(13) Holidays in Somerset

We've come away to Brean for a few days, in lovely Somerset in our caravan. Very unfashionable but we love it. It's brilliant for Chloe who loves being out and about. We're really close to the beach and the weather is glorious, really scorching hot. We've got the poor child slathered in factor 50 suncream, hat, and cossie and still make her sit in the shade but she loves digging holes in the sand.

She particularly likes outdoor bathing....



It's a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks. Kate will manage the business singlehanded while I'm away - she is super efficient and will do a fab job as usual.

Back on the 8th June - might manage a post or two between ice creams.

IWCYC: Claire's testimonials

Hi! 'If we can, you can' here.

We just wanted to share a few comments that have arrived as people have emailed to vote for Claire to win the Challenge:

"I have dealt with Claire on business matters for many months and I have found her very proactive and professional on all occasions. And I have great respect for people that work at two jobs and both successful."

"Claire is professional, approachable, motivated and very business minded, and has been a joy to work with on several projects."

"Claire does a great job. We wish her every success."

"For me AstonMitchell have taken a bit of the stigma out of buying and using male cosmetics. I never would have done it if I had to go to Boots !!!"

"After reading the candidates profiles the one that stood out for me was Claire Mitchells.
This young lady spotted a niche in the market, and is giving it 100%. Shes obviously not the type of person to sit on her backside and expect opportunities to drop in her lap but is willing to work hard for herself and her familys future. What particularly impressed me is the fact that she combines being a mum with running the business; I would imagine this takes a lot of energy and commitment and its nice to see she acknowledges the help of her family, in particular her mum it seems. She's just the type of person this country needs and I would like to wish her every success in the future."

"Claire Mitchell is awesome."

"First rate products at reasonable pricesuser friendly site quick delivery."

"I vote for claire mitchell, because her website and buisness are superb. Products are brilliant and the service is as good as it gets..The passion she has for her buisness, really shows."

"Claire is an outstanding business woman who has managed to achieve the holy grail of running 2 successful businesses while also dedicating time to her family. She is an inspiring role model for those of us who are trying to achieve the same, very difficult, balance and success."

"Claire deserves to win for her drive and enthusiasm alone! Add to that her skilled marketing ability - to spot a growing niche and access it - she would certainly get my vote."

"Claire is an exceptionally impressive and hard working business woman who also has the foresight to turn ideas into money making reality."

"Claire Mitchell is an inspirational personality with fantastic practical knowledge invaluable for business and a seemingly boundless enthusiasm for new ideas and innovative business concepts. We have found her involvement with our business has helped us grow and mature in our outlook and development."

"I vote for Claire Mitchell. Efficient, innovative, driven, communucative and pleasant to deal with. I could go on......"

(10) Back at work

I nearly had a whole day off. I had most of yesterday off and went to the annual Meet (carnival) at Barnard Castle, which was lovely in the gorgeous sunshine. I was supposed to be on BBC Radio Tees this morning but I have a persistent and horrible sounding cough which sounds like a distressed seal, and it wouldn't have made good radio. To cancel a radio appearance is sacriledge for me but needs must, and I had to phone up at 7am to apologise to the rather strict-sounding lady. I'm sure she thought I'd probably overdone the drink on the Bank Holiday and had a hangover but I don't drink - so I hadn't!

I was out seeing one of my lovely 'day job' clients this afternoon, helping them to complete a rather complicated business plan. We got there in the end, it seems to have taken ages, but they're still full of drive and energy to get on and start the business.

I've been writing the copy for my Claire Mitchell Consultancy website which should be up and running soon - i've just been trying to get inspiration but I think I'm about there now.

Just had an email from a customer who wants some brown mascara to thicken his lashes - really tricky for guys as it can look quite obvious so I've asked him lots of questions and hopefully we can help him out. I'm still on a mission to find some GOOD brown mascara for men. It's like a Mission Impossible challenge at the moment.

Right - I'm coughing like a loony again, off to bed!

