Starting a business around family life can feel like the dream. Flexible, fulfilling, and something of your own.
But for many women in business, there’s a part no one really talks about- the isolation.
At Freelance Mum, we hear this time and time again. And it’s exactly why the community was created in the first place.
The reality behind flexible working
Flexible work offers so much.
- Freedom around your family
- The ability to build something of your own
- A working life that fits around motherhood
But alongside that flexibility often comes something unexpected.
The quiet.
The second guessing.
Wondering if you’re getting it right, with no one to ask.
When you’re working for yourself, you’re also working by yourself.
The idea that started it all
Freelance Mum began with a simple thought:
“I can’t be the only woman in business feeling like this.”
There I was, nearly 12 years ago – a mum with two young children, struggling to juggle it all. On one hand, pleased I had chosen to be self-employed and run my life around family. On the other, desperately missing conversation, with people who understood.
Ironically, I thought it would change when the girls went to school. As if someone would wave a magic wand and the juggle would stop. How little I knew! It just becomes a different set of balls.
My girls are now teenagers, and I know now, it’s just ‘ages & stages’.
Choosing to build a business around motherhood is empowering.
But it can also feel isolating without the right support around you.
That feeling- of missing connection, became the starting point for something bigger.
From one netwalk to a national community
It began with a simple netwalk in Bristol nearly 12 years ago.
A group of women coming together to walk, talk, and share their experiences.
Nothing formal. Nothing complicated.
Just connection. Conversation, with people on ‘the same page as you’, not having to explain yourself, just knowing they get it.
What started as a single netwalk in Bristol has grown into a community of women across the UK- from local walks in hubs, to coming together at larger gatherings like our Mega Meet Up. Not to mention the convenience of the Digital Hub.
Shared spaces, with people who ‘get it’.
A moment that says it all
I was only talking to a member today, who said she’d got fed up going to networking events and not seeing anyone else who looked like her.
No one who understood her world.
No one who shared the same juggle.
And that’s exactly what Freelance Mum is all about.
Creating a space where women feel seen.
Where they don’t have to explain themselves.
Where they can show up as they are, in business and in motherhood. Being able to turn up, whichever version of yourself you are that day and knowing no one thinks you’re any less professional for it.
Why community changes everything
When you’re surrounded by people who understand your world, everything shifts.
You can:
- Share the ideas in your head
- Talk through challenges openly
- Gain perspective from others on a similar journey
- Build confidence in your decisions
As one member shared:
“I needed to be surrounded by other women who got the juggle of motherhood and business and that is exactly what Freelance Mum offers.”
Because when you’re in a space where people truly get it, you don’t have to carry everything on your own.
More than networking
Freelance Mum is about more than networking.
It’s about creating:
- Real connection
- Ongoing support
- A space where you feel understood
Because meaningful networking isn’t just about exchanging contacts.
It’s about building relationships that support you and your business long-term.
A space where you don’t have to do it alone
One of the things members value most is the sense of belonging.
A space where you can show up as yourself- whether you’re having a great week or a challenging one.
A space where people get it.
Because running a business around family life is unique.
And having people around you who understand that makes all the difference.
Building a business around motherhood offers flexibility and freedom, but it can also feel isolating.
Finding the right community brings connection, confidence, and support and transforms the experience of working for yourself.
If you’ve been doing business on your own, you don’t have to. Find out more about Freelance Mum and discover a supportive community of women in business here.
