Enterprise Nation

Lucy O’Neill is a busy girl who has developed a successful website and is constantly looking for ways to improve and grow her business. She tells us how she came up with the idea for Busy Girls Guide and how dinner with her busy family is just like a TV show.  

Factfile

Age: 29
Home office location: Cheshire
Business description: The Busy Girls Guide is a city and lifestyle guide for Busy Women – its aim is to help fellow busy girls find out about the latest knowledge, products and services that could save them time, money and hassle, and help them achieve more from their day. After all, busy doesn’t have to mean stressful! 

When did you start Busy Girls Guide and what were you doing before becoming your own boss?

I started planning The Busy Girls Guide back in 2006 but officially launched in 2007. Having my own business has been my goal since I was 14, so after learning my trade in Brand Management and Advertising I retrained as a Lifestyle & Business Coach, took a post grad diploma in Freelance Journalism and went it alone!

What was it that sparked the idea for the business?

When I trained in coaching and behavioural therapy, I realised that the more productive and fulfilling my days were, the more satisfied I felt. However, I came across many women in my work who, like me, were busy and always ‘on the go’ but never satisfied with their daily productivity. So, I decided to put my new found knowledge and that of the experts I’d recently met into a format that other women could easily access – and the Busy Girls Guide was born.

Do you have plans to expand site content to other cities/areas?

Absolutely! We have grand plans for 2008. We’ve proven the concept and grown our readership and client base organically, plus we now have a sound commercial business model, so we can really focus over the next few years. We know our readers well and plan to grow and evolve with their needs.

What has been your most effective marketing tactic to date?

Site optimisation has been key – which started at the very beginning – by creating a site which has all the necessary technical features to be easily searchable and indexed by Google. I spent a lot of time correcting mistakes made from my lack of understanding of the web when briefing developers on the site design. It certainly proved more efficient to have someone technical doing the site structure and someone creative doing the site design!

Do you think there’s a need for a busyboysguide.co.uk?!

Absolutely… watch this space…

Are any of your family involved in the business?

No, although I have worked with and do work with my family on other businesses. We’re a family of serial entrepreneurs so it’s inevitable that we all end up helping each other. You should hear us over dinner – it’s like the Dragons Den!

What is the one thing in your home office you couldn’t do without?

My kettle. There’s nothing better than taking a break from a taxing spreadsheet like putting the kettle on and taking 5 minutes out with a cup of tea!

Lucy O’Neill talks to Emma Jones

• Busy Girls Guide