“Legacy to me isn’t, ‘I want the world to remember who I am,’ it’s literally leaving the things that I want to leave to the people who matter. And whether they forget me or not, I just want to be able to create safety, security, opportunities, if I can, especially for my kids, and my husband.”
Mim Jenkinson
Buy the book
So as many of you know I started my business life as a copywriter, before niching into SEO.
Then I got tired of clients and dreamt of being a big rich beast.
I began my passive income journey and was woken each morning by the sweet trill of a dozen PayPal pings.
Since then I’ve launched courses, memberships and so forth.
And I’m not alone, there are other business owners out there turning their services-based skills, their creative talents and their secret passions into successful online businesses.
Today we’re meeting one, an outland-loving online empire creative wonder beast.
We’ll find out how she did it, how she managed the juggle with her small humans and whether she’s making six figures in school hours.
Tune in to learn:
- Mim’s family and business set-up
- From helicopter-parenting to lawnmower-parenting: how Mim sees her parenting style, and how it relates to her business
- Why Mim ‘eats the frog’ first in her day
- How Mim’s health crisis helped her put her parent guilt and priorities into perspective.
- Mim’s number one productivity tip
- What self care looks like for Mim
- HowProfit First changed her life, and how she handles her finances
Listen to the podcast
Share the love
If you like what you’re hearing on Six Figures in School Hours, support the show by taking a few seconds to leave a rating and/or comment on iTunes or Spotify. Thanks.
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About Mim Jenkinson
Mim Jenkinson is a planner-obsessed sticker-maker, printables creator, online business coach, podcaster at “The Planner Podcast”, 5-Star Etsy seller, author, blogger and the least busy online business owner she knows.
She’s taught over 10,000 people worldwide how to create perfect stickers from scratch – and many of her students have gone on to build their own online empires.
Fun fact: Mim is OBSESSED with Outlander.
Connect with Mim Jenkinson
Useful resources
- Book: Eat that frog
- Book: Profit First
Buy the book
Transcript
Kate Toon
So as many of you know, I started my business life as a copywriter before niching into SEO, then I got tired of clients and dreamt of being a big rich beast. I began my passive income journey and was woken each morning by the sweet trill of a dozen Pay Pal pings. Since then I’ve launched courses memberships and so forth. And I’m not alone. There are other business owners out there turning their service based skills, their creative talents and their secret passions into successful online businesses. Today we’re meeting one, an Outlander-loving online Empire creative wonder beast. We’ll find out how she did it, how she managed the juggle with her small humans and whether she’s making six figures in school hours. Hello, my name is Kate toon, and I’m the founder of stay tuned busy business mum and okayish parents and today I’m talking with Mim Jenkinson. Hello Mim.
Mim Jenkinson
Hello Kate.
Kate Toon
It’s lovely to see ya to hear you. Let me tell everyone who you are. Mim Jenkinson is a planner obsessed Sticker Maker, printables creator and online business coach, a podcast that at the planner podcast, five star Etsy seller, author, blogger and the least busy online business owner she knows she’s taught over 10,000 people worldwide how to create perfect stickers from scratch. And many of our students have gone on to build our own online empire. And she is obsessed with Outlander. The TV show, the book? What, all of it?
Mim Jenkinson
I mean, mainly the man but also the show. I haven’t read the book because I started watching the show first and I have to finish the whole show before I go back to the book.
Kate Toon
It’s too late And the book is a bit different. I think apparently,
Mim Jenkinson
Yeah.
Kate Toon
Yeah.
Mim Jenkinson
It’s more of a visual thing, honestly. So you know.
Kate Toon
I got a bit lost. Like I enjoyed season one to the end of season two was so brutal, it put me off for a bit.
Mim Jenkinson
I know, give it another go.
Kate Toon
And then they got stuck into the Battle of Culloden fields and lots of angry Scottish men in the mud. Wandering around.
Mim Jenkinson
I will convert you to get back on it again. Though, don’t resist too much.
Kate Toon
So I think I got up to when they went to France. Have they gone back from France?
Mim Jenkinson
Yeah. Oh, I think we’re on season seven now.
Kate Toon
Oh, geez. Well, then she kind of went back to the future again, and oh, it’s over. And now I’m at the point where I should I started the beginning again? I don’t know.
Mim Jenkinson
Yeah, yeah, start at the beginning because you will have forgotten stuff. And also, I think I’ve seen it from the beginning about five times.
