Mum’s the Boss member Geta Gill is a Mona Vie distributor. Having spent 18 years working in the Government sector, she reached a turning point in her life in 2005 when she had an accident. After the accident Geta became depressed, put on 5 stone in weight and became a virtual recluse. “I think I needed to let my health deteriorate both physically and mentally before I realised the damage I was doing to myself.”

Now Geta’s work is all about promoting a healthy lifestyle. She started with Mona Vie in March 2009 and built her team with no product. Mona Vie is a nutritional beverage whose main ingredient is the Acai berry from the Brazilian rain forest. The berry has been blended with 18 other highly nutritious fruits and people who drink it on a regular basis have reported significant improvements with back pain, neck pain, eczema, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, and many other chronic illnesses that have a negative impact on your quality of life. People also report that they look and feel younger. The product is not sold over the counter, as it is being sold solely by word of mouth or relationship selling. Geta has been using the product herself since its launch in the UK in early September and has noticed significant benefits to her health.

What inspired you to start your own business
The thing that inspired me most to start up my own business was my children. I have a picture of my children in my diary, in my car and on my laptop because they are the main reason for doing the business.  In the early years I didn’t spent that much time with them and I felt that I had lost that time. Nowadays, my life revolves around my Faith, my Family and my Business. I have learnt to take tiny steps to reach my goals and take every day one at a time – I learnt this from my children.

What has been your biggest challenge
Having not worked almost five years and not mixing with anyone except direct family I had become a loner. So I had to pick myself up and rediscover the old Geta that had been buried under the depression and excessive weight for so many years. 2009 has been hard work but looking back it has helped me built the foundations for my success.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed
I’ve learnt that I can do anything I want to do. I have started to believe in myself and have started dreaming again – and it’s nice! I was a very confident, strong personality when I used to work could sometimes be a bit tactless and insensitive. Since becoming self-employed I have been able to polish all my rough edges and I quite like this Geta now!

What has been the best thing about being your own boss
The best thing about being your own boss is that you make all the rules, you have no-one to answer to and you have your own working structure that can be based around your family’s life. I can finally choose to wake up, to get dressed, to go to work and etc. It’s not something I have to do, it’s something I like and enjoy doing now.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
One piece of advice that I would give is ‘Never give up, no matter how many negative reactions or how much negative energy you get’. When you’re feeling low, do what I do – find another inspiring woman and meet up for coffee and try and absorb as much of that positive energy as you can - kind of like recharging your batteries.  I have met so many great people on my early journey in networking and look forward to helping many other people who want to boost their health, their wealth and have loads of fun doing it….like I am.

You can contact Geta on 07976 644341 or email her at getagill@yahoo.co.uk and for more information on Mona Vie visit www.monavie.com 

Popularity: 1% [?]

Sue Bedford is a busy mum, running two companies in and around Bedfordshire.  After taking a break from her nursing career to have four children, Sue returned to her profession in 1998, initially working as an Outpatients Nurse and then as a Practice Nurse at her local surgery.

During this time, Sue became interested in the role that poor nutrition and exposure to toxins play in the cause of disease.  “As a mum, I naturally wanted to give my children the best start in life”, says Sue.  “However, I came across information which showed that products I used to keep them clean contained ingredients which were known to be harmful!”  Sue wanted other parents to know about this so she set up Healthy Choices.  The website (www.healthychoices.co.uk) includes her research and offers advice to parents and parents-to-be.  It also includes a healthy home store to purchase a range of safe, toxin-free toiletries and household products.

Sue set up her health screening company, Pulse Health Screening, after purchasing a medical device that detects early signs of cardiovascular disease, called a CardioCheck™.  Having completed diplomas in nutrition and health promotion, Sue was able to combine her expertise with her health screening skills to deliver a unique service, locally.

Pulse Health Screening offers a variety of health assessments and tests which include food intolerance and allergy testing.  Sue also gives health promotion talks to local groups or companies.  “If a potential health problem is detected early, it is possible to halt or even reverse the condition” says Sue.  “I love it when someone acts on my recommendations and sees their health improve”.

What inspired you to start your own business?
I have a real passion to help people understand why so many of the diseases we suffer from are completely preventable if we just follow simple diet and lifestyle measures.  My experience as a health screening nurse, my diplomas in Nutrition and Health Promotion and my extensive health research seemed to be the ideal combination to set up a business which helps people achieve better health.

