FANTASTIC FEMALE -CLAIRE HATTRICK FOUNDER OF CLIPBOARDCLAIRE
Clipboardclaire.com was started back in July last year when we were in lockdown and as a self-employed beauty therapist, I was unable to work. My girls came up with the idea of starting a blog because they know I love to help people and want to share my experience.
Our blog covers topics on: The Menopause, my personal experience with it and how I am getting through it.
My experience as a Single Mum of Identical Twin Girls, they are now 22 years old so I share my experience of bringing them up on my own, including all my ideas from how to prepare for the arrival of a newborn (or newborns in my case) to things children can do when they are bored and how to get through life as a Single Mum!
The final section is general Life Advice, where I cover all sorts of topics from organisation to gift guides and tried and tested products.
The Blog has only been up for 8 months and we have had an amazing response from everyone we have helped or even just made smile and that is all we aim to do!
Please head over to www.clipboardclaire.com and have a look and be sure to sign up to our free email newsletter for weekly reminders of the new blogs that have been published! Please also have a look at our social media pages to be kept up to date with everything at clipboardclaire.com!
FANTASTIC FEMALE -CLAIRE HATTRICK FOUNDER OF CLIPBOARDCLAIRE
How did you balance being a mother and professional?
I did this by being super organised and writing everything down, hence the name clipboarclaire! This was key to balancing work and being a single Mum to twin girls, it made sure that everything got done.
What have you sacrificed (both personally and professionally) at each stage of your career?
Being a single Mum, you do lose some of the luxuries of life… BUT you gain huge rewards investing time into your children! I would have loved to have more holidays and travelled with my girls but being forced into single motherhood (which was not in my plan), I had to prioritise my children first which to me was more important. Spreading the cost of my girls birthday parties etc, knowing someday I could pick up my love to travel again soon! Being a single Mum I wanted to be with my children to see them grow up, meaning that I chose to give up my career in the Thames Valley Autotrader, and when the girls were old enough, I went back to college to study to be a beautician which is something I had always wanted to do from a young age.
Who inspired you and why?
My Mother and she still does! She too was a single Mum and was a hard worker providing for me and my siblings. Never making us feel that we came from a single-family home, she had a very successful career that I aspired to follow, she was the Vice Chancellor Secretary of Reading University for years. She got this later in life and she had worked so hard to get it. She worked her way up the career ladder but decided to do this after me and my siblings had left the nest.
What advice would you give to young women who want to succeed in the workplace?
Aim high, then you’ve got your goal, the sky is the limit, and you can do anything that you choose! You might make mistakes along the way but use these as an opportunity to learn so that you can do better next time and never give up because you will get there, you will have some setbacks, but everything happens for a reason. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, let that drive you to attain that goal and prove them wrong because when you achieve that goal it will make all of your hard work worth it!
FANTASTIC FEMALE -CLAIRE HATTRICK FOUNDER OF CLIPBOARDCLAIRE
Do you think women feel intimidated in business?
No, I don’t think that women feel as intimidated as they used too. When I was climbing the ladder to success in the Motor Trade it was a very male orientated business. This has changed and it has become more of two equal parts like it should be!
Where will we find you on a Saturday morning at 10 a.m.?
In the Gym! Keeping my Menopausal weight gain at bay! Please have a look at my ‘Exercise to improve symptoms of the Menopause’ blog here: https://clipboardclaire.com/exercise-to-improve-symptoms-of-the-menopause/ .Then coming home to work on my blogging website clipboardclaire.com, in the hope that all of our hard work (including my twin identical daughters) will pay off!
What do you love about your job?
I love being able to make a difference and helping other people, so they don’t have to suffer like myself. I hope that by sharing my experiences in life and Menopause tips that have worked for me, that others will be able to avoid the things I have experienced, making their day a little brighter and easier. If writing these blogs at clipboardclaire.com helps one person out then it makes them worth writing!
What’s the best career decision you’ve ever made?
Launching Clipboardclaire.com, you can have all of the qualifications and letters after your name under the sun but personally I don’t think you can beat experience in that topic. I love getting messages from people who have taken my advice or used our recommended products, knowing that it has helped them. As I wish I had someone to give me advice, especially through the Menopause, using trial and error to find solutions to the symptoms I had. If only I knew then what I know now!
What’s the worst career decision you’ve ever made?
I don’t think that I can say I have had a worst career decision, I believe that you can learn from your mistakes and without these you cannot improve yourself to better yourself for your career. So I am grateful for every opportunity I have been given as I don’t think I would be the women I am today without them.
FANTASTIC FEMALE -CLAIRE HATTRICK FOUNDER OF CLIPBOARDCLAIRE
How do you organise your time?
At the moment, most of my time is dedicated to clipboardclaire.com and I work in my beauty salon one day a week. I am an avid diary user and I try to plan some me time into my schedule, whether that be going to the gym or meeting a friend for a walk or cuppa/gin! I have more information on how I stay organised in my blog ‘An Organised Life’. https://clipboardclaire.com/an-organised-life/.
What do you think is your greatest strength?
Determination! I believe that I am quite determined and that my setbacks in life have made me even more determined to become who I am today!
What do you think is your greatest weakness?
Not being good at saying no! I like to do everything and keep myself busy and this sometimes does not leave any time for me unless I have planned it in!
How do you make decisions?
I always think about the decision however big or small, I never like to make rash decisions, but I normally know pretty quickly if I want to do something or not. I like to take a bit of time on big decisions, sometimes this is overnight and talking to close friends and family about the pros and cons can sometimes help to aid in my decision but I am not indecisive most of the time.
What do you read?
I enjoy reading in my spare time, I like to read real life stories written by real people and love a bit of romance with a happy ending! I also love a short read which is what I love about blogs, they don’t have to be too time consuming as we all have busy lives to lead!
What do you think are the secrets behind getting to where you’ve got to?
Being driven, determined, and having a supportive network around me! My girls and supportive family and friends have been a huge support and have helped to get me where I am today with clipboardclaire.com! Also, other single mums and the groups that I have met have driven me to continue writing this blog and sharing my experiences. Having had some bad experiences and setbacks that have made me fight harder have given me the attitude to not give up. Even though being a single Mum has been difficult, these qualities above have helped me to get through and I am proud of where I have gotten to today! Please see my ‘Success as a single Mum’ blog to see more of my journey! https://clipboardclaire.com/success-as-a-single-mum/.
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FANTASTIC FEMALE -CLAIRE HATTRICK FOUNDER OF CLIPBOARDCLAIRE
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