MAD Academy...
music & dance and a whole lot of fun!

'I CHANGED MY CAREER'

Helen Harrington, 37, from Reading, discovered she was pregnant - and never looked back.

'I'm living in the same house and with the same man, but my life looks nothing like it did six years ago. In September 2001, I was a busy marketing exec at the BBC, commuting at least three hours every day and often working until 8pm. Now I have two children under seven and run my own business from home.

'Some of the changes were planned, some I just ran with. I saved money, fell pregnant intentionally and planned to take a year off. I had a vague idea I might start my own business, but that was all. As things turned out, my year off never happened - a business idea struck me when my son was just a few months old, and I couldn't wait to get cracking.

'Now I run MAD Academy - a franchise business of really active music and dance classes for young children. The change to my daily life has been huge. Working for myself means I'm under a different type of pressure. There's no one to nag me, but deep down I know that if I put off a job it'll be my own business that suffers. Working at home is another big change - I use the phone for my fix of social interaction. Achieving a work-life balance has been hard, too. With two young children, there's always another wash to put on, but now I'm strict with myself and leave it until my lunchbreak.

'I love to keep changing things about my life. Yes, it's scary at times, but it keeps me on my toes. If you're thinking about making a change you just need to believe in yourself and your ability to adapt to new situations. Above all, ignore all those who say "the grass is always greener ..." because it might be that it actually is!'
 

Franchises are available throughout the UK

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