More soon!

(9) Time for a rest

Last week was fab but very tiring. I'm going to have tomorrow off!

More soon!

(8) Fantastic day yesterday!

I've been to many conferences and corporate dinners in my time and yesterday's Enterpreneurs Forum event was fantastic - the speakers were brilliant and the whole day flowed wonderfully well. There were so many highlights but one which I really loved was Divas Incognito with their totally unexpected singing which started off with one of them pretending to be an outrageously drunk conference delegate intent on embarrassing herself and her companions.... I fell for it hook line and sinker and was amazed when first her colleague, then her and another girl burst into song. Fantastic.

I've organised events - not on that scale, but I know how much work goes into it and I am really impressed with the EF team - what a great job.

Anyway - I didn't network as much as I should have because baby Chloe was up most of the night with a poorly mouth and Calpol just didn't work. Teething is horrible! My inclination was to sneak off to reception, find a comfy sofa and curl up for a long nap but I stuck it out and I'm really glad I did. Every speaker was great, really inspiring and the day flew over. I did manage to catch up with nearly all of my fellow finalists and they were just as inspiring - there are so many really good, really impressive ideas between them and it was really interesting to find out how they came up with the idea and where they're up to. I've made some really good contacts among them and probably some good friends too.

Mum was a star as usual - she looked after Chloe all day and overnight. I stayed at her house to save an even longer drive and shared a bed with baby bear. I'd forgotten how much she wriggles and consequently got very little sleep but then mum stepped in at 6am when she woke up and let me have a lie in. What would I do without her?!

Hubby Mitch is finally back and he's off work on holiday for 2 weeks, which will be lovely. We are going to Somerset on Friday next week and in the meantime I need to cram in lots of work to make sure that everyone is taken care of while I'm away.

Really good meetings this week with Linda Britton of Prink Media and Maureen Stanton of On-net Communications. Really impressive and inspiring ladies!

More soon!

(7) Busy busy busy

Just had my hair cut so that I look vaguely presentable at tomorrow's conference and dinner. Had a great meeting with Linda Britton of Prink Media this morning at an old ladies' coffee shop (!) and we'll be doing some men's make up demonstrations at a great event she's planning in August. We're also going to be involved in a prize for father's day being run by a local newspaper, which is good news.

I had a bit of a shock this morning after I'd signed up to follow some people on Twitter. I'd misjudged one of them and thought he was a man who ran a magazine similar to Gay Times. Turns out he sends Twitter Tweets linking to very rude videos, which is not really what I'd expected so I hurriedly deleted that one.

I thought my new astonmitchell business cards would have been here by now but they aren't - according to the printer's tracking system online they are still at the 'printing' stage - what a shame I won't have them for tomorrow. At least I have my Claire Mitchell Consultancy cards to give out if required but it's not the same! :0(

We're running a competition in the Teesdale Mercury next week to find a model for our YouTube site and I've just seen the article draft - I can't wait to see who comes forward on that one :0)

More soon!

(6) OK being a working mum is TOUGH

I'm writing this at 23.10 having just had a 4 hour 'battle' with my one year old daughter, who should have been in bed at 7.30 but just kept getting wider and wider awake. Where does she get her energy?! I am now zonked, and have had to write off an evening of work. Maybe it's someone somewhere in the big scheme of things telling me that Chloe is more important than work!

So, despite the fact that I try to run 3 businesses and am involved in lots of other things, at the end of the day Chloe is boss and she can put my work plans on hold in an instant! This parenting lark is tough!

(5) logistical challenges

Right - so I've been up to Newcastle with mum and Chloe for the day. I've finally found a dress for the conference dinner which hides my baby bump, which really should have gone by now but hasn't. I'm booked in to get my hair cut on Wednesday and that's me sorted. Hubby Mitch is in Portsmouth this week so I'm a single mum for the third week in a row, but mum is having Chloe all day and overnight on Thursday so I'm happy. Don't know what the nation would do without grandmas!

