Latest news with #JessMunday
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
I turned £250 into a £10 MILLION yearly turnover thanks to my maternity leave side hustle & now I've quit my HR job
The business idea came to Jess Munday, a former HR professional, during her maternity leave with her first child, Jagger, and was inspired by a personal need CASHING IN I turned £250 into a £10 MILLION yearly turnover thanks to my maternity leave side hustle & now I've quit my HR job A MUM-of-three who started a side hustle with just £250 from her sofa during maternity leave has turned it into a £10million-a-year business. Jess Munday says her company grew so quickly that she didn't need to go back to work after having her first child, and she's now able to take her family of five on lavish holidays thanks to her profits. Advertisement 8 Jess Munday started a business with £250 while on mat leave and it now makes £10million a year Credit: Supplied 8 Jess and her husband Jake, set up the business together Credit: Supplied 8 The pair now have three children and have learnt to multitask Credit: Supplied Jess and her husband Jake, both 36, launched their business, Custom Neon, back in May 2018, before it quickly took off. The company is now a global manufacturer and retailer of custom-designed LED neon lights and signs around the world. Advertisement The business idea came to Jess, a former HR professional, during her maternity leave with her first child, Jagger, and was inspired by a personal need. She says: "My husband and I were decorating our son's nursery and we wanted a neon sign, but we found it really hard to find one. "We eventually found one, but the process was slow and difficult." She continued: "At the same time we were planning our wedding and thought we could get some signs for our day, so we put two and two together and started chatting, and one thing led to another." With an initial investment of just £250, they bought several signs for their wedding, including 'All you need is love,' 'Better together,' a big love heart, and 'Eat, drink, dance.' Advertisement Jess says: "We took lots of photos of them at the wedding and just started re-sharing those on Instagram, to promote hiring out and selling the signs to people." The response was immediate, she says: "I did that when my son was a couple of months old and it went off from there. "We had lots of people who were really interested in the products and wanted custom signs, and there was a huge demand for it." I earn cash by selling 'actual rubbish' on eBay - I flogged a freebie I found on the floor by a bin for £10, it's crazy What started as an event hire company quickly grew into something much bigger. She says: "We didn't even have a website and people were trying to order through our Instagram page. It all happened in the first year of my son's life while I was sitting on the couch." Advertisement The business grew rapidly, and Jess had to make a tough decision. It is always a juggle... it requires hard, hard work Jess Munday She recalls: "I was due to go back to work in January 2019, and I didn't go back because by that point we had gotten so big that we needed to hire a small team to help us." Jess and Jake, from Melbourne, Australia, were working 12-hour days, shipping packages from their garage to customers all over the world. The business has not only survived but thrived, growing to a global operation with 32 staff members across the UK, the US, and Australia. The company now brings in around £10million every year in sales. Advertisement 'I work around the kids' Jess is a mum to three children - Jagger, seven, Indy, five, and Isla, two - and the family has been able to enjoy lavish holidays as a direct result of their hard work. She said: "We spent years working long hours, but the hard work has paid off, allowing us to enjoy a more flexible lifestyle now. "I work the equivalent of four days a week, but now I've got more flexibility with start and finish times, so I can work around the kids. 'Holidays have been a priority to us. Now we are able to take those opportunities more and more. 'We would always go on holidays, but back then we would be working on our holidays, but now we can switch off and enjoy our family time together. Advertisement 'We've taken our kids to Disneyland and Fiji. By the time my son was two, he had been to five different countries.' Jess is now able to spend more time with her children and prioritise them over working long hours. She adds: "I'm lucky now that I can be more flexible with my work so I can take time out for the kids. 8 Jess is a mum to three children - Jagger, seven, Indy, five, and Isla, two Credit: Supplied 8 Her children have often gone to the office with her Credit: Supplied Advertisement 8 Jake and Jess juggle their business with looking after their children Credit: Supplied "But don't get me wrong, it's difficult to ever switch off. My kids will come to the office with me - they are very much used to that. "I barely had maternity leave with my last child, but that's because I was more confident in what I was doing. "The business is a passion of mine, so I want to work hard for it, and I enjoy it as well. "My day involves school/kindergarten drop off and then I head to work at 9am. Advertisement "Followed by meetings most of the day with a little bit of time at my desk. "Then I go to school pick up sometimes dance soccer or jujitsu for the kids and then back home for dinner. "After the bedtime routine I tend to open my laptop for another one to two hours of work at night. "It's a busy schedule and on good weeks it flows well but sometimes it's just a last minute dinner thrown together or leaving the house a mess and I've learned that, that's what comes with the balance of it all. "When my youngest was 0-6 months she came to the office with me two days a week." Advertisement And now, the biggest news for Custom Neon since it started is the launch of a new product range called Custom Illuminated Signage. "We're branching out to not just offer LED neon, we're offering all different types of LED custom signage," she said. This new line of products, which includes illuminated signs for storefronts and businesses, aims to provide an affordable e-commerce solution that fills a significant gap in the market. The new line is set to go live on August 18th. 