What has been your biggest challenge?
Besides seeing individuals in their homes, I also visit companies to offer health and wellbeing checks to staff.  Getting to the decision maker in the company has been my biggest challenge.  Letters or phone calls often don’t get past the PA, which is very frustrating. 

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?
That I do not give up easily.  I have a determination to overcome any obstacle that comes my way and if that doesn’t work, I’ll find a way round it! 

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?
Being able to choose when I work, which enables me to fit my business around my family.  It’s great that I no longer have to ask permission from anyone to take time off to attend a school event. 

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Meeting up with other mumpreneurs at networking events, or even through internet forums, can be really helpful.  They give an opportunity to share advice and ideas with other mums in business who understand the difficulties and challenges of working at home.

For more information about Pulse Health Screening, visit www.pulsescreening.co.uk or email Sue at sue@pulsescreening.co.uk .

Popularity: 3% [?]

Hillary Graves is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Little Dish, the first and only brand to launch a range fresh, natural food for toddlers and young children made with 100% natural ingredients and no added salt or sugar. Replicating what parents make at home in their own kitchen, Little Dish recipes are created with a paediatric dietician, and every dish is taste tested by kids.

Little Dish has been recognised with numerous prestigious awards including the Marketing Society’s ‘Best New Brand’ for SME and a short list for the IGD Outstanding Small Business. This year the company was voted by Glamour magazine as one of the top 50 places to work in the UK and also won the Bronze Practical Parenting Award for its meals range.

Hillary is married to Dean and they have two children; Monty who will soon be turning 3 and Ridley who is 7 months. Hillary is originally from the States and her area of expertise is start-up businesses and marketing to women. Before Little Dish she was Managing Director of iVillage UK; a women’s website, and before that, she was Vice-President of Marketing at iVillage.com; the no. 1 website for women in the US. She moved to the UK in 2000 and when she met Dean she decided to stay in London…

What inspired you to start your business?
I’ve always wanted to run my own business, and in 2004 I met my business partner John Stapleton, who was on the founding team of the New Covent Garden Soup Company. We’re both passionate about healthy food for kids and wanted to provide a truly healthy alternative to home cooking that parents could feel good about feeding their children. As a result, Little Dish was born in April 2006 offering busy mums something that hadn’t been available before – a fresh, nutritionally balanced meal that allowed them to feel a little less guilty when they didn’t have time to cook.

What has been your biggest challenge?
As a start-up we have faced many challenges in different aspects of the business, but two of the most significant have been finding the right suppliers and getting listings in the major multiples. My background is in marketing so I’ve focused on sales and marketing. John used to work at New Covent Garden Soup so he’s been in charge of the operational side of business, drawing on his wide experience of working with fresh food with no additives or preservatives. Our clear roles have helped the rest of the team work really well together to overcome our challenges, as have our investors who wholeheartedly support the brand and want to see it grow and reach as many kids as possible.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became a business owner?
It’s definitely challenging and a lot of hard work. As a working mother of 2 young children, you have to be extremely organised (and have a sense of humour as nothing ever goes exactly to plan!) I work 4 days a week and am also fortunate enough to be able to work from home some days, so that I can spend time with my two little ones. The key is getting a good team in place; whatever you do or make, your business is all about its people and we’re really lucky to have a brilliant team helping us fulfill our vision of feeding fresh, healthy food to as many kids as possible.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?
Being able to develop and launch the only fresh range of children’s meals with no added salt or sugar!  The 11th April 2006 was the first day of trading for Little Dish; our meals launched on Ocado and sold out in hours. The range continued to sell out every day for a week despite increased orders. The buyer said ‘he never expected to sell so many so quickly’. Achieving distribution in the major multiples including Tesco and Waitrose has driven huge growth for the business. The fact that Little Dish is feeding 50,000 children a week and supporting a healthy lifestyle is incredibly rewarding.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
If you have a good idea you can always realise it. Stay focused and make sure you have a good support system around you through family, friends and co-workers.

Little Dish is available to but in Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado.com. For more details visit www.littledish.co.uk

Popularity: 6% [?]

Lesley Singleton has been working in consumer PR and the media for more than a decade. In that time, she’s worked for big London PR agencies (including PR Week’s “Agency of the Year”) as well as in-house for a major airline and a high street bank. She managed press office functions whilst also devising and implementing strategic PR campaigns for a wide range of brands including Blockbuster Video, P&O’s Ocean Village and KLM. Lesley’s diverse career has seen her handle the publicity for a Michael Ball Christmas album, oversee a press conference for the DVD release of ‘Joseph’ starring Donny Osmond and Joan Collins and launch a cruise ship with help from Ulrika Jonsson.