Our www.astonmitchell.co.uk Google adwords campaign is going well. We decided to stick to online advertising as we'd placed ads in GQ, which should have been really successful, but weren't. We're able to monitor our spend and the success of the ads via Google and we know it's bringing in lots of business so we love it. We tried Facebook ads and they weren't bad but not a patch on the level of business brought via Google. Business has been brisk since our Scott Mills makeover - word is obviously getting out that guys can wear makeup and look great!

Next ideas for marketing are to hit some of the daytime TV shows and some of the magazines. It's difficult to know what will work and who will bite - we have some good stories but if it's not topical then you just get ignored. I am just going to pick about 10 different media and see what happens when I write to them!

I'm still trying to source brown mascara for men - should be easy but just isn't. Because of the relatively low numbers involved in men's makeup, most manufacturers stick to a really limited number of lines and colours and brown just hasn't made it yet. It's a shame and I'm determined to find some somehow because black mascara is just too harsh for blondes and redheads - I'm on a mission now!

Right, must do some 'day job' work, more soon!

(4) The Weekend Already!

Last week seemed to fly by. We appeared in the Northern Echo on Tuesday with our Scott Mills story and then in the Teesdale Mercury on Wednesday with a similar story. Then I was mentioned as a finalist in the Echo again on Thursday. I think I might turn into a media bore...! We're going to run a competition with the Mercury shortly to find a male model for our YouTube demonstrations - I can't wait to see who enters. We know that there are some good looking guys of all ages in Teesdale, I just hope some are brave enough to come forward!

Mitch is back from Kent and has taken Chloe shopping to B&Q so that I can do a couple of hours' work. I've got a few bits to do for clients and want to do some more work on the astonmitchell site. I've also got to write the web copy for my Claire Mitchell Consultancy website which is just a holding page at the moment.

The sun has just come out so I'm hoping to get out and about with the family later today. Hubby is off to Portsmouth again on Sunday afternoon but then he's on holiday for a fortnight, which is lovely as we get him to ourselves. We're off to Dorset in our caravan for the second week - the first week I've got a couple of radio slots booked in so we're staying at home and doing stuff around the house. Going to be on Radio Tees and also Radio Teesdale. Good opportunities to promote the business!

Right, off to do some work while I have the chance

more soon!

(3) hairdo urgently required

Just had the invitation to and info about the Entrepreneur's Forum Conference and Black Tie dinner. I used to do black tie dinners all the time as I was a business development manager for the Institution of Electrical Engineers for 3 years, and boy, do they do dinners.... Since then I have had Chloe, my now one year old, and none of my pre-baby dresses fit. So I'm going to have to go shopping. And get my hair cut. And I'll probably need some new shoes. Oh well, I am sure I'll find time somewhere.

I love astonmitchell but it's only one of the businesses I'm involved in. I run Up Market which is a marketing consultancy and I set that up nearly 4 years ago. I have also recently set up Claire Mitchell Consultancy which is aimed at helping businesses with strategic planning and marketing, and is particularly focused on Social Enterprises. Both of those jobs keep me busy and I really enjoy the work and the client contact - astonmitchell is web based so we rarely meet our customers in person. I've also been working with Transmit Consulting as an associate, again focusing on Social Enterprise and Creative Industries business support and marketing and finally, I've just been working with Industrial Strength who have helped me to develop a new website and monthly update/education service called New Media Monthly. This went live this week and I've had good feedback. It's really to help share knowledge among creative agencies about New Media and Digital marketing and stemmed from my own need for knowledge.

I am a bit of a serial entrepreneur and if I see a 'need' without an obvious solution then I like to see if I can do something about it. I work with some fantastic people across all of these businesses and I learn something new every day. I'm currently researching monetised video....

I'm working from mum's today as I fancied spending some time with Chloe but working at the same time, so this is a good compromise. I've just been writing a press release for an up and coming film producer, and also did some work on a business plan for a great business in Darlington. I popped out at lunchtime with mum and Chloe and hit the shops, then came back and am doing some more business plan work for another client.

