1. Introducing myself…
Hi, my name is Julia Burman, I’m in my late 30s (!), married with an 18 month old son, Arun. We live in leafy Belsize Park, North West London
2. Why I work…
I work because I love having the independence of my own income and enjoy the mental stimulation and challenge of working.
3. What I appreciate most about being a working mum…
I feel as though I have the best of both worlds – I get to spend time with my son because I work flexibly but I also appreciate the time I have working and creating something for me.
4. What is working particularly well for me at the moment in my life as a working mum…
That having my own business has allowed me the flexibility of managing my workload around my family commitments (though this is often a juggling act!)
5. What are the most challenging aspects of being a working mum?
Juggling a business and childcare which I find a daily challenge! There are times when Arun gets sick when I question why I am putting myself through the additional stress of running a business whilst bringing up a young child!
6. A bit about my career or business…
I run a virtual assistance and coaching company specializing in supporting mumpreneurs to work smarter so that they can achieve their business goals quicker.
I founded my company out of a genuine desire to help the many bright, talented women who, like me, struggled to return to their previous careers or find flexible work once they’d had children and decided instead to set up their own businesses to enjoy flexible working hours. As a mum myself juggling a business and the demands of a toddler, I am passionate about supporting other mums who are really keen to grow and make a success of their business whilst at the same time enjoying quality time with their families.
7. A typical “day in the life of” me…
A ‘typical’ working day for me involves dropping my son at nursery at around 08:30 (frantically checking my emails en route!), dashing to the gym for a quick workout then settling down at my desk to start on the day’s tasks. I tend to spend my mornings on client work which can entail anything from typing up a report, to running a Skype training session with a client on Twitter strategy, to drafting blog posts, articles and newsletters, to setting up online newsletter systems, to managing my clients’ social media accounts.
I also run coaching sessions with business mums on time management, juggling business and babies (and everything in between!)
Afternoons are normally spent marketing my own business, sourcing PR opportunities, writing blogs for my site and posting on mums networking forums and my social media sites as well as ‘face to face’ networking through local business mums networking groups and events.
Highlights of the week for me are picking my son up from nursery at the end of the day and seeing his beaming smile as he runs towards me and receiving glowing testimonials from happy clients whose lives I’ve hopefully made that bit easier! Oh and of course, a nice chilled glass of wine on a Friday night!
8. How I sometimes make things harder for myself…
- I sometimes make things harder for myself by being too much of a perfectionist and being very bad at delegating!
- The habit that I know I need to address, but haven’t quite got there yet is procrastination!
- The main thing I am still working on creating is that perfect work life balance!
9. What’s “me time”?
My ‘me time’ is a yoga class or a relaxing massage!
10. What I would do with an extra hour each day…
If I had an extra hour a day I would probably try and take some more time out for myself to relax!
11. My golden rules of how I manage to balance work and life…
My golden rules are:
- I ensure that I take time out at least once or twice every week for ‘me time’ and relaxation.
- I set boundaries with regard to work time and aim to switch my laptop off by 8pm every night!
- I ensure that my husband, son and I spend quality family time together every weekend and we try and get away for at least a night or two every few months.
12. What prompted me to work with a Coach…
I am a qualified coach myself and I was looking for a mentor coach to help me kick start the coaching side of my business and help me gain clarity as to my niche and what I wanted to achieve from running my own business.
13. Why I chose Coaching Mums/Amanda…
I was actually introduced to Amanda through her 6 month ‘Mums Who Coach Programme’ which I started in February 2011 after I graduated from my formal coach training. Working with Amanda intensively over 6 months really helped me to propel my coaching and business skills to a level I would never hoped to have achieved working alone.
14. What I have achieved from coaching with Amanda…
Amanda has helped me transition seamlessly from the corporate to the self employed world. She has helped me gain confidence in both myself and my coaching skills. She has also taught me an enormous amount about running a successful business – it has been amazing to learn from someone who has been through the whole process herself and knows the pitfalls.
Coaching with Amanda has definitely helped me to gain clarity on what I want from my life/career. She has taught me that anything is possible if you truly believe in yourself and your ability to succeed.
15. If you want to connect with me, here’s how…
Website: www.juliaburman.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/virtuallyjulia
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Virtually-Julia/307414645957592
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/juliaburman
