What is Flourish and How Can They Help You?
We offer the services you need to make your business flourish!
As an all-in-one
outsourcing company, we’re dedicated to removing the work that’s taking
away from your business. Whether you need:
- Copy-writing for your landing page, squeeze page or brochure (Website Marketing)
- A new website design or blog design (Graphic Design)
- A press release to announce your latest product or service (Link Building)
- To increase your following on Facebook or Twitter (Social Media Marketing)
- An email newsletter to send out to prospective clients (Email Marketing)
- An assistant to make travel arrangements or book appointments (Virtual Assisting)
- And more…
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This week's Spotlight Mom is Caroline Pigott, the mom entrepreneur behind this amazing business. If you are a busy mom entrepreneur, then you know how time consuming just responding to emails and doing simple data entry is. I find myself spending 1-2 hours a day responding to calls, emails, etc., before I can even tack my to-do list. But, with help from services like Caroline's, I have been able to free up time to tackle more important business related tasks, as well as spend more time with my daughters. So, if you are looking for a way to relieve some of this unwanted stress out of your day-to-day business, check out Caroline's website, and see how she can help.
But, in the meantime, please enjoy my Spotlight on Mommy interview with her.
Name: Caroline Pigott
Company Name/Product/Service: Flourish – Creative Business Services
Company Location: Toronto-based (serving Canada and the US)
Company Website: www.flourishva.com
Facebook URL: www.facebook.com/flourishva
Twitter Handle: @carolinepigott
Age of Company: 1 year
Favorite Inspirational Quotes: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives” Annie Dillard
Favorite Book: The Room by Emma Donoghue
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How many children do you have? What are their ages? Your hobbies? Etc.
I’m mom to Benjamin, who is 19 months old and am married to the love of my life, Brendan. The three of us love going for walks on the boardwalk and in the parks near our house. I also love reading, watching movies and enjoying a nice big glass of Chardonnay and long chats with good friends.
Briefly explain your business. How did it come about?
Flourish is a creative, business support services firm for busy women entrepreneurs. Prior to launching my business, I was freelance writing for various small businesses as well as working as a contractor in the communications and marketing fields. My experience as both a contractor and freelancer helped me realize how important it is for small businesses to have a reliable professional to turn to when they need help. Many small businesses simply don’t have the resources to hire on staff, yet they require outside help from time to time in order to help them grow. And so, with much thought and preparation, I launched Flourish to help other woman business owners succeed.
What is a typical work day like?
My days start with getting up at 7:30, changing and feeding my son, kissing my husband goodbye as he leaves for work and then driving my son to daycare. He’s in daycare three days a week which is wonderful; he gets to play with his friends and I get the peace and quiet to get a lot of work done! I’m at my computer, coffee in hand, by 10a.m. I spend an hour checking and answering emails and networking on Twitter and Facebook. I then move on to client work until lunch. I spend my afternoons on client work and researching the latest marketing strategies. If my son is in daycare that day, I’ll pick him up at 4p.m. and then I won’t touch the computer until he is in bed after 7p.m. I may work until 10p.m. depending on the projects I have on the go.
What has been a struggle while starting up your company?
I wouldn’t call this a “struggle”, but I certainly am challenged when it comes to numbers. As a creative person, numbers and figures don’t exactly come naturally to me. I have learned to keep every receipt, keep records of income and expenditures, but it wasn’t easy in the beginning. Thankfully, I quickly learned how to overcome this obstacle. I love what I do, I do it well, but at the end of the year I leave the taxes to my accountant!
What did you do in your past work life?
After I graduated from university and obtained a postgraduate certificate in corporate communications, I entered the workforce and for six years worked for companies in the fashion, not-for-profit and financial industries. I worked for and with some amazing people but the working world was a lot different than what I had imagined it to be.
I found myself craving the ability to set my own hours, and give myself more of a challenge. I was also starving for the opportunity to find solutions to problems, utilize my endless creativity and learn new skills that interested me.
To fill the missing void in my professional life, I created a blog in 2008. From there, my calling as a freelance writer blossomed. I have since worked with some great people and businesses and, in turn, discovered and launched my own business!
What have been some of your major successes?
It sounds clichéd, but my main success is being a mom. The love I have for my son is incomparable to everything I have experienced before. Having him in my life grounds me and motivates me to do the best I can. I want nothing less than to be a great role model and, in my opinion, part of being a role model is showing him that following your heart and pursuing your dreams, no matter what they are, is a key ingredient to living a fulfilling, happy life.
What have been some of your major challenges?
I have anxiety, and so getting out there and introducing myself and my business to the world can be a challenge sometimes. Some days I’d rather crawl into a hole than attend that networking event I signed up for! Other days, I feel like I can conquer the world.
On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?
My clients and my family motivate me. There’s nothing better than to finish up a project on a stressful day and read a long thank you email from an appreciative client, receive a big hug from my son and have a meaningful conversation with my husband.
What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?
Having some boundaries between work and home is important, in my opinion. My office is away from the rest of the family, so I can work with no distractions (especially when I need to take an important client call!), and family time has its own special place (evenings and weekends are no work times!)
What is next for your business?
I plan on growing! I tell my clients they can’t do it all and I take my own advice. I work with a graphic designer already who does all of my client websites, logos, etc. and am in the process of hiring someone to help clients with their administrative work. In the future, I plan on adding a copywriter to the team. Eventually, I hope to have a full team of professionals to help my clients build and manage their businesses.
Do you have any advice for other mom entrepreneurs that are starting out and struggling, or are on the fence about starting a business?Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. If you take it one day at a time, even little by little, you will eventually get there. If you sit back and watch life pass you by, that’s exactly what will happen. Also, talk openly about what you’d like to do because you never know who may be able to help you get to where you want to be.
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