Leaving the bright lights of London behind, Lesley moved to Cranfield in 2004 and took up a PR role with Monarch Airlines, based at Luton. However, after having her son in November 2005, she decided to ‘go it alone’ and LS Media Ltd was born in May 2006. Specialising in business-to-consumer PR and media relations, Lesley has continued to work with a diverse range of clients in the travel, mother/baby, beauty, food, literary and self-help sectors. She’s worked with start-ups and mumpreneur businesses – including Mums Who Bake, Sporty Bump and Smallprint – as well as established brands such as The Open University.

Lesley gave birth to a daughter in September 2008 and LS Media Ltd has continued to go from strength to strength. 2009 has seen Lesley vastly expand her portfolio by generating extensive national print and broadcast coverage for travel companies, organic beauty brands and a number of new self-help books. October sees her co-host a PR Secrets seminar at the UK’s first Mumpreneur Conference in Birmingham.

What inspired you to start your own business
Getting a call on my mobile from an irate travel journalist at 3am, demanding to know why his plane was delayed. I was six months pregnant, working in the PR department of a major airline at the time and it hit me that being on-call 24 hours a day in case of a crisis just wouldn’t be compatible with a small baby in need of night-feeds.

What has been your biggest challenge
I think, like most people starting out on their own, trusting in yourself is a huge step. Even though I’d been working in PR and the media for a decade and had a solid proven track record, it was nerve-wracking trying to do it alone without the support of a team – I really had to learn to trust my own instincts, believe in myself and what I was capable of. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without a very strong group of friends behind me, many of whom I’d worked with in the past… any time I was doubting myself or a tough decision I’d made, I’d pick up the phone for that extra reassurance.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed
I’ve learnt that I’m more confident than I thought I was! I think when you’re working as part of a team of big characters, it’s easy to hide in the shadows sometimes, but now I have no choice but to put myself out there – whether in terms of pitching a client story or drumming up new business. I miss the banter that comes with an office full of creative types, but Twitter seems to be helping on that front and I now have my ‘water-cooler’ chats there instead…!

What has been the best thing about being your own boss
Being my own boss has given me the opportunity to work with brands I truly have a passion for – I’m not forced to take on clients or projects I don’t connect with or believe in. I’ve found clients in completely different sectors to those I’d worked in historically and I’ve invested in educating myself in new technologies and media sectors, ensuring that my business moves with the times and isn’t stuck with a limited skillset. Above all though, being my own boss has allowed me to experiment with my own working practices and I’ve finally been able to create a work/life balance which suits me, my family and my clients perfectly. My clients understand that I work part-time and aren’t shocked to receive emails from me late at night when I’m catching up on the admin!

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
When I look back to the very beginning, I do think I went into this with my eyes closed a little to the financial side. I had a very naive idea of start-up and running costs and this has been a tough obstacle to overcome. So my biggest piece of advice would be to really, really do your research: look at what you’ll need to lay out in your first year, what assistance is available, if there are any grants you’re entitled to.

For find out how Lesley can help you with your PR, please visit www.lsmedia.co.uk or email Lesley@lsmedia.co.uk

Popularity: 3% [?]

At Amy Taylor Accountancy, you will find a friendly, personal service where children are welcome.  Having been a chartered accountant and analyst for over 10 years, Amy Taylor recognised there was a need for local business people who are juggling a business and childcare to have somewhere they can meet their accountant and bring the kids without feeling intimidated. 

But it’s not just all about providing flexibility.  Having been an analyst for part of her career, Amy can assess your personal circumstances to make sure you get all possible tax reliefs available as well as help you with tax planning for the future.  “I won’t wait for people to ask me a question about their finances, but will go above and beyond to analyse their circumstances as a matter of course.  For me the enjoyment is legitimately saving my clients money.”

And on the subject of saving money, Amy offers clarity over pricing and will give you a competitive quote within 24 hours.  “I know as an accountant how important it is to budget.  How can you plan your finances effectively if you don’t even know what you will be paying your own accountant?”

What inspired you to start your own business
Being a Mum to 2 children, I felt that commuting into London and full time work just wasn’t going to be do-able anymore.  I thought about setting up on my own and friends and family were so positive about it, I just thought “Go for it Girl”!!

