Eve Bell, Founder of Baba and Boo

I run a business called Baba+Boo, which is a planet-friendly baby store specialising in reusable nappies. I’ve been doing it almost 9 years and I absolutely love it. It has given me a challenge and a creative outlet outside of being a mum of two. I am also currently working on a campaign called Time For A Change to make reusables the new normal.

Not really. There are so many mums running businesses now instead of going back to work. There is not as much flexibility as there needs to be when mums return to work or in the workplace in general. So more and more mums are finding ways to stay home and earn money too. People are more surprised and interested in what I do. Reusable nappies are becoming so popular due to the awareness of single-use plastic and I love telling people about what I do to help combat the huge issue of waste caused by single-use nappies.

It’s the juggling. Which all mums face whether they work at home or go out to work. It’s really hard to switch off when you are running a business. I do long for a holiday where I can put an out of office on and switch my phone off. But in the grand scheme of things, it is a small price to pay in comparison to the advantages of running my own business and being able to do the school runs every day.

I relished being a mum with my first born. He brought me out of my shell and I loved being in our own bubble for the first year. It was when my daughter was born, when he was 15 months old, that I realised I needed more than CBeebies and being at home. I started my business when she was 9 weeks old. And while it was hard, it kept me sane. At naptimes, I had something for me that was challenging and also using my brain.

Mainly work! Any free time after school or when the kids have gone to bed, I am usually catching up with emails and chatting with customers on social media. If I get any time outside of that, I love to read and I like photography. I also like keeping fit and love my classes. I love the challenge and how they keep me mentally strong.

As all things, it will pass. Tomorrow is another day. I always try and start each day with a positive mindset. When my kids were really small and every day was hard, I would wake up and say ‘ today will be a good day’. It really helped. And try and get out of the house if you can and meet other mums. In the early days of being a mum, it is just best to live day by day and don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t get a quarter done of what you wanted to.

There is always a way to create the life you want. I see mums fed up going back to work and being really upset about it. There is so much help out there to find your passion or change direction. You do change when you become a mum and your life before that may not fit. Set some goals, no matter how big or small and they will really help you feel like you are more than a mum and push yourself out of your comfort zone. As the saying goes ‘ a comfort zone is a beautiful place but nothing ever grows there’