Bit tired today as hubby Mitch is in Kent all week and Chloe is getting more teeth, so she woke up at midnight just as I was going to bed and didn't settle till gone 2am.... Still, it's all character building. More soon!

ps: EEEK forgot that hubby would read blog - now he knows about the shopping!

(2) Brown Manscara, YouTube and Gordon Brown

We're having a heck of a job trying to source brown mascara for men. Wouldn't you think that it would be an easy task, bearing in mind that you can get zillions of versions of brown mascara for women? Well we don't need mascara which lengthens, thickens, curls or 'fakes' lashes, we just want straightforward brown mascara designed for blokes! How hard can it be? VERY! My spies are out all over the world (well sort of via Twitter and Facebook) seeing if such a thing exists and if it doesn't I might see if I can invent some myself!

I have been doing lots of Twittering lately and was contacted by a man called Wayne, who is a BBC makeup artist and freelancer, offering to do some product demonstrations for our products on his YouTube site, which has over 8000 followers. We're going to give him a try and will keep you posted!

Our lovely supplier and inventer of 'Guyliner' and 'Manscara', Peter Kelly, was on Radio 5 this week commenting on Gordon Brown's makeup. Now there's a sentence I thought I'd never write and I'm not sure he's the role model we're after but, let's face it, if Gordon can wear it then there is hope for every other man on the planet :0)

More soon, baby Chloe is asleep, Hubby Mitch is working away and I'm multitasking doing astonmitchell stuff, business plans for clients in my Claire Mitchell Consultancy role, doing marketing for other clients in my Up Market role and eating custard creams in my 'me' role.....

(1) Wooohoooo! What a week - Scott Mills and the IWCYC phonecall!

Wow, last week was surreal. I got a call on Monday on my way back from Keswick where we'd been for our first holiday in our new caravan, from Beccy Huxtable, assistant producer on Scott Mills' Radio One show. She asked if we'd go down to London on Thursday (ie 3 days later) to do a man makeover on Scott live on the Beccycam webcam which was a feature they were running all week.

We managed to sort it but only just. My mum who is my main childcarer and with whom I couldn't manage, was due to take a well earned break in Edinburgh that day so I had no-one to look after Chloe while I was in London - a trip which was going to take all day and most of the evening. Luckily my wonderful sister Helen took a day's holiday to help me out and we were able to go. Kate and I took Emma Tallentire, a local beauty therapist who lives in Bowes, along to do the makeover.

The makeover was surreal. We got there in the nick of time after travelling down by car, train and tube (don't ask!) and were shown into a large office where we saw Aled from the Chris Moyles show, Colin Murray and Scott sitting around at various desks. We did the makeover at a desk in the corner of the office, live on the webcam and without sound so we communicated with the viewers via a whiteboard. Scott absolutely loved it and we left him a goody bag which he explored with glee! We've since had a thank you email from him and we've got a couple of articles with pics in the Teesdale Mercury and Northern Echo.

I then got a call on Thursday while carrying out said makeover from the lovely Stephen at the Entrepreneurs' Forum, telling me that I'm through to the next round of the If We Can You Can Challenge! How fab is that? I am really chuffed as I love my astonmitchell business and I'm really proud of what Kate and I have achieved, so to get recognition like this is wonderful. Watch this space, I'm a bit of a blogger so you'll find out what's happening with my and my businesses if you keep an eye out.

Finally - I set up astonmitchell with Kate nearly a year ago although we didn't start trading until August last year. I set it up because I had baby blues which load of new mums will recognise, and had to be out and about seeing people because I didn't like being stuck in the house. I went off to see Kate, had a conversation about setting up in business together and the rest is history. It all seems like yesterday but my little baby is now a little one year old who is walking around the house like an expert and starting to say proper words! How time flies - and we have been having fun.

More soon!