Have you started a business and work 9-3?

[gladis]

I have wanted to start my own business for years and am currently working through my short list to decide which idea I will pursue. I've worked in marketing, sell some photography, am a good writer, have worked in large companies, enjoy sales, and have even worked on the research side.....so it seems crazy not to start my own business, as I've wanted to since I was 14 (am now 44)!!

I have a 4yr old at school and an 18 month old I can start to put into nursery. I've worked out that I can do up to 28 hours a week and still keep our lovely family time from 3-5pm and have a couple of mornings with my 18mo.

Starting most businesses though requires endless hours, so I am thinking that I need to find a really simple idea that I think can fly. I want to get out and about as I miss the one-to-one and sales work and don't want to be stuck in the house.

THE POINT!! If you have started a business from home and are working approx 9-3 3-4 days a week, can you please share your key learnings about your experience with me. I want to go in with my eyes wide open, and I want it to be successful.

Cut out the crap TV and spend a couple of evenings a week, just a couple of hours.

I am in the process of starting a home business, in preperation for when DS2 starts school next year, so no 'official launch' as yet, just doing all the groundwork now, older DS is at school and DS2 will start in Sept 11.

When DS2 is at pre-school 2 days a week, I literally come back in the house after drop off and work till 2.50pm, ignoring all the chores and breakfast dishes as there is enough time after school for all that crap.

Just be decisive on your idea and follow it, don't get too lost in billions of ideas. Business Link are good for free advice and there are loads on womens business places on the web which are great for advice etc eg: Enterprise Nation, Prowess and a few others.

PS: Also totally skint and doing it all on favours and a very large shoestring. But I have this burning need to earn my own money and be there for the kids!

I have my own business and have childcare 8.30 - 2.30 4 days a week. I also work at least one evening a week and Sunday afternoons as well.

Key for me is flexible childcare, so that if I need to go to a meeting or whatever outside those hours, I can. My clients need to know I am available all week, or as available as possible, so that's how I do it.

I run several businesses - two of my own and a consultancy company with my husband. I mostly work school hours and evenings. I have full childcare on Tuesdays so all my training work is done then. I give tactical discounts to get clients to shift work into term times. I never mention why I do it just offer them a cheaper time. Actually it's not a discount I just inflate my prices in holidays to push the work to times that suit me. I use Summer holiday schemes because I find that eight weeks is too much to expect clients to wait. This year I did alternate weeks, next year I'm thinking about two days a week. I also share holiday childcare with another mum who works from home.

If clients call for a meeting I usually offer them only those core times and just say I'm busy (but never mention childcare) at other times - the other benefit of this is that it makes me look busy.

I also use a virtual PA for lots of routine stuff. I only pay her for the hours she does for me and she's often quicker at admin tasks than I would be. She's also a useful source of contacts and suppliers as she works for lots of companies.

I also have a cleaner who works for me on an ad-hoc basis. If I know I'm going to be stupidly busy I book her in.