LH AGENDA > working women having it all

working women having it all

This month’s Day in the Life feature takes us outside of the traditional office and brings the ‘outdoors in’ by following the footsteps of two very busy ladies who run their own Landscape Design business called Sticks & Stones (catchy huh?!).

Here’s Julie and Fiona’s take on the life of a Landscape Designer:

Name: Julia Thomas & Fiona Ericsson
Position title: Business Owners/Landscape Designers
Organisation: Sticks & Stones Landscape Design Pty Ltd
Website: www.sticksandstonesld.com.au

Tell us about your business – what does it do?

We are primarily a Landscape Design company. We have found ourselves diversifying as opportunities have come to us. As well as design, we also project manage, offer seasonal garden maintenance, drafting services and horticultural advice.

Why did you start it?

To have a flexible business that worked for us.

What was the biggest challenge in your startup phase?

Building a strong client base.

Tell us about a typical working day for you: What time do you wake up?

Julia: It changes every day. Sometimes we have to be on site at 7am, so will be up at 5:30am. Other days we are just working from home, so whenever, but I like to keep structure and routine, (Julia,) so I get up at 8:30am regardless.

Fiona: Around 6am.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

Julia: Turn on the coffee machine, I can’t function well without my fix.

Fiona: Let the dog out and wake the children up!

How do you have your breakfast: on the go, work brunch, meal with the family first etc?

Julia: Fi and I have very different mornings. She has a family to attend to in the morning. I get up to no one being home, (unless one of my housemates called in sick.) I either have oats at home or big lunch later if I don’t get time to eat before a site meeting. I always make up for it with and extra coffee.

Fiona: Every day is different. As the business has got busier I have been less structured. Usually breakfast is on the go now.

How do you get to work, how long does it take?

Julia: I don’t have to commute anywhere. My office is in my apartment, fantastically convenient! Fi has an office space in an architectural firm. This allows her to have a clear divide between work and the family.

Fiona: Car. When we are on site it can take up to 45mins, if I’m at my hot desk about 5 mins or I work from home.

We are constantly provided with exciting opportunities, i.e. writing blogs, photographing, public speaking, designing cafes, the opportunities to grow are endless

What time is lunch?

Julia: Generally working from home I just have leftovers at my desk. Or if I am out working all in meetings and so forth, Fi and I will go for lunch together in some sort of café.

Fiona: On the go or at home.

What are the typical things you do every day?

Julia: Exercise, drink coffee, make lists and tick things off

Fiona: Design work, client liaising, planning jobs and talking with suppliers.

What decisions do you make and what is their impact?

Julia: Decide on materials, plants, how to use a space.

Fiona – Julia and I consult on all decisions. This ensures we are both across every aspect of each job

What do you love most about your job?

Julia: The diversity, flexibility and the opportunity to work outdoors, with plants and with people, creating beautiful spaces, and the potential to keep evolving. We are constantly provided with exciting opportunities, i.e. writing blogs, photographing, public speaking, designing cafes, the opportunities to grow are endless!

Fiona: Being creative, working outside, flexibility and the people in the industry are really cool.

How do manage all the tasks you need to do?

Julia: Being extremely organised and efficient. Writing a list is extremely important, and so is sticking to it! Even if I have to add things to the list, I at least can refer back to it.

Fiona: Julia has incredible organisational skills and she has set up Basecamp to monitor tasks. In addition to the design work, generally, Julia looks after all IT and I do accounts.

When is home time?

Julia: There isn’t really a specific “home time”. Sometimes we work until 12am after starting at 6am. Sometimes we finish at 3pm. It just depends on what job we have on and how busy we are at that time. Running your own business, you don’t ever really turn off.

Fiona: This is tricky when you have your own business. We work to the job so sometimes we don’t switch off until very late in the night.

How do you relax when you do get home?

Julia: Watching TV, reading a book, exercising, socialising with friends and having a few drinks at the end of the week, or day, depending on how long it was!

