Women’s Month Mompreneur #25 – Carly Crawford – Blogger & Social Media Mentor

In light of August being Women’s Month, I thought it would be the perfect time to promote some hard working mums. You could find the service provider you were looking for or be inspired to take that leap you’ve been dreaming of.

Q&A WITH CARLY

1. Tell me a little about yourself without including details of your family and work (it’s tough I know)

I am a …

determined and driven person. I enjoy learning and travelling. I love a challenge and figuring things out for myself. I do not like to be told what I cannot do, to me this is another challenge. I like to understand and work things out. I consider myself to be a good judge of character. I enjoy trying to mentor and help other people with their creative space and entrepreneurial aspirations, especially within the blogging space.

2. How many kids do you have and what are their ages?

I have two little girls (hence the blog name), they are 7 and 5 years old.  I also have a step-daughter who is nearly 15 years old and recently came to live with us.

3. What is your side hustle? And when did you start?

I started a freelance business back in October last year. I am an editor, social media mentor, content creator and social media manager. I can provide website, blog and social media audits for all shapes and sizes of business and online accounts. I offer a coaching and mentoring service for my clients, which is aimed at helping them to achieve their goals. So, the side hustle has created another avenue of life for me, that of coaching and organising others. Who knew a background as an Executive Assistant/PA would help in what I love to do now.

4. What did you do before starting your own business AND what made you leave?

I was a Domestic Engineer (aka – Stay-At-Home-Mom). When my girls started school full time, I started a blog. That introduced me to the world of social media where I discovered that I could combine my love for words, with creativity. Blogging itself forced me to learn new skills. I also love to share knowledge and so I decided that the best way to do that was to start my consultancy business.

5. How do you allocate your time between work and family? 

I’m not very good at this. I don’t practice what I preach, but I try to keep my working hours to when the girls are at school or when the family are asleep. I work quite late into the evenings and even early mornings when necessary. I love what I do and the juggle between family and work will always be there. When your family supports your dreams and goals it makes it that much easier to succeed.

6. What have been the hardships of running your own business?

Time. I don’t think I ever have enough of it. I run my own business and my blog is an extension of that so making sure that I do not forget myself in the mix can be a struggle. Never mind the family and home life.

I also struggle with self confidence and anxiety issues. Although I’m getting better with that.

The biggest hurdle recently though has been our relocation journey to the UK. Thank goodness I have chosen a business that I can do remotely from anywhere in the world thanks to modern technology. I am grateful to still be able to support my existing clients from here in the UK where I have been for the past two months now.

7. What have been the highlights?

Seeing my clients happy with my work and their growth. My highlights would have to be that I am able to give direction and guidance to my clients and by coaching them in their social media I have become a life coach to support them in where they are taking their businesses which is rewarding.

8. What advice do you have for other women who are on the cusp of taking the leap into entrepreneurship?

Be brave. If you don’t try, you will always regret it. Self-love is important. You are just as important as the rest of your family and if you take yourself seriously then everyone else will begin to take you more seriously.

9. How can we get in touch with you?

Blue Media Edit: http://www.bluemediaedit.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluemediaedit/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluemediaedit/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/media_edit

Email: info@bluemediaedit.com

Blog: Mom Of Two Little Girls: http://momoftwolittlegirls.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momoftwolittlegirls/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momoftwolittlegirls/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/momof2lgs

Email: momof2littlegirls@gmail.com

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Carly is a very good friend of mine and one of the hardest working bloggers I know. She was the first South African blogger I came across and is always willing to help or advise anyone who asks. If you are looking for a social media mentor I cannot recommend her highly enough.