and ask others what they think you’re good at.

Think about the hours you can devote to working. Be realistic if you plan to work around the kids, as children may not understand “mummy’s working”.

Research the market for your business. Will people buy your product or service? Is it unique enough to be appealing?

Pop into a local Enterprise Agency for advice. The Inland Revenue can also send an advisor to your house. Go to The Mumpreneur Guide for a new free start up e-course to help you get your business going.

Prepare a business plan. Set out aims and objectives, and the steps to take to achieve your goals.PRBasics for a free promotion plan and lots of PR ideas and resources.

Work out how you will promote and market your business. Visit

Running your own business isn’t always easy. There are plenty of pitfalls to avoid. Here are hints on how to steer clear:

Register as self employed. You have about 3 months to let the Inland Revenue know you have started a business, or could end up with a £100 fine.

Keep good records. It is easier to note down every item of expenditure from the start than to have to deal with a pile of receipts when your tax return is due in. You can claim many of your business costs against tax too.

Make the most of every customer. From day one, start a customer database so you can send them offers. It is easier to get existing customers to buy again than to find new ones.

Watch out for your work-life balance. Business can easily take over. Have a finish time each day, put your work away, and make some time to relax.

Antonia Chitty writes parenting and business books. She combines writing with running ACPR, specializing in helping small business owners improve their PR skills.  

1. Benefits: The most important section. Tell potential advertisers why they should advertise in your magazine, and how it can help them to reach potential customers, particularly those that they can not reach in any other way.
2. About the magazine: a little background and factual information for those who are unfamiliar with the publication.
3. Distribution. Tell the advertiser about your print run and readership figures, where and how the magazine is distributed, and the socioeconomic demgraphics of the readers.
4. Editorial Content. Explain about the articles and news that will ensure readers value the magazine.
5. A quote from existing happy advertiser(s), once you have them.
6. Page rates, rates for advertorial features, classifieds, advert design and website advertising, as appropriate.
7. Publication dates and copy deadlines for a year ahead.
8. Technical requirements for the advertisements: you will need to clear these with your designer.

You will want to illustrate the media pack with some attractive cover images, and possibly examples of the layout of insides pages. In total, a media pack should be in the region of 350 to 500 words. If you need help creating a media pack, get in touch and I can let you know about the benefits of a professionally written pack.

1. Do something you love. Let your business idea be based on a passion, hobby or skill. That way it will never really feel like work!

3. Make the most of technology. Invest in tools that make you super-efficient (there are plenty that can be bought on a budget) and use the web to promote you and the business.

4. Get out of the home office. Meet new people – including customers and suppliers – by attending meetings, shows and events. Or just pop to your local coffee shop when in need of a little human interaction!

5. Enjoy! Your commute to work takes 60 seconds and you get more done in the hours you have. That frees up time to do all the other things you like to do. Enjoy each day of being a Spare Room Start Up.

Are you trying to make a tough decision about returning to work after having a baby? Has having a second child made the cost of childcare outweigh what you earn? Or are you struggling hard to combine being there for your schoolchildren with your job? If you are looking for a solution, visit www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk and sign up for the new free e-course. It is packed with ideas to help you create your own family friendly business and find out your rights to flexible work. What is more, it comes straight to your desk top for you to fit in when you have a moment: no need to arrange childcare.

Mother and small business advisor Antonia Chitty has put together a guide for parents which is full ideas for finding work that fits comfortably around having kids. The e-course comes to your inbox every few days. Over the course of three weeks you can find out about making money from a hobby, setting up a service, selling by party plan or even selling a product you have invented yourself.

And if you want more information when you have finished the course, look at the Family Friendly Working book. For more advice on starting a business, working for someone else or freelancing, with lots of advice, pros and cons and contributions from other parents who have been there before. If you have had enough of trying to do too much in too little time, and feel torn between work and spending time with your children, this book will guide you through the options. Do you make something that might be saleable? Have you got a skill you could use to earn in the evenings or while the children are asleep? What courses might help you retrain AND still be there when the kids get home from school?

Whether you need to earn something just to boost the family budget or have ideas for a business that could support your family if only you knew how to get started, visit www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk.