Issue 3August 2009
www.homebusinessnetwork.co.uk 9
PrOfiLE :: SkiwEB COmmENT
it’s all downhill for online ski shop motivation
By Emily Hill By rachael ross
A day in the life of Sian Brookes would THERE are days when you just can’t
be an exhausting experience for most get yourself going. Even though the
people. Mother, wife, and owner of office is only 10 steps away it takes
two businesses, Sian regularly works all the effort you have to make it to
up to 16 hours a day – and she claims your desk and start working. Why is
she wouldn’t have it any other way. it there are successful days when you
The main business Sian runs is are super productive and complete an
Skiweb, a retailer of winter sports amazing amount of work? Then all of
accessories and related gift ideas (her a sudden a day will come along and
other business is a building company, no matter what you try to do your
which she runs with her husband). motivation is gone.
The products are sold online and Being able to motivate yourself is
encompass everything from sports vital to successfully working from
gadgets through to novelty gifts. home and being able to find that
When the business first opened motivation again when it seems to
its doors in 2006 it sold only one have gone AWOL is essential. Here
product to the UK market: today are a few of my top motivation tips.
more than 500 products are
available to a UK and US customer
your reasons
base. The rapid growth of the
If your motivation is starting to slip,
business is almost indisputably down
it can be helpful to focus back on
to Sian’s passion for what she does.
the main reasons you have chosen
“Working from home enables me to
to work from home in the first place.
work every hour I need which can
Was it for the flexibility, to reduce
sometimes be all day and night from
stress or a chance to spend more
8am - 12 midnight but without this
time with the family? When you get
facility the business would not have
all caught up in the regular routine
grown so quickly,” she explains.
of a working day, you can end up
Sian makes a lot of her sales via
forgetting the benefits you are aiming
Amazon – both the UK and US sites -
to enjoy. Spend time focusing back
on those benefits and start to feel
inspired again.
❝
I can do everything from
Mentor
home - be a mum and run two Having a mentor or a coach will
businesses, I really enjoy it.
❞
help to prevent you from being
sidetracked from the important
tasks that should be receiving your
after two buyers from the retail giant
attention. You will be able to talk
approached Skiweb at a trade show.
though any business or career
Having a shop front on Amazon is an
issue that is possibly affecting your
enormous benefit to Skiweb because,
motivation, find solutions and then
says Sian: “customers feel safe
put those solutions into action.
buying from Amazon – there’s an
internationally recognised credibility
Peak times
there. But because we actually
We are all more effective at certain
dispatch the products ourselves
times of the day and one of the
we’re able to retain our Amazon
many benefits of working from
customers and encourage them to
home is that you don’t have to stick
buy from us directly next time.”
to the standard 9 to 5. This will
A key part of Sian’s success – aside
allow you to work during your most
from her tireless working schedule –
productive times of the day. Do
is her marketing strategy. She sends
you wake up early full of ideas and
free samples to journalists in order
energy that just needs to be used
to encourage them to write about the
up? Or are you the type of person
products. She also exhibits regularly
that starts slow and feels energized
at trade and consumer shows. Sian is
in the afternoon, until late in the
now exploring digital marketing, and
evening? Make sure to schedule
has just set up a Twitter account.
your tasks for the day according
Skiweb is a success by anyone’s
to your productive times and enjoy
standards. Not only has Sian opened
accomplishing more.
a warehouse in America, she’s also
Set goals
rapidly expanding her product range
If you don’t know where you
and has scooped a British Female
are going, how will you ever be
Innovators and Inventors award
motivated to get there? By setting
along the way. Nevertheless, Sian has this last element is one that Sian will Sian Brookes: working for yourself,” she says. “I’m
goals you are able to keep your
no plans to quit working from home. be looking to remove from her home Downhill all the way. not talking about money, although
motivation high because you know
“I can do everything from home – be in the near future because “there are it’s great when that starts to happen
exactly what you are working
a mum and run two businesses,” she boxes everywhere”. – I mean the self-fulfilment that you
towards and what steps you need to
says. “I really enjoy it.” What does Sian think of life as an get from running your own business
take in order to get there.
Sian’s two employees come to the entrepreneur? “Never, ever would in your own home.”
house to work and all the products I work for anyone else ever again – Recuperate
are dispatched from home – although you don’t get the rewards you get
www.skiweb.uk.com
Not only is making sure you get a
good night’s sleep essential but you
also need to schedule daily breaks so
As an employer, you must assess A risk assessment is an important tool make a number of improvements, you
that you can get away from the desk
and manage health and safety risks - in protecting your workers and your should produce an action plan to deal
for some fresh air and to stretch
whether you are a big business, a small business. It helps you focus on those risks with the most important first. You
n
OW your legs.
business or just a one-person operation. that have the potential to cause harm. should review your assessment on
Accidents and ill health can ruin lives Most of these can be readily controlled by an ongoing basis to make sure that it
Rachael Ross of
PurelyPeppermint.com
d
t
O K
and damage your business. You are not straightforward measures. remains up to date and effective.
is a home and office organising
expected to eliminate all risk, but you Once you have completed the
expert, providing specialist
n
EE
are required to protect people as far as assessment it is important to put your Ceri Henfrey
consultancy services in developing
‘reasonably practicable’. results into practice. If you need to Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank
and introducing an effective home
working environment.
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