Fiona: I enjoy a glass of wine once the children are in bed and the house is quiet!

How do you manage the balance between work and personal life?

Julia: This can be very difficult. It’s just a matter of understanding that sometimes your workload will out-balance your personal life, and then sometimes your personal life will out-balance your workload, so in turn it all balances out.

Fiona: Not very well at the moment!. As we are a new business it’s mostly all work. Although, we are getting better with time management and realising the importance of achieving a balance.

How has the work environment/business changed from when you first began?

Julia: Hugely! When we first started, I was working full time at another 9-5 job and squeezing in the drafting/site visits and so forth on the way to work, after work and before work. Now we have built up our business enough to sustain the both of us.

Fiona: It’s much busier. The structures that Julia put in place have been fantastic so we are super organised now. The bottom line in the bank account is looking better too.

Who and/or what inspires you?

Julia: Seeing a yard or space transform from what it was before, to the final product is inspiring, along with the clients reaction.

Fiona: Working Mums who seem to have found the balance of work, life and family. New York and Thomas Church.

Why do you do what you do?

Julia: I love working with plants and people and in a creative field. The opportunity to express yourself through plants and design is something very special.

Fiona: It makes me happy.

Sometimes your workload will out-balance your personal life, and then sometimes your personal life will out-balance your workload

What are your tips for other landscape designers?

Julia: Pay attention to the client’s needs and apply them through the design. Spend more time marketing and networking as this is extremely crucial in a field that relies on a product that is a luxury, not a necessity.

Fiona: Join the AILDM (Australian Institute of Landscape Designers and Managers) and get networking.

How do you define success?

Julia: A success is measured in many different ways. It can be meeting your own goals that you set for yourself, or overcoming a challenging issue on site or with a client.

Fiona: By referrals.

What challenges have you faced and how do you overcome them?

Julia: I have faced public speaking on many occasions, something I didn’t think I would ever have to do when I entered this industry. Showing your design for the first time is extremely intimidating, but once you get over the first few presentations, you become more confident. Networking has been very challenging, but the more I do it, the easier it becomes, just like anything.

Fiona: We plan for the quiet time when we are busy. Having a clear business plan has been really helpful. The business partnership has been a great experience; challenging, inspiring and motivating. We have lots of discussions to work out the best approach.

Siân Edwards
Siân Edwards is a Sydney-based communications professional with experience working in public relations, media and marketing roles in both the private and public sector. She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) and is passionate about writing and sharing information through different mediums. With an endless thirst for knowledge, particularly in the areas of digital marketing and social media, Sian is a true believer of ‘lifelong learning’. When she’s not working in the corporate world, she is out and about exploring Sydney and beyond for her popular food and travel blog and building on her skills as a freelance writer and editor.

According to the Australian Psychological Society[1], almost half of working Australians find that the workplace is a source of stress. Add to this, women report that family and financial issues are the leading sources of stress for them. This stress may come about from long hours, heavy workloads and regular deadlines, job insecurity and inter-personal relationships.

It is no wonder that it is sometimes difficult to stay grounded and calm. The tension builds up, and we’re often left feeling anxious, tired, and burnt out. Other symptoms of stress include depression, a drop in work performance, headaches and an increase in sick days or absenteeism. Actually stress has been reported to be having an impact on the physical health of three quarters of workers.

I hear it so often “I just don’t have time for anything else” and “I often can’t sleep well when I have big work deadlines the next day”.

Our minds go a million miles an hour and we get into a whirlwind of a range of emotions. This means we can sometimes get short with people, get caught up in negative feelings, experience mood swings, become aggressive or pessimistic, lose interest, feel tired and then feel even worse as the guilt and more anxiety kicks in.

Can you think of some times in your workplace where you or your colleagues have behaved in these ways? Or sometimes even you?

When you’re finding it difficult to get calm in a certain situation, or you’re feeling overwhelmed, these top 7 tips for when you’re struggling to get calm should help:

1. Don’t respond straight away

The best exercise to do is to count to ten. Counting to ten may seem like too long in a tense moment, but when you’re in a highly stressful situation you count faster than usual. Trust me. You need to get to ten. When you count you take your mind away from the situation immediately at hand.

