Sarah Owen is a mum of three children (aged 10,8, and 5) and founder of Pyjama Drama, which offers drama and creative play classes to 2-7 year olds.   She originally came up with the concept 5 years ago because, as an ex drama teacher, she recognised the benefits that drama offers to children.  After huge success in her local area, 18 months ago, she set about developing the business as a franchise and there are now 12 franchises across the UK (with more in the pipeline).

What inspired you to start your own business?
Initially I was looking for something to fit in with having three young children, two of whom were still at home.  I was teaching drama part-time in a local school but it still didn’t give me real flexibility.  Alongside that my little boy has always been particularly imaginative and I used to make up lots of drama based games for him at home, seeing how well he responded to that gave me the idea for Pyjama Drama.  I taught it locally at first but 18 months ago I set it up as a franchise and it’s been great to receive such positive feedback from franchisees and parents.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?
I’ve realised that my passion for drama runs deeper than I ever imagined and I’m so glad that I went for it and set up the business.  I’ve also learnt that, although I work fine on my own, I’m at my best when I have someone else to collaborate with and that was one of the reasons I got together with my business partner.

What has been your biggest challenge?
I’m not naturally a maths person but when you’re running your own business it’s vital that you have a detailed understanding of the finances.  I’m been pleased at how I’ve forced myself to get my head into it and the value of doing so.  Setting the business up as a franchise was also challenging, it involved a lot of hard work but it was important to me that Pyjama Drama is completely ethical and we are doing everything in line with best practice.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?
Being able to go school plays or sports days without worrying about having to book time off work.

Who has given you the support to succeed?
Probably my Dad, he’s an experienced businessman and he took a real interest in the business from day one, he’s always encouraged me and continues to offer advice and support.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone with a ‘dream’ an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Always keep the big picture in mind but take it step by step and don’t expect everything to happen instantly.

To find out more about Sarah’s business please visit www.pyjamadrama.com

Popularity: 5% [?]

Mum of two, Vanessa Blake, created the award winning dreamgenii pregnancy pillow when she was pregnant with her first child in 2005. 

“I was six months pregnant with my son and after weeks of tossing and turning I’d had enough.  I tried every pregnancy pillow on the market and none of them actually worked – the V Pillow was the wrong shape and didn’t fit comfortably under my bump, the bolster pillow was too big and took up the whole bed and the wedge pillow was uncomfortable and pushed my bump into a really unnatural position.  All of them woke me up in the night when I wanted to move as I had to roll over with them to reposition myself and they usually ended up strewn on the floor by morning!”

“I was also conscious of lying in the best position for my baby, so I did a bit of research and spoke to my midwife.  She advised me that lying on my left hand side encouraged maximum blood flow from me to my baby.  But lying on my left wasn’t really as natural position for me, so I needed a pillow that would encourage me to stay on my left during the night.  I wanted something that supported my back, bump and knees – all the parts that were aching!  I also wanted to be able to use my pillow post birth as a feeding support (as many of my friends had shared their tales of back strain after using traditional pillows with no back support).” 

“I bought a sewing machine and made a prototype pillow, but it was pretty basic.  I showed it to my midwife at my antenatal class and everyone raved about it!  They suggested I should look into selling it to other women so I took it to a manufacturer and asked them to make up some proper samples.  It seemed unbelievable that no one had thought of doing something like this before.”

The samples were shown to various midwives, healthcare organisations as well as many pregnant friends and volunteers.  The pillow was universally welcomed as a huge help for pregnant women. 

Now five years on, Vanessa balances being a mum to her two children, working at dreamgenii^®, as well as being a director at the Charity fundraising company she used to manage.  Her husband Stephen works full time on the dreamgenii^® business, and they have been able to take on further members of staff as the business has grown. 

