Angela Bryant  0:07  
Welcome, I'm Angela Bryant and you're listening to The Angel Rated Show, where we have inspiring conversations with people behind the products and services most often used by online business owners. On the show, you'll hear how their personal beliefs and values have influenced their businesses. If you're an online entrepreneur who wants to know about the integrity and impact of the businesses you're buying from, then this is the show for you.

Hello, and welcome to this episode of the Angel Rated Show. I'm Angela Bryant and with me today, I have Louise Goss, who is founder and editor of The Homeworker. So Louise, do you want to start by telling us about what the home worker is

Louise Goss  0:50  
Right well, The Homeworker is a few different things, I think of it as the main product if you like is a magazine, a quarterly digital magazine, and we also do an annual print edition. And then you also have our blog, our community. But the idea behind The Homeworker is that it's fairly self explanatory. So it's for people who work from home, and it's there to support, encourage and motivate people who work from home and basically help people achieve a healthier, happier and more productive lifestyle when they're working from home.

Angela Bryant  1:26  
So tell us a bit about why you started it and the story behind it.

Louise Goss  1:30  
So the idea, for The Homeworker began, actually quite a few years ago, we actually launched in January 2019. So 18 months ago now. And I think the idea has been kind of germinating for a little while before we actually launched. And I'd love to say that I could see the horizon, and that everybody was going to be working from home. That wasn't actually the case, I could see it as something that more and more people were doing, I could see that more people were wanting to do it and have that flexible working. And I also became really aware of how many small business owners there were in a variety of people and the things that they were doing, all based at home, and all very sort of siloed in their offices or workspaces. And I really wanted to start talking to those people. Initially, it began just as a way of profiling them and helping to promote them. But equally, I just wanted to start building kind of a community around it to help people connect and engage when they were working from home. Because obviously, it's quite an isolating experience, or certainly can be. And I think from my own experience, I've been working from home and for myself, for well over a decade now. And I knew about some of the challenges, I think there were lots of great benefits to it. And I love it. But equally, I was aware of a lot of struggles that people might have, a lot of questions around it, around focus, motivation, the loneliness aspect, and I just started seeing a magazine as a really good vehicle to kind of answer those questions, talk to people who do it, find out from them, you know, how they navigate certain challenges. And so this idea kind of started to blossom. And yeah, and as I say I launched the magazine. And the reason it was a magazine, perhaps more than just a blog or something was that I just really wanted to curate something that would kind of look really nice and people like to receive but also, there were so many kind of elements and facets to working from home, you know, it's very blurred boundaries between work life and home life. And, you know, you need to think about our well being me to think about our workspace and our environment, need to think about our household and how we're communicating with people when we're alone. And we need to look at our mental health, of course, and our mindset. So all of those things came together. And that's what I like, right, and of course, productivity as well. So all of those sort of are sections, if you like within the magazine

Angela Bryant  4:04  
Sounds like it covers an awful lot.

Louise Goss  4:06  
Well I wanted to take quite a holistic view of homeworking because as I say, I think probably a lot of people are becoming aware of how integrated it is and how it affects, you know, it's not as easy to compartmentalize and just be like I'm at work when you're working in the same place that you live, things do become quite integrated, quite blurred. So this holistic view is how I sort of sort it working I wanted to kind of reflect the reality of what it's like to work from home. And you know, there are really good things one of the beauties of working from home is flexibility you get the autonomy, but equally, having that autonomy being left to your own devices, being able to have much greater control over your schedule. Can for some people proove a bit more of a tricky point because you know, they haven't got somebody there, dictating their agenda or making sure they're getting on with work is staying accountable. And staying on track and focused can be a bit of a challenge.

Angela Bryant  5:06  
So you got a vision for where you want the business to go over the next five or 10 years or a legacy you want to create from it?

Louise Goss  5:15  
It's been evolving quite organically. If I look at where it was back in 2019, I could never have predicted some of the things that have, first of all there was this Coronavirus. Of course, I could never have predicted some of the people I have spoken to, some of the brands and people I've collaborated with, and some of the opportunities that have come back to that as well. So, you know, I'm sort of, in some ways letting it evolve quite organically and letting it sort of. But yes, of course, I do have a vision for I would love it to, you know, just to keep growing it at the moment and you know, increase, you know get the word out to make as many let as many people know about as possible, because I know how helpful a resource it can be. And then of course, I mean, as I said, Before I do a print issue. And it may be that I look to produce that more frequently, because I don't think people love still that tactile experience with a printed magazine. And so initially, I was testing the waters of it a bit. And I quite liked the annual edition that we did, because it curates a kind of Best of the year's digital content, includes a bit of fresh content as well. And it's something just really nice to you know, to have. And it looks good and it's not a flimsy throw it away after a few days kind of product. So it might be that I look to expand on that, or kind of increase the frequency of printing we'll have to see. But really, yeah, it's to kind of keep growing our subscriber base, growing the community, and maybe a couple more products or things down the line as well that I'd look to work on. At the moment. It's such a full time job just getting the magazine together, keeping the website up and running. And you know, I am a one woman band. And I have a family at home. And you know, life goes on and so many of us can appreciate it at the moment. Kind of happy with how it's going, but I'm just constantly constantly reassessing, I suppose

Angela Bryant  7:17  
We were talking earlier about whether there's ways the magazine can respond to some of the big issues of our time, and you mentioned that you've got an upcoming issue that's around sustainability. So tell us a bit more about how you're integrating some of those big things that are going on in the world into what you offer.