What has been your biggest challenge
Learning how to use twitter and other social networking sites.  My etiquette to begin with was terrible, but now I enjoy the tweets, tips from other business gurus and generating leads that twitter can offer.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed
I have learnt that it’s important to keep yourself up to date in your knowledge area, for your self-esteem, your employability and to keep your brain working – not always easy when you’re a mum!

What has been the best thing about being your own boss
Not having to ask anyone for time off, or worry when your little one is ill that everyone in the office will be moaning about you taking time off.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Join a wonderful supportive networking group like Mums the Boss for fabulous business tips and to meet other people like you, and No they didn’t pay me to say that!!

Amy  is happy to welcome new clients across Bedfordshire.  She cares about the environment and in response to client demands, sends out as much documentation as she can by electronic means.  “For each page saved, I keep a tally and at the end of the year make a donation to the Woodland Trust which has woodland all over the UK including Bedfordshire.”

Call Amy now on 01767 260282, or email amy@tayloraccountancy.net. www.tayloraccountancy.net

Popularity: 4% [?]

Since leaving her ‘previous life’ career as a Buyer for a high street chain, Sarah Barnes has been working as an Interior Designer, setting up her company Ivy House Interiors in 2006. Ivy House Interiors aims to offer complete interior design solutions for everything from entire show-houses to the smallest downstairs loo!

Based on the Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire boarder, Sarah has a background of show-house and rental property design and project management. Whether you are looking to refresh the style of your bedroom or ‘start from scratch’ with your kitchen Sarah has the contacts and know-how to help – and if she doesn’t she will go out of her way to find it! Through relaxed and informal discussions Sarah can provide you with the solution to your specific requirements.

If you are looking to sell your current property, Sarah also offers a Home Staging Service, transforming your home to “Show House Standard” maximising the sales potential of your property by setting it apart from the competition and offering discounted storage rates. Sarah has also undertaken work for landlords who are looking to transform rental properties from un-furnished to furnished to provide a greater return on their investment. This type of work is often budget led – but with Sarah’s negotiation and fi nancial background combined with design experience, Sarah has furnished properties to a high standard whilst keeping costs minimal.

What inspired you to start your own business
Sitting in the back of an ambulance at 3am on a December morning being transferred to Banbury Children’s Hospital as Milton Keynes General was full with my 11 month old baby who needed oxygen and nebulisers for the 3^rd time in 6 weeks after getting pneumonia the week I returned to work. I applied to go part-time but was turned down, so I resigned. I realised that life is too fragile and precious to spend time worrying about how I was going to get my day job done when I have my family to look after. Our parents are 3 hours away, we have no ‘back-up’ support, so I needed to be able to do a job that was flexible around the children.

What has been your biggest challenge
Getting clients in the current economic climate. Also trying to dispel the myth that interior design is only for the rich and famous, and can in fact have a medium term saving. I’m currently thinking of myself as the Trinny and Susannah of houses – get rid of the stuff that doesn’t suit it and stop wasting money on a bit here and a bit there and buy, as an investment, schemes and accessories that are going to last.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed
Lots of things! I enjoy people’s company, so Radio 1 is a god send after leaving behind an office of 800 people. I miss a good slanging match – I haven’t had to ‘get angry’ like I occasionally did in my ‘previous life’ so my poor husband gets it taken out on him instead!  I’ve also learnt that Starbucks is addictive, John in Aubergine (my local deli) makes a lush sandwich, and we have a great community in my village that I was oblivious to before and I now feel part of. Also, running your own car is bloody expensive and you have to take it to the garage yourself and pay when something goes wrong rather than handing it back to the transport department! I’ve also learnt that I’m very determined and work crosses over into life more now because there is no drive home ,so it can sometimes get me down when things aren’t going to plan.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss
Flexibility, without a second thought ! If the small people are ill – I juggle my hours. If we need to take delivery of something – I can be here. Its endless, and you just can’t put a price on it.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Go for it but its not going to be easy and its not going to happen overnight. My plan was an 8 year one, taking me up until both children were well into Lower School – but I still expected it to happen sooner and I have to keep reminding myself there is still time. Plan your daily schedule and try to stick to it – if you have childcare, as I’m lucky to have, it’s very tempting to drop them off then spend the next few hours tidying up after them rather than doing the day job – sorry that was 2 pieces advice, wasn’t it?!

For more details or to see examples of previous works, call Sarah on 07711 293320 or drop an e-mail to sarah@ivyhouseinteriors.co.uk. You can also follow Ivy_House on twitter

Popularity: 5% [?]