“It was hard work in the beginning, trying to get a business up and running with a new baby.  Most women in the nursery industry are mothers too, so everyone is incredibly understanding and flexible.  I even took Lucas along to most of my business meetings with me at the start, and nobody minded. Trying to get something off the ground can be stressful, and I could never have done it without the support of my husband Stephen and all of our family.  I firmly believe if you can get through those first few months it’s well worth the effort!  It’s amazing to think that it’s almost five years since I first sat down at my sewing machine to make my pregnancy pillow.  Our pillow is now sold in over 18 countries worldwide and has helped thousands of women enjoy a magical night’s sleep during pregnancy.” 

What did you do before you designed the dreamgenii® pregnancy pillow and came to work on the business?

I spent many years working as a senior manager in a number of corporate companies, including working as a Managing Director of a Marketing Agency.  I’m sure this general business background helped when it came to starting my own business.

Can you tell us about your typical day?  How does running a business fit around family life?

Every day is different!  Some days I am at home being a full time mum to my children Lucas, 4 and Daisy, 2, when my husband Stephen goes in to the office.  Other days I drop the children off at school & nursery and then head into the office myself.  I spend quite a bit of time talking to our manufacturers and distributors – we now distribute the dreamgenii^® pregnancy pillow all over the world.  I work on product design including developing new products such as our new breastfeeding pillow, and new fabric designs.  Some days you can even find me helping to pack up orders for customers!  We are a small team and all help out with whatever needs to get done.

Where would you like to see the business in another 5 years time?  What plans have you got for the future?

We will help to deliver a magical night’s sleep to millions of pregnant women around the world.  Our range of products will serve to make women’s pregnancies, births & children more comfortable.  In particular we are working on a new product for the children’s sleep market which I am really excited about.  After many sleepless nights with my daughter I thought I must be able to create something that worked to get us all a better night’s sleep!

What makes your business unique?

I launched a product that was born out of genuine human need – not by people sat in an office – and that really works to tackle a massive issue for pregnant women.  All of the products I have designed are born out of my own personal experience and are unique, patent protected, and really work.  We have worked really hard and created a successful business – but still remain a small, independent company and true to our family life roots. We focus on products that genuinely work to make parents’ and children’s lives more comfortable. 

What do you think makes a successful working mum?

The ability to prioritise!  And to remember that family always comes first.  We never lose sight of why we set up the business in the first place and that everything we do is for our family.  We try not to sacrifice family life for the business – but to make the business fit around our family.  Even if it does mean some late nights working from home sometimes once the children are in bed!  We also try and make sure we have fun.  We are a small team and all enjoy working together. 

What do you think are the hardest things about being a mum?

I guess the uncertainty.  Everyone tries to help you with advice, and there’s so much information available on the internet.  How do you decide what’s fact and what’s fiction?  There are so many products to choose from nowadays.  It’s difficult to work out as a first time mum what you really need and what you don’t.

What do you think are the best things about being a mum?

Having fabulous children!  They can test you sometimes but there is nothing more rewarding than watching your children growing up.

To view the full range of products available please visit http://www.dreamgenii.com/

Popularity: 6% [?]

Eighteen months ago, mum of 2 Amanda Armstrong baked lots of cakes and took them out on the road to see if she could drum up business for herself.  She managed to get customers from this madcap marketing idea and has been baking beautiful, tasty cakes for clients in and around Bristol ever since.  

At the beginning of the year she started an online delivery service, inspired by it being the Girl Guide Association’s Centenary Year this year and the idea of ‘brownies’ by post! She has been gained FoodLoversBritain.com approval and has  just supplied a large order of chocolate fudge brownies for the BBC crew that were going to Glastonbury (and apparently they gained better reviews than the Gorillaz from some members of the BBC)!

At our last Bedford Mum’s The Boss networking meeting, we carried out a very scientific taste testing of Amanda’s delicious brownies. She sent us a box of each flavour – Original Chocolate, Chocolate with White Choc Chunks, Walnut, Ginger and Berry – which we set up on a tasting table along with a feedback form. However what we really needed was a video camera to capture the closed eyed, rapturous look on people’s faces as they tried the brownies, and record the ‘mmmmmmms’ that were emanating from that corner of the room! The brownies were lovely and light, and just melted in the mouth and the firm favourite seemed to be the White Choc Chunk box which was emptied first!

