Latest / Work It Like A Mum / I Wanted Flexibility, Not a Pay Cut: Making Part-Time Work

Transcript

I Wanted Flexibility, Not a Pay Cut: Making Part-Time Work · Work It Like A Mum

0:10
SPEAKER_01: Hey, I'm Elizabeth Willis, and I'm obsessed with helping as many women as possible achieve their boldest dreams after kids and helping you to navigate this messy and magical season of life.
0:24
SPEAKER_01: I'm a working mum with over 17 years of recruitment experience, and I'm the founder of the Investing in Women Job Board and Community.
0:32
SPEAKER_01: In this show, I'm honoured to be chatting with remarkable women, redefining our working world across all areas of business.
0:39
SPEAKER_01: I'll tell the secrets on how they've achieved success and children.
0:50
SPEAKER_01: I left success.
0:58
SPEAKER_01: We cover to all think of this coffee with your mate, mixed with an inspiring tech talk, sprinkled with the career advice you wish you really had at school.
1:07
SPEAKER_01: So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
1:10
SPEAKER_01: Make sure you're cozy and get ready to get inspired and chase your oldest dreams.
1:15
SPEAKER_01: Or just survive Mondays.
1:17
SPEAKER_01: This is the Work It Like a Mum podcast.
1:22
SPEAKER_01: This episode is brought to you by Investing in Women.
1:26
SPEAKER_01: Investing in Women is a job board and recruitment agency helping you find your dream part-time or flexible job with the UK's most family-friendly and forward-thinking employers.
1:37
SPEAKER_01: Their site can help you find a professional and rewarding job that works for you.
1:43
SPEAKER_01: They're proud to partner with the UK's most family-friendly employers across a range of professional industries.
1:49
SPEAKER_01: Ready to find your perfect job?
1:52
SPEAKER_01: Search their website at investinginwomen.co.uk to find your next part-time or flexible job opportunity.
2:00
SPEAKER_01: Now, back to the show.
2:06
SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Work It Like a Month podcast.
2:10
SPEAKER_01: Today I am chatting with the gorgeous um Pauline Bird.
2:14
SPEAKER_01: Um Pauline is a team leader within my utility warehouse team.
2:18
SPEAKER_01: She joined um in January of 2026 of January of this year.
2:23
SPEAKER_01: She's got a brilliant story and she's going to be sharing with us about why she joined the team because she does have another part-time job elsewhere.
2:31
SPEAKER_01: Um we're going to be diving into Pauline's story, what prompted her to make the movie into Utility Warehouse alongside what she is already doing and um and how she has found the journey so far.
2:43
SPEAKER_01: So if you are sort of interested in Utility Warehouse, how you can maybe use it as a top-up income around something that you all do, um then this conversation is for you.
2:54
SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Polly, for joining us today.
2:56
SPEAKER_01: Appreciate it.
2:59
SPEAKER_01: Um so yeah, I know that also we placed you, didn't we, in your current role through investing in women as well, which is really exciting.
3:06
SPEAKER_01: So I met you um right at the beginning of this year when your career was at a little bit of a crossroads.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: So talk talk me through before we met.
3:14
SPEAKER_01: You were working full-time.
3:15
SPEAKER_01: Is that right?
3:16
SPEAKER_01: I know you're a parent, you've got two children.
3:17
SPEAKER_01: What did your career and working week look like at the time?
3:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, I was thinking about this before we came on.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: So my I was full-time, central London, doing all of the commute, and then I guess my career started to make a change as COVID hit because working from home came.
3:35
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then as everything started to go back into the office, we started to have um, let's say, dramas with our eldest and not what going into school, and it started to make things very difficult and stressful, juggling the balance of everything.
3:52
SPEAKER_00: I ended up leaving the corporate world and taking up a remote part-time job, or it was four days, so it wasn't exactly part-time.
4:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
4:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, and trying to get the balance right, but the balance, it I felt like I was working all of the time, um, struggling with fighting the education system, managing home life, etc.
4:15
SPEAKER_00: It all became really difficult.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I like my job, I like what I've worked hard for, it's what I want to do, but the children needed me, so it was where do we go?
4:27
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
4:27
SPEAKER_00: So in July last year, I stepped back from work.
