“I was playing concerts while my baby was being looked after in the green room, and I thought, why can’t we have concerts during the day where our babies are welcome and where mums can enjoy something intellectually stimulating?”
So began Miaomiao’s journey as the Founder of the hugely popular classical music concert series Bach to Baby. She and Nadine Schofield, Founder of Project Management on Demand, spoke to a packed house of parent entrepreneurs today at our “How She Did It” event.. Here are some of their tips for how to keep your head and succeed as a parent entrepreneur:
Use your networks: both Nadine and Miaomiao had well established careers in the fields they were starting their businesses in. They used their existing networks to pull in their early customers and were flexible about what they delivered.
Know the customer problem you’re solving: Miaomiao understood her customers’ ‘pain’ point: lack of baby friendly cultural activities in London, and kept that at the core of her thinking as she developed and tested ideas for venues, content and booking arrangements.
Have a vision: Nadine knew what she wanted to achieve for herself and her family, she also had a conviction that businesses could benefit from more flexible on demand project management, and has worked hard to test and refine her product-market ‘fit.’
Be tenacious: Miaomiao took a year to convince any venue to host her concerts, and now, with 5 years of successful performances under her belt, she has been able to approach big venues like the Royal Albert Hall and Buckingham Palace with confidence.
Get organised: “Timesheet your life” suggests Nadine and think carefully about the capacity you have (is it 10 hours a week, what times of the day or evening?) but be kind to yourself too. We all miss deadlines, we all feel guilty about whether we are spending enough time with our families or running our businesses, we’re all late with the kids’ dinner and we all forget fancy dress days at school!
Judging from the buzz in the room and the frantic scribbling, the 30 or so mums and 3 dads who joined us got a lot of support and inspiration from the speakers and each other. Their kids loved the creche too. They even made history by being the first customers of the Calthorpe Garden Cafe which launched today.
“How She Did It” was co-hosted by Bloomsbury Beginnings and Blooming Founders, at the Calthorpe Project in WC1
Our new start up programme for parent entrepreneurs who want to create a successful business that works for them and their families, starts on Thursday 14 April. Please join us!
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