So, what inspired you to start your own business?

I have always wanted to work for myself but like most people I left school and got a job and before I knew it many, many years had passed and I was still working for other people.  It’s very hard to give up a salary even if you know you’ll be so much happier being your own boss.  But when I was seven months pregnant with my son I finally stopped working.  My husband and I relocated from London to Bristol and we now have two wonderful children.  As we had relocated I wasn’t able to simply go back to my old job and this gave me a chance to rethink about being self-employed.  I had become aware of the cafe culture during my pregnancies and cupcakes were just becoming popular.  The thought of baking for a living was too tempting.  I could be creative, work for myself, make something wonderful and tasty that people love to buy and I would still be available for my family when they needed me.  Baking is something I enjoy and I can bake before the children get up, during their school day and later, after they are in bed I can carry on again.  It just sounded perfect, hard work but perfect.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?

I’ve learnt that I should have done this 25 years ago.  I love it.  I love what I do, I love being busy, I love working hard and I love the feeling of being in charge of my destiny.  I love learning about aspects of business that, when you work for someone else, you never experience.  I am learning all of the time and loving every single minute of it. 

What has been your biggest challenge?

There are many challenges to running a business but running a business with two small children is so much harder.  The time I have available to work is very limited during the day and I end up working late into the night instead.  Simply juggling so many work commitments with the needs of small children is very hard.  I don’t live anywhere near my family so I have to be super organised to ensure that my children don’t ever feel in second place to the needs of my business.  It is vital that orders are delivered but it is equally important that I make it to an important assembly or sports day.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?

The best thing about being my own boss is, funnily enough, the same as my biggest challenge – juggling.  Working for myself in the way I do means that I am able to have the satisfaction of creating a successful business but at the same time I am able to take my children to school and I’m there at the end of the day.  I do work hard and very long hours but this enables me to be around for two small children who need me.

Who has given you the support to succeed?

My biggest support – my husband, my husband, my husband.  It would have been possible to get to where I am without him but it would have been 100 times harder.  He believes in me and does so much to support and encourage me.  I don’t thank him enough.  My children are very proud of their mum too as I keep hearing from their teachers at school!

If you could give one piece of advice to someone with a ‘dream’ an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?

My one piece of advice would be a cliche I’m afraid but, just do it!  If you want to do something don’t hang around.  I waited and waited and then one day I took out a tray of freshly baked cakes, put a smile on my face and promoted myself and now I have a small bakery that has just supplied the BBC with lots of lovely brownies for this year’s Glastonbury Festival.  If you have an idea just go for it.  It’s a cliche but it’s true.  Just try it and see.

For more details about Amanda’s business please visit www.hillcottagebakery.co.uk

Popularity: 6% [?]

Alli Price is a woman who wear many hats, describing herself as a mumpreneur, life coach, event organiser, networker, time manager, cleaner, raiser of children and cook – pretty much your average mum!

Her business, Motivating Mum, offers business mentoring or coaching, networking lunches and brainstorm sessions, features and articles, questions answered by my very own legal, accounting and marketing gurus, an online mumpreneur forum where you can pose business questions or chat about challenges, info on part time jobs and much more.

What inspired you to start your own business?

It all started with an energy reading in Byron Bay, Australia, where I was told that I was ready to work in a role that involved helping people.  It made me think about coaching, something I had always been interested in, and providence saw me finish my course just as I gave birth to my first daughter.  A coach for mums was born!  From then to now I just followed the opportunities and it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?

I have learned that I am doing exactly what I was put on earth to do.  My business allows me to help mums (gives me a thrill every time!), be busy and organised (I love being organised!) and use my brain.  I have also learned that I don’t need much ‘stuff’ in life, which is lucky as I can’t afford it anyways!

What has been your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge has been trying to get work done in the last eight weeks, since the birth of my second daughter.  I have had to pay real attention to her routine and try and reschedule my whole working day to fit in around her.  I have also had to get used to working in a very piece-meal way; being very disciplined at planning work in advance and getting focused as soon as I sit down at the computer.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?

Everything! Working when I want, creating something that is entirely my vision, feeling complete happiness when I help a mum, banking money that I made, meeting amazing women, learning something new every day and sitting about in my pyjamas at 12pm…!

Who has given you the support to succeed?

When I first started out the people I mainly got support from were friends and all the amazing mums I met who gave me such great feedback.  I have also been my own greatest support.  My belief in the business and what I wanted to achieve helped me when my ex made it clear that my business wasn’t a high priority as it wasn’t making a lot of money.  I now have a fab boyfriend who is extremely supportive and who actually asks me how it’s all going!

Where do you see yourself and the business in 3 years time?

When I started out I had no idea where I saw it going.  Now I see it as a business that could be taken on by motivated mums in other countries all over the world!  As for myself, I envision I’ll be doing a lot more of what I do now.  There will always be mums wanting business support and advice and I always want to be available to help in any way I can.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone with a ‘dream’ an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?

Follow your gut.  Nobody knows you, what you are good at and what makes you happy better than you.  And if it doesn’t work out, what’s the worst that can happen?  You try again with a different idea.  What’s life for, if not for exploring, learning and creating? 

For more information about all the services Alli provides please visit www.motivatingmum.co.uk

Popularity: 7% [?]

Sarah Gee is the most recent member of MTB Bedford and is a modern day Jim’ll Fix It. If you have a project or event that needs managing, Sarah is your lady!

What is ‘Dear Mrs Fixit’?

Dear Mrs Fixit is a one stop shop for all the things you need organising in your life – we started out as a woman to woman building company, I would project manage a new extension on a house using superb tradesmen ensuring value for money on the project and lots of communication with the customer, but then I was asked by another customer if I knew anyone to organise their wedding reception and I said I can fix it! I’ve also coordinated another lady having her garden re-done, one customer wanted me to organise a fundraising evening for a local preschool and just this week we are putting in a central heating system for an elderly couple. Like Bob – I can fix it!

What inspired you to start your own business?

Back in the Jurassic Age (pre children!), I had a varied career in sales and events management including working on the Bedford River Festival, Proms in the Park and many Gala Events and weddings. Since meeting my husband Lawrence, I have been managing other projects including plumbing and heating works and building projects. I seem to be the kind of person who can make things happen and I am constantly outraged by how cowboys rip off the vulnerable (or ill-informed), how customers settle for poor quality tradesmen and also how those tradesmen never give value for money. So I stopped procrastinating about starting my own business and now actually do it. I love being able to see my 5 year old son ride his bike to school then come home to work. It’s absolutely the best of both worlds.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?

How to handle and enjoy variety; how you can juggle home and work life easily, how one minute I can be organising someone’s wedding or anniversary party and the next on the telephone booking a plasterer for a customer’s new extension!

What has been your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge has been taking the leap and instead of daydreaming about being the next Anita Roddick actually doing it!

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?

Having the proof day in and day out, that I am good at what I do, and getting the recognition from customers who are happy with the job I’ve done.

Who has given you the support to succeed?

My husband and my sister have always believed I could do it.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone with a ‘dream’ an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?

Have confidence to believe in yourself.  You can do it!

For more information you can contact Sarah at help@dearmrsfixit.co.uk . Her website www.dearmrsfixit.co.uk is due to be launched later this summer.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Mum’s The Boss Hertfordshire launched in June and is run and hosted by mum of 2 Louisa Baker who also runs online giftstore Dyna-Girl. Louisa is helped and supported at MTB meetings by Emma, owner of BagsToDie4.

