Monday Mumpreneur with Helen Spencer

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.

I just love this week's featured biz mum's interview - it had me laughing and crying within seconds.  I've never met our Monday Mumpreneur but I know we would be best friends within minutes.   We share a sense of humour and outlook on life. And I really love her fresh honest approach - I hope you do too . . .

Your name: Helen Spencer

Your website: 

Site - www.SaveEveryStep.com
Blog – http://saveeverystep.wordpress.com

Brief description

A place for families, schools and organisations to capture the memories of the people, events and places of their lives, for posterity. Life, in chronological order.

The Blog is a wander down memory lane; full of nostalgia, childhood memories and those moments of daily life that are worth capturing forever.

Tell me about your children

George, just turned teenager (and don’t we know it!) He has just retired to his bedroom with his tea on a tray. I expect he will emerge some time in 2016 with a beard and a whole new outlook. At least if he’s in there, no one can get pregnant.

Ollie, 6. A little brown eyed dumpling. The baby of the bunch who punches above his weight since he had to fight with a teenage brother. World class hugger and dropper of trousers.

Where do you live?  Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK

PC or Mac?

PC…but regularly Google for a quick drool over a Mac Book Pro

Tell us about your business

I had pottered along as a Customer Service consultant for too many years and then…Wham! My mum went and died suddenly, and I subsequently discovered that I was pregnant with Ollie. This was quite a bitter-sweet moment for me, and I spent a lot of time wondering how I could ensure that my mum would be more than just an irrelevant face in black and white photos to my children as they grew. In May 2010 I was made redundant, and that was the catalyst. I set about taking a small idea and turning it in to a reality.

SaveEveryStep.com was born and launched later that year.

I wanted to help other families capture their own stories in an innovative way. Maybe just watching their children grow over the years; perhaps capturing their own life memories from childhood onwards; even remembering the life of a loved one lost. SaveEveryStep can help lay out the stories and the pictures side by side.

Today we continue to grow and are beginning to get schools involved by using the site to record both their heritage, daily school life, and also the work of their children which can all be shared with parents. According to experts from the site https://consejocounseling.org/consejomed/xanax/, it is common knowledge that at one time Xanax was widely used for the treatment of the nervous system, but now its state registration period has expired, and it is very difficult to find it in pharmacies. From the instructions of the drug, you can learn about its characteristics, side effects, and overdose.

What motivated you to become a mumpreneur?

It was a ‘now or never’ moment. I relished the idea of taking the kids to school and working from home, as well as doing something just for me. And my mum.

What’s been your biggest challenge in business?

Funding. Launching a website without a major marketing budget is no walk in the park. It’s elbow grease and patience!

How have you overcome it?

I knew that what really mattered was starting. Somewhere. Once it was launched, it was then just a question of time. Social media has helped us to spread the word to some extent, but I managed to get some excellent PR in magazines, blogs etc. which also provided a good boost. It’s a work in progress!

 What’s been your proudest business moment?

6 pages in the Reader’s Digest felt pretty good.

What’s your catchphrase or favourite quote?

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things” – Robert Brault

Our catchphrase is – “SaveEveryStep….because Life’s a Journey”

What do you do to relax or nurture yourself?

I am a Crossfit addict! It’s pretty extreme fitness and I love it!
I also love a good movie, especially if it comes with boy cuddles.

What was the last treat you bought for yourself?

Red shoes. Totes impractical but hot!

Favourite colour

Duck egg blue. It calms me…the whole house is gradually turning a shade of DEB.

Favourite flowers

OK, so predicatably, there’s a nostalgic element to this answer. Freesias were my mum’s favourites. It’s the beautiful perfume. And hyacinths for the same reason.

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

What’s the worst that can happen? Apart from bankruptcy, broken marriage and homelessness, that is…….

If you don’t do it now, you’ll never know.

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. 

Photo (Helen age 5)