Hi Everyone,
I hope you’ve all had a wonderful bank holiday weekend, and welcome to another Working Mum Series interview. This one is with Rachel Coyle – founder of Rosie and Lula, and mum to two gorgeous girls. If you haven’t come across it yet, Rosie and Lula is a relatively new, online, baby and children’s clothing website. And what a website it is. With so many coveted brands under one roof, it’s hard to avoid buying something. There are some really gorgeous pieces for summer, a lot of which have ‘accidentally’ been purchased for my daughter already – especially the Louise Misha pieces (so beautiful and one of my favourite brands!).
I hope you enjoy Rachel’s interview as much as I have. She really sheds some light on what it’s like to run your own business as a mum, and have that sense of ‘never being able to switch off’. It’s hard enough being a mum anyway, but running your own business on top, and successfully, is no mean feat. Congratulations Rachel on a fabulous site and gorgeous clothing collection.
Lisa
xoxo
Cityrunmum talks to Rachel Coyle
Rosie and Lula website www.rosieandlula.com
Instagram @Rosieandlula
1.Please introduce yourself – what is your job, how many children you have, where you are from etc
Hi, I am Rachael, I have two girls Rosie and Lula, Rosie is 3 and Lula is 1. They are always up for fun and laughter and make our house a very happy place to be!
2. How many days/hours a week do you work?
I was a full time Mummy before I started up the website which is hard work in itself… but now I feel I have combined my love of fashion with both my knowledge of baby/toddler wear and my business skills to set up rosieandlula.com, which essentially means it doesn’t feel like ‘work’ to me. I will admit I put pressure on myself and it isn’t always easy to find the time to do all that I want to do, but I am absolutely loving it. The website for me is a full time commitment and I am often on my laptop in the evenings when the girls are in bed.
3. Describe a typical working day in your household (i.e. morning routines with nursery/school drop offs to evening)
Our alarm clock is, and always has been Rosie! Most days at 5.30 on the dot she is ‘finished with her sleep’ (in her words!). Myself or my husband have our gym training sessions early in the mornings so usually one of us are up to do that anyway! The girls will have their breakfast and then Rosie goes to Pre-School for 9.15 after several debates about which shoes and jacket she will wear. I am incredibly lucky to have help from my Mum a few days a week. I do my best to balance my time spent with Lula whilst Rosie is at nursery, my time spent with both girls together and time for the website. It’s currently a mixture of sitting at my desk, attending meetings with Brands, PR events, attending trade shows and not forgetting my daily trips to the Post Office. The girls are usually both asleep by 7.30 which is time for my G&T! I spend a couple of hours in the evenings working but try to limit this only to during the week.
4. How do you balance working life with motherhood? And what/who do you rely on to make it work
I think this applies to motherhood in general but I think that balancing work life with motherhood really means that certain things have to give. It means the routine won’t always be the same, the house won’t always look immaculate and you have to give yourself a reality check every so often to remind yourself that you can not do everything and the most important thing is the happiness of your children. I am so lucky to have so much help from my family and my husbands family and my friends. I don’t think I would have been able to set up the business without them as it’s their support both physically and emotionally that keeps me going!
5. What is the best thing about being a working mum?
The best thing about being a working mum for me is that I absolutely love what I do, and I get to see the girls too. I like to chat to Rosie about the website. She knows that I have a ‘shop’ and she knows the name of it, and I feel proud knowing that she see’s me achieving something like that.
6. And the hardest?
The hardest thing for me is feeling guilty when I am sending an email or having to work when they are in the room meaning I can’t give them my full attention. I have now started to put my phone down a lot more to make sure we have our quality time together.
7. How do you unwind? Balancing motherhood with work can be relentless so what do you do to relax when you’re not at work/with the kid(s)?
Aside from a Spa day, or a day out shopping with no baby bag… relaxing for me is dinner/drinks out with a few friends, time with my family, and just sitting in a quiet room with a coffee and a magazine.
8. What is your proudest mum moment?
My proudest mum moment is witnessing how Rosie and Lula love each other so much and knowing that I have created these two amazing, kind and caring girls.
9. Do you feel that motherhood has changed you, and if so, how?
Motherhood has changed me a lot! I am far more emotional then I have ever been but a lot less sensitive. I am far more confident to express my views and defend my choices as a Mother. I would also say my negotiation skills have taken a turn for the better!
10. What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing working mums at the moment?
The biggest challenges facing working mums which I have witnessed through friends is the rising cost of childcare and whether it is worth it to work particularly when you have more than one child. Another thing that I can relate to is feeling that after you have had children you are slightly ‘out of the loop’ and therefore having a lack of confidence in your own ability.
11. What is your proudest work achievement?
My proudest work achievement has definitely been setting up Rosie and Lula and already seeing it grow in its first 3 months. I love the joy I get whenever I receive an order or even just a message from a happy customer!
12. What does ‘flexible working’ mean to you’?
For me flexible working means doing something that I love and not being too far away from my children. It means that I am able to take a few hours out in an afternoon to take the girls out and then pick up where I left off later in the evening after they have gone to bed. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to work in that way.
13. What are your go to stores/websites/blogs for your working wardrobe, and what are your staple pieces as a working mum?
Now that’s a question which I could answer for hours! I am a big fan of Claudie Pierlot, Zadig & Voltaire, Zara, See by Chloe, Maje, Golden Goose Deluxe Brand and Harris Wharf London. I am a huge lover of trainers and my daily uniform usually consists of high waisted straight leg jeans, a French inspired top, and a pair of trainers from my beloved collection! I get most of my inspiration from Instagram, Pinterest and I love checking out Who What Wear every once in a while.
14. What are your go to stores/websites/blogs for your working wardrobe, and what are your staple pieces as a working mum?
Advice I would give to new working mums like myself would be to not be too hard on yourself, and as I am told every day by my Husband ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’! I would also say that it’s important to be happy in whatever you do as life is too short and children grow up too fast!