Kate Toon
I have to wait till I’m ready to do that. So I have one series. It’s called The Secret Life of Us, which I’ve watched maybe. Have you seen that? It’s fantastic, it’s Australian.
Mim Jenkinson
I’ll add it to my list.
Kate Toon
It’s comfort Telly look, I’ve heard and I’ve read that people who have anxiety like to watch the same things again and again, because it’s comforting.
Mim Jenkinson
Sounds about right.
Kate Toon
Yeah. And you can have it on in the background while you’re doing other things. But you still get enjoyment for its like company. Anyway, we’re not talking about that. Today, we’re talking about getting out of our comfort zone. Look at that. What a beautiful segue and talking about kind of, I guess, passive income, online empires, all that kind of stuff. So I gave a brief intro there. But tell us a little bit about your, the other side of it, the family setup and how that works with your business, as well.
Mim Jenkinson
So I have two kids married two kids, we live in New Castle, and my kids are at the moment eight and ten. And when I got started, it was the end of 2015. So at the time, they were a baby and a toddler. And I never would have had the guts honestly, at that point to start the business did I tell you this, they’ll tell you that I’ve had breast cancer back then? I don’t know, I don’t think i did.
Kate Toon
No, you didn’t, no you hadn’t told me that.
Mim Jenkinson
To cut a long story super short. So I was diagnosed at the end of 2015. I was I’ve already had my blog since 2013. I was doing a bit of an influencer work at a time, you know making a bit not a fortune but making a little bit but just wouldn’t have had the guts to go full in on things and didn’t have my own products at that point. But diagnosed had to leave work at home going through like six months of chemo, a month of radiation, the whole shit show. Thankfully, my husband was there to look after us. And I just read up on it. This is really wrapping it up in a nutshell but me all throughout that and at the end of that to not go back to working for someone else and to make it my full time thing. So I really started the business like the worst possible time in my life. But also at a time when you’re faced with a might die of let’s just give all the things ago now that I wanted to do. So I also had like this bravery level that I never had before. So since my kids had been little now I’ve had I’ve been working from home and and it’s grown from there. And it’s it’s different isn’t it isn’t the story that I thought would happen but things are working out. Okay, so far pretty good.
Kate Toon
There’s nothing like the threshold of death to make you reconsider your life.
Mim Jenkinson
It has changed things. Yeah, now I think of it.
Kate Toon
I mean, in the combination of the two like becoming a parent is overwhelming and massively change. And then something like that really makes you look at your life and go Well is it am I living the life that I want to be living? Am I doing what I want? Because life is short. And I think sometimes you have to have, well, you don’t have to have something like that really brings that into focus,
Mim Jenkinson
And it did.
Kate Toon
Which is the good outcome of a terrible situation.
Mim Jenkinson
Yeah.
Kate Toon
You know, the change of perspective. So, you know, very similar then I started my passive income business, I guess that’s what we would call it even though both of us probably do frantic air fingers around same time. 2015. So you’ve been doing it now for about eight years. And since this is a parenting and Business Show, how has that impacted your parenting? Like, what kind of parent would you describe yourself as?
Mim Jenkinson
Well, I’m at home a lot more, obviously. And that’s made a massive difference. I mean, even from being in treatment, like just being able to decide myself, or at least have a strong influence of health first, family first, has always been the big decider of how much time will I invest in something clearly how much money because we literally had nothing when we first when I first started this business, and, and I think, I mean, everyone’s got a different situation, haven’t they, but I think for me, I really have thrived on being able to have a really nice mix of both myself like in the day it’s me on my own having my time, business time, being men and then still not working all the hours now so that I can spend time with the kids so that I can volunteer at the school in the canteen or for reading groups when I can like so I can attend all the assemblies and things like that, but also showing the kids the difference between me and mum mode and me in business mode because it isn’t the same like yes, it’s almost like drawing a line and and showing them so I think I don’t have all the answers. It isn’t always perfect. And I know we’ll dive into a bunch of this but so far like I said, it isn’t something I could have ever planned for. I couldn’t have ever thought you know, how am I going to create this awesome experience where I’m getting enough money time enough business time the kids are happy I’m happy like I wouldn’t have known where to start with that plan. So we kind of got thrown into this situation and found our way but it’s it’s working pretty well. So
Kate Toon
Yeah, I mean, you have to work it out on the way I mean that’s why I wrote the book six figures in school hours go buy it.
Mim Jenkinson
No, go buy it, seriously.
