Maria on her decision to move from Hertfordshire to Somerset...
“One of the big attractions of moving down here was that we could afford a much nicer property for the same money. We thought it would give us a higher quality of life, that it was a nicer environment to bring up the children. ”
On how she divides the workload with her husband...
“My husband comes from a marketing background, which we utilised in setting up the business, and still do.
It’s a good business for people with family commitments
“I suppose because I was the first to give up my job, I was the one doing the sales calls. Amazingly, I found that I was OK at it.
“It wasn’t something I’d ever done before. Being in social work, there were some transferable skills.
“It obviously helps if you can build up a rapport with somebody over the phone; they’re more likely to trust you and want to buy from you.
“David in the meantime concentrated on the SEO and putting the adverts on the system. He did more of the admin side in the early stages. ”
On the merits of working from home...
“It’s a good business for people with family commitments. I was looking for something flexible in terms of working round the children.
“So we know, if the children happen to be ill, we can sit on the settee with a blanket, watch the telly with them, or just pop in and check they’re OK. Obviously you don’t work to the same capacity, but you can still get work done.
“So you don’t have to get them into school when they’re not 100% because you have some important meeting.
“Also, the childcare responsibilities are divided equally. He more often than not drops them off in the morning, and I pick them up in the afternoon. So they see as much of their dad as they do of me. ”