4:32
SPEAKER_00: I took a seven-month break to try and settle the children into school properly in the right environments properly.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then in I'd been following you on LinkedIn, and I think I was following you probably on the utility warehouse side for about 10 months, yeah, just watching your posts and stuff.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: But I'd been following Invest in Women and Job Fody, etc., for some time before that, yeah.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: And just keeping my look at what part-time availability was out there, but never reached out.
5:04
SPEAKER_00: And then in January, I said to my husband, I can't not, I can't sit around anymore.
5:10
SPEAKER_00: Because as much as I like meeting people for coffees and stuff, it's not it's not me.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: I need to be back in the game doing what I enjoy.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I actually contacted you for I'd seen the job that you placed me in, my part-time job, um, but I didn't do anything about it.
5:27
SPEAKER_00: But I contacted you on Utility Warehouse, and then obviously, when we were having our conversation about UW and you said, Have you looked at my um job board and stuff?
5:36
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Well, actually, I have seen the job, and then I got two jobs at once.
5:42
SPEAKER_01: You did like literally the same week, you became a partner and you started the job as well.
5:47
SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
5:48
SPEAKER_01: I love that story, it makes me smile so much.
5:50
SPEAKER_01: I was like, I'm so happy I was able to help you twice.
5:53
SPEAKER_00: I'm so grateful because the job, like my day job, which is obviously my accounting, which is my backstory, my career, which I enjoy doing.
6:01
SPEAKER_00: I've got forward autonomy in that job, complete flexibility.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: For example, yesterday my daughter had a hospital appointment.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: I was meant to be working in the afternoon.
6:12
SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, I didn't get back.
6:14
SPEAKER_00: There was no checking my phone, checking my emails, worrying about what was going on.
6:19
SPEAKER_00: I do my hours as I do my hours, and I've got the respect and the trust from the employer to be able to do that.
6:26
SPEAKER_00: But then I've got UW, which I can do at any time that I want.
6:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I don't I'm really enjoying the day job again, back doing what I like doing.
6:36
SPEAKER_00: I'm learning new stuff in different areas, which I did wonder if I'd got to a level where I wasn't gonna, unless I was gonna step up further, where I was actually gonna be learning anymore on the day job, but I am, which I'm enjoying, and then obviously I'm really enjoying the working in the UW team, and I guess what I've learned there, I like helping people.
7:00
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so not only am I helping people by building my business, it's working with the others in the team.
7:06
SPEAKER_00: I love talking to the new people when I'm supporting people on the calls, and then you click with some people, and I found that with some of the members within the team that are within my team, it's really nice.
7:19
SPEAKER_00: It's people that I've never met, but I feel like I've known for ages.
7:23
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
7:25
SPEAKER_01: So it sounds like a sort of question.
7:27
SPEAKER_01: So, why have you done utility warehouse alongside another job?
7:33
SPEAKER_00: Money.
7:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: My I'm used to earning a certain amount of money.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: I've been completely financially independent for a very long time, and then obviously taking a part-time role is a lot less than what I was earning before.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: And when I went to book a holiday in the new year, my husband's like, Well, I'm not sure we should be booking a holiday, and I was like, uh, not happening.
7:57
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna give this opportunity a go.
8:00
SPEAKER_00: And I did, and we have booked a holiday and went to Mexico in six weeks, so it's I am getting I want to be financially independent, I don't want to be relying on my husband.
8:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's not something that I'm not used to.
8:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's so good, I think, feeling like you've got your own money and you can make your own decisions, even in like a loving relationship where you both have a joint bank account or whatever.
8:26
SPEAKER_01: I feel so much more confident having my own money coming in and a significant amount of money, and you know, you feel like actually you feel really good about yourself that you can really contribute to your household financially.
8:41
SPEAKER_00: We're very much sort of like yin and yang, he's the one that keeps his sensible head.
8:46
SPEAKER_00: I'm the one that's spur of the moment, we're book this, we go here, we'll eat out here, and all that.
8:51
SPEAKER_00: And I don't want to lose that's that side of life.
8:55
SPEAKER_00: No, I don't um, and that's what I like about it.
8:58
SPEAKER_00: So obviously, with the utility stuff is however much I time I put in is what I get back out.
9:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
9:05
SPEAKER_00: And if I've got something that I want, then obviously you're gonna push harder for the business, business to grow.
9:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm enjoying it.
9:13
SPEAKER_00: After coming to the event that we went to um when we were at Amber Lakes, oh yeah, he actually said to me, Can't you do this full time?
9:22
SPEAKER_01: I know the incentives are amazing.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: Tell people what Amber Lakes, what was Amber Lakes?
9:27
SPEAKER_01: We're like, What the hell's Amber Lakes?
9:29
SPEAKER_00: That was the so I'd only joined literally in the January, and I think that incentive was February, March time, and I wasn't expecting to hit anything, and I hit that, and then in June, and you know, came for an overnight stay and a full day out at a wonderful venue with food and drinks and socializing, dancing.
9:52
SPEAKER_00: We've described it to friends after us that we've gone to a wedding that it was after, wasn't it?
10:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was like it's like the wedding reception, but an amazing wedding reception with one of the boring bits.
10:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was really it was really yeah, it was really good.
10:10
SPEAKER_01: Really good, absolutely.
10:11
SPEAKER_01: Was there a particular amount of extra income you were looking to make um you know, alongside your part-time job to make you feel more financially comfortable?
10:21
SPEAKER_00: I wanted so I wanted a thousand pounds.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, nice.
10:25
SPEAKER_00: I wanted to have the we were in a fortunate position that we were both in really good um jobs, earning good salaries, um, and had that disposable income.
10:37
SPEAKER_00: I know not everybody's fortunate to have that, and sometimes I have to give myself a little bit of a reality check that it isn't all about that.
10:45
SPEAKER_00: But if you become used to a lifestyle and it's what you want, then yeah, if you want to keep working for it, you're going to, aren't you?
10:53
SPEAKER_00: So I wanted to try and have as much of the disposable income that I had before.
11:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, so minimum was a thousand pounds, is what I wanted.
11:05
SPEAKER_01: And how achievable have you found that then with utility warehouse?
11:09
SPEAKER_00: It yeah, it is achievable.
11:12
SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm not gonna lie, there's been quiet months, yeah.
11:15
SPEAKER_00: But there's where I've been busy personally, as well as not having the option to get out and do events and things.
11:23
SPEAKER_00: That's where I've found it because I get in the front of people and I'm able to talk to people.
11:28
SPEAKER_00: So if I'm doing a a stall somewhere or I'm at meeting and supporting one of the other team members and we're getting to talk to people, I like that side of it instead of just being behind a desk.
11:41
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I like being in front of people socializing.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: So I it it has been, it's been I've hadn't I've had I think two quiet months, but otherwise I haven't earned under a thousand pounds.
11:53
SPEAKER_01: That's amazing.
11:54
SPEAKER_01: And also you qualified for free energy as well, um, for several months, haven't you?
11:58
SPEAKER_01: Which is another perk, isn't it, of being a partner and working for it?
12:01
SPEAKER_00: Well, something I was expecting when I signed up.
12:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, and my husband was very much are you sure that this is all happen happening?
12:10
SPEAKER_00: And now obviously he's seeing the benefits of it.
12:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because we're not paying out our joint account for utilities.
12:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
12:18
SPEAKER_00: And the cashback card, which I get very excited about more than the free energy.
12:23
SPEAKER_01: Tell what's the cashback card?
12:26
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, that is I get it.
12:28
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
12:29
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, tell people what the cashback card is.
12:31
SPEAKER_00: The cashback card is if you're a customer and um you ought to take the cashback card, you get um to use it to just do your day-to-day living expenses, and while in doing it, you earn cashback at across all retailers.
12:46
SPEAKER_00: Some are 1%, some are if they're partnered retailers, up to 10%.
12:52
SPEAKER_00: And doing your everyday spending, you earn further money.
12:55
SPEAKER_00: So in August, with all of the out-ins that we had with the kids, we got£66.
13:00
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
13:01
SPEAKER_00: And that's coming off our September bill.
13:03
SPEAKER_00: So along with your free energy, we're not paying anything for gas and electric, broadband, or mobile phones.
13:11
SPEAKER_00: Wow, that's amazing.