Kate Toon
But I like you know one of the things I talk about in the book is splitting out that work time and parent times you’ve got Mim time and mum time Mim Mum, it’s quite nice. And those being quite distinct and trying not to blur the edges too much you know, trying not to work when you’re with your kids and trying not to you know, try and having distinct time even if that means that you have less time to work or less time with your kids at least drawing that line and bit and being clear on that. Isn’t that super important? And we all do work out along the way that I think you know, now we’ve been doing it for a while there are lessons that that we can pass on. So in the book I talk about different parenting styles you know there’s authoritarian there’s helicopter there’s permissive there’s you know all these different types do are you quite a control freak with your family are quite free and easy are happy to the husband to do things you’re happy for you to do things how does it work there?
Mim Jenkinson
Oh total helicopter like the helicopteriest helicopter.
Kate Toon
I am like a chopper and what I found is how you are as a parent often is how you are in business. So I’m very helicopter. Are you the same?
Mim Jenkinson
Yeah, and one of my friends a few years ago and this really resonated I don’t know whether she meant it as a compliment at all or not but it was just a fact. She said that one level up from helicopter was a lawn mower parent have you heard of that one?
Kate Toon
No.
Mim Jenkinson
So that she’s described this probably as wrong along the lines of a lawnmower parent gets ahead of what might happen and clears the path before the kids even get there and that to the way I parent and the way i i business then yet that’s right to.
Kate Toon
I think I’m a whippersnipper. I don’t know that, I don’t know what that means. But no, I think again, it’s like, you know, level of level of control trying to see problems trying to help the past both in business and in life. And that’s one way of being and I think it has a lot of benefits. One of the negatives, I think is that we we we don’t have actually that much control over both our kids and our business.
Mim Jenkinson
Anxiety.
Kate Toon
Massive anxiety.
Mim Jenkinson
I’m laughing but I’m like shaken.
Kate Toon
Yeah, but also believing the myth that we can control it because you know, as you’ve probably found over the years as I have my business has done and gone places that I never planned for. And sometimes those are the best bits. So sometimes I need to you know, go 1000 feet higher and just let a few things happens. Do you mean on land that helicopter and just crack on?
Mim Jenkinson
Well I mean I’m for freedom like planning for the whitespace plan for the creative time plan for the nothing time like that. It helps me to it’s like a controlled spontaneity.
Kate Toon
We have a certain person I talk about. I talk about this. It’s planned, relaxing, and I’m I’m we’re both northern I don’t know if you can tell but my parents were very much like, you need to earn your relaxation, which isn’t a great way of being because you can then measure yourself by your productivity. But I was the sort of person that likes to do the things in the morning. And then I feel I can relax in the afternoon. And I have to schedule time in my diary. So I have a whole separate color. It’s sunshine yellow, and I Colorbox my calendar for those things. And I do that first. Before I put the business things in.
Mim Jenkinson
When I read a new book about the frog, I do the same thing. Yeah, the frog book, but I understand the concept. And that’s what I do.
Kate Toon
Yeah. Okay, explain the frog to the listeners who haven’t read the book.
Mim Jenkinson
So the frog in my very simplistic interpretation is literally choosing the well, you know what, whatever the biggest, the hardest, the most annoying, the most upsetting, the most boring, whatever the thing is that I’m avoiding that day, I will do that thing first. And everything else revolves around that thing. And it might be a two second email or phone call, or it might be something chunky, or whatever. And just getting that out of the way first. And that’s that, I guess that’s the way I applied to everything, like get the crap out of the way. So you have more, and effort and energy and time for the fun stuff.
Kate Toon
Yeah, I agree. And the book is called Eat the frog, I refer to it in my book as lick the frog, because you may not necessarily complete the whole thing. But like, every day, I have a little bit of a lick every day. But the other thing I mean, it’s kind of the ice bath mentality that kind of, you know, Joe Rogan, and all of those put forward. And what it’s about really is taming your inner bitch or inner whingey bitch who goes on to be bothered, you know, and you need to be the master of your inner whingey bitch. Some days I went Sunday, she wins. And I don’t do the big thing. But I think what I’ve noticed in business owners that do succeed are those that are willing to kind of shut that voice down by practical action, rather than indulging it and letting themselves spiral into a, you know, existential crisis. Is that the same for you?
Mim Jenkinson
That is me to a tee. I completely agree. I’ve got an outer whingey bitch as well, how do you do it?