Louise Goss  7:31  
Yeah, so I mean, it's really important to me, I mean, I am a journalist by trade. So that's part of the reason why a magazine, something that really appealed to me, but it is a quarterly magazine. So it's not designed to kind of be reactive to like breaking news and doing all that sort of thing. I do have a blog, which can be a bit more responsive in that way. But really, this was kind of a more of a supportive resource. However, we do want to touch on anything that's newsworthy, that's relevant to people working from home and our readers so I do take care and kind of noticing, okay, what what's happening? What's going to affect people? And what's going to be interesting to them, of course, what do they want to read about. So yeah, there has obviously been quite a few things in the news recently that have had a big impact on people working from home, so Coronavirus, obviously, is a key one and became quite a focal point for our April issue. Looking at flexible working and how Coronavirus raised the profile and the importance of flexible working. And yes, as you've mentioned, our upcoming October issue focuses on sustainability. Each issue does have a theme. And we always keep them relatable to the sort of working from home. But within each theme, you have all the same topics, as I've mentioned about mindset and workspace and your well being. So with sustainability, we are very much looking at it from an environmental perspective and how we can be more green looking at our work environment and how we work from home and how we can reduce our carbon footprint and our impacts on the environment and certain practices and things that we think about. And that's really interesting. Equally, you know, from a mindset point of view, for instance, by looking at Okay, how do you sustain a positive frame of mind? How do you sustain your energy levels when you're a parent and you're working from home. So there are lots of different ways of looking at it. But certainly climate change, the green agenda  is obviously really important and becoming increasingly so. So I think it's something that we do touch on, but perhaps not in a it's more of a kind of looking back and reflective way rather than you know, instantly responding to sort of the latest headlines.

Angela Bryant  9:48  
That makes sense. Turning a bit more to you personally, do you want to tell us a bit about your personal values and what drives you?

Louise Goss  9:56  
Values are interesting. I remember doing a few years ago some work on values. It's like I worked with a business coach, and we sort of had to hone in. Okay, what are my values. And I think it's really important actually to look at those and kind of constantly remind yourself of what those values are. Because I think we can get quite carried away by everything that goes on, especially if you're running a business. And sometimes it's really useful to come back and center on yourself again, and actually look at what are my values, and am I  aligning with those values in terms of what I do, because ultimately, by doing that, you'll know that you're on the right track, and generally what you're doing feels good. And, and not disingenuous. And you know, you're not doing things just because you feel you ought to because other people are doing it you're doing it because it has real purpose and meaning for yourself. And I think that we that integrity, and honesty, and sort of really being quite intentional with things has always been quite key for me. And I think one of the key things for me was I wanted to do something that was supportive, creative, and that aligned with me and how I wanted to work. And I mentioned that that honesty, integrity thing has always been very, very important in terms of my values. And so it began with The Homeworker, I often experiencing, and because I'm on the same journey, as many of the readers and have the same challenges, but equally, you know, enjoy some of the perks. So I can be quite sincere and honest and talk about some of the things that I'm going through, probably very relatable to other people who are reading. So I think that that was a big part of it. Creativity is really important to me, and I get that in bucket loads in the magazine, because I get to write I do all  of the, I source a lot of the artwork I do all the layout and design of the magazine, which I love. And then I think just that sort of being supportive, being helpful. And offering reassurance to people was really important as well. So that, again, is something that I strive to do with the magazine, I sort of think, Okay, well, what are some of the big challenges that people are facing? And who can I speak to? Because I'm clearly, although I can talk a lot about working from home, and I know quite a lot about it. Now, of course my own experience, but equally, I'm not the absolute expert on certain topics. So for me, it's all about, okay, who can I speak to who knows so much more on this particular topic. And then it's condensing that information and sharing that in a way that is engaging and informative, and hopefully very nice to read and look at as well.

Angela Bryant  12:33  
It's definitely a very beautiful and informative magazine, I thoroughly enjoy reading it. So tell us a bit more about Are there any sort of causes that you feel particularly strongly about?

