Hustle and Juggle With Amanda C Watts
Name:
Amanda C Watts
Website:
http://www.freedompreneurbusinessacademy.com
Email:
amanda@amandacwatts.com
Facebook:
Twitter:
How long have you been doing the Hustle and Juggle?
Since 2009!
What is the Juggle to your Hustle?
Ha! 2 Children who act like grown ups, one husband who acts like a child.
Tell me more about your business?
I run a business training academy which is called the FreedomPreneur Business Academy. It was created to show people how to have a business and live a life of freedom… Kinda ironic for this blog as its all about the juggle! 😉
What is your Hustle and Juggle story?
I think that my life is one long Justle™. I set up my business in 2009 whilst living on housing benefit and having a 5 year old and 8 year old. Just like any new business owner I didn’t have a clue what I was doing at the start so thought that hustling & juggling was connecting with a few people on Facebook, going to the gym and finding time to pick the kids up… It wasn’t until 2012 where I decided I actually needed to grow a bloody business that the words Hustle & Juggle really came in to play.
Examples of hustle & juggle from over the years include:
Rubbing darling son’s back as he is being sick whilst on a coaching call with clients…
Having Skype coaching calls with sick down my trousers and still managing to keep a smile on my face even though the smell was unbearable.
Picking children up from school, giving them food to keep them quiet and shutting them in their bedrooms telling them not to make a sound because I had important client coming over for a meeting.
Odd shoes being worn out rushing to get kids from school after calls and me not noticing until the kids comment.
Daughter being sick on the side of the road as I am walking her to school, so she spends all day at home playing Simms as I have client calls.
Husband (and co-founder of the business) forgetting to write appointments in my diary so I am double booked on a regular basis, having to juggle my diary and keep calm and smiling.
Child coming home sick from school, so online meetings are cut short, child is picked up, then jumping 5 mins later back onto the meeting as if nothing has happened…
Coaching calls being held via phone whilst taking son to orthodontist and then him getting car sick, throwing up, cleaning teeth, going to have braces refitted and then jumping back in the car for coaching call, all in the space of 30 minutes!
Gosh the list is endless…
I would say that since 2009 my life has been one great big juggle of kids being sick and me trying to make sure my clients were not aware of the fact that the children were in the room next door throwing up as I am speaking to them!
Then you have the school plays fitting around work, the packed lunches that are bought in Morrison’s seconds before school starts because I have forgotten to buy food, the children having no clean school clothes so I quickly wash and dry with a hairdryer hoping they wont catch pneumonia, Annabelle having to wear Joshua’s clothes because I have forgotten to get her an outfit for her school trip (or sometimes she has worn mine in emergencies!)
Text messages to other mums most mornings asking them what was needed for school that day… As I said the list is endless… but the children are generally healthy, they go to bed every night on time and have only had Weetabix for dinner a few times as I have been too busy and forgot to buy food!
On the plus side, until now my clients never knew. The children understand running a business is all about the hustle & juggle, and if they get a hot meal at dinner time they think it’s a good day! But in all honesty I would never change it. It’s why I set up the business, so I could get the opportunity to hustle & juggle and not just leave for work at 7am every morning and come home at 7pm at night. I am so grateful to have the minor stress, and to have a life of freedom.
What’s your message to anyone reading this to inspire them to keep going?
My message is simple… we are not at war, we do not have an awful life, times are not bad. We are living in an amazing era that allows us to have opportunities to hustle and juggle. Be thankful that actually all we really need to do is play taxi for the family, write a few blogs, have a few conversations and help people live better lives. Keep going, we are lucky to have such simple struggles.
If like Amanda you are Hustling & Juggling and would like to share your story with others please find out how you can do so here. I would love to hear from you.
Lastly if you are ever feeling like giving up please remember Amanda’s advice – We are living in an amazing era that allows us to have opportunities to hustle and juggle. Be thankful.
Love, Dee
xx
