Amanda Vlahakis launched Truly Ace Design in 2001 to show that a creative career and motherhood could coexist. More than two decades later, her story still resonates with women who are starting a creative business from home and want flexibility, income and professional fulfilment without sacrificing family life.

About Truly Ace Design

Truly Ace Design began as a full-service graphic design business, offering end-to-end design support with the added benefit of bespoke illustration. Run from home, it allowed Amanda to manage client projects around her family commitments while building a reputation for creative, personal service. By combining design expertise with illustration, she could offer a broader creative package than many standalone studios.

Starting a business around family life

Amanda’s move into self-employment came after the birth of her first child. She had chosen to stay at home and be a full-time mother, but after six months she found the daily routine unfulfilling and missed the security of a second household income.

Rather than returning to employment on terms that did not suit her family, she decided to create her own opportunity. “I decided that it was possible to have both your career and your children and combine them together,” she explained. That belief became the foundation of Truly Ace Design.

Her decision reflected a wider pattern. Then, as now, many women find that traditional employment does not offer the flexibility they need during the early years of parenting. Starting a business from home can be a practical alternative, provided the idea is grounded in a marketable skill and a realistic plan.

The highlights of being self-employed

For Amanda, the biggest rewards of business ownership were autonomy and flexibility. She could choose the hours, days and weeks she worked, and select the projects she enjoyed most. She also valued the direct relationship with clients and the satisfaction of seeing a brief through from concept to completion.

Beyond the practical benefits, she took enormous pride in having started and grown a business from scratch. That sense of ownership and achievement is one of the most commonly cited reasons women give for choosing entrepreneurship.

The reality of juggling work and young children

The challenges were just as real as the rewards. With two young children at home all day, Amanda found the juggle tiring and stressful. Her second child arrived three years after the first, adding to the demands on her time and energy.

Her experience highlights an issue that still affects women founders today: starting a business to gain flexibility does not remove the mental load of childcare and household management. Many women who work from home with young children report difficulty setting boundaries, dealing with interruptions and finding time for deep, focused work. Building routines, asking for support and being realistic about capacity are essential survival strategies.

Did being a woman create barriers?

Amanda did not feel that her gender held her back. She was open with clients about working from home and having her children with her during the day, and she never felt it harmed her ability to succeed.

Her positive experience is encouraging, yet national data shows that not all women founders feel the same. According to the 2023 Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, women-led businesses still account for only around one in six UK SMEs. Female founders also report greater difficulty accessing finance, networks and growth support than their male counterparts. While attitudes have improved since 2001, structural barriers remain.

Amanda’s advice for women starting a business

Amanda’s guidance to other women is simple and direct:

• Don’t let fear stop you. If you wait until every risk has disappeared, you may never begin.
• Have faith in your ability to succeed. Self-belief is what keeps you going through setbacks.
• Stay determined. Persistence matters more than perfection.
• Be willing to learn. Every project, mistake and client conversation is a chance to improve.

She believes that with faith, determination and a readiness to learn, it is hard to fail at building a satisfying business. That mindset is especially valuable in creative fields, where portfolios evolve, technology changes and client needs shift constantly.

Women in the UK creative industries today

Amanda’s story is part of a much larger trend. The UK creative industries now contribute more than £124 billion in gross value added to the economy and employ over 2.4 million people. Design, illustration and visual communication remain popular fields for self-employed women, partly because they can be practised from home with relatively low start-up costs.

The number of women going into business has also grown. There are now around 1.6 million self-employed women in the UK, and women-led SMEs are increasing. Yet childcare costs, access to funding and the lack of affordable flexible work remain persistent barriers for mothers who want to build a business.

Digital tools and remote working have made it easier to reach clients without a studio, but they have also blurred the boundary between work and home. Women starting creative businesses today still need clear boundaries, strong networks and realistic pricing that reflects the true cost of their time.

Practical takeaways for today’s founders

Amanda’s experience offers several practical lessons for women considering a similar path:

• Start with what you know. Amanda built her business around established design and illustration skills.
• Design the business around your life, not the other way round. Flexibility was her core motivation, so she structured Truly Ace to protect it.
• Be honest with clients. Her openness about working from home built trust rather than damaging her credibility.
• Build slowly and sustainably. Growing a business while caring for young children requires pacing.
• Keep learning. Creative industries change quickly; staying current protects your competitiveness.

Final thoughts

Amanda Vlahakis built Truly Ace Design because she refused to accept that motherhood and a career had to be separate. Her experience shows that starting small, from home, with a clear skill and a willingness to adapt can create a business that fits around family life.

For women thinking about starting a creative business from home, her message is clear: trust your abilities, expect challenges, and keep learning. If you are thinking about starting your own creative venture, explore our resources for women in business for practical guidance on planning, finance and flexible working.