Mummy In Business #1 – Jilly Mac Designs

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Hello lovelies!

I hope you will take a few minutes to read about the fabulous new businesses set up by Jilly Mac Designs. I hope this ‘Mummy In Business’ series will showcase a few mums starting out on their own with fairly new businesses that are helping readjust?their work life balances.?

If you’re a mummy in business, please let me know (or download the questions here)!??

Business Name: Jilly Mac
Business Started: 3rd May 2016

Website & Social Media links:

Accessories & portraits

Website/shop: www.jilly-mac.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jillymacschoolstyle

Bridal/Occasion

Website/shop: www.jillymacdesigns.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jillymacbridal

Quick questions:

1. Tell us about your business?

JILLY MAC designs, makes and sells high quality handmade hair accessories.

Has three parts the business:

• ACCESSORIES;
• BRIDAL/OCCASION;
• ART

The first part of my business “jilly mac accessories” is an online shop where you can purchase cute smart hair accessories for school and weekend wear. The second part of my business “jilly mac designs” showcases bridal and occasion accessories from tiara, hair vines to crystal pins. This is on a bespoke basis with a product line coming soon. Thirdly portraits on commission have recently been added due to popularity and requests.

Jilly Mac Accessories is a great place to shop online for cute smart hair accessories. We have a unique handmade range “School Style” with gorgeous headbands in large variety of school colours along with clips and elastics in coordinating colours, perfect for that finishing touch for your school style.
Our latest range “Summer Style” showcases flower garland headbands, flower clips and gorgeous bold colours perfect to add some summer style to a girls wardrobe.

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Jilly Mac Designs?creates one of a kind bridal couture hair accessories?provides one of a kind bridal couture hair accessories and occasion hair accessories on a commission basis. This website is being developing further with resources, how to guide and information for brides and an online shop.

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Portraits on commission?have recently been added due to popularity, have you own portrait drawn by hand, just provide photos and we will do the rest including any changes you require i.e. merging images, different background and more.

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2. Where do you deliver?

Jilly Mac currently provides services and products all across the UK.

3. Price range?

Our products start from

• ?1 for accessories;
• ?2.50 for handmade accessories;
• ?25 for portraits;
• ?6.50 for bespoke hair accessories;
• ?15 for occasion/bridal

4. Why did you decide to start your business?

There were several key reasons for me forming my company Jilly Mac, firstly my line of work was not challenging me enough creatively and secondly to achieve work life balance. I know it is cliche but I feel strongly that as a women you should not have to choose between family and career you can have both. For me this means working flexibly and being my own boss.

I am a designer by training and I started designing and make beautiful high quality hair accessories for friends and family for their weddings and birthdays. Requests for my work increased through word of mouth which has led me to opening my business ‘Jilly Mac.’

I have worked in the Interior Design and Construction industry for 12 years and it was just was not giving me the work life balance.?There were several reasons for this being:

• over time;
• lack of acceptance of mothers in the work place;
• and limited part time options.

Overtime (unpaid) is a common theme in the industry and getting home at 9 pm at night can be common. I found there was often a lack of acceptance by male colleagues having a woman in the work place and also having a family, one colleague told me I was failing my children by working. That poignant saying comes to mind:

‘work like you?don’t?have children and be a?mom like you don’t work.’

I worked compressed hours for more than 3 years working full time hours over a 4 day week. This meant longer days with the benefit of one week day spent with my daughter and to contribute to her learning and development. The drawback of this was that one boss frequently made remarks about my work pattern and often putting me on the spot to attend meetings on my day off.

A common frustration in this industry is that there are very few opportunities to work part time. From my experience and that of friends and colleague a 4 day working week (30hr+overtime) is equal work load to full time (37.5/40hr) just over less days and with less pay. Certainly not great for achieving work life balance.

With all these factors working against work life balance, I made the choice to make a change and be my own boss. It is refreshing to be able to say I can be there for my children and also get orders out for clients. This can mean working at times till 11pm after the children are in bed but its definitely worth it. The satisfaction you get from being your own business outweighs any drawbacks.

It has been a learning curve, I have learned how to create websites, make financial forecasts, accounts and more. It is a constant journey with lot more to learn including social media, marketing and sales skills.

It is definitely not a path to be taken unless you have drive and determination to work hard to achieve your goals and not give up at the first hurdle.

5. What are your top tips to other mummy’s thinking about starting a business?

RESEARCH research, research and research some more. Before you take that bold move make sure you find out as much as possible about your customers, similar products and competitors.
BACK UP PLAN believe in what you want to achieve but it’s always essential to have a back-up plan, a plan b. Even the great entrepreneurs do not get it right every time, but they do keep trying and have a great sense of determination that helps them go on to achieve great things.
SET GOALS a business plan can help with this and the targets you set you can look back on and see how close you are or if you have achieved your goals or perhaps to reassess them. It does not need to be complex but it really is a great tool to grow and develop your business.
SAVINGS not every business provides instant income, work this into your business plan and speak to others so see how much savings you may need to help you get started comfortably.
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS Do not sell yourself short, we all have a wide range of skills that can be used in other ways.
OPPORTUNITIES Do not see limitations see opportunities, yes you’re a mum but that gives you a unique perspective that could create opportunities.

So lovely readers, I hope you enjoyed reading about Jilly Mac, her new businesses and have a few minutes to pop over to check out her wears, and even be very kind in liking, following & sharing :-)?

Lynne x