2. Heighten your awareness

Start noticing when you get triggered (and keep practicing counting to ten when you do). Over time you will notice that you don’t have to count anymore. You’ll start noticing your emotional reactions and getting to know your triggers. When you observe your mind and the stories it tells you, you stop engaging from a win-lose point of view, and start analysing situations from a more objective perspective.

3. Shift your focus

When you feel tension building up, it’s important to not let your emotions take control. This doesn’t mean you don’t feel them, but getting out of your emotional body and into your physical body creates space. Instead of focusing on the situation, focus on the part of your body where you feel it. Get really curious and notice how it changes. Just observe.

4. Look within first

When we’re under pressure, we often look outside to blame someone for how we’re feeling. We think others are pressuring us and start resenting them and the situations they put us in. The truth is that we always have a choice. No matter how much we want to talk ourselves out of that choice saying that we “have to” do X or Y, we have most likely put ourselves there. Which leads well into point 5…

5. Give yourself some love

Feeling anxious and stressed is awful. But… what are you really feeling? What might the feelings be connected to deeper down? Give your feelings some real attention and be kind to yourself. Instead of beating yourself up for it, be accepting and stay with it while you count to 10. If you want to spend more time delving deeper, try the meditation exercise below.

Women report that family and financial issues are the leading sources of stress for them. This stress may come about from long hours, heavy workloads and regular deadlines, job insecurity and inter-personal relationships

6. Think of it as a game

This world is a playground, and sometimes we get too caught up in our head thinking of all the possibilities and choices we have before us, and that is overwhelming. It sure doesn’t help with staying calm! Instead of getting caught up in the options and reacting, try to think of it as a game. If you were playing a fun game, what would you do? What would you try? What would you say?

7. Practice gratitude

Stop for a second and look around you. Count ALL your blessings. That outfit you’re wearing? Be grateful you were able to afford it. Your colleague right there? Appreciate he’s always been supportive. When you practice being grateful you start to realise that really, everything around you is a blessing! Gratitude transforms your energy. Give it a try.

These day-to-day simple steps should help with staying grounded. And with proof that mindfulness practice can help improve so many things beyond stress levels including memory, focus and creativity.

I would love to hear how you get on.

Bonus mindfulness exercise

Find a quiet spot away from drafts.
Sit or lie comfortably. If you sit, do so comfortably but with a straight back and crossed legs if you’re on the floor. Take off your shoes so you can feel more grounded.
Bring your awareness to your breath. Don’t try to change it, just focus on the ins and outs and keep your awareness there.
When thoughts come up – from what you didn’t get done at work today to the shopping list – acknowledge them but come back to your breath. Don’t engage with the thoughts.
If you find that similar concerns come up over and over then it would be worth sitting with them more and exploring gently, without judgement, and see where these thoughts come from. Are they beliefs that you hold about yourself, about your value, about your feelings, about your relationships?
You could then spend some time asking, ‘Do these beliefs serve me?’. If the answer is no, then you can start to release them over time by being aware when they come up and starting to re-map your response to them. Some of these may be beliefs laid down in childhood and so doing some work connecting with your inner child could be very helpful.
While many experienced meditators may meditate for an hour or longer, it is useful to just start off with ten minutes once a day and work up from there.

Fact box

In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression, and over 2 million have anxiety. (Source: Beyond Blue)

Over $133.9 million was paid in benefits to Australian workers who made claims related to workplace stress during the 2004/2005 tax year.

[1] Stress and wellbeing in Australia survey 2013

Catalina Lopera
Catalina is the founder of Events With Soul, a company producing live events that aim to provide practical tools for transformational spiritual journeys and helping people connect with themselves and others. She’s found great comfort in meditation and the practice of self-awareness, and now shares valuable insights with others.

