Scotmum is proud to support working mums and is keen to bring you a different, insiprational mum on a regular basis so that you can see how they manage to attain that elusive work/life balance. This week, Scotmum interviews Kim Johnson, 42. Kim lives in Todwick, Yorkshire with husband, Sean, their 6 year old daughter, Aimee and dog, JJ.
What is your profession and how many hours per week do you work?I am Sales & Marketing Director (and founder) of Little Helper. I work flexi-time to ensure that our daughter is picked up from school 4 days out of every 5. I work around 35 hours a week but sometimes I am found with a laptop on my knee when Aimee has gone to bed.
Could you describe a typical day in your life?
I get up at 7.30am – rush around feeding the dog, get Aimee to eat her breakfast, get her dressed (always a challenge and usually with me repeating myself half a dozen times), doing Aimee’s pack-up for lunch and then rushing out to drop Aimee at school before getting to work at around 9.30am where I can breathe and have my first and much needed cup of coffee of the day.
I don’t have a typical day at work as every day is different, which I love, but it is usually based at my computer whilst I am at work. This involves writing articles, designing leaflets, answering internet queries and liaising with retailers whom I deal with. I thrive on the variety and the fact that every day is different, it keeps work exciting! If I am out of the office it is generally meeting retailers.
4 days a week I pick my daughter up from school and I am usually running out of the office door late, go and pick the puppy up and walk down to school. Then it’s back home, feeding Aimee (and the puppy) which I always try and make as nutritious as possible, tidying the house, playing with Aimee and then preparing dinner. Sometimes my husband (who also works at Little Helper) swaps with me so that one of us is generally always there for Aimee at 3.15pm at the school gates.
Evenings can be either relaxing or working depending on the workload.
What do you feel are the pros and cons of being a working mother?
Pros – for me it is keeping the grey matter working and I enjoy my job. I didn’t work for the first 3 years of Aimee’s life and to be honest, I needed to be doing something other than being just a mum. I know this is not very PC but I enjoy the balance of working and being a mum. I like working with like minded people and being me, not just a mum. What’s more, I make sure the time I spend with Aimee is fun, productive and enjoyable. I love spending time with my daughter, enjoying her company and laughing together.
The cons are that I don’t get to see my mum friends who meet for coffee and lunch which now and again I would enjoy. Also sometimes it is difficult getting everything done. I feel like I am on a rollercoaster and sometimes want to get off as it is always busy, busy, busy.
Overall the pros far outweigh the cons, and I think Aimee really benefits from having a happy, healthy and motivated mum.
Why did you decide to branch out and work for yourself?
The whole reason for me setting up my own business was so that I could be there for my daughter at the school gates at the end of the day and at all school plays and events etc. For example, this week, we have been asked to go in and read (National Reading Week) one afternoon and cook with our children for one hour on Friday. I can do this because I am my own boss and I love that, and so does Aimee!
Also, I set up Little Helper through a desire to give my daughter Aimee a healthy start in life. When Aimee started to walk she constantly wanted to be up at my level at the kitchen worktops to see what was going on. There was nothing available to elevate her safely and so, the FunPod was born - a height adjustable safety platform elevating toddlers and children up to six-years-old to kitchen worktop height to help, interact and play with their parents.
We are now a team of 5 at Little Helper and the company continues to do well. I have no regrets, being my own boss is the best decision I ever made.
What are your childcare arrangements?
Once or twice a week Aimee goes to breakfast club from 8am. This is ideal as it is in the school grounds and she goes with her best friend. She gets fed there so it’s up and out on these mornings, which is great as it gives her some play time before school whilst giving me the much needed extra hour in the morning at work.
One day a week she goes to after school club, which is at the same place as breakfast club. She does arts and crafts with her best friends and gets a lot from the club.
What would be your top tip for working mums in order to cope with the demands of their day to day lives?
It’s all about balance and for me; with a daughter at school, breakfast club is fantastic. I am always at your best in a morning so for me to get to work at 8am is great. In that hour before everyone else starts, I get an awful lot of work done. This means that I get to work every day for about 7 hours and then can go and pick Aimee up at 3.15pm,
I also have a cleaner who also does the ironing. I always said that if I worked full time, I would not spend the weekend doing household chores. I wanted the weekends for Aimee. I know that not everyone can afford this but it makes life so much easier. Don’t get me wrong – I am still running round tidying and hovering but the cleaning and ironing is done with some hired help!
Little Helper is the company behind the multi-award winning FunPod, a unique kitchen gadget that allows children to safely reach the kitchen worktop and interact, learn and play with their parents. The FunPod has been heralded by safety organisations and health professionals as highly socially responsible and is an important tool in fighting childhood obesity. Kim also regularly attends obesity forums at Westminster and has worked with one of the leading Professors of Childhood Obesity, Professor Paul Gately of Leeds Metropolitan University.
For more details on the FunPod visit www.littlehelper.co.uk.
