of a full-time salary to
They talk about the dynamics of working as a pair of women in business and how they divide the workload and responsibilities as well as what information and support they’ve found most valuable.
Read their full story in
Dedicated to helping you thrive when you work from home, The Homeworker publishes articles that are designed to keep you healthy, happy, and more productive in work and life.