As much as you love your career you have a sneaking suspicion that other aspects of life might be passing you by. Having it all is hard when you work 40 hours plus a week.

Because it’s not just the 40 hours, is it?

It’s the commuting, the running around in between, making an effort to maintain relationships, and trying to keep up appearances, manage your home, & your family (& your waistline). We arrive home, our bodies kidnapped by exhaustion. The exhaustion of life. But sometimes the call of the wild cannot be silenced. Tiredness be damned. There’s an innate curiosity about the world that pinches us from the inside.

Good news: There are a few ways to get out there and experience more of it without jeopardising your career. The following 3 strategies are frameworks only – if they tickle your fancy but aren’t quite right, keep asking ‘how’ until they are.

This is your life. Make it work for you.

1. The Freedom-Seeker Strategy

Ideal for: A seasoned pro or a confident 20-something whose work speaks for itself and loves short-term project work. Highly social people who can integrate fast in any culture or lone wolves.

What you need: Excellent client testimonials and a gleaming track record.

Pros: Work on a project by project basis which keeps life interesting & builds your experience and portfolio quickly. You can establish a name for yourself and high demand for your services fast. In demand during recession while permanent employees are laid off. Write off your expenses.

Cons:

You must be diligent about invoicing & receiving payments.
Your salary is gross so you have to factor in the cost of tax.
You’re not eligible for company benefits like medical, holiday & sick leave.
Demand for your services is performance-based.

Solutions:

Build holidays, sick leave & benefits into your rate.
Keep 40% of your paid salary in a high interest saving account ready for tax time.
Give each contract 120% to guarantee excellent testimonials.

2. The Ultimate Freedom-Seeker Strategy

Position yourself as a consultant when you’re a bonafide expert in your field.

What you need: Proof of high calibre problem-solving skills and innovative thinking.

Ideal for: Those who have achieved guru status in a specific area of expertise and feel confident charging a premium for it. Great for Millennials who master cutting-edge technologies and processes fast.

Pros: Freedom to choose who you work with while charging a premium. You can charge value-based fees for your services because of the high-impact nature of your contracts.

Cons:

Forget about working 9-5. You might work long hours to meet tight deadlines.
If your area of expertise is highly specialised it might be months between contracts.
Holiday, sick leave and benefits not included.
Large checks for the tax man every year.

Solutions:

Establish clear rules of engagement during contract negotiations.
Budget accordingly: keep 6 months living expenses in easy-access savings.
Set aside 40% of earnings for tax purposes and factor benefits into your fee.

3. The-Make-Money-While-You-Sleep Strategy

Transform your expertise into digital products & services that people can buy online from anywhere in the world while you sip margaritas from your hammock.

I know what you’re thinking: I can’t leave my job! Hear me out …

What you need: Entrepreneurial drive and products or services that people want to buy.

Ideal for: Self-starters who love the opportunity & challenge of starting up and being their own CEO. Those who have valuable knowledge or expertise that they can package, or creators & makers who have a product to sell.

Pros:

Complete control over your time and business size & direction. Outsource everything outside of your zone of genius. Breathe life into your ideas and have an impact on the world around you. Complete control over work-life balance over the longer term.
You career and your job will ALWAYS BE WAITING FOR YOU if you want to go back. Fact: It looks pretty cool when you have your own business on your CV.

Cons:

Work-life balance is hard at first; fledgling entrepreneurs work 24-7 which quickly becomes a lifestyle.
No control over size or timing of commercial success; threat of failure can be paralysing.
Startup cash flow can run out fast.

Solutions:

Set work-life balance parameters that maintain physical & mental health from the outset.
Outsource/ grow your team before you feel.
Have a vision larger than this project so you can move beyond failure.
An emergency fund to cover six months living expenses; crowd source funding for your project; maintain good relationships within your industry so you have a back-up plan.

Start with the level of risk you’re willing to take and slowly increase it to move closer towards absolute freedom.

