Monday Mumpreneur with Michelle Wright

Every Monday we feature a mumpreneur who’s ready and willing to open up their lives and their business to us.

They share with us their motivation, their challenges and their proudest moments in business and they also tell us how they take time to nurture themselves.

If you’re looking for inspiration, then our featured business mums show you what’s possible.  Our message is “If we can do it ~ then so can you!”

What I really love about this week's featured mumpreneur is that from the outset she figured out how to handle probably the most challenging thing about working from home.  We can all learn a thing or two from her.

Your name:  Michelle Wright

Your website: www.colourwheelcreative.co.uk

Tell me about your children :  Mum to Scarlett Marie, aged 6

Where do you live? Manchester, UK

PC or Mac?  Def mac!

Tell us about your business

Using my 17 years experience in the design industry I provide a professional graphic design service at an affordable cost and with a friendly service. I design all promotional material from logos and branding to banners, flyers, business cards, and some more unusual branding ideas like cup cake toppers, car sun screens etc…

What motivated you to become a mumpreneur?

Being made redundant from my steady, reliable 3 day a week design job, gave me the kick I needed to do it for myself. At first it was a massive shock but the following morning I woke up and saw this as a fabulous opportunity where I could utilize my skills but also be able to do school runs and make assemblies/sports days.

What’s been your biggest challenge in business?

Getting others to appreciate that I really do work from home, earning money, paying taxes, and that I can’t meet for lunch, or have people pop over for a coffee… because I work!

How have you overcome it?

From the start I gave myself a lunch hour and made sure that if I did anything personal it was in that hour… and also made myself not available for social visits!

What’s been your proudest business moment?

I was nominated and shortlisted for 2 Mumsclub business awards and then shortly after came runner up in the Marvellous Mumprenuer awards – I had never entered a competition before these and although I didn’t get a winners badge, I was so proud to get as far as I did, and be acknowledged for what I do.

What’s your catchphrase or favourite quote?

“Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.”

― Audrey Hepburn

What do you do to relax or nurture yourself?

I love crafts so I usually lose myself in craft programs. I have actually bought myself a sewing machine and want to take up patchwork.

What was the last treat you bought for yourself?

I bought myself a new car… I was so proud to get it, like I was showing everyone that my work at home job really was a job where I got paid, earned money and could afford to treat myself.

Favourite colour:  purple

Favourite flowers: Sun flowers

What one piece of advice would you like to give to a new mumpreneur?

Don’t underestimate the need for your own logo. I appreciate that when you first start out it seems everything costs so much and that it is easy to go to a company that will provide you with template logos and branding, but there will be so many others in similar lines of business who have chosen the same logo. Imagine going to a networking event where another company has the same logo as you? How unprofessional does that look?!

Your logo needs to be about you, your business, what your business stands for and it’s USP’s. It is the first thing that people will recognize visually so it needs to say a lot.

If you start of with a template based image and then later down the line decide to move to a professionally designed logo, all of your literature will need reprinting and your online media updating… just consider this key marketing element properly in the beginning.

Fancy featuring as one of our amazing mumpreneurs? Drop me an email over on the contact page - and I’ll be in touch.   Or let me know in a comment below.  And remember to drop by every Monday to welcome our latest profiled mum.