13:13
SPEAKER_00: We were initially using it as our joint account, just using it on all of the spending for the household, but now we use it for everything.
13:21
unknown: Yeah.
13:22
SPEAKER_00: Just chop it up and use it.
13:24
SPEAKER_00: I think people are bonkers if they don't use the option of just doing your everyday spending that you're doing anyway.
13:33
SPEAKER_01: Exactly, yeah.
13:33
SPEAKER_01: And you can pop it in your Google Pay, can't you, Apple Pay as well?
13:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
13:37
SPEAKER_01: What you know, when you first heard about heard about Utility Warehouse, were you sceptical?
13:40
SPEAKER_01: What did what were your first thoughts?
13:43
SPEAKER_00: Yes, I was.
13:44
SPEAKER_00: Um my sister-in-law has been in network marketing for some quite some time, and it was always she was doing lots of videos across social media, selling various products.
13:56
SPEAKER_00: She's asked me many times to join, and I was like, no.
14:00
SPEAKER_00: And then I started following your post, and I was like, Well, I'm not actually selling anything, and obviously become more familiar with the business and what you were doing.
14:09
SPEAKER_00: I did a bit of research, um, and then I just thought, what have I to lose?
14:14
SPEAKER_00: And I it was it was only within the first few weeks when I started signing customers, started seeing what it was about.
14:20
SPEAKER_00: Um, no, yeah, I was foolish to think that I could have been in a different position, not just at team leader, I could be further along if I hadn't waited 10 months to speak to you and join your team.
14:35
SPEAKER_00: But everything happens for a reason.
14:37
SPEAKER_00: I think everything happens for a reason.
14:38
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
14:39
SPEAKER_00: It was the right time, and it's all kind of slotted in nicely.
14:44
SPEAKER_01: So, what does a utility warehouse partner actually do?
14:47
SPEAKER_01: Because I get asked this question all the time.
15:42
SPEAKER_00: What do I do?
15:44
SPEAKER_00: I help people save money on their day-to-day bills.
15:47
unknown: Yeah.
15:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, personally, for me, I like speaking with people and talking to people, so it's just naturally comes part of the conversation.
15:56
SPEAKER_00: So when you're sitting in the chair at the hairdressers and the person next to you is complaining about the cost of living, but yet they're paying£120 to have their hair done, it's it sparks up another conversation for you to have with them, and you're just you're not forcing anything down on somebody, you're not making them the where most people's extra money is spent on living, you're not asking them to spend 20 pounds on a product that they're gonna stick in the drawer and never use, you're asking to speak to them and see if you can help them save money on what they're they're already paying out.
16:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, love that.
16:36
SPEAKER_01: And how do you find customers?
16:37
SPEAKER_01: Because that's another thing people ask me all the time.
16:40
SPEAKER_00: Uh social media, referrals, friends and family, and I've done quite a few business events, yeah, fates, school fates, um, just by it's just talking to people.
16:57
SPEAKER_00: Uh I even have when I've been doing my click and collect, the same person keeps bringing my shopping out to me, and I've even had a conversation with them.
17:07
SPEAKER_00: I said, You're here all of the time.
17:09
SPEAKER_00: And um, they said, I know, because the money's not that grand.
17:13
SPEAKER_00: So I've even had a conversation with them, passed on some details to them regarding the partner side.
17:19
SPEAKER_00: Um, so there's everybody, every walks of life that open up doors and situations for you to talk to.
17:27
SPEAKER_00: I didn't think that I would be that person in every scenario because you think about how you can help somebody or how the opportunity would also benefit them.
17:40
SPEAKER_01: Do you uh do we weren't do you ever feel icky about any of this?
17:43
SPEAKER_01: I think people worry that it feels icky or it feels salesy.
17:46
SPEAKER_01: Do you ever feel like you're selling something?
17:48
SPEAKER_00: I don't feel I'm selling anything.
17:50
SPEAKER_00: It can feel icky dropping out messages sometimes.
17:54
SPEAKER_00: In the beginning, now no.
17:56
SPEAKER_00: Now no.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: But then I was very fortunate that I just approached my friends and family in the beginning that are my day ones that I knew would always have my back, they knew our situation, what was going on, and they were up for supporting me.