Louise Goss  12:45  
It's funny, there are things that I definitely feel passionate about, and I think actually becoming a parent has emphasize a lot of those passions and things that get to me a bit more now. I've never been massively political. And I've actually like the magazine itself is sort of neutral in that sense. But obviously, you know, recently, for instance, in the news, there's been a lot of talk around Coronavirus, working from home and these messages about getting back to the office. And then it's like, No, you must stay home and be safe. And those some of it's been quite mixed. Sometimes those sorts of things do because I'm now extremely passionate about advocating for flexible working and the choice to work from home. Those sorts of things, I do get a bit annoyed by certain statements, I see coming out, the more sensational headlines around, get back to the office, and I'm like, or get back to work was I think one of them things. Well, people are still working, they might not be working in an office. It's not about getting back to work. We are still working, we're just not working in an office. But sort of on a more personal level. And sort of generally, I think anything to do with children. I don't actually have any involvement, I suppose in any sort of charities and things that work with this, but I'm really keen that children have that best start. And that sense of kind of wonder, and creativity and, you know, inspiring them to be able to be the best they can be and do what they want. And so that, you know, with my own children, I'm very mindful not to kind of try and engineer too much of what they're going to do you know, you know, I want to be able to nurture their talents and the things that they're really good at and their interests, but I think part of that has to be from running my own business and, and, and sort of in the past perhaps feeling as if I ought to be doing something because it's expected of me rather than because it was a genuine passion and something that I love obviously now I feel like I'm doing a lot more. And then the other thing that I'm very passionate about actually is the environments and climate change and wanting to be as sustainable as possible so yes is handy that this next issue of magazines is going to look at that topic, but it's something that I'm always quite conscious of, and even at home and in our sort of personal life we try and do as much as we can Realistically trying to use our and that can be for anything from looking at our energy to sort of how we recycle, where we buy our food, all those sorts of things.

Angela Bryant  15:09  
So just to start finishing up, tell us a little bit about yourself how you practice self care, or how you celebrate accomplishing a goal and what's your sort of downtime and celebration look like?

Louise Goss  15:20  
Okay, I'm quite simple. I don't I'm not sort of big and extravagant, I think celebration is really important. It's something I actually talked about quite a lot. and within our homeworker community, like every week, I try and encourage people to reflect on things, the positive things that have happened in their week, and then to celebrate and celebrate doesn't mean popping the champagne and going out for a fancy dinner every week, it's actually just acknowledging that you've done well, because I think we do have a tendency particularly if we work on our own, and we're on our own quite a lot to just hold on to any sort of negativity, any sort of negative comment or something that happens online or, you know, something, you know, maybe it was an interaction with somebody. We remember that one thing rather than all the good things that might have happened, and all the sort of hard work we've done so that for me, yeah, it's important to just always just reflect weekly, and just like what has gone well, what have I achieved, and just giving myself a sort of a weekend off, I think that sounds very simple. But as homeworkers, we very often, work is always there. So it's quite hard sometimes to switch off and spend a day where we literally don't touch the laptop. So I'm very conscious of trying to do that that's all part of my self care, going to bed getting enough sleep again, quite simple but really important for me if I work too late, I started now to sort of try and get to bed a bit earlier, a bit earlier, because I just find it works for me better that way. And I I'm a lot more productive first thing in the morning, so little things like that. I know a lot of people think self care and instantly it's bubble baths and massages. And I think that's great. I think it's important that we do it. To me self care is much more about kind of just doing stuff that's good for me that I know is gonna make me feel good and healthier. And yes, it might involve having a bubble bath one night. But it also includes exercise for me I love running, trying to run as often as I can, it hasn't happened as much recently since we've just moved house everything is slightly chaotic, but also just going for walks, being outside in nature. I love it say yes, all of those things..

Is there anything else that we haven't covered that you'd like to share with listeners around The Homeworker or your intentions for it, the purpose behind it or anything else? 

No I think I probably said everything. But I think I mean, obviously the thing that I want people to know when they look to subscribe to the magazine or buy their copy is that it's always created with a sense of wanting to support and, and reassure and inspire. And that is really is sort of the aim of every time, you know, I asked myself, you know, what would I find helpful? What would I have found helpful when I first started working form home for instance and I'm constantly learning myself and picking up on new things. So I think that really is the purpose behind it and why I'm very careful, I suppose with the things that I include in the magazine, you know, I get a lot of emails and a lot of pitches and a lot of press releases. And some of them just aren't relevant at the time or they're not something that I feel it would be useful at the time for our readers. So yeah, it's quite, it's up decision making that goes on behind the scenes as well. 

Angela Bryant  18:44  
So where can people find you? 

Louise Goss  18:46  
The easiest place is our website, which is thehomeworker.com. We're also on Facebook which is thehomeworkermag and on Instagram as well which is @ thehomeworkermag

Angela Bryant  18:59  
And we will get you added to Angel Rated as well so that people can find The Homeworker on Angel Rated. So thank you ever so much for joining us, Louise. It's been fantastic talking to you to learn a bit more about the background behind The Homeworker and your plans for it and the love and dedication that goes into it that shines through from you. To read the show notes from this episode, you can go to AngelRated.com/podcast. And if you enjoyed this episode, I'd love you to subscribe to the show and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. And don't forget to share this episode with your friends. The Angel Rated Show is brought to you by Angel Rated. The independent directory and review site for all the products courses and services used by online business owners. It's the best place to find the perfect product for the next stage of your business or personal growth. Learn more and list your business free of charge at Angelrated.com