A lot of women find themselves in toxic, vulnerable and sometimes downright dangerous situations at one time or another in their lives. Workplace bullying, discrimination, domestic violence, inequality in their home and that's just to name just a few.
I found myself stuck in a lot of these situations in a way I had never really seen before once i got pregnant. The workplace became increasingly toxic for me and just for worse when I tried to return from maternity leave. I had been with the same employer for over 15 years but once I went part time, tried to explain my struggles with birth trauma and postnatal depression, low wages that barely made it worth it with big childcare bills and the battle of what to do when my baby was ill left me drowning. I felt like a crappy employee and a crappy mum. Life wasn't working.
I moved into business and was able to take control of what my life looked like. Suddenly it wasn't about the confines of what male managers thought I could or should be doing, or the sly comments about changes now I was a mum. No one really cared about that in business. Now it was about customer service, networking, using my go getting attitude. The results spoke for themselves and my business grew and grew. I left my crappy job for good. Goodbye toxic workplace! When I announced my business had enabled me to quit my job, it was incredible the number of women (particularly front key worker roles) who reached out and shared their stories of using their business to leave equally toxic workplaces. What a shame for the workforce that they were missing out on all these incredible women that they had written off but it was clear that business was an equaliser. A very real route of a toxic workplace.
My story didn't stop there and I found that women were using business to provide the safety net that life wasn't for them, enabling me and others to leave a range of toxic situations.
Next up was my toxic marriage. Now with a little one and as my marriage became an increasingly restrictive place to be, I needed it to offer a safety net again. Could I take it from just a full time job to a full time solo household income? Well the best thing about business is that we as business owners are in control. Unfortunately and like many women leaving toxic situations, I didn't have quite as long as I thought I did but there my business was again, now with a team of supportive trainers to cover classes when times got tough. My business was my safety net.
Top tips for creating a safety net with your business
- Don't downplay your business. Women often talk about their 'little business' or try to weave it around every other commitment in their life but business should be up there with your priorities. You have to take your business seriously for it to work for you.
- Remember that it takes a village both in and out of your business. Build a village of support around you. Networking is a great tool for this in business. When you need to up cash flow with no marketing budget, get businesses you collab with to give you a share on socials. Don't be shy! Get yourself out there.
- Choose good business models, diversify and think about multiple streams of income. Your time is valuable, dont undersell it. I choose a business that had a good hourly rate and have worked to create other services like coaching to work alongside it.
- Bulldoze barriers. People will try to put you down, they'll be days the kids are sick and times you're shattered but don't let anything stand in your way. Build your self confidence, your village, your resources and abilities. Yes there may be the odd thing that needs to shift because someone is 'proper poorly' but if I want my business to be my safety net then I need to be prepared to work at it as more than a hobby.
I believe that business and self employment can be an equaliser, a safety net and a way out of crappy situations if you're willing to build the infrastructure to create positivity, wealth and a path to happiness in your life.
