Mum’s the word in this office
Flirted with getting a job
Business consultant Angela Beatson meets plenty of women just like her. She believes Tauranga women are creating their own incomes because of a lack of jobs and creative industry in the city.
There’s not enough businesses helping these women. I think there’s probably a lot of women like myself, who are mums with a couple of kids. They probably had very successful jobs before they moved here, so they have gone ‘let’s try it’.
“People think, what have I got to lose? I can’t get a job, I don’t want to work in retail or at the bank or at the port or council, so what do I really want to do?”
Angela had always been an entrepreneur, and owned a recruitment agency in Auckland.
After moving to Tauranga and selling up, she briefly flirted with getting a job, but lasted just four weeks before deciding she was better off on her own.
As mum to Taylor, 7, and Kaia, 5, there are huge advantages to being her own boss.
“If they have something on and I want to be there, I can.
“If they are sick, I can just stop and look after my babies. I don’t leave my clients in the lurch, but I work out what is there that needs to be done today.”
Sick leave is a big issue for working mums in conventional jobs, says Angela. “I watch the stress that comes on my friends who are employed, and get five sick days a year and four weeks’ annual leave.”
Angela is also a director of RPMs, a business she runs with husband Nelson. The couple juggle childcare between them, with Angela packing as much as she can into the time the girls are at school. She also works weekends and nights.
There are other challenges: money can be an issue, and the couple recently sold their house to get rid of the high overhead of a mortgage.
“There’s a huge amount of freedom, but there’s no security and consistency with your finances. You never know what you are going to bring in and how or when. That can be really hard.”
Working from home also means it’s difficult to escape your work. But all things considered, being a mumpreneur is the best thing for this businesswoman.
“Owning your own business feels like you are living, you are making your own choices.”
