Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
As with all families, finding the balance between work and play is a constant work in progress especially when launching a business. As my family and business evolve and the children grow older, we have to continually adapt and I’m sure many people can relate to this.
Up until very recently, I was home schooling my youngest who is 11 so my day didn’t look like a traditional 9-5. The flexibility of being my own boss worked really well. I could fit my work in and around the needs of my family.
I now have a bit more time during my day which feels really exciting as I can develop and focus on new ideas for the business.
Weekends can be busy with markets and workshops. My partner Sam has been so unwaveringly supportive and holds the fort whenever necessary.
We try and carve out enough family time – dog walks with Cleo our Bedlington Whippet – being out in nature and on the beach all help reset the balance. I also love being in my little herb garden. It brings me a lot of joy and I’ve noticed if I am having quite a tech heavy day in front of the computer, it’s the perfect antidote.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Every step of the journey of starting a business has been a micro challenge. I’m proud to say I’ve done everything myself and learned many lessons along the way. From learning how to build a website, through to product testing, brand packaging and managing the social media side of things. It’s not been easy but I’ve ‘mostly’ really enjoyed the process and learning new skills.
There doesn’t feel like a recipe to starting up a small business, they are all so individual you just have to navigate it. The wearing of many ‘business’ hats has taken some getting used to but it suits my creative personality type.
Overall the biggest challenges have been that I want everything to be as environmentally friendly as possible and it’s been hard to find every element that meets my criteria. It’s all a learning process and overall I am really happy with the sustainability of my brand and that feels brilliant!
For better or worse: what are the pros and cons of running your own business:
I LOVE working for myself! I love the creative freedom it gives me, plus the flexibility to work around family life. And the feedback from customers… I don’t think I will ever take that for granted, it gives me so much motivation.
However, having to do everything can also be a con, but on the whole it just feels so positive.
Hopes and dreams: What’s next?
I love running workshops, sharing what I know and meeting new people. Hopefully what I do can inspire people to make time for themselves to use more natural products on their skin and understand why this is so important.
I’m very lucky with where I live, as there are lots of people doing wonderful creative things. I love to collaborate, share ideas and skills. I’m currently working on some collaborative seasonal workshops with the first one starting this autumn. There will be lots more workshops on the horizon!
I have also been busy formulating some lovely new products this year, which I’m very excited about. They will launch very soon, hopefully before Christmas, so watch this space!.
Visit the Lore Botanicals website to find out more and browse their products. You can also connect with them on Instagram and Facebook.