Featured image via Pixabay under Creative Commons CC0

Stephanie Holland helps corporate misfits set themselves up for success before they startup. Join the revolution at http://startupwithoutanidea.com

Everyone has a different story to tell when it comes to the way they manage money. There is no right or wrong way, and that’s OK. Different strokes and all that. Budgeting is one thing, but the way you approach managing, spending and investing your money will actually play a major part in your financial success in the long term. Below are my 4 tips to money management, something every smart woman – and man – should follow!

1. Quality over quantity

When it comes to most purchases, this is the number one rule. Yes, you might pay more from the outset but if the quality is there, it will likely last the test of time. This goes for so many of life’s expenses, including clothes, appliances and furniture. It’s easy to go cheap and nasty, but eventually whatever you have bought will break down or will need to be replaced. A common trait of smart money managers is to buy less, but buy quality. Think about it, you don’t need 12 black blazers in your cupboard, you just need 1 really well cut, high quality blazer, and it will be in your wardrobe for years to come.

2. Stay away from the amateurs

“So you think it’s expensive to hire a professional? Wait until you hire an amateur”. This perfectly sums it up. As much as we like to think we can, we just can’t do everything. We need to outsource parts of our life to other people, whether that be plumbing work on our house, hairdressers or financial planners. If you are always on the hunt for the cheapest of the cheap, then you might engage a total amateur who ends up costing you more to fix anyway. The smart woman will hire a referred, qualified and trusted professional for the job (whatever it is) so that they know it is done right the first time round.

It’s easy to go cheap and nasty, but eventually whatever you have bought will break down or will need to be replaced

3. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

When it comes to investing, putting all your money on black, so to speak, is akin to gambling. Diversification is a major player when it comes to investing and should be part of any person’s investment plan. No smart women (or man) will ever just buy shares in one company alone. They will strive for a diversified and balanced portfolio taking into account different business types, sectors, countries and asset classes.

4. Cover what needs to be covered

It’s smart to insure the important and expensive things in life. I’m not talking about getting extended warranties on your toaster, I am talking home insurance, life insurance, car insurance and health insurance. Yes, insurance costs money but you can bet it will alleviate the financial pressure on these big ticket items if something ever happens.

The above tips aren’t just about basic budgeting, it’s about shifting your overall mindset about your money strategy. If you can start to view your spending and investing habits differently you will reap the rewards in the long term.

Featured image via Pixabay under Creative Commons CC0

It’s a common sentiment that most people want to ‘get their finances sorted’ before they have kids. The questions is, how do you know when your finances are actually ready and what should you be doing to prepare?

1. Take stock

Look at where you are at right now. If you haven’t already got a budget, then this is the first step you need to take. What debt do you have? Do you have any savings or do you live pay to pay? If so, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a baby, but now is the time to get a bit of structure and have a better understanding as to where your money is going.

If you are currently spending everything you earn, how do you expect to pay for the extras that come with being a parent?

2. Create the post-baby budget

Once you know where you are now, you then need to start mapping what your post baby budget would look like. This needs to include any reduced income due to maternity leave, and the added expenses such as nappies, formula, and child care.

Setting a realistic budget will let you know if you have enough money for all of these things, and should highlight how long you can take off for maternity leave if that is what you are currently considering.

If you are currently spending everything you earn, how do you expect to pay for the extras that come with being a parent?

3. Do you have an emergency fund?

This is an important feature in any well managed personal budget, but this is even more important if you are expanding the family. Firstly, if you don’t have one of these then you need to consider it. My general rule is to aim for 3 months’ worth of household expenses to be set aside for an ‘in case of emergency’ situation. Think about medical expenses, white goods breaking, freak weather events that mean you have to pay for an insurance excess. It’s hard to plan for all of these, so having an emergency fund is super important.

4. Do you have stable income?

Everyone’s jobs are different, but you need to consider how stable your income is. It may be slightly different from month to month depending on overtime etc, but do you feel confident that your job isn’t going anywhere? Think about the industry you are in, are there a lot of redundancies going around at the moment? Are you getting regular, consistent hours or is it all over the place?