18:11
SPEAKER_00: And then that gave me the confidence to move on to the next step where I spoke to people outside of that comfort zone, and I was still able to sign them up.
18:21
SPEAKER_00: And then I guess where I'd entered the phase of being able to support other partners within the team and helping them sign up part customers, people that I didn't even know, um, and you see them achieving it and you see how happy that makes them, it drives you forward.
18:41
SPEAKER_01: Network marketing gets has a bad reputation.
18:43
SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna kick around bush about this.
18:46
SPEAKER_01: People, you know, oh it's a pyramid scheme, it's MLM, blah blah blah.
18:50
SPEAKER_01: What would you say to those people that you know, and we do hear it, don't we?
18:54
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, oh it's a pyramid scheme.
18:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
18:57
SPEAKER_01: What would you say about we know why do you think it's got such a bad rep?
19:02
SPEAKER_00: I guess with other businesses that are out there um where potentially you're selling products, or you've got to be at a certain level to achieve to go on these incentives, to go on these holidays, to receive the good commission, that you've got to have be out there recruiting and driving people under your team.
19:23
SPEAKER_00: I don't I don't feel that.
19:25
SPEAKER_00: I don't feel that it's that way.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: I what I've achieved is no different to what the senior team members of our team are getting on a day-to-day.
19:33
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, they may be in a situation where they're receiving more residual income than what I am, but their passive income, they're working in the same direction that I am.
19:45
SPEAKER_00: They're still speaking to customers, they're still supporting and mentoring people.
19:49
SPEAKER_00: Everybody's on the same par, I feel.
19:51
SPEAKER_00: I don't I don't feel there's a hierarchy.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: No, which is what gives the impression that basically I'm just driving senior leaders' pocket, you know.
20:04
SPEAKER_01: I think this is a very fair business to be honest, and you can overtake people, and nobody is sort of like sounds I this is probably the wrong word, but like no one's safe, you know what I mean?
20:13
SPEAKER_01: And we all have to get our customers every month to get our free energy to achieve the other incentives.
20:18
SPEAKER_01: It is still very much customer-led.
20:21
SPEAKER_01: If there wasn't customers, this company wouldn't survive.
20:24
SPEAKER_01: It does not rely on recruitment, it relies on customers.
20:28
SPEAKER_01: It's got you know 1.4 million customers.
20:31
SPEAKER_01: They are the those customers are the ones that pay or pay everybody's salary, isn't it, in commission?
20:37
SPEAKER_01: So we didn't have customers, we're not making money on recruitment.
20:41
SPEAKER_00: But none of us signed up for the incentives, did we?
20:43
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't even aware of the any of the incentives when I signed up.
20:48
SPEAKER_00: I was just looking for earning a month additional monthly income.
20:53
SPEAKER_00: That's all I was looking for.
20:54
SPEAKER_00: And I and then you join I've joined calls, I've spoken to other people, and there's like there's this.
21:00
SPEAKER_00: That was the same with the Amber Lakes.
21:02
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
21:02
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't aware that that was a thing.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: And then when I hit it and I've received a message to say you've qualified, I'm like, oh wow, that's that's a perk on top of what I'm earning and what I signed up for.
21:16
SPEAKER_01: What's residual income?
21:17
SPEAKER_01: Because you mentioned that, and people might not have heard that phrase before.
21:21
SPEAKER_00: Residual income is a pot of money that you can build over time on your customers continuing to stay within the business, yeah.
21:34
SPEAKER_00: Um, from your homeowners, and that's a guaranteed pot of income, not alongside your commission-based income.
21:43
SPEAKER_00: I hope I've explained that correctly.
21:45
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, yeah, I think you have.
21:46
SPEAKER_01: And you also achieved the fast start bonus as well.
21:48
SPEAKER_01: What's the fast start bonus?
21:50
SPEAKER_00: The fast start bonus is getting your six customers and one partner within 30 days.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: Nice.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: I think it was under 21 days actually.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: You did it really quick, yeah.
22:01
SPEAKER_01: It was very, very exciting.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: And obviously, being an accountant, the number side of things, if I've got a target, I know what I'm working towards.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: So I have a spreadsheet, I know what I need, not just for my next promotion, yeah, several promotions in advance, yeah.
