APPRENTICE star and West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady answers your careers questions and meets an inspirational CEO.
Here she gives a reader advice on how to manage her time best in order to succeed as an entrepreneur.
Q) I run a small business selling framed prints through Etsy, and while I’m never going to be a millionaire, I’m doing OK. I have loads of ideas for products and would love to move the business forward, but I have just one problem – time!
I have two primary-school-age kids, a dog, and my husband does shift work so isn’t always around in the evenings or at weekends.
I can’t afford to employ anyone to help me, but even when I do sit down to work, five minutes later I need to put some laundry on or pick up the kids.
How can I better manage my time so I can really focus on my Etsy shop?
Tina, via email
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A) It sounds like you’re running a successful small business and that you have scope for growth, so firstly, well done! That’s no easy feat at the moment.
Time management is a daily challenge for so many people – myself included! – with all the demands we increasingly have on us. You need to be incredibly strict with your schedule, so create a timetable for yourself, just as you would for your children and their extra-curricular activities – and then stick to it.
Add in time to fulfil orders, time to work on new products and ideas, admin and paperwork, but be realistic around the demands of your family life.
Once it’s on paper, you can identify chunks of time to focus (for example, while the kids are at school), or you should be able to see where you can move chores to create time for work.
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You may need to make a timetable at the start of each week if your parenting or household patterns change.
Protect your time and don’t allow yourself to get distracted. And remember, nobody ever died if the house wasn’t vacuumed, so give yourself a break!
- Got a careers question for Karren? Email [email protected].
A Day In The Life Of…
Sonal Keay, 43, is the CEO and founder of pillowcase and skincare brand This Is Silk. She lives in the Cotswolds with her network engineer husband Steve, 49, and their two young daughters.
I wake up at…
6.45am. I need two coffees to start the day, then I wake the girls and we’re on the school run by 7.30am. Back home, I take a walk with Steve and Biscuit, our border terrier, or I lift weights, which is like having a bath for the mind.
A normal day involves…
I check in with my two management staff – I don’t mind where or when they work, as long as the job is done. For me, gratitude means bonuses and flexibility, so it’s always a “yes” to attending school sports days! When I launched the business in 2018, after 15 years as a criminal barrister, there was time for planning, but growth brings meetings.
These days, I’m always on Zoom calls and face-to-face with ad agencies, suppliers and my accountant. I’m seeking investment and working with the Department of Trade and Industry.
I’m obsessed with product testing, so spend 90% of my time discussing formulations, skincare ingredients and timelines with my Sussex-based scientists.
The best part of my job is…
When people who haven’t experienced silk before tell me they’re genuinely amazed by what it does for their skin and hair.
And the hardest…
Marketing. I was a barrister, but I’m an introvert and I’d rather fall under a rock than speak about myself! I’ve got a rare skin condition called chronic actinic dermatitis, so I’m allergic to sunlight, which I manage by wearing factor 50 at all times and having blacked-out windows at home and in my car.
When I was diagnosed at 16, I found sleeping on silk pillowcases helped, which is why I launched my business.
At first, I was embarrassed about being Indian and allergic to the sun, but I’m learning the power of saying to customers and retailers: “This is me”.
I wind down by…
I stop working at 3.30pm to be with the girls until their bedtime, but then work in the evening.
Working from home so much means I’m a fan of day trips and weekends away. Getting into nature for a nice walk is wonderful for the soul.
- Visit Thisissilk.com.
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