What inspired you to start your own business

I gave up my office job after having my first daughter.  Once you have had a baby,all your time and energy is focused on your child, leaving so little time for you or even the littlest indulgence. I quickly realised that it is so important to make the few minutes that you do get to yourself, and your everyday routines, fabulous.  I spent loads of time scouring the internet for products to make me feel fab again despite the sleepless nights and discovered that there wasn’t just one place for Mums, as women, to go and so Dyna-Girl was born.  It is a gift site for you, to make you feel good.  Whether it is by a handy list pad to help you stay organised, a bath product to help you relax or a luxurious  moisturiser that makes you feel truly pampered in your daily beauty regime, each product is carefully chosen to help make your everyday sparkle.

What has been your biggest challenge

My biggest challenge so far has been getting the product range right.  I physically see, test and love all products that I put on the site but it is difficult to get the right number of the right products assembled that will appeal to ALL women.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed

I have learnt that despite being incredibly organised, there still never seems to be quite enough hours in the day…..!

What has been the best thing about being your own boss

For me, the best thing about being my own boss is that I am always there for my girls.  I know that I am the one to take them to school and the first to hear about their day when I collect them, I will never miss a school play or a sports day and I am always available to take them on play dates.  I feel truly lucky.

Why did you decide to become a MTB Local Leader

Working from home can be very lonely and networking both online and in person is really important for both business and personal support.  Networking is so integral to growing your business, but also for the support you can get from people that understand what you do and are going through. I think that Mums the Boss is a fabulous and unique concept and I am very proud to be a part of it.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?

Have passion for what you do.  It is tough but you need to believe in yourself and enjoy what you do.   

To find out more about Mum’s the Boss meetings in the Hertfordshire area please email louisa@mumstheboss.co.uk or visit http://www.mumstheboss.co.uk/networking_herts.htm

Popularity: 10% [?]

Karen Woods is a busy mum of three. Having two children with severe nut allergies has inspired Karen and her husband Mike to establish Just Love Food Company, a company specialising in the production of delicious nut safe food. The company is launching this month with two children’s birthday cakes which are available in 200 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.

What inspired you to start your own business?

Aged four, my daughter Danika was diagnosed as having a severe nut allergy. She had been suffering with eczema for a couple of years and had been taken into hospital one weekend after her skin had become infected. A couple of weeks later I had a phone call from the doctor, who had routinely taken some blood, to inform me that Danika had a severe nut allergy. Lots of testing followed as we discovered that Danika was severely allergic to most nuts, the worst being peanuts. Epipen training followed and testing to our two other children. Our eldest was ok but our son who was two also tested positive to nuts and peanuts – hearing that was devastating and a complete shock.

Initially we found it very difficult adapting our lifestyles to cope with these nut allergies. While many may think that it would be easy to adapt, introducing a nut free diet for the whole family was to begin with a challenge. Every time we went food shopping we had to check the ingredients list of the items we were purchasing and this continues to this day as many items change their allergy warnings on an ongoing basis. Going to restaurants was also difficult, as was going to family parties. As the children grew up, it didn’t get much easier, particularly when the children were invited to friend’s houses for tea. Not only did the parents of friends have to be shown how to administer an epipen, but they also had to check all foods that they were cooking for the children to make sure they didn’t contain any nuts.

Birthdays were a particular struggle as it was difficult to find cakes on the market for those with nut allergies. All of the supermarket cakes carried “this product is not suitable for nut allergy sufferers” warnings.  Last year, my husband, who had worked in the food industry for the past 20 years had the idea of developing a business that produced nut-free produce. Using his contacts, experience and knowledge of the food sector together we set up The Just Love Food Company which became a reality this year.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?

I was previously self employed as a beauty therapist before giving up work to have the children so working for myself isn’t a new thing. But I have enjoyed seeing the business develop from an idea to the reality it is today.

What has been your biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge so far has been to get the ingredients from  nut free sites, and to convince retailers of the need to provide nut free solutions. There is still a long way to go before retailers are providing good ranges for people with allergies, but at least things are moving in the right direction. We have been fortunate to secure an exclusive deal with Sainsburys who