07 Mar Business Mama Interview ~ Proof Read Edit
Today’s Business Mama is Jennifer Freedman of Proof Read Edit— an online proofreading and content writing service. Jennifer sits down with The Nanny Collective and talks to us about how her local Playgroup sessions inspired her to take the plunge and start her own business.
Tell me a little about your family.
I am married to a very lovely (and patient) husband, and we have a 4 year old son who is full of beans. We live in a rural area, having moved from Sydney 2 years ago.
Please tell me how Proof Read Edit came to be?
Our local Playgroup Mums started a pram-walking group on Fridays. While we walked, some of us kept chatting about business ideas and ways to create an income from home that fitted in with parenting. An idea formed to start a networking group with other women who have started a business, or want to start one. We then found a female business mentor in the nearest town, and she took us through a series of 4 evening workshops that focussed on finding a good business idea, researching your competitors, creating a business plan and marketing strategy, and then taking your business online. Within 6 weeks I had established Proof Read Edit!
My main challenge has been working out my niche market, my pricing options, and also being found online via search engines. So I then did a free online SEO course and am doing my own SEO for my website.
How do you juggle the demands of running a business with motherhood?
I work while my son is at preschool 3 days each week, and I also work evenings to make up for any lost time during the day. I’ve had to sacrifice TV! I just keep chipping away at it until the work gets done. I also outsource some of my website updates if I don’t know how to do them or if they take too much of my time. I’ve been using Hootsuite to schedule some of my social media posts, which saves me time each week. If I get disciplined enough, I also cook extra and freeze meals to save time each week. I work on the weekend when my partner takes our son to swimming lessons as well.
What are your greatest challenges as a working mum?
Not being able to sit down and work when I necessarily want to, due to other commitments on the home front. I have to wait until my son is asleep and the dishwasher is packed of an evening before I can do my work. One of my friends is a bit disappointed that she doesn’t see me so much, but we’re working on a lunchtime catch up each week instead, which is nice. I don’t have any family support and sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed with parenting, running a business and everything else that needs doing. It can be hard to focus on the positives sometimes, but it’s a process. There are not enough hours in the day, but if I take things one step at a time, I usually get there in the end.
What are your most cherished memories of motherhood?
Our son took 10 years to come along, so from the sheer delight in seeing a positive pregnancy test, to my son talking to me now about “life”, has meant the world to me. I’m still in shock sometimes that I have created a human life!
Where can we find out more about Proof Read Edit?
