The School Run CEO: Building a Business Around Real Life

Juggling Life: School Runs, Sports Days and Building a Business Around Real Life

Ever had one of those weeks where school emails arrive at the last minute, your diary is already full, and you're somehow expected to be in three places at once?

In this episode, I share the reality of building a business around school runs, sports days, school plays, appeals, and all the unexpected moments that come with raising children. As a single mum and business owner, I've consciously built my business around my son rather than expecting him to fit around my business.

We talk about:

•  Why flexibility was my biggest motivation for starting a business 
•  The hidden challenges of parenting a neurodiverse child while running a company 
•  Letting go of guilt around missed networking events, retreats and opportunities 
•  Why success isn't about working more hours 
•  The lessons I've learned about balancing family, business and ambition 
•  The financial mistakes I wish I'd avoided earlier in my entrepreneurial journey 
•  How passive income created more choices and freedom in my life 

If you've ever wondered whether you're doing enough, missing out, or making the "right" choices as a parent and business owner, this episode is a reminder that you get to define success on your own terms.

Because sometimes the greatest success isn't scaling faster - it's having the freedom to be there for the moments that matter most.

What is Live More, Earn More?

Welcome to Live More, Earn More - the podcast for freedom-seekers, soul-led entrepreneurs, and ambitious creatives who are done with the hustle and ready for alignment.

Hosted by Lucy Griffiths, bestselling author of Make Money While You Sleep, this show is your go-to space for building a business that lights you up and supports your life (not the other way around).

Each week, you'll hear inspiring stories, practical strategies to grow passive income, magnetic marketing tips, and conversations that blend business brilliance with mindset magic, feminine energy, and a whole lot of woo. If you're a solopreneur or dreaming up your next big thing - this is your permission slip to do it on your terms.

✨ Abundance. Alignment. Action.
It’s time to live more and earn more - with ease.

How I built a business around school
runs, sports days, and real life.

It's that school season
that is so full on.

You know, where they get to the end
of the school year, and suddenly

you're expected to be a contortionist
and turn up at school every two

seconds, plus run a business, plus
live your life and juggle 101 things.

And so, for example, this week I got
an email on Friday to say, and this was

Friday late afternoon to say, "Oh, I
think we may have missed you off for the

original notifications, but we need you to
attend a school appeal meeting on Tuesday

at this time." So I reply back and say,
"Oh, this is the first I've heard of it.

Is it possible to change that?

Because I've already got a prior
meeting booked in." "No, sorry.

We've sent out the invitations to 18
other parents and, um, if you want

to come, that's your time slot." So
of course, I have to leap through

multiple hoops to attend, and that
means canceling my meeting in London.

And thank goodness I'm a business owner
and I can usually make the juggle.

That meeting is definitely something
I would like to attend, but I can't

miss this, I need to go to this school
appeal and for lots of complex reasons.

But it got me thinking
about this time of year.

My son is just about to finish.

He's in year six and he's just
about to finish primary school

and move to senior school.

And so that means he is, um, you know,
really going through all, all the things.

They're doing the school play, they're
having all the trips, they're going to

the cathedral, and it means we're on
constant alert to go to all these events.

And I'm lucky I have flexibility, but
it's so difficult as a parent when you

are working to, you know, to be able to
do all those things But I just wanted

to remind myself, and also you, that
sometimes we can feel like we have to

be this corporate CEO, this kind of,
you know, we're the founder of this big

organisation, and very often, especially
when you first start out, you write "we"

all over our website when it's just you.

And actually, people want you.

They want an individual who
cares and does things and gives

them individual attention.

But sometimes that means that
you can't be present because you

have to look after your child.

You have to go and do some of the
things that, you know, the school

admin and all those things that just
can take you away from your business.

And I have very consciously
built my business around my son

rather than the other way around.

I stopped working as an
international journalist because

I couldn't juggle childcare.

That was the huge motivator for
me, that I wanted to be there, and

I wanted to be present for my son.

And I've made conscious
decisions along the way.

I've decided that I wasn't going to
events, I wasn't gonna go to retreats

because it didn't fit my life, my family
life, particularly as a single parent.