22:17
SPEAKER_00: That I can track and I've got a goal that I can look at and watch, and that's a big driving factor for me.
22:23
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
22:24
SPEAKER_01: Do you think having utility warehouse alongside your salary has allowed you to enjoy your other job more and working part time on because you're not constantly thinking about the income that you've given up?
22:35
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
22:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, definitely.
22:40
SPEAKER_01: I feel less resentful.
22:43
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
22:44
SPEAKER_00: And I wouldn't want to have to take a job um going out to work over weekend.
22:50
SPEAKER_01: No.
22:51
SPEAKER_00: Because then I'm missing time with the children and the family balance.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: That's not what it is that I want.
22:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
22:58
SPEAKER_00: And at the moment I don't have the time to be able to expand my part-time hours.
23:03
SPEAKER_01: No.
23:04
SPEAKER_01: No.
23:06
SPEAKER_01: It's quite good this because you can really fit it in, can't you?
23:08
SPEAKER_01: And we we talked a little bit about it before we start recording.
23:11
SPEAKER_01: You know, it is on your phone if you want it on your phone.
23:14
SPEAKER_01: It is pretty portable.
23:15
SPEAKER_01: You can, you know, put a quote together and just send it on a text to somebody if you're out and about.
23:21
SPEAKER_01: It is very, it is a nooks and crannies business.
23:24
SPEAKER_01: 95% of people do do it around something else, and you don't have to be anywhere to do it.
23:29
SPEAKER_01: I know you've talked a little bit about stores and pairs and things, but most people, you know, 90% of the job, 99% of the job you're at home, and you can do it while the kids are watching TV, even while you're watching TV, it's sort of like it does really slot in, which is quite nice.
23:44
SPEAKER_01: But obviously, you're busy, you're an accountant, you're a UW partner, you're a mum.
23:48
SPEAKER_01: How do you make all three work without feeling like you're constantly working?
23:55
SPEAKER_00: That's is that mum life?
23:58
SPEAKER_00: The juggle is real.
24:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, to be honest, this summer holidays was the first one where I didn't feel I was tied to my desk.
24:06
SPEAKER_01: Nice.
24:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I didn't take annual, I didn't I took the odd day off here and there.
24:11
SPEAKER_00: Um, we've got our family holiday coming up in October half term, but I didn't feel I was tied to my desk.
24:17
SPEAKER_00: I did bits of my day job in the evenings.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: I did bits of UW, but otherwise there was days out and you make it work.
24:25
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think we do make it work.
24:26
SPEAKER_00: And I am very quite um organized in my time because I still want that free time, that's really important.
24:35
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to be hitting burnout again, and that's that's a tough position to be in when you've got the juggle of everything going on.
24:44
SPEAKER_00: But when you say about being on the phone, I don't really other than speaking to people on WhatsApp for calls or dropping out a text message, I try not to do it on my phone.
24:56
SPEAKER_00: I do a lot of it on my laptop.
24:58
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know, because I feel that they it's work in my that's the mindset I've got, even though I enjoy doing it.
25:05
SPEAKER_00: I try not to do it on my phone.
25:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
25:08
SPEAKER_00: I know I've got the option to do that, and I think it's it work, you make it work for how it needs to work for you, is what I feel.
25:18
SPEAKER_00: And everybody does it differently.
25:20
SPEAKER_00: There's no set way.
25:21
SPEAKER_00: You you make it you make it fit your life.
25:27
SPEAKER_01: What's more valuable to you now you're a partner?
25:29
SPEAKER_01: Is it the income?
25:30
SPEAKER_01: Is it the flexibility?
25:31
SPEAKER_01: Is it the confidence, the community, or something else?
25:37
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, the money's nice, but uh it's nice being part of the team.
25:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
25:43
SPEAKER_00: Because when I've spoken to new partners that I've signed up, it's like as much as this is your business, you're not in it on your own.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: No, there is a team around you, and everybody is happy to help everybody.
25:55
SPEAKER_00: There's no competitiveness either.
25:58
SPEAKER_00: No, there's no there's no one that feels they're above somebody else.
26:02
SPEAKER_00: It's all yeah, it's a nice bunch of people to work alongside.
26:07
SPEAKER_00: I think it's the community and the personal development is uh massive.
26:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we get really good training.
26:14
SPEAKER_01: I know people say this is like a personal development program with a compensation plan attached.
26:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I have to say you agree because gosh, the training you get and all that development is phenomenal, which is really good.
26:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, so obviously, this time a year ago, we didn't know each other, and you sounded like you're a bit of a crossroads.
26:31
SPEAKER_01: If you could go back and speak to Pauline, you know, September 2025, what would you tell her?
26:38
SPEAKER_00: I should have signed up then because I had much more time on my hands.
26:42
unknown: Never mind.
26:43
SPEAKER_01: I do think everything happens for reason.
26:45
SPEAKER_01: You've got to think I've done it at the time that was right for me.
26:48
SPEAKER_00: I think everything everything works out.
26:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
26:52
SPEAKER_00: I always refer back to when the children started school and I was full-time working.
26:57
SPEAKER_00: How was I gonna juggle all of that?
27:00
SPEAKER_00: The drop-offs, the pickups, the wraparounds, yeah.
27:03
SPEAKER_00: And somehow I made it work.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: Let's do it then.
27:06
SPEAKER_00: It all worked, the childcare worked, everything fitted in.
27:12
SPEAKER_00: Don't doubt yourself.
27:14
SPEAKER_00: If you want something to work and you believe in something, it will work.
27:20
SPEAKER_00: And I feel that this has.
27:21
SPEAKER_00: So I've been lucky, I feel very lucky in that I found a part-time job that I'm happy with.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: I don't have any of that wake up and don't want to sign on to work or yeah, that makes a difference, doesn't it?
27:33
SPEAKER_01: Not having a Sunday night.
27:38
SPEAKER_00: It's not a chore.
27:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, so just believe in yourself, I think.
27:43
SPEAKER_00: Take the options that are available to you, be open.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: What would you say to a woman that's listening who's desperate to reduce her working hours but feels financially trapped in full-time employment?
27:56
SPEAKER_00: I fully understand that.
27:57
SPEAKER_00: I didn't make a rash decision in leaving job.
28:00
SPEAKER_00: It had been coming over a period of years because I didn't want to lose that financial security, but there is other ways now.
28:11
SPEAKER_00: I am aware of that.
28:13
SPEAKER_00: Um and it's believing in yourself and trusting that you can still do your day job, your career.
28:23
SPEAKER_00: There is somebody out there or a company that will take on a part-time worker for you to be able to still keep your career running, but there is opportunities with like utility warehouse and other in like extra income companies that you can sign up to and make it work.
28:42
SPEAKER_00: It's everybody, it's how much people want to put in, and how much do you really want or need that flexibility to make it work?
28:55
SPEAKER_01: Finally, what does success look like to you now, Pauline?
29:03
SPEAKER_00: Everyone being happy.
29:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I've got the balance of I feel like myself again, so I'm happy.
29:12
SPEAKER_00: Home life is starting to settle down.
29:15
SPEAKER_00: Um I feel in control of what's going on.
29:20
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
29:21
SPEAKER_00: So and I and I'm keeping my career going, which is what I want.
29:25
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to stop doing what I started out to do just because I'm a mum and we've come across some hurdles.
29:35
SPEAKER_01: And I'm so pleased that we met as well because not only are we like colleagues, we're also now really good friends as well, and that that obviously means a lot and it's an added bonus.
29:44
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much, Pauline, for joining us today.
29:46
SPEAKER_01: You're out if we put your um like LinkedIn profile in the show notes and yeah, that's okay.
29:53
SPEAKER_01: Perfect.
29:54
SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, if anybody wants to learn more about Utilityware House, then they can reach out to you, Pauline, and I'm sure you'll be happy to help.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
30:01
SPEAKER_01: Lovely.
30:02
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
30:04
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
30:07
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening to another episode of the Work It Like a Mum podcast.
30:12
SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe.
30:16
SPEAKER_01: And don't forget to share the link with a friend.
30:18
SPEAKER_01: If you're on LinkedIn, please send me a connection request at Elizabeth Willett and let me know your thoughts on this week's episode.
30:25
SPEAKER_01: You can also follow my recruitment site, Investing in Women, on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
30:31
SPEAKER_01: Until next time, keep on chasing your biggest stream.