Have I Made it Yet?
I want to document my entrepreneurial journey at this point…
The infancy stage, not brand new stage, but 18 months in and well and truly a business and a growing business at that.
I decided to take the leap of faith 10 months after having my first child.
It was always something I longed to do and something I had tampered with and failed once before. To have my own business, control my own time and be at my children’s disposal because quite frankly the thought of leaving them scared me.
When would I go back to work, how would I feed them?In retrospect, the timing was less than ideal. I had left a safe, forward thinking, reputable and lucrative conglomerate to make my own with a 10 month old and one on the way unknown to me at the time when I quit my job at Macquarie bank.
I started a business, built a brand, established referral partners, was a full-time carer to my baby and pregnant to my second child all during a stale economy.
On top of this the financial industry was going through regulatory changes with the industry body cracking down and pretty much winding back investment lending which made it very difficult to place clients.
How I am surviving in these uncertain times
Prioritise and be organised. Never have I been more multi-tasked and time management driven. I sit at the breakfast bar at 7:45, take away coffee in hand, both girls changed and fed and myself ready. Pre-children I would struggle to get myself at the door at this time working for an employer.
Align yourself with a dream team. As one of my beautiful clients says – she refers to her accountant, Lawyer and Finance Broker as hers.
My dream team:
Business mentor – the voice of reason, sharing pitfalls and opportunities.
Husband – could not and would not be able to do this without him.
Friends and family – the ones that support you, become clients, refer clients – I will be forever grateful.
Get yourself a good accountant – they are GOLD!
Branding – a good friend of mine is the director of one of Perth’s top digital marketing companies. He looked after me as far as website, logo and branding. When you invest in this you are credible to clients and referrers
Office space – While my job allows me the luxury to work from home I have an office space that I “borrow” one to two days a week so I have a sanctuary away from my home and the occasional chaos that comes with having two children under three.
Be adaptable and flexible – in this modern and ever-changing world we constantly need to be “on point”.
Presence – online community, networking events, building your brand. Brand and image mean you exist, presence doesn’t mean 9-5 (well it doesn’t in my world).
“Have I made it”? you ask, I reply “I am making it”!
About the author
Belinda Allsopp
Belinda Allsopp (ex- Macquarie Bank) is an accredited Finance Broker and is a director of Verge Finance. She has accumulated over 11 years of banking and lending experience across credit, sales and senior manager roles. Belinda started her entrepreneurial journey after having her 1st child 2.5 years ago. Verge Finance was established to assist small businesses and property investors. Belinda is particularly passionate about women in business who need assistance with the cash flow during the start-up phase and also nurturing their personal financial goals as their business grows. When Belinda is not working she is spending time with her husband and two daughters 2.5 and 1 years old.