'I haven't missed out' Jess is open about the challenges of balancing business ownership with motherhood. Advertisement "It is always a juggle... it requires hard, hard work," she admits. She emphasises the importance of a strong support system, as well as a good relationship. "I've really prioritised having a couple of days with the kids at home when they're young," she said, even if it means working late into the evening after they're in bed. 8 They have a new line of products, which includes illuminated signs for storefronts and businesses Credit: Supplied 8 Jess is grateful for the opportunity to leave her corporate background in HR Credit: Supplied Advertisement Reflecting on her journey, Jess feels immense pride. She says: "I genuinely feel like I haven't missed out on anything, like, as a mother." She is also grateful for the opportunity to leave her corporate background in HR for a role where she can continuously learn and grow in different areas of the business. Jess says: "It's just so wonderful to be able to learn so much. 'And you don't get to do that, I suppose, when you've got your niche and, you know, working in a corporate environment and you kind of tend to stick in your lane.' Advertisement
The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
I turned £250 into a £10 MILLION yearly turnover thanks to my maternity leave side hustle & now I've quit my HR job
A MUM-of-three who started a side hustle with just £250 from her sofa during maternity leave has turned it into a £10million-a-year business. Jess Munday says her company grew so quickly that she didn't need to go back to work after having her first child, and she's now able to take her family of five on lavish holidays thanks to her profits. 8 8 8 Jess and her husband Jake, both 36, launched their business, Custom Neon, back in May 2018, before it quickly took off. The company is now a global manufacturer and retailer of custom-designed LED neon lights and signs around the world. The business idea came to Jess, a former HR professional, during her maternity leave with her first child, Jagger, and was inspired by a personal need. She says: "My husband and I were decorating our son's nursery and we wanted a neon sign, but we found it really hard to find one. "We eventually found one, but the process was slow and difficult." She continued: "At the same time we were planning our wedding and thought we could get some signs for our day, so we put two and two together and started chatting, and one thing led to another." With an initial investment of just £250, they bought several signs for their wedding, including 'All you need is love,' 'Better together,' a big love heart, and 'Eat, drink, dance.' Jess says: "We took lots of photos of them at the wedding and just started re-sharing those on Instagram, to promote hiring out and selling the signs to people." The response was immediate, she says: "I did that when my son was a couple of months old and it went off from there. "We had lots of people who were really interested in the products and wanted custom signs, and there was a huge demand for it." I earn cash by selling 'actual rubbish' on eBay - I flogged a freebie I found on the floor by a bin for £10, it's crazy What started as an event hire company quickly grew into something much bigger. She says: "We didn't even have a website and people were trying to order through our Instagram page. It all happened in the first year of my son's life while I was sitting on the couch." The business grew rapidly, and Jess had to make a tough decision. She recalls: "I was due to go back to work in January 2019, and I didn't go back because by that point we had gotten so big that we needed to hire a small team to help us." Jess and Jake, from Melbourne, Australia, were working 12-hour days, shipping packages from their garage to customers all over the world. The business has not only survived but thrived, growing to a global operation with 32 staff members across the UK, the US, and Australia. The company now brings in around £10million every year in sales. 'I work around the kids' Jess is a mum to three children - Jagger, seven, Indy, five, and Isla, two - and the family has been able to enjoy lavish holidays as a direct result of their hard work. She said: "We spent years working long hours, but the hard work has paid off, allowing us to enjoy a more flexible lifestyle now. "I work the equivalent of four days a week, but now I've got more flexibility with start and finish times, so I can work around the kids. 'Holidays have been a priority to us. Now we are able to take those opportunities more and more. 'We would always go on holidays, but back then we would be working on our holidays, but now we can switch off and enjoy our family time together. 