Kate Toon
I’ve got so many. I’m just surrounded by whingey bitches of my own making. So you know, even with our helicopter view and our time rocking and are Mim, Mum time, you know, there must be moments where you feel, you know, sounds like you even do the school canteen, which I would literally rather stick a fork in my leg.
Mim Jenkinson
I will say I haven’t done it very much this year, by the way.
Kate Toon
Cool. Thank you because we’re starting. We’re starting to not like you there. They’re having really
Mim Jenkinson
I had a really great year last year where I felt a bit like supermom not so much now, but carry on.
Kate Toon
But there are that’s a great point there. There are periods. So right, like I said,
Mim Jenkinson
It’s all cyclical.
Kate Toon
Yeah, it’s all cyclical. I’m coming into a zone in my business for the next three months where I’ve not got any travel. I’ve hopefully not got as much work on my measure of being a good mom, because we will have we talked about this in the book, what is a good parent, it’s very different for everybody. One of the things that I feel makes me a good mom is making nice dinners. I don’t know why it’s really important to me. Other people don’t give a crap about that. And they’re more like, I want to turn up some high school kids sports event. I don’t give a crap about that. But for me, I know I’m coming up to a period where I’m going to be like what I would call the good mom isn’t that awful?
Mim Jenkinson
No it isn’t.
Kate Toon
Because I feel like I’ve not hit the mark as much as I wanted to. Do you know what I mean?
Mim Jenkinson
I don’t think we’re ever gonna, I don’t think we’re ever gonna fully hit the mark. Certainly not consistently, like you say, I mean, it’s the same for anything isn’t it’s like, I guess I see it sometimes is, you know, what, what’s the wagon? And what, what wagon? Do I not want to fall off? What do I want to stay on? And what other signs I want to have? Like, one of the things that I say if I find myself saying this, I know it’s a warning, if I find myself saying to the kids, like just one minute, just one sec, just
Kate Toon
Oh yeah.
Mim Jenkinson
When it is at a time where I’m you know, I want to be in mom mode rather than work mode. That’s like the first warning to me. The second warning is when I hear the kids saying it to each other or to me or their dad, if I hear them saying just one sec, just one minute, you know that because then there are ways and that’s the second – it’s gone too far now, rating the way that they’re now giving, given the orders or saying the things. So that is something that I’m trying to be you know, where I’m, whatever.
Kate Toon:
Mindful of, mindful of. Yeah, I heard I read a horrible meme the other day, so many memes on Instagram are just there to make you feel shit. And it’s like the way you talk to your children will become their inner voice.
Kate Toon
And I’m like
Mim Jenkinson
Mhm.
Kate Toon:
God oh dear.
Mim Jenkinson:
Oh, dear Oops
Kate Toon
What have I done. And this is it. I think, you know, there’s a Philip Larkin poem. We love him. He’s northern English. And it says you know you eff your kids up no matter what you do, you know what I mean? And so how do you manage that parent guilt when you do find yourself? Putting the kids off? Or you do kind of finish the day and you go, or, Oh, I feel a bit awful. Now. I missed that. How do you get yourself over that and keep going?
Mim Jenkinson
I guess going back to the health crisis that I had one of the biggest things that I wanted, and we all want this, but it was really like slammed in my face is that when I go, I want to leave my kids with a great life, with opportunities, with stable finances. I call it legacy, you know, like the legacy I want to leave them it’s so bloody important to me. And therefore, if there are times where I’m doing something now Generally, it’s a business thing, and I can’t be fully 100% present with them when they want me to be. Is having that quick like, check in with myself? Is this because I just want to get something done? Is this because I’ve set myself a goal? And and it’s all about me and it’s meaningless? Or is it? Is this really going to have like, be directly related to that legacy goal? And if it is, that helps me overcome the guilt for sure. Otherwise, I honestly, I think I just accept that it’s a part of every day or at least every week living that I can’t, I can’t do two things at once. So we’re going to be times when the kids desperately need me, and I’ll drop everything. There are times when they need me a bit, and I can’t drop everything. And there’ll be times where they just want me, and I don’t want to drop everything, and everything in between. So
Kate Toon
I love that and I love the permission that sometimes you literally don’t want to do that thing.
Mim Jenkinson
I don’t want to.
Kate Toon
So do you want to do your businessey thing, and I think it’s really important for especially moms, I think to to give themselves permission to enjoy your job to realize that it gives you a sense of self a sense of purpose, it’s a creative outlet, often it’s a sense of community, you know, like we’ve connected through business wouldn’t have known each other otherwise. And that’s okay. You’re allowed to do that.
