Defining Moment from a Marketing Mum

We all have those utterly defining moments as mothers. You know, those moments when the guilt, the responsibility, the joy, the guilt, the terror or the absolute unquestionable love smacks us in the face and momentarily takes our breath away. Know the ones I mean? I bet you've got a million to choose from.

Because it's the month of March, the month of International Women's Day (rock on), Mother's Day (chill out) and, let's not forget pancake day (pig out!), I've asked some mums I know and admire to share a defining moment on the Cool Rule blog. I, myself, am usually unashamedly taking advantage of the blogosphere to share my own never-ending defining moments, so I thought it was time to let somebody else have a go.

Today, it's Maxine Johnston from Maxine Johnston Marketing.What Maxine doesn't know about marketing and promoting small businesses quite simply isn't worth knowing. And, according to her nine-year-old daughter, she's really rather cool too. So let's see what kind of moment makes Maxine step back in awe at the role of being a mum . . .


My name is Maxine and I am mum to my gorgeous nine year old daughter. When Abi kindly asked me if I’d like to write about my defining moment of being a mum, I really couldn’t pick just one so I thought I would chat to you about a defining 'thing' we have in our house. 

Since I can remember music has been a big part of my life. I have been reliably informed by my parents that when I was brought home from the hospital as a baby, I was immediately played some Paul Simon. Since then music has shaped my life in so many ways. Thanks to my parents I have a broad range of tastes when it comes to music and with the exception of jazz (sorry jazz fans!) I will listen to just about anything.

Maxine with her daughter as a toddler

 











I wanted to bring my daughter up with the same ideal and she too will also pretty much listen to anything from Beyonce to BB King.

All my friends and family know I also love to sing and dance to any music that happens to be playing. I feel I have finely honed skills in both singing and dancing (although those closest to me feel these skills possibly need honing some more!). Most nights before bedtime my daughter and I sing and dance without a care in the world, along to carefully chosen tracks belting from You Tube.

The other night we were singing and dancing along to Olly Murs and I looked at her and she looked so unbelievably happy. Like any mum, I had a pile of dishes to do, work emails to answer and we needed to start the daily bedtime routine but none of that even mattered.

I took a moment to realise that I won’t get this time back. Soon she won’t want to sing and dance along with her embarrassing old mum. So for now we are proudly singing and dancing in our household. And we make no apologies for it!

Dancing is always best when cake is involved

Maxine, we are totally with you on this one. There can never be too much singing and dancing in a household! Maybe we'll put it as a rule in the next edition of The Cool Rule Book!

If you want to speak to Maxine about the marketing needs of your business, just contact her on maxine@maxinejohnstonmarketing.co.uk or on 07582 955 800.

If you'd like to share one of your own defining moments as a mum, just email abi@thecoolrulecompany.co.uk with 100-500 words and one or two photos of you and your children. If you have your own business, I'd be happy to feature information about that too.

And now you can check out The Cool Rule Company's amazing range of happy living products at thecoolrulecompany.co.uk, Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter!

Birthday Blog Post No. 4

Welcome to our birthday blog series, where I've handpicked the most amazing mums and business women I've met during the first year of The Cool Rule Company's trading. Here's yet another fab mumpreneur telling you why she loves The Cool Rule range, her business and above all, her kids. It's Michelle Rose from marketing company, Custard and Bear (random name, but cool, eh?).



When Abi approached me to write a blog post for The Cool Rule Company’s first birthday celebrations I was over the moon. “No bother,” I thought. “I’ll rattle that off in no time.”

Ha. Not quite.

I’m now over my deadline and frantically typing away whilst trying to settle my four month old baby, and hope that my two and four year olds stay sleeping.

Michelle with the original Custard & Bear

Welcome to my world as a Mumpreneur (and a Mumpreneur with three young kids at that!).

Businesses are like children; they thrive and flourish when paid lots of Grade A attention, they get grouchy and difficult to deal with when you give them Grade F attention.

So, how on earth do you give your kids and your business that Grade A attention when there’s literally not enough hours in the day? 

The amazing thing about meeting Abi, and all of her inspirational birthday business bloggers, was that they understand this juggling act. And let me tell you that juggling a business and being a mummy ain’t easy. It’s great fun, exhilarating, rewarding, empowering and just generally fab. But it’s also a knackering, ever-changing, constant battle of dividing your time between work and the kids, and trying not to feel guilty when you choose one over the other.

Michelle's awesome marketing agency

Other mums I meet often think that ‘working from home’ means I don’t really do much, and that my stress over work is a lame excuse as to why my house is always a tip!

However, I don’t stress over giving my business Grade A attention because it’s a fun hobby or a cute diversion from changing pooey nappies; I stress over it because my business pays my mortgage.

But, the downside of all of this juggling is that I often find myself fraught, tired and a bit wired. And, if I’m being brutally honest, I take that out on my kids. I get grouchy with them and snipe and whinge and moan at them and then wonder why they don’t behave like angels.

So, I bought Abi’s Cool Rule Book with a different reason to most mums. I bought it to remind me that my kids need me, my time, and a sane, fun mummy. Their Cool Rule Books are secretly my Cool Rule Books!

A very happy Big Tot with his Cool Rule Book

When I’m tired and at my wit’s end with them I pick up their books, look at all of our rules, see their smiley faces and I smile too. I mean I really, really beam from ear to ear.

And, armed with my smile and happy thoughts, I am Super Mummy – the most funny, silliest, cuddle giving, bubble blowing, lego building mummy for miles around.

And, do you know what? When I’m happy and the kids are happy then my business is happy. And that’s because the joy my kids have for life infects me; I thrive on their happiness and I’m inspired, motivated and full of ideas and my clients just love it.

I don’t think that when Abi launched the Cool Rule Company she ever dreamed that it was a tool to improve business productivity, but hey, for me that’s exactly what it is! It’s my bible on how to juggle being a mummy and being a mumpreneur and for me it’s invaluable.

Every business mummy should have one!

(Oh, and just in case you’re wondering what I do… I run Custard and Bear, a marketing agency, and we’re pretty awesome).



Michelle, we're so happy to hear that our Cool Rule Books have helped you in the enormous quest of raising toddlers and raising your business too - result!

If you want to contact Michelle or find out more about what she does, here are her details:

facebook.com/custardandbear
@custardandbear
custardandbear.com - website coming soon!

If you want to check out the genius of The Cool Rule Book for yourself, visit thecoolrulecompany.co.uk. Thanks for reading!