'We've taken our kids to Disneyland and Fiji. By the time my son was two, he had been to five different countries.' Jess is now able to spend more time with her children and prioritise them over working long hours. She adds: "I'm lucky now that I can be more flexible with my work so I can take time out for the kids. 8 8 8 "But don't get me wrong, it's difficult to ever switch off. My kids will come to the office with me - they are very much used to that. "I barely had maternity leave with my last child, but that's because I was more confident in what I was doing. "The business is a passion of mine, so I want to work hard for it, and I enjoy it as well. "My day involves school/kindergarten drop off and then I head to work at 9am. "Followed by meetings most of the day with a little bit of time at my desk. "Then I go to school pick up sometimes dance soccer or jujitsu for the kids and then back home for dinner. "After the bedtime routine I tend to open my laptop for another one to two hours of work at night. "It's a busy schedule and on good weeks it flows well but sometimes it's just a last minute dinner thrown together or leaving the house a mess and I've learned that, that's what comes with the balance of it all. "When my youngest was 0-6 months she came to the office with me two days a week." And now, the biggest news for Custom Neon since it started is the launch of a new product range called Custom Illuminated Signage. "We're branching out to not just offer LED neon, we're offering all different types of LED custom signage," she said. This new line of products, which includes illuminated signs for storefronts and businesses, aims to provide an affordable e-commerce solution that fills a significant gap in the market. The new line is set to go live on August 18th. 'I haven't missed out' Jess is open about the challenges of balancing business ownership with motherhood. "It is always a juggle... it requires hard, hard work," she admits. She emphasises the importance of a strong support system, as well as a good relationship. "I've really prioritised having a couple of days with the kids at home when they're young," she said, even if it means working late into the evening after they're in bed. 8 8 Reflecting on her journey, Jess feels immense pride. She says: "I genuinely feel like I haven't missed out on anything, like, as a mother." She is also grateful for the opportunity to leave her corporate background in HR for a role where she can continuously learn and grow in different areas of the business. Jess says: "It's just so wonderful to be able to learn so much.
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Tasmanian Labor says it's confident Jess Munday is eligible to contest this month's state election
The Tasmanian Labor Party says speculation about the eligibility of one of its Franklin candidates Jess Munday should be over, after the party released legal advice stating she was able to contest the July 19 state election. The Liberals have claimed the Unions Tasmania secretary's position on the WorkCover Tasmania board means she falls foul of section 32 of the state's Constitution Act, and is ineligible to be elected. It released legal opinion from barrister Chris Gunson SC that said he believed Ms Munday was ineligible to nominate for Franklin, and to be elected as an MP, because of her appointment to WorkCover Tasmania's board. Mr Gunson said an application to the Supreme Court of Tasmania contesting her eligibility would be "likely to succeed" and would likely lead to the results in Franklin being "declared void", and a by-election held. He said it was possible Ms Munday's involvement in Labor's statewide election campaign could lead to the Supreme Court declaring all election results void, sending voters back to the polls again, but he said it was "impossible to make any reasonable assessment of that risk" at this stage. "To do so would be merely speculative absent all necessary facts," Mr Gunson's opinion, provided to the ABC, said. But on Friday afternoon Labor released its own advice, prepared by former solicitor-general Michael O'Farrell SC, which found the act "does not operate to prohibit Ms Munday from being capable of being elected to, or of holding a seat in the House of Assembly". The argument surrounds Section 32 of the state's Constitution Act, with the Liberals arguing Ms Munday is ineligible because she holds an "office of profit under the Crown". Labor points to an amendment passed in 1944, the Constitution (State Employees) Act, which states that the section does not apply to people who hold "any office of profit or employment in the public service of the state, or in any business or undertaking carried on by any person, body or authority on behalf of the state". In his opinion Mr O'Farrell said he did not think "there can be any doubt that the WorkCover Board is engaged in an undertaking, and carries that out as a body or authority on behalf of the state". "Accordingly, in my view, Ms Munday is a person to whom [the 1944 amendment] applies," his opinion said. On Friday morning Liberal MLC Jo Palmer criticised Labor for not producing legal advice earlier, saying voters casting their ballots at pre-poll booths around the state needed to know whether Ms Munday was eligible. She did not answer whether the party would lodge a Supreme Court challenge to Ms Munday's eligibility, while a Liberal spokesperson said the party was considering its options. The party would have 90 days after the election to lodge an appeal. Labor MLC Sarah Lovell said there was no question over Ms Munday's eligibility, and the Liberal Party's questioning of it had "blown up in their face". "We have been 100 per cent confident in Jess Munday's eligibility as a candidate, there has been no question for us because we understand the law, we know there are provisions in the act that leave no doubt over her eligibility to be a candidate," Ms Lovell said. "We have sought advice today because the Liberal Party has stooped to such lows and that behaviour needs to be called out. "This was the only way to call that out, there should be no question for anyone now about Jess's eligibility to be a candidate." Ms Munday accused the Liberals of engaging in "Trump style politics of misinformation and negativity and desperation that don't belong in Tasmanian politics". "I have always had confidence in my eligibility and my ability to represent the people of Franklin well in the parliament," she said.
