Don’t get me wrong – I am far from perfect in either of these roles, but I am absolutely convinced that being self-employed helps me, personally, be far better at both than I ever could be in a full-time ‘job’.I never even wanted to have children until my late twenties (already having 2 step-sons), when something bizarre happened that completely took me (and Karl!) by surprise. I have always loved to work and have completely surrendered myself to every job I’ve ever had.I’ve never minded working late, staying back to help out, going beyond the call of duty – I just enjoy knowing I’ve done a good job. Weird? Maybe – That’s just me.So to say the arrival of my first daughter, Mollie, was an upheaval is an understatement – I knew I couldn’t go back to that life and decided self-employment was the way to go. So, despite an 18 month spell back in the corporate world, that’s the way it has been pretty much for 7 years.In that time we have sadly lost my father-in-law, granddad, grandma, mother-in-law, beloved family cat (amongst others) and seen them all suffer prolonged periods of illness. All the children have had sickness of some kind to deal with (as they do) and working for myself has meant I could take as much time off as I needed to support my family – not to mention dealing with wills, probate and estates.I just could not have done that to the same extent had I been working for an employer and I simply cannot put into words what that means to me.I am incredibly lucky to have a husband who is supportive and domesticated (even though he works full-time as well) because I’m rubbish in that department I’m afraid, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have our ups and downs. We, like most people, have struggled financially at points (especially with child care costs being as they are) but being self-employed means I have total control over my earnings and I know they will increase substantially each year.If we were reliant on my salary increasing by 2 or 3% each year, just to stay in line with inflation, I don’t think we would have managed. Instead, we are looking forward to finally paying off the debts that have inevitably accumulated after 2 bouts of maternity leave without savings, and moving to our dream house.I have finally discovered how to structure my businesses so I don’t have to be in the office so much (while making more money!) and am going to be reducing my hours over the next few months so I can spend more time with the girls.No part-time job would give me such a precious mix of time with my family and the money to be able to enjoy it. I only wish I’d known 7 years ago, when I started my first business, what I know now and things might have gone a bit smoother!Is being self-employed hard work? Of course it is (but no more so than being in a corporate role). Is it worth the hassle? Absolutely, categorically, YES! If only for the benefits I have talked about above (and they are but a few!).So you see why I’m so passionate about helping other mums find the way to work that suits them. I know that, if I can do it, anyone can – with a bit of encouragement, guidance and support.