WHEN I HAD young kids, I decided to take a career break. I was managing a multimedia company called Martello Media, which made bespoke training videos for corporates, at the time.
This was the early 2000s and I felt I was juggling too much. I thought for a while I might be able to manage my kids and the job, but it wasn’t working. I wasn’t able to give my all to either role, and I don’t envy women who try.
I was at a networking event for women recently and there were four speakers. It was all about trying to get women top jobs. The ironic thing was some of the speakers calling for women to get these top jobs didn’t have children.
One was pregnant with her first child and another had no children, and the latter said she had her mother helping her full-time and referred to her at the event as “her wife”.
I felt their perspective is skewed. I couldn’t relate to any of them because they don’t know what it’s like to juggle.
The message at the event was you either have family that are there to help you day in, day out, or employ a nanny full-time. But not everyone wants to have a nanny raising their kids.
I wanted to raise my kids myself, to be there when they were sick and not put them in a creche for the entire day.
Career break
It was a very difficult decision to take a career break. I had worked in some shape or form since I was 17 and maybe was a bit career-obsessed.
When you embark on raising a family you have no idea until you are in the middle of it how difficult it is going to be.
But that’s the decision I made. I’m very glad I did it and got my kids to a stage where they are much more independent. That’s when I started thinking about going back into the workplace or starting up my own business.
I didn’t really want to go back to the working life at all, I had a great life raising my kids, having coffee mornings with my friends and playing tennis.
There was no real eureka moment for the business I set up, Simply Natural, which sells organic hair and therapeutic products.
I just remember I was colouring my hair regularly started looking into the products I was using and learned more about all the harmful chemicals in them.
It made me go out and search for a better brand. Eventually I found a brand I loved called Naturigin and started a conversation with the owners.
They spent about six months trying to persuade me to be their agent in Ireland. I felt I only knew as much as the next woman, but they felt I was more knowledgeable because of my research.
Now looking back, I see what they mean, not every woman looks into what type of hair dye they are using and what chemicals are involved.
Back in business
Nothing specifically convinced me to leave my new life behind – the owners of the Naturigin brand who wanted me on board were just persistent. And the more I thought of it, the more the project sounded interesting as organic hair dyes weren’t really being sold in Ireland.
I started out small by approaching a few pharmacies, and women in the shops seemed interested in the differences between what I was selling compared to the current brands on the market.
It was a slow process. I didn’t go full-time into the job at first but I now work four days a week as my kids are older.
When I came back, I found the world of work had changed a lot – I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. If I could go back, I would advise myself to speak with other working women who run companies before jumping in.
My friends would say, “You must be thrilled doing it all.” But the answer is, “Yes, but it is hard work.”
But to be fair to myself, I started it in a really bad recession. Sometimes I get asked why that didn’t put me off starting the business. But I suppose because I didn’t have huge expectations, it didn’t seem like a huge risk.
I was selling something very unique, and I think it took off because pharmacies were looking for something different. Pharmacies are very business-minded, they want new products on the shelves to keep customers interested just like any business would.
Starting out
I hadn’t planned to do €1 million in turnover in my first year, I just wanted to launch it slowly.
It was just me in the business for the first six or eight months and then I took on a few people. But that sharp growth in the first year would have been too tough to maintain, although our growth is still about 30% per annum.
We’ve grown the team in that time too. There are now five of us in the office and one more person on the road.
And now we’re distributing a range of sleeves, braces and socks called Incrediwear, as well as starting work with another brand – so we’re growing all the time.
It’s a lot to juggle. I wouldn’t say I’m not enjoying it now, I’m just honest with myself that it’s a tough job. Looking back, if I was doing something like this again I would be much more cautious. But I’m sure most business people say that.
I heard a very successful business person being interviewed before, and he was asked to give some tips to people starting out in business.
I remember what he said because it really resonated with me. He said, “There is a lot to be said for being an employee”.
You get home at a reasonable hour, you have a life and are not stressing about paying everybody every month. People might have other stresses of course, but having people’s livelihood on your shoulders is a big weight.
It was still eye-opening to me and I came from running a business before. I managed a team of 20, but I didn’t start that up or own it, so it was different.
Landmark moments
One of the biggest problems I’ve had in the business has been not having time for myself. My family would come first, career next, then maybe my home – and then you come a very, very poor last. That means you have very little time for yourself.
I’ve had to give up a few things in my life – like I would love to see my friends and family more often, but it’s not always possible.
That sort of problem creeps in and you don’t even notice. You might think of a friend and then think you haven’t seen them in ages. Then it takes a huge effort to free up time to see them.
But I’ve been lucky. My friends and family are very understanding and realise I work hard. I’m squeezed all the time and you can’t change it.
There was a great book written by Nicola Horlick about women in business and having it all. She broke through the glass ceiling and was very high up in the banking industry in the UK.
She was managing the job and her family through it all and burned out. It was interesting to read about how she tried to do it all and ended up getting very sick.
I try not to go down that road by doing a bit of yoga, which I’ve found really helpful for giving me some time to myself.
Be realistic
I think people have a romantic view of what it’s like to run a business, but they need to be realistic. Running any business is tough, and you need to know that going in or you probably won’t last.
And people need to realise in the product business, you need to sell a staggering amount to make decent money. That is very hard with Ireland’s small population, so think beyond your corner of the world from the very outset.
When people do see those successful businesses and fancy having a go, they don’t necessarily see the sacrifices that are made to make it happen.
A lot of stuff goes by the wayside when you set up a business. You can’t stop that from happening, you just need to learn to deal with it. That’s the key to success.
Catriona Coyle is managing director of Simply Natural and Irish distributor of Incrediwear. This article was written in conversation with Killian Woods as part of a series on unlikely entrepreneurs.
Written by Catriona Coyle and posted on Fora.ie
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say