Mim Jenkinson
It’s okay. It’s more than okay. And I think that, you know, and my parents did enjoy their jobs. I don’t know about yours. But I I do think we’re still raised in our generation that work was hard work. And that jobs was something you had to do and you’re working for, you know, it like it was a thing where you was this. Anyway, yeah, don’t get much, but you do it anyway. Like, I like to be able to show the kids actually, you can have a really good time and enjoy a lot of it and want to keep on going sometimes with it. But it’s not a, I have to work I have to obviously we have to work. But you know what I’m saying? Like we don’t know, I think we don’t want to,
Kate Toon
You know, I’ve got in the book, a few little sort of micro scripts to use because I think often the responses, you know, when you kids are like, Why are you working? And just because I have to make money to pay for your toys, and whatever. And it’s like, no, no, it’s not just about the money. Yeah, you’re working because you enjoy it. And it’s all you can come back to you can say you know how you like playing with your Lego and you like being on your iPad, I really like my job, I really enjoy it. And so I need to have some of that in my day. And then that means I can also really enjoy being with you. And I like the balance between the two. And I think you need to explain it to kids in terms that they like and not just make it about money and it has to be done and suffering. I love that, like share the joy of your work. I love that great tips. Now. You know, you’re obviously big into planners and productivity and all that kind of stuff. And it sounds like you’re like me like you like to have things super organized. What is what is your number one productivity tip? How do you keep yourself on track?
Mim Jenkinson
Oh, my biggest tip is always exactly the same. And I think we spoke about this before planning on a Friday, on a Friday like that three ish on a Friday. And I’ve got shit for brains, like I literally can’t, I can’t focus. I can’t focus on anything really productive at that point. But I can plan for the next week. So it’s my 15 minute, like me time self care, get my planner, get my stickers, choose what I’m doing with like the color theme, usually color coding, I know. And like take that 15 to 20 minutes to plan the following week. So it means that I can like draw a line under the week, I get to like, think about what I’ve done what I’ve achieved what I haven’t celebrations, because I don’t do that anywhere near enough as I should. And then it means that I can enjoy the weekend and not have to think about the things that I didn’t get done or what needs to be done next week. And I get up on a Monday and I know exactly what to do. So it’s quite structured in the way that I do it. But it doesn’t feel that way to me because I’ve been doing it for so many years. And I used to always plan on a Monday morning, to me now that feels really stressful needs to there. Oh no, I know, we all work in different ways. But if anyone hasn’t tried planning on a Friday afternoon, I would say give it a go for a couple of weeks and see see how you feel because it’s mainly the feeling.
Kate Toon
I love that. I mean, couple of the tips in the book is I really do encourage people not to have daily to do lists, but weekly to do lists, I think, because something will always go wrong. And also often people set themselves up for failure on a particular day, because they’re not in the right zone or mood. But over the week, you probably will be more succeeding. I do my to do list on a Thursday, which I know sounds really like. Why because Friday, Friday is my day when I can work if I want to. But I don’t have to do so I’m really sure I don’t schedule any calls or podcasts or anything. If I’m it’s usually when I’m working on something bigger that’s coming down the track. But I totally agree with you on Monday when I come and sit at my desk I can barely remember what I did on Friday, I can barely type. So sit down and have a ready prepared to do list that was made by me. And I can just sit down and don’t think I don’t have to think about who I am or what I’m doing. I just do the first three things on that list and then I’m in the zone. Then I’m going the bike the pedals are moving. And then I find it easier to get started in today. So I love that.
Mim Jenkinson
I’m exactly the same and making those plans, deciding what you’re going to do putting them in order prioritizing. It’s just all decision making. And I don’t want to Monday morning with a bunch of decisions to make when it’s already going to be a day full of them. I want to say that for the more important stuff,
Kate Toon
so, and I’m sure you do what I do, which I start the list of some very easy wins, like I do, check zero clear inbox, you know, or I do my
Mim Jenkinson
No I eat the frog.
Kate Toon
Or I do my frog. Again, I think it’s important to be kind to yourself and having I have what I call light and shade. Again, this is in the book. So we know when I’m good. And I know when I’m not so good, I’m not great on Monday, so I don’t stack that day up a shit. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I go really, really hard. In the morning, in the afternoon, you have to know yourself and stop looking at other people do things like I see some people doing loads of stuff in the evening, and I’m like a complete muppet by three o’clock my brain is shut.
