Muslim Mums in Business – Mummys Bubble

My Muslim Mums in Business series focus’s on inspirational Muslim women, who are balancing the art of motherhood along with running businesses.

Logo of Mummys Bubble

 

Please introduce yourself and your business.

Hi, I’m Heena. I am a mum of two, crafter at heart, writer by night, juggling life to make a future. I started Mummys Bubble as a blog 5 years ago and 2 years ago I converted that blog into a handmade bespoke teething, baby and home online shop. I still have the blog which has turned into more of a magazine style section where I have writers that share their work on the MB platform. I have experience in Editorial, so I run my team of writers on the side of running the online shop. It can become a full time job on most days but is very rewarding when you see people shop and read with us.

 

What makes Mummys Bubble different from your competitors?

As a business we strive on creating handmade bespoke items here in the UK and want to one day become the ‘go to’ teething and home shop. I love to create designs and watch my customers colour co-ordinate them to suit themselves. As a creative and maker I have tonnes of ideas and plans, which in time will become reality. So keeping things fresh and bespoke is our key ingredients to making us different.

 

What inspired you to start working from home? Did anyone in particular inspire you?

My children. I always knew I would love to be a stay at home mum, but when I found something I loved to make – the way forward was to start up a business from home. After my son was born whilst on maternity leave we created the shop for Mummys Bubble. This was solely to support the blog site which went live 3 years previous. However after the launch it took off better than we expected so I knew it would become something more. My ultimate aim is to be more present for my children, but to also show them that you can still become something whilst supporting your family financially and living your dream in one.

 

Is your family supportive of you being a working mother?

The business is run with the support of my husband. He does all the back work i.e website, logistics, packing and posting. This way I can concentrate on the designing, creating and building of the business. My family see how much joy the business brings to me, where I can make my dream a reality which makes them happier and more supportive.

 

What are the main challenges you face as a mum and an entrepreneur?

Time. You must have heard that many a times, but it’s true. To juggle the work and life balance and find the perfect balance for yourself and everyone around you. I don’t think you can ever have it ‘perfect’ but as long as it works for you and your loved ones, then you’ve hit the nail on the head.

 

Describe a typical working day. Are there specific times in the day that you work on your business?

We run our business online, therefore it runs all day, every day in the background. A typical day will start with the school run, checking any emails, setting up social media posts for the day. As I still have my son at home with me, we will end up either going to a group session or carry out any errands till school pick up and the evening rush of dinner, reading, bath and bed. Once the kids are in bed (roughly around 7.30) both myself and my other half open up shop. From checking the orders, replying back to emails – messages. I start to make the orders and the other half will then package them ready for dispatch the next day. It won’t be till around 11pm that we will sit with a cuppa and biscuit. The day is busy, but we wouldn’t change it. Before the business we would sit aimlessly in front of the television after the kids went to bed, but now we are doing something we love in the evenings.  

 

What are the pros and cons about being a working mum from home?

Pro’s: have to be being able to do things yourself under your own terms. Drink tea at the laptop whilst sending off emails to just being there for your family when they need you without having to think about anyone else.

Con’s: to be honest I haven’t yet found one. I have heard that is can be quiet working on your own but at the moment I still have my son at home, so come September when he goes to preschool things may change. But there are so many things you can do – from self-care, catch up on reading, listening to podcasts to just planning in silence.

 

On your toughest days, what helps keep you motivated?

It would need to be our dream. Why we started it in the first place and for whom. We have always wanted to be working from home parents so we could have a better work-life balance and to be around the children as much as possible. Starting of the business is exactly for that reason – for our family.

 

Where would you like to see your business in the future?

We would love to see our business grow in order to give our family more sustainability whilst still producing bespoke items for our customers to cherish. Once we have fully achieved that then we are happy.

 

What advice would you give to mums considering taking the step of being a working mum?

Motivation is key and also keep a planner. I never used to use a hard book planner till I started a business and it has been a key part of helping me have everything balanced and planned for the future. Sometimes our online calendars and planners can become too overwhelming so it’s nice having somewhere to write down all your dreams, achievements, goals and schedules.

Write your dream down and every time you feel like you are getting demotivated look at it and find your reason as to why you started your business in the first place.

Also take a break. Working from home is hard. Yes you can set up office meetings over skype in your pyjamas, but seriously you are juggling everything from one place so take some time out for yourself – even if that means going for a walk after lunch to help refresh your mind and get yourself some fresh air from your daily surroundings.

 

JazakAllah Khair to sister Heena for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions! You can connect with her further on  Instagram.

 

If you are a muslim mum with a business and would like to feature then drop me a message in sha Allah.

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