'If at first, you don't succeed, Try, try, try again' an entrepreneur story...
Samantha Poole
Award-winning business owner and startup mentor specialising in marketing, advertising, strategic business planning, and innovative thinking. A local community builder with more than 35,000 members/followers.
1 mum, 7 income streams but I have still not got it quite right!
1. Business Directory - https://mumsrates.com/
2. Local Magazine - https://www.flipsnack.com/mumtomummag/mum-to-mum-issue-6-online.html
3. Networking Events - https://www.sjpoole.co.uk/
4. A Local Discount Card - https://mumsrates.com/
5. Social Media Management - Freelance
6. Social Media Training Freelance
7. Creating an associate model so I can grow my team and directory/advertising agency to create a legacy for my boys who are currently being diagnosed for ASD/Autism and I am a single parent just to put all this into perspective!!
Why am I not earning ￡50,000 a year?
Simple, I have never set up my own business before and this is why I took on too many projects and did not manage them all well! I lost ￡12000 creating a website that was not fit for purpose 18 months after it was created, Used ￡2000 in 2019 to create a new one including an amazing SEO package, lost another ￡4000 on the VIP Card, Invested ￡10,000 from the profit into the magazine to get it started up and the list goes on.
I am extremely lucky that my team of 5 are all FREELANCE so that has saved my business thousands of pounds and they do as much work for me as they can whilst running their own digital graphics, VA, Copywriting, Instagram Influencer, and HR advisor businesses - About ￡120,000 of staffing costs that I have managed to save and then help promote their own business too within my network!
I have also invested ￡3000 on the Shifts to Success training accelerator - https://www.shiftstosuccess.com/ as I realised in 2019 that I am 'winging it'. I am learning so much and have realised I have made so many simple mistakes in the past!
So this is what I have done so far and here is how I am feeling today... Written from the heart of a Mumpreneur in 2020! ALL self-funded whilst ￡20,000 in debt, and lost ￡60,000 in 2017 on divorce, and a business I had to leave in Spain.
This is the MumsRate card story that I have just shared on social media to try and help sell my first 2500 memberships so I can support my boys...
Member Testimonial: '￡69 saved in Just 1 week for a ￡10 membership!!!!'
"In 2018 Nicola, Rebecca and I worked so hard on this business idea for 1 year and in year one I LOST ￡4000 (I still gave ￡200 to charity - not a lot but I could not give any more as it did not take off) setting this part of the business up - PLUS loads of unpaid hours marketing it... Nicola had to take a full-time Marketing job as this business could not support both of us! I was so sad as Nicola is amazing!
The figures on the business plan (based on my network of 25,000 followers across all social media) we could both have had a great, and flexible Job to support our families...The card was not a con and was extremely good value but I could not get the story out there... As I am a mum and not a business expert with years of experience under my belt!
I thank Nicola for everything she did last year as it helped me launch #attempt2 #MumsRates and fingers crossed this will have a happier ending!
Member Testimonial: '￡69 saved in Just 1 week for a ￡10 membership!!!!'
If you can do one act of kindness for me today - ALL I ask is if you can share this post/article for my business MumsRates so I can support my boys...
I have done all I can now and I just have to pray that it takes off and we get to 2500 members (on 280 at the moment) as this will mean I can home school Seb for the next 6 months until the boys have had all of their assessments and I can re-look at the future of how I work full time and care for 2 boys with complex needs and trauma from a very sad divorce. I am going to let it all out now as I have kept the pain in for too long.
I have some amazing people around me (most on social media) but I sit in my house with the boys working most days as this is their safe space.
Have a lovely weekend everyone and TIA"
This post is public on my profile, very personal, is me being extremely vulnerable, and I hate that I am having to do this but some people just do not realise how difficult my life is right now!
- I am on my own
- I have 2 children who are only in school for 2-4 hours per day
- I am actually dyslexic too (I am not sending this article to be proofread as I do every time I write something! I am getting better with the help of Grammarly spelling apps!)
- I am a magpie entrepreneur who took on too much
- I help everyone as much as I physically can but now I need help
So my ask is what would you advise me to do right now?
- Go on Dragons Den?
- Get a business loan?
- Get a business partner?
- Look for an investor?
- Just keep going on my own and hope it pays off?
- What worked for you that you think could work for me?
- Whom do you know that could help me?
- Can you help me?
- Can we collaborate?
- Can you be my fairy godmother or godfather as right now I am sat at home thinking how on earth am I going to be able to carry on like this until I burn out...
I will never quit as I am too proud and I have 2 boys to provide for!
If you got this far, Thank you.
And breathe...
Samantha Poole
Like a Human Google/Professional Matchmaker/Changing Lives One Connection at a Time!
5 年You are one amazing lady and I really think you will absolutely achieve all the great things you set your mind to, as it all comes from such a good place! STEVE BRIDSON would probably have some vey insightful advice and I’m sure our BNI group will become your oasis for both business and personal support, so can’t wait to see you there tomorrow! Kylie Menz is also brilliant at getting you to focus, map out your pain points and then supports you with the technical side of it all. Steve and Kylie - maybe a future collaboration in place? ;)
Would you like to understand how to reduce your business challenges but not pay through the nose? BBA is a support and training platform for small business owners to create the life and business they desire |
5 年Wow, that is an inspiring and honest account Sam - but you're not alone.? I work with a lot of businesses in the same position, struggling and juggling (many giving the impression that they are raking it in).? Let's get a date in the diary and have a coffee....
Non-Executive Director | Tech & Business Growth Strategist | Investor & Entrepreneur | Championing Women in Business
5 年You are an incredible businesswoman who is clearly on the right path. With a good business mentor you could easily refine what you are doing and be earning a good income in no time at all. I am happy to help, I have been through most of what you have been through and come out the other side! Please get in touch if I may help. Hang in there, you can do it. If it were easy everyone would be doing it. It is tough, but you must keep going.
Director/Behaviour Support Practitioner
5 年Live the honesty. Have you thought about reducing what you're taking on? Consolidate to a few streams rather than 7, and work on cementing your strategy to sell those services? I'd be happy to talk through marketing strategies (that you can do with a small budget) for free. If it helps you out then I'm happy to share my knowledge with you. We are stronger than we think we are. As mums. As women. And as business owners.
Head of Business Development for Indura Software with PB Safety Consultancy
5 年I think a dinner might be in order