Mim Jenkinson
When do they watch their Netflix, I don’t understand.
Kate Toon
Maybe they don’t. And scheduled joy, as we’ve mentioned, as well. Now, you know, obviously, you’re financially doing okay. Are you making six figures in school hours?
Mim Jenkinson
I am making six figures in school hours.
Kate Toon
What is your money tip for people out there? Not necessarily how to make more money, but how do you manage your money? How do you stay on top of it?
Mim Jenkinson
Profit First, Profit first is life changing.
Kate Toon
Like Frazzles of the money world isn’t it, it’s the frazzles of the money world. Don’t you think?
Mim Jenkinson
Frazzles, do you remember frazzles? It’s the Skips
Kate Toon
The Skips.
Mim Jenkinson
Profit First is life changing. I think I’ve converted so many people over to it. And I wish I’d heard about it earlier. Because I’ve always been good with money. I’ve always liked enjoyed learning, I’ve got a family of tax accountants, you know, I’ve had, from a young age, I’ve had a knowledge of, of what to do what not to do. But obviously with a bunch of money mindset things too. But just the very simplistic practical difference, that even just having an account for profit and account for tax had even just those two things, and the ceremony of paying myself and the ceremony of putting money into those accounts. I mean, like it’s changed, everything. Decisions are already made. So now I don’t have I mean, you know, we still have money, stress, obviously. But I know that twice a month, I’m following the process that I followed for years. Now. It’s easy. Michalowicz.
Kate Toon
It’s easy, and that, you know, the percentages have worked out. And it’s all logical, and it’s not emotional. I think a big part of business, especially as a parent is trying to sounds negative in a way but strip out as much emotion as you can from the things where emotion isn’t needed, save the emotion and the empathy for your customers. But don’t have emotion about your to do list or your budget. I had, I had no financial wherewithal. And so you know, you can come at it from being money savvy, or you can come at it from being a money muppet. And it’s still massively helpful. And I would say the pivotal moment in my business. So if those of you listening if you don’t want profit versus there’s a great book by Mike Michalowicz I think I’m saying, Michalowicz. Michalowicz. He was just in Sydney, which is great, I shared a picture of him holding my book on Instagram, which I couldn’t go because I’ve been incredibly ill. Someone took my book for me, it’s a great book.
Mim Jenkinson
Thought leader
Kate Toon
I know. There are Profit First practitioners, you can go through all your budget and work out. If you can’t afford that. As Mim says, even just having a few different bank accounts and starting with the percentages that are in Six Figures in School Hours. So if you scroll through six figures in school, as you get to the money chapters, I do a very basic explanation of profit first, so
Mim Jenkinson
You only need even a basic I’ve only read about 25% of the book. I’ve not read the book? I’m going to be really honest. I’ve only read about 25% and that was all I needed.
Kate Toon
Yeah, well this is it. I advocate it for the people, but I’m not, ironically, much of a business book reader. And also, I think there are lots of subtleties and differences in it. But it’s pretty straightforward. It he admits in the book that he didn’t even you didn’t make it up. It was actually invented in the 1940s by-
Mim Jenkinson
The envelope system.
Kate Toon
The envelope system from the Second World War, and I remember my grandma putting money on the mantelpiece to pay the coal man in the co-op, you know, so he’s not invented it. He’s just reinvented it, which is, which is often what business is about, isn’t it involves the invention. Do you? Do you get your family involved in your business? Like, are your kids old enough to stick stamps on, I mean, they must love the frickin stickers. Because who doesn’t.
Mim Jenkinson
They do love the stickers. I mean, to have a mum who talks about stickers every day for work is hilarious.
Kate Toon
A dream.
Mim Jenkinson
And awesome. Yeah. And they keep like my daughter keeps on saying like when I’m older, like, Will I, not work for you. Will I take over your business? And I’m like, oh, and the next question. Can I changed the name? If you want. I’m planning to do this till I’m very old, by the way, because it is my hobby to like, but anyway, but yeah, the kids are involved. Not so much in not so much yet, like practically. So occasionally they’ll do to help. They don’t have jobs. Like they’re only eight and 10. There’s not. I mean, there might be something I could give them, but I haven’t yet. But did I tell you that my husband works for me now?
Kate Toon
No.
Mim Jenkinson
Oh, he’s working for me in March because so miles is an ex Disney animator. a straighter is amazing, and that he worked for them for like, over 10 years is fantastic. And then he went into carpentry for like 16 years entirely different.