And so I've probably missed out on those
opportunities and, you know, opportunities

to network and grow my business and
get more clients and all those things.

But I am comfortable with those
choices because it meant that I have

been really present for my son, and
he has needed me to be present, and

I've been able to be around, plus also
build a business that works for me

And sometimes, you know,
now I'm feeling conflicted.

I feel conflicted by should I
attend this meeting on Tuesday

or, you know, do this thing?

I don't have a choice in this
case, I have to go to this meeting.

But, you know, there are often
times now where my son's that little

bit older and needs me less, where
I do feel slightly conflicted.

Do I go to the networking event, go to
the meeting, go to whatever it may be,

or do I stay and be present for my son?

And I realized that when I'm not present
for him, he spirals and unravels.

So it then makes the whole
thing really stressful.

I'm better just to keep
things simple and stay home.

But it's, you know, it's
always a juggle, isn't it?

And it's always tricky and when you
are parenting neurodiverse children,

they have additional needs that it's
hard to explain to other people.

That's always been one of the trickiest
things that I, I can't have-- You

know, I used to look at other people
who go away for five days for a

retreat or whatever it may be, and
I never felt like I could do that.

And you could say, "Oh, that's me,"
you know, but, but actually it causes

so much distress that I realized
it, it wasn't, it wasn't making it

a relaxing or a inspiring event.

It just was something that was stressful
because I couldn't quite fit it all in.

I used to go to the Tony Robbins events,
and they were four days, and The last

one I did, it was so stressful, even
the phone calls because my son wanted

to talk to me and, and I found myself
really not fully participating and

throwing myself into it because I
was having to juggle everything else.

And, I realized, actually, there are
better ways for me to, feel inspired

and create opportunities more locally,
more in a low-key way that fits my life.

Because, I chose this business
for flexibility, and I chose this

business so that I can be there for
my son and the moments that matter.

And so if I, walked away from a career
that I really loved and gave me such

purpose and passion, but it wasn't gonna
fit my life, and I knew that, then,

you know, now I'm doing something I
really enjoy, and I, I love doing it.

But it's, it's certainly not-- It
was, you know, never like, "Oh, it's

my dream to do this thing," whereas
journalism was always my dream.

So I'm not now gonna throw that
all away just to jump on a plane,

because I was doing that before.

So, you know, I think whatever stage of
life you're at, you don't have to feel

guilty about not attending, um, that
meeting or not doing those things because

you are putting your children first.

Many of us created flexible
businesses to have the flexibility

to be there for our children,
and that is-- that's our purpose.

That's our reason why we're here.

And sometimes we just need to remind
ourselves of that And you know, the

thing is that I set this up, I created
the passive income so that I could have

that flexibility as a single parent.

And I think, you know, if I was starting
again right now, going right back and

thinking, you know, where I'm at, I would
absolutely make the same decisions about

walking away from journalism, creating
passive income, going all in, whether

it was with property that I started
doing in the beginning or courses.

But one thing I would say I
would definitely get smarter at

understanding my, , cash flows.

What's coming into the business,
what expenses and expenditure

is coming out of the business.

I have often, in the past, allowed
other people to manage that, and I've

kind of thought, "Oh, they can do
that, and I'll focus on the creative."

But what I realized is I haven't--
by abdicating responsibility, I

have not been looking after my
best interests some of the time.

And what has happened is that sort of
lack of interest has enabled other people

to take advantage of me and take out,
loans and things within the business that

were nothing to do with me, but I'm now
having to pick up the pieces from and,

you know, incur massive expenditure,
thousands and thousands of pounds that

wouldn't have happened if I had, really
taken more responsibility and ownership.

And so, you know, I think it's a
tricky one because, it might be that

you think, "Oh, so and so can deal
with that," whether it's your business

partner or your life partner or,
you know, somebody in the office.

But actually, it's down to
you to understand that too.

So, you know, you can absolutely
build a business that fits around

your sports days and school runs and
all the things that you need to do.

But remember that you are also the
cornerstone of your business too.

And while you can outsource so
many things, just make sure they've

got your best interest at heart.

Because, you know, success isn't
working more hours, it's about having

more choices and the ability to
choose how you work, how you live,

and create a life that works for you.