If jobs are scarce, mums get creative

Faced with a squeeze on the family finances and caught in a childcare trap, many are pioneering their own 'kitchen table' industrial revolution.

Aided by the social networking boom and the modern ease of homeworking, and largely motivated by a dip in the family fortunes, they have opted to juggle childcare and household roles with new ventures as mini captains of their own industries. The trend is believed to be at a particular high in Edinburgh, where high-paid financial sector jobs have been squeezed, housing costs are high and many families have children in private schools.

According to the Federation of Small Businesses there's a growing trend of small 'at home' businesses, many of them run by mums. It says: "About a quarter of our membership is home based - around 5000 people," says a spokesman. "Anecdotal evidence suggests there's increasing numbers of women setting up part-time businesses to supplement their family's income. They are seeing the advantages of being their own boss and being able to work around their own childcare needs.

"Some have a natural flair in certain areas and can turn what were hobbies into businesses, others use qualifications or experience they've gained in the workplace."

KIRSTY PALMER

Kirsty, 38, lives in Eskbank with husband Grant, 36, and sons Hamish, four and Matthew, two. She launched nursery art business Blockart (www.blockart.co.uk) last summer.

"I have a management degree and experience working in finance," says Kirsty. "I decided to stay at home to bring up my sons a few years ago, but my husband works in the financial sector and suddenly his pay was cut.

"We figured we could do with some money from another income, but it didn't make sense for me to go out to work because we'd be hit with nursery fees. So I decided I might as well try to start my own business at home."

She hit on creating "blockart" for nurseries - sturdy wooden artworks that can be customised for individual clients featuring handprints, names or specific room colours. With a studio set up in the garden shed, she uses Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about her business.

It means working a double shift of daytime childcare and evenings running her business. "I'm with my children from 7am until 7pm then I begin making my art," she explains. "All of my time is used either with the kids or on the business so I lose out, as does the housework and my husband.

"But even just 50 a month income can help towards Christmas, birthdays and a family treat. Plus I get a sense of achievement and of helping make a difference in the face of a recession."

JUSTINE JONES AND LYNN REID

Justine, 35, is mum to Elliot, six, Hayden, four, and five-month-old Gabriel. She lives in Bonnyrigg with husband James, 38, and runs jewellery business Angel Designs (www.angel designsjewellery.co.uk) with Lynn, 39, who lives in Bonnyrigg with husband Calum, and their two children, Erin, six, and James, four.

"I'd just had my second son," recalls Justine, "and was working two days a week as a cardiac physiologist. But as my husband is a policeman and working shifts, it became a nightmare figuring out childcare. We didn't want to pay for nursery fees so we started to think of what else we could do."

Her hobby was making jewellery and selling it to friends. She realised by expanding her hobby into a 'kitchen table' business she might earn extra cash to let her become a full-time stay- at-home mum to her children.

The business developed further when former Royal Bank IT specialist Lynn came on board. Now both juggle childcare during the day with creating a jewellery collection at night.

"I'd been made redundant when I had Erin," recalls Lynn. "Then when James came along it wasn't feasible to have two young children in childcare and work. So I started thinking of alternatives."

And Justine adds: "It's hard work, we don't make a huge amount of money because the business is still small.

"But what extra comes in goes towards the kids' activities and our pre-Christmas trip to Center Parcs - little extras that we otherwise wouldn't normally do."

HELEN McGILLVERY

Helen, 40, is mum to Iona, four, and Grace, two. She lives in Bonnyrigg with partner Lee Barnsdale, 35, an NHS statistician. She has just launched a telephone and online mental health counselling service, www.counsellingonline.org.uk/home.

"I work part-time with the NHS as a community mental health nurse/cognitive behavioural therapist. But the recession has hit the NHS, resulting in job cuts, pay freezes and fewer opportunities for professional development," she says. "I can't work extra shifts - there aren't any - besides, it wouldn't make sense because it would cost for childcare. If I want to earn more money I need to be creative."

She spotted a gap in mental health services for "the worried well" and recognised the potential demand from people affected by the tough economic climate.

"The site has just gone live and offers a telephone counselling service aimed at people who may find it difficult to access face-to-face services," she says. "I can work flexibly from home to accommodate our childcare needs and keep costs to a minimum."

ROSIE HANSEN

Rosie, 43, launched cake and party food business Rosie's Kitchen (www.rosies-kitchen.co.uk) last May. She lives in Corstorphine with husband Simon and children Emily, eight and Sam, six.

"I worked in IT at Standard Life and was actually earning more than my husband when I fell pregnant," she recalls. "I gave up work to have the children, so our income took quite a drop. I had one eye on the family finances and figured it would be nice to have extra money for all these social things kids have to do, but it had to be something that fitted around school and that I could do from home."

She launched her kitchen-based business after spotting demand from busy mums for high quality party food for children and custom-made cakes.

Since husband Simon still works at Standard Life, like many couples they are conscious of the pressure the Edinburgh financial sector is under.

"By running the business I can be there for the children and for school events and I'm bringing in extra money that we wouldn't otherwise have had."

KATRINA McKENZIE

Katrina, 37, lives in Dunbar with husband Colin, 40, and children Edie, six and Reuben, four. She runs a home-based business as a consultant for TV chef Jamie Oliver's homeware party business Jamie at Home (www.jme collection.com).

"It was a big decision to stop working to look after the children," admits Katrina, who had a high-flying role in marketing with whisky firm Whyte & Mackay and a university degree in publishing.

"I didn't want to go back to having to travel up and down to London and I didn't want to spend money on childcare either. But dropping from a salary to nothing and not having money coming into my account was tough.

"Plus you're constantly aware that things are costing more and more, there's less job security - Colin works in systems development at Standard Life - but you still want those same treats that you always had."

Although she works under the Jamie at Home banner, she is largely her own boss, working in the evenings and weekends. She is now looking to run her own element of the business with a team of consultants under her.

"I feel I'm helping the family finances - we're going to Disneyland Paris soon which is thanks to Jamie - and I'm back contributing to society.

"This gives us that little bit extra security at a time when job security is hard to find."

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