Mums in Business Association (MIBA).  Total bunch of mothers (said with the greatest of affection).

They also happen to be a bunch who welcomed me as a guest speaker at one of the many monthly MIBA events going on across the UK and beyond, and it’s with so much warmth that I say what an honour it was to be the featured speaker at the Lancashire and North Manchester branch of MIBA at their November event.  Heather, the group’s Co-ordinator, was as warm and welcoming on the day as she had been in the weeks that led up to the event, where she had shown genuine interest in what I do as a writer of stuff, and took it upon herself to talk in her group video posts about the importance of writing as a crucial form of communication with existing and potential clients for fellow mums running their own businesses.  Heather even supported me by shoving me out of my comfort zone in asking me to do a Facebook Live as a teaser for my talk in the days leading up to the event.  As business people, how important is it that you have someone there every now and then who challenges you or gives you that shove? Thanks Heather.

I think I’ve probably fed into some of my blogs from this time last year that, for many reasons, I didn’t find becoming a mum incredibly easy when my daughter, Lily, was born in September 2017.  One of the things I most struggled with, was the fact that this ‘sisterhood of mothers’ that everyone harped on about in relation to when you have a child, was a bit of a bloody letdown in terms of giving me support, and in some cases, ended up being a direct contributor towards how I rubbish I was feeling about myself, my ability, and my future.  Put this together with the fact that my experience of business networking groups still weighs more heavily in the ‘not a fan’ camp, and the prospect of attending a networking event filled purely with mothers really wasn’t drawing me in.

Having said all this, every now and then, I like to be proved wrong. This occasion did not disappoint.

My purpose at the event wasn’t to promote myself or my business. I don’t actually like to do that in any of my speaking ventures. Instead, I prefer to use the spotlight and allocated time to give as much tailored and relevant advice to my target group as possible, so that they can perhaps feel inspired and even empowered to go away and make additions or changes to the way in which they construct, use and present their own written communications in their business.  On this particular occasion, I based my talk around the piece I blogged about on here a few months ago, relating to the time when I got an email from my daughter’s nursery during her settling in session.  I thought that would be pretty appropriate, given the whole premise of the group! You can read that blog here: Mother of all Business Lessons.

As with absolutely any networking group situation, I have no idea if any of the members of MIBA will ever need or want to enlist the services of a professional ‘writer of stuff’ such as myself, but I was delighted that the ladies I presented to asked questions, shared experiences, and told me with excitement how they’d taken some useful bits and pieces from what I’d shared that could potentially have some impact on the way in which they communicate with their customers and clients.  This, along with the messages of thanks and praise as the meeting wrapped up, and the positive posts in the online group that followed later that evening, was a fantastic boost for me personally as well as professionally, as it reminded me that, even in an informal group, I could have an impact.

Just as a side note, next Friday I am indeed doing some work with a fellow mum from the MIBA group, as she has hired me to provide all of the copy for her new website for her venture.  Randomly enough, she wasn’t even at the event to hear me speak! Sometimes, the encouraging and supportive words of your peers, made public in a forum, are enough to show others that you’re pretty damn good at what you do – and at being you.

Thank you, ladies. You’re doing a wonderful job, on so many levels.

I still don’t love networking, though. And remember – I have rules…

Rules for inviting me to your networking event