Jodie turned her skills as a primary school teacher into an online learning resource.

She supports parents in guiding their children through the early schooling years at Kids Learning is Fun!

Jodie, what was the idea that first got the ball rolling?

I am a primary school teacher and after I had my second son in 2005 I really didn’t want to go back to work. I was looking for something where I could work from home. In 2006 my first son started grade 1, I found that there were parents asking a lot of questions about school, the curriculum and learning and I remembered similar questions asked by parents when I was teaching. I decided I could incorporate my love of teaching and working from home.

What got you excited enough about the idea to put it into motion?

The more I thought about it the more excited I became about it I decided that it could happen. It did take some time to organise though, but the impending arrival of my third child in November 2007 gave me the kick start I needed to start the ball rolling.

Where did the name for your business spring from?

I thought about heaps of names – I wanted it to be about kids and their learning but also make it sound fun. The first choice Kids and Learning was too close to another business so KidsLearningisfun it became.

How is ‘Kids Learning is Fun’ original?

The KidsLearningisfun website is a great resource for parents. There is so much information, which is continually being added to, to help them understand what their kids learn and how they do it. I really wanted to explain it to parents in a way they understand it and not all education jargon. We also create products that I have used on my own children so they have value and are helpful. Basically I just want to help support parents.

What was the most difficult part in getting your business off the ground?

I think the most difficult part of getting the business going was finding out how to create a website. I didn’t have much money, and definitely not enough to pay a web designer so it was a matter of finding out how to do it myself. It took me many tries and different web programs until I found one that was easy for me to use and encompassed all the items we needed for the site. The building of the website has been a continual learning curve for me and every now and then I come across a hurdle.

Has any part of your business gone down a different path than you first anticipated?

KidsLearningisfun has fairly much continued down the path I had originally envisaged however there have been many speed bumps along the way. I am continually thinking of and given, by other parents, new areas to cover and new products to make. So I suppose in some ways I never actually saw all the different areas I could cover.

What do you enjoy most about running your business?

I love the fact that I can use my knowledge and skills in an area where I can help parents and enjoy what I do. I loved teaching and do miss the interaction with students and watching them grow over a year, but here I can work at helping parents understand their children’s learning and be able to help them with homework, projects etc. I also love the fact that I work from home and can be here for my children.

Do you belong to any networks that have helped you grow your business?

I joined a number of different networks initially. However I found that I really get great advice and support from Mumsinbusiness.net and Businesswomenunite.net. It really helps when you are involved in a network of like minded people, experiencing similar things to you. I have learnt a lot from being apart of this network.

What are your future goals for ‘Kids Learning is fun’?

It is still early days for KidsLearningisfun. For the future it is really about continuing to increase the traffic to the site and to let parents know about us. I am also currently in the early planning stages of parent Workshops which I would like to start next year sometime.

What advice would you give another woman wanting to start a business of her own?

I think you really need to set a good foundation, but not get bogged down in the nitty gritty of planning. Do your research, set your goals, have a plan and get going. You learn and fine tune as you go. Sometimes what you planned may not work and you need to change your ideas, so be flexible. I have found that the more my business developed and the more I learnt from others, the business took on a life of its own and new opportunities arose.