Welcome to our new series on Mom Entrepreneurs! We’re kicking with the star of the Mogul Moms show, Alison Deary, the author of the MOM diaries. I think we can all learn something from her organisation. She will also be speaking at the show.
- 1. Tell us about yourself, a bit of background.
I am 52 years old, mom to 4 boys age 12, 14, 23 and 25. I have worked for all of my adult life while raising my kids. Most of the things that I have achieved in my life started with a goal and through determination and perseverance have worked out. About 7 years ago I changed my life from being a regular smoker to taking up running, cycling and karate. I have run about 20 half marathons, love mountain biking and achieved my black belt about 2 years ago. I am all about life being a journey that should be balanced and meaningful.
- What were you doing before you started this business?
When I left school I decided to take a “gap” year and joined the Navy. I ended up staying there for 7 years before leaving to study computer programing. Very soon after that I got married, fell pregnant and decided that I wanted to work for myself so that I could spend more time with my baby. My ex-husband and I had a couple of businesses that we ran together, including a very successful computer company. Amongst other things, I had a bookkeeping business which I sold about a year before I started MOM Diary. Most of my adult life has been spent working for myself and gaining experience in so many different areas. I don’t believe that we are born to do only one thing in our lives, I think that everything we do is a stepping stone towards doing what we were put on this earth to do.
- What prompted you to start your business?
This specific business! I am an organised person by nature and love working out systems that work for me. A diary has always played a big part in how I manage my own life but I could never find one that actually suited what I needed. I used to buy a plain diary and draw lines in it. I realised that if this was something that I needed, then there would be plenty of other women out there who could benefit from the same thing.
- Is your business full time or part time and why?
Full time! When I say full time, that is between fetching and carrying kids, grocery shopping, doing household chores, going to the library, helping my mom with her chores, etc. It is more like “flexi full time” but it suits me perfectly.
- How do you juggle the responsibilities of being a mom with your work?
By being organised!! Having a good support system in place, making sure everyone knows their roles and plays a part in doing what needs to be done. Working from home and for myself makes it far easier to be flexible.
- Do you have a business plan? If so, can you share a bit about your strategy to make it successful?
I have had a couple of business plans along the way but I prefer to tackle each section of my business individually rather than work with a traditional business plan. All my planning starts with a mind map and from there I flesh it out into a strategy that works for me.
Know what the different aspects of your business are and put them into categories according to their value in your business. For example, working on strategies and templates is really important for the long term sustainability of your business (high value), whereas admin is necessary to do today but does not play a bit part in making you money (low value). Both form a really important part of your business success and need to be done. How you allocate and spend your time is what makes all the difference.
- How do you get clients/ market yourself?
Firstly, I think branding is of utmost importance. I am lucky in that I have a very creative family who have helped me with getting that side of it right. Once you have a brand that is recognisable, it is far easier to market yourself.
Next you need to work out who are my customers, where will I find them, what is their problem, how can I solve it, how am I going to convey my message. Once I knew that, I could work out my strategy.
The next most important thing I did was to start building my database. This is a list of people who are interested in what I have to offer and this is where most of my sales come from.
Social media has also played an important role in my marketing and brand awareness. We are living in an age where we can market our products and services very effectively at very little cost.
Being authentic, giving great service goes a long way in retaining customers – very important in my line of work as a diary is a yearly purchase.
- What’s your biggest challenge right now?
There are so many amazing opportunities in life and my challenge is to decide which ones I want to pursue and which ones to leave. I am at the point where I really want to mentor and share my knowledge with others, but still need to make money.
- Did you need a lot of money to start off? And how long was it before you made a profit?
In the type of business that I went into, yes. I found it really difficult to raise the capital that I needed to do each print run. No printer will start without a 50% deposit and in order to come in at the right price, I had to print quite large quantities.
Because of the nature of my business – one print run, a limited time to sell the products, there have always been factors that have played a big part in being a profitable year or not. Some years have been great and others not but when they say it takes 5 years to build a business, I think there is something in that, although it does not mean that you cannot make money along the way.
- What makes MOM diary unique from other brands?
The MOM D
iary is not just a diary, it is a system that has been tried and tested and helps manage all aspects of a women’s life. There is more to us ladies than just running around being busy, we have to make time for ourselves, our goals and our dreams.
You can find Alison at her website Mom Diary, Facebook, Twitter and Linked In.
Mogul Moms Show:
When: 27 February 2016
Time: 10h00 – 17h00
Where: Langhams Lifestyle Estate in Fourways, opposite the Indaba Hotel.
To inquire about stands email: exhibit@mogulmoms.co.za
Tickets are on sale at https://www.quicket.co.za/events/10951-mogul-moms-trade-show/
Laura and I will be there!
Win tickets to the Mogul Moms Show! Just follow a social media for one entry and tweet for three!
This would be an amazing opportunity. Crossing fingers I win