Scot Mum

Scotmum is proud to support working mums and is keen to bring you a different, inspirational mum on a regular basis so that you can see how they manage to attain that elusive work/life balance. Here Scotmum interviews Kirstin Muir, 31 from Erskine, Renfrewshire, who is mum to Ryan, 2 1/2 years old.

What is your profession and how many hours per week do you work?

I am a FingerPrint Jewellery designer and I own and run the Paisley territory franchise - I set this up in September last year.

Depending on what I have going on in terms of orders and events I tend to dedicate between 20 – 40 hours per week to my job. However, I also still work 2 days a week in my previous job as a genetic technologist in a children’s hospital.

Could you describe a typical day in your life?

That very much depends on what day it is! I slot my business in around my life at the moment and that means I often do a lot of my work in the evenings, at weekends and whenever I get a spare hour or two.

Every day can be slightly different, which is great. Generally I get up around 7am, get Ryan & I fed and ready, then spend the morning checking and sending emails, checking my order database for new orders to see where I am with them and what I am working on. I draw up little plans of what I need to do for the coming days which are often a lifesaver!

I tend to do most of my jewellery manufacture when Ryan is in bed so I get time to focus. I often get a few hours to myself in the afternoon before dinner or if my husband is home early. I use this time to shut myself away and make jewellery or calls or do any other thing requiring peace and quiet or concentration!

What do you feel are the pros and cons of being a working mother?

It definitely has to be balanced! The major drawback is probably just how hard it can be to be away from your children when they are very young – you don’t want to miss anything! It can also be difficult to juggle everything – work, childcare, housework - then something unexpected, like a bout of chickenpox, comes up and throws it all off kilter. Suddenly you can’t take them to nursery and may have to make other arrangements or put things on hold. But if you find the right balance to suit your circumstances then being a working Mum can be very rewarding.

You can find interests and friends outside of your family, and with them, and enjoy a sense of independence. You can contribute to your family financially and may be able to do things together you otherwise couldn’t. And, particularly if you do something you really enjoy and are passionate about as I do, working can provide something enjoyable to focus on and give you a feeling of real worth.

I was very lucky with Ryan in that I was able to take a year off and just be with him. As much as it’s still very hard to leave him, afterwards I felt it was as good a time as any to introduce him to nursery and I’m glad I have something else to occupy me some of the time and keep my brain active!

Why did you decide to branch out and work for yourself?

I decided to take a leap into self employment after having Ryan. I often dreamed of working from home and having the flexibility of being my own boss and being able to fit work around my family. I hadn’t really looked too far into it as starting a company from scratch didn’t really appeal to me much but when I heard that FingerPrint Jewellery were franchising (after finding them as a customer last year!) it seemed the perfect solution.

I absolutely love making the jewellery and it’s so rewarding when you hear from customers after they receive theirs. It is still early in the process and it is a big effort to get established but franchising makes it much quicker and easier and still gives me all the flexibility I longed for but much more support. I have never looked back!

What are your childcare arrangements?

I have Ryan in a private nursery for 2 days a week, which I think has been great for him. He has learned so much there and become very sociable and it is just the right amount of time for us so that he gets the benefits of it without me feeling guilty that he’s there too long. At the moment these are the days that I work in the hospital so when I am very busy with the business or I have an event to attend I rely on family members to look after him so everything has to be worked in outside of normal working hours as this is when they tend to be available.

What would be your top tip for working mums in order to cope with the demands of their day to day lives?

Don’t be too hard on yourself! It can be very easy to feel like you should be a Supermum; especially when you chat to other working mums or business mums and they seem to be able to manage everything from running an empire to ironing, baking and still find time for PTA meetings and ballet classes!

Everyone has different priorities and you just have to find a balance that’s right for you and your family. What suits you won’t necessarily be right for someone else. Just do all the things you feel are most important at the time and try not to stress about the rest – you’ll get to it eventually!

To order bespoke, hand-made jewellery contact Kirstin on: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call on: 07894 761298

To see the full FingerPrint Jewellery range visit www.fingerprint-jewellery.co.uk