It is likely the case that you will need to rely on one income for a period of time. Ensuring that income is as reliable as possible is important. This could mean getting a full time, permanent job or trying to position yourself in a large company that has great employee benefits.

An interesting trend to consider is that most employers are putting 6 month probationary periods into new contracts now, so if you are after a new role that is something to be mindful of.

5. Do you have all of your life insurances sorted?

Life insurance (including disability and income protection) are so much more important when you have dependents. Having enough life insurance to look after your children for the long term if something were to happen to you, should be priority number one. Depending on your personal situation, you can fund this via your superannuation account or your everyday budget.

It’s not all about the money, but putting yourself in the best position in advance will mean that when you get there, you will know exactly what your money is doing and how much you have to spend on your new family.

We love to spend money on cute outfits and overpriced gifts but the best gift you can give your future children is a stable and loving home, one that is not overflowing with debt, money stress and late bill notices.

Featured image via Pixabay under Creative Commons CC0

When I started Project Mum, a few friends asked me what type of businesses they too could start. Most of them were mums who hadn’t returned to work after maternity leave and were finding the isolation too much. Others were in the workforce but not finding any joy or inspiration in what they were doing.

Knowing that there might be a few of you in either of the situations above, here are a few of my tips (based on my own experiences) to give you food for thought and hopefully give you the motivation to get started and think of a business idea you will love and be successful in.

1. Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses

Usually you’ll find marketers creating SWOT analysis (we love this!) to show us exactly what we are currently facing, what could happen and the stumbling blocks. I recommend you create a personal SWOT to find out what you’re passionate about i.e. current hobbies, weaknesses (hate sales!) and strengths (love talking to people) to create a true picture of you and where your skills and interests could translate into a business.

List as many things for both columns and cross check to see if any of the descriptors could lead to a business opportunity. For example, passionate about children learning (strength), love creating new games for children (hobby) could translate into a video series for parents plus blog on creating different games to entertain children.

2. Talk to people in the niche you’re interested in

I really wish I’d done this back when Project Mum was an idea in my head – it might have saved me time and angst but unfortunately I had a business idea and ran with it first. Find people already in the space and talk to them about what it’s like running a business in that niche. Go to a few networking events specific to the industry to get a feel of what it’s like – try groups like Meetups to find the right people. Also try an Advisory service for small business owners for example as offered by Business.gov.au or your local council.

3. Build your LinkedIn profile

I’ve heard people still ask about whether they need to be on LinkedIn. The short answer to this is Yes! The first thing I do when looking to assess a Project Mum application is search for that person on LinkedIn. Create a good profile and keep it updated. Give it more attention than Facebook and Twitter.

Your profile will help you market yourself to the right people such as influencers, and give you credibility on a professional platform especially when building your new business. LinkedIn is also a great way to keep your finger on the pulse in your market. Join a few LinkedIn groups and keep an eye out for potential gaps in the market that could give you your next business idea.

4. Research, research, research

Has the light bulb gone off yet? If it has, great!Now comes the not-so-fun part: finding out who your competitors are and what they are doing. If there is another business similar to yours; and you feel you can’t bring anything new or different then perhaps wait for the next light bulb to go off.

If you’re like me and simply cannot ignore that brilliant idea that’s bound to make you millions, then identify your competitive advantage, in other words, how are you different or better than your competition? Do you have the latest technology, great skills in sales or know the right people? All these will give you a good head start when building your new business.

PS: Don’t be carried away by your idea and be tempted to skip this step. From experience, it’s better to research your market before spending money and time and realising your business won’t work.

Rashida Tayabali is the founder of Project Mum, a project matching service that connects growing businesses to skilled mums for short and long term projects. She helps solo business owners gain clarity and focus in their business through one-on-one coaching sessions. If you’re a small business owner seeking focus and clarity in your business, or need help in making the leap to self employed and not sure how to begin, register for her brand new coaching sessions by emailing contact@projectmum.com.au

Photo credit: Cucchiaio