Building a business is an adventure in itself - with Joyce Watts of Hot or Not

Founder of Victoria Australia's parenting blog Hot or Not, Joyce has built her online business from the ground up while having and raising her two young children. She's passionate about helping families, making beautiful memories. Together with being a Mums & Co member, Joyce Watts brings serious energy to our member meetups and her passion for helping other women led businesses. 

‍

So what is something that you love the most about running the business in the format that it is right now and, and feel free to take either of your three businesses?

I actually have two active businesses. I do have a third business, but that's kind of on hold. So I only actually have two. But what I love about it now is that it has grown a lot in the last two years. Despite that first hurdle with COVID the business in terms of the blog has actually done better than it ever has. And that has meant that I've had to build a team. I used to be very much me doing everything and now it's simply impossible for me to be doing everything.

And so what I most enjoy is that I've moved away from doing all the things I've moved away from being the implementer of everything into more of a visionary role, which is actually where my strengths are. So it gives me more time to think, gives me more time to chase really ambitious goals and try new ideas that I simply wouldn't have time for otherwise.

‍

Can you please share your pitch with us?

So at Hot or Not, I make family fun easy. So that means I help families to explore things to do in Melbourne and regional Victoria with kids. And the idea is we want to help families make happy memories together. I've been publishing content for about 10 years now. And Hot or Not is now Melbourne and regional Victoria's biggest family travel blog. 

The other side though, which wasn't mentioned in the intro is that because of the pandemic, there was a lot of traveling not happening. And so like every good business owner I pivoted as well. And what I did was I took the digital marketing skills that I used on my blog and turned it into a digital marketing consultancy. 

So I now have a second business called Bright Smart, and it has two arms. It's Bright Smart Digital, where I help businesses with their SEO, with their email marketing, with their social media and Bright Smart Media where I produce written video and image content to tell the stories that businesses like to share.

How do you protect yourself from business risk?

Well, I think very much that risk is part of being a business owner. It doesn't matter whether you have an online business like mine or a physical bricks and mortar business without risk, you can't grow. No change happens if you stay in your comfort zone. The whole purpose of owning your own business is to embrace risk. And obviously, don't go and do crazy things, but you will never grow unless you challenge yourself just to push your boundaries just a little bit. 

‍

As a business owner, is there something you do daily to look after that aspect in your own life?

It's very evident for my business that play and adventure is part of our family life. I started the blog because this was the resource that I was looking for. When I first had children 11 years ago, I was on maternity leave. I used to be a go-getter that would fly around the world, would go to cool bars and restaurants. And now I couldn't do any of those things, or I felt like I couldn't do any of those things. So it really turned my attention to things that were available in my own backyard, seeing my own city in a different light.

I had no idea how many playgrounds Melbourne had until I had children. So in that sense, what I do is actually just my life. It is the daily, what can we do today? Or what plans do we have today or what's something fun we can do together as a family on a weekend. And instead of just doing it and maybe sharing it on my personal Facebook or Instagram, I share it with hundreds of thousands of people across Melbourne and Victoria.

‍Want to know more about how Joyce Watts has never lost her taste for adventure and it has helped her to grow her business?

Do you want your business journey to feel more like a fun adventure? Do you find that being a mum means you can’t find time to enjoy the time with your family? Have you thought about how to better enjoy moments with your family but not sure where to start? 

‍

Ready to harmonise your ambition, livelihood and wellbeing? Join Australia's most caring business network. You’ll find experts, business advice, member directory and events. Sign up to Mums & Co today

‍