Kate Toon
Wow.
Mim Jenkinson
So his skills have like, been wasted somewhat, but it was the right thing for him to do at the time. But we, we worked on a plan like financially to see whether it’ll be practical for him to be able to be at home to one, design for my business and my membership and because he’s designing like stickers and clip-art and patterns that they can use to make stickers. But then also to do more at home to like the drop off. So the pickup things so that then I can use my time a bit more wisely. So we went into it with the if we like head for divorce will pull back and we’ll revert to like, even when he handed his notice then he was like, might come back and that’s okay. Like so far so good. You know, it was still finding our feet. It’s only been a few months, but it’s working out pretty well so far.
Kate Toon
It’s really exciting. I mean, what that would be many people’s dream, some people’s nightmare, you know, I’m not sure. But also, you know, obviously, if he could then go on just be like a graphic designer and illustrator, that he’s –
Mim Jenkinson
I just feel that at some point when the time is right, he’ll get back into illustration, maybe animation in a bit, but he’ll-
Kate Toon
And you’ll be his best client, maybe that how nice to be able to share, share the load, because as you said, you know, it’s also about him being home to free you up, you’ve got a successful business, you need the it doesn’t matter who’s bringing in the bacon or the veggie bacon, it’s you know, who needs the support, who is thriving, who’s time, you know, and I think that can be a real challenge for people starting a business that the partner isn’t supportive. And so you’re trying to do these things.
Mim Jenkinson
I hear that a lot.
Kate Toon
Under the specter of you’re not bringing any money in Yeah, and your city store is only made $12. Whereas you want them to be celebrating the $12 Because that’s amazing.
Mim Jenkinson
Yeah, that’s so true. And I mean, when I got started, I was with my silly little Etsy stuff. And I was at home I had and I was learning, you know, very little on nothing for a while. And my parents were living with us too, because they were like Myles was looking after me. My parents were looking after the kids and him really, it was all a commune at the time. Because they came over while I was going through treatment. I love my parents, they’re so supportive. But I was getting in my ear of when you’re going to go back to work for a long time. I think it was, honestly it was when I hit much bigger figures, that they finally realized that what I was doing, yeah, and that’s fine. I get it. It’s a totally different generation, like it was support in their own way. But thankfully, like Myles has always been so supportive. So even when I couldn’t say to him, Look, I’m earning less, he just knew to trust in me, thankfully. Because, you know, I had proof otherwise, everything else I’ve done had been a success or even like, I mean, I worked in corporate for years, you know, even knowing that there was a promotion opportunity. He’d seen me do okay, so he believed in me enough. But I think it’s pretty common that some partners don’t support so I feel super lucky to be able to have that.
Kate Toon
Yeah, and I talked about this in the book, because I think that it’s the one person in your world who’s supposed to be supportive isn’t. It’s like having a, you know, a metal ball attached to ankle or you’re dragging now. So I think it’s so important to kind of have a conversation with your partner and say, you know, can you give me this? Can you give me six months to a year to try this? And I get that, you know, can you accept that for this period, it won’t be as successful, and the house won’t be as clean, but I’m trying to build something here. You know, and it’s not if you love me, you’re like me, it’s like can you try and understand what my motivation is and I really want to give this a good shot. And to do that, I need you to be on my side. Because you’re my one person you know, it’s great if you pick a good one and aren’t you know, I’m the same as you like when I started to get some financial wherewithal it’s it gives you more power in the relationship, you know, because you actually have the money and then I far exceeded my partner’s money and that causes different problems. So you know, it’s new level new devil and all of that mean what does self care look like to you? How do you look after yourself? How do you treat you when we’re not doing family? We’re not being Mim-businesswoman. Mim-mum what’s just Mim-Mim?
Mim Jenkinson
Outlander, it’s pretty much it. No, I do a lot actually. And you know, I don’t think I was very good at self care before I got cancer. And then I was in a position where I had to do it like I had to take time away and and it’s really simple things like literally now going to go into in my room lying on my bed, just doing nothing, you know, or going for a walk or I mean I do I do things like the whole massage facials I call it you know,
Kate Toon
Or massage.
Mim Jenkinson
I do those for sure. But I guess I wouldn’t stop I don’t count them as self care but self care to me is much more simple. It’s actually just sometimes it’s been able to think of a thing that I want to think about start that thought and finish it without any interruptions can you imagine? It’s very rare, but it’s so it’s such a treat.
