Funky Angel - a story of a single mum, a home business, and the start of a community...

by Claire Burdett
(Newbury, Berkshire, UK)

I'm a writer and in 2003 I launched Funky Angel, the website for UK WAHs (work from home mums...and dads...and grandmas and grandads...and kids!!!), business mums, home workers, and anyone else who are working around the kids and other family commitments, hence "website for the 21st century family".

On Being a Writer

When I was little I dreamt of being a writer. I wrote my first book at six and I had my first pay check from a publication the same year (only a £1 book voucher, but a girl has to start somewhere!).

I edited school magazines, and was involved in television, magazines and radio at university. I had a lot of my work published in print, and then on the web (see my portfolio). After leaving university I worked in medical advertising and then medical publishing as an editor, and then worked as a lifestyle, health and food writer and editor in publishing, first books (huge books, such as 'Woman's Body' for Dorling Kindersley, and the chart-topping Dr Miriam Stoppard's 'Conception, Pregnancy and Birth) and magazines, and then electronic (CD-roms and internet) for many years, and then moved back into marketing and advertising as a copywriter and marketeer.

I now work from home as a feature writer, journalist, writer and editor, raise my kids as a hands-on parent, and run my business. As part of that I do interviews with people from all walks of life, write features, articles and books, help people with their blogs and websites, and have started to offer a mentoring service that helps people who want to start a successful business from home. This draws on my whole experience and it encapsulates the whole shebang, from identifying what would be your ideal business through to setting it up, branding it, making money from the very beginning, keeping focused, how to outsource, customer services, order fulfillment and how it balances with the rest of your life.

On life

Meanwhile, life has continued apace…
I had two girls in the mid 90s. I enjoyed much career success and many adventures, got divorced and trained as a life coach, wrote some books, and seeing there was a gap in the market for a family-orientated business site that acknowledged that being a mother and running a business wasn't mutually exclusive, launched Funky Angel in 2003. My dream was to offer the resources working mothers and fathers need for all the areas of their lives in one place so they didn't have to work so hard to find it. To make life easier, in fact.

On Funky Angel

I believe in a whole life approach to business, concentrating on the achieving the best life/family/work balance we can, with an emphasis on building networks and relationships as well as making money. I don't think that there should be any prescribed notion of what families do or don't do, how they are structured, or whom you call family. If it works for you, I’m happy; if it doesn't, I'm committed to giving you the resources you need to change that.

I also think every child has the right to be have a 'good enough' parent on hand when they need it, and that every parent has the right to have the time and energy to raise their child in the way they want to while still having enough money to live on. I also believe people should have the opportunity to use their skills and intellect in a way that is best for them and their family, whether that is part time, home working, franchising, party planning, what ever works for you.

I also don't believe the propaganda that the modern family is failing, and I certainly don't subscribe to the nonsense that mothers are always to blame when things go wrong! I actually think the modern family is doing just great and that parents have never done a better job, but could just do with a little support and assistance from time to time.

On my life

I am a single mum, and I earn more than enough for us to live on. I have a wonderful relationship with my partner of 7 years but he doesn’t live with us as he works from home too and has teenagers of his own, so living separately suits us – that’s another aspect of 21st century families, the semi detached relationship! My children are doing really well at school, top of their game with regular awards and commendations. People think they are lovely and regularly ask for the pleasure of their company. And both of them are happy. This last makes me perhaps the happiest of all!

Claire Burdett

funkyangel.co.uk
...everything work from home mums (and dads) need, bar the kitchen sink!