Interview with Amanda

Three weeks ago, we were thrilled to welcome the very newest member of the Connock London family when our founder Amanda gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Ava! 

We recently caught up with Amanda to find out how she juggles family life with running a business, and when she gets the chance, how she likes to slow the pace down a little. And of course there may have been some newborn baby cuddling going on too…

Amanda, congratulations on the birth of your baby daughter at the end of January! With a growing business to run and now a second child to add to your family, how will you prioritise your time in these early baby days?

“Thank you! Ava is just 3 weeks old so we have been taking each day as it comes so far! The baby days will be over before we know it so I am making the most of every minute with her and it is also very important to me that Harry is feeling happy and settled and I have enough good quality time with him and my husband, James. But at the same time, I have to keep on top of work – I’m certainly not in a position to take any time off so it is a case of trying to be incredibly organised!

I’m so lucky to have a lot of help and support from my family – I don’t know how I would do it otherwise. I’m breastfeeding so Ava will be coming to a lot of meetings, events and trade shows with me over the next few months!”

What would you say has been your biggest challenge since having a family alongside running Connock London?

“I think juggling work and family effectively will always be my biggest challenge. I certainly don’t always get it right but these are my greatest passions so it’ll be an ongoing challenge for me.”

What advice would you give any woman who wants to go for it and set up a business, particularly if she’s a mum?

“There is no doubt about it - creating a business from scratch is a risk and usually requires a huge amount of time and energy (which can be hard to find particularly if you are raising a family). However, in order to succeed you have to be prepared to take a few risks and not be afraid of the possibility of failure. It’s so important to have a clear vision of what you want to do and then go for it! I believe that success comes from passion and determination and for me the satisfaction of seeing my business develop and succeed makes it all totally worth it!"

What’s your view on the Can Women “Have It All” discussion?

“I think it depends what ‘Having It All’ really means to you. I strongly believe you can have a successful career and raise a family at the same time but it goes without saying that you will have to make certain sacrifices and compromises along the way. I can’t imagine that I will be the Mum that volunteers to bake cakes for the school fete as you simply can’t do everything but I will always be there for the important things.”

How do you find ways to relax with life being so hectic and do you have a "de-stress secret”?

“We live in the New Forest so a long family walk followed by a cosy pub lunch is my favourite way to relax. Or if I am able to escape for an hour, a hot bath with Kukui Oil Bath & Shower Oil and a glass of Prosecco never fails!”