Kate Toon
I’m at the point where I’ve got that now, but I remember when my son was little, you know, not being able to like finish a poo properly. You know what I mean like nothing
Mim Jenkinson
You can’t have anything in full.
Kate Toon
Nothing for yourself. And I agree like my bed I feel like it’s my you know, you get those mats that you put your phone on that recharges. My bed. So just being in bed is an activity for me. It’s amazing. I’ve got a weighted blanket. I’ve got everything. No, I mean, I’ve got all that. I’ve got everything’s there within arm’s reach. Got me, me Outlander and your laptop and crisps.
Mim Jenkinson
And the kids know now like if mommy’s like, what a rule that we’ve said out loud? But they know if I’m on the bed, if it’s the daytime, or whenever it isn’t bedtime, if I’m lying down, they basically either they either leave me alone, which is just common struggle.
Kate Toon
I know. But this is it doesn’t have to be about glamorous lady lunches, and facials and whatever it can just be shutting the door of your bedroom, and having a quiet poo. Let’s talk about that.
Mim Jenkinson
Let’s.
Kate Toon
Let’s finish up. I’ve asked the final question too early. So I’ll have to ask my second to last question. I’m not discombobulated. What do you think has been the biggest driver for your success over the years?
Mim Jenkinson
I mean, going back to the what I call legacy, you know, and legacy to me isn’t, I want to, I want the world to remember who I am, isn’t that it’s literally leaving the things that I want to leave to the people who matter. And whether they forget me or not, I just want to be able to create safety, security, opportunities, if I can, especially for my kids, and to my husband, and to anyone else who maybe follows afterwards. Like, it’s so important to all of us. I know. But it really, it really was like, you know, smacked in my face when I went through the diagnosis. And at first it can that came with fear and a lot of panic of, I’m not going to be able to do these things like it’s too late, or I’m going to have to work really hard. But over the years that has really turned into something that’s much more of a celebration, like now I get to be able to do these things, I get to be able to take time to think about what I want to come after me and how I can do things in a in a fun way now where I’m creating that, and it gives me a lot of comfort, and a lot of pride too. So I honestly think that’s the biggest motivator.
Kate Toon
Ooh, I got actual goosebumps there. And it’s absolutely lovely. And I you know, sometimes hearing someone else articulate that makes you realize, yeah, that’s me too. You know, we refer to it as generational wealth. Sometimes that’s not quite the right time. It’s, I like your it’s generational opportunity and safety and security. Like, you know, I want, I only have one child. And so I do feel like he’s going to be a little bit alone in this world. So I want to set him up as best I can. I don’t want him to be like a wanker. You know, I mean, like, I had friends at University where I bought a flat when they were left and I was like Bloody hell. Do you know what I mean? I don’t want that level.
Mim Jenkinson
No, no.
Kate Toon
But I want. And it’s literally not just about financials. It’s also about wherewithal, confidence, seeing you as a role model and what I mean, you’ve created an entire business out of air,
Mim Jenkinson
Yeah.
Kate Toon
And a bit of paper and a printer, you created an entire business out of nothing just out of your brain, and to show someone that that can be done, I think is inspirational. So I salute you Mim.
Mim Jenkinson
Aw, back at you.
Kate Toon
So thank you so much for coming on the show. Where can we find out more about your fabulous business? Where should we actually
Mim Jenkinson
I guess Instagram paper planner club is the place to find me. I’m in jenkinson.com. Yeah, thanks so much for having me.
Kate Toon
Fantastic, we’ll include links to love with love from them Instagram and Facebook in the show notes. Go and check them stuff out. It’s such a cool business, one of my favorite Instagrams to follow. And men. Thank you for taking the time to come and talk to us today.
Mim Jenkinson
Thanks love.
Kate Toon
So thanks to Mim Jenkinson, and thanks to you for listening to the show. If you enjoyed it, and have a minute to leave a rating or review, that would be amazing. Your review will help others and you’ll get a shout out. I don’t have one to read out this week, because we’ve run out. So if you’re listening now and you’ve got the podcast on your app, maybe take a couple of minutes, it would be super appreciated. You can find out more about the book by googling six figures in school hours. It’s available all over the world and via my website. We’re on Instagram at six figures in school hours and you can come and join my Facebook group The Misfit entrepreneurs to meet lots of other busy business owning parents for tips and advice. So until next time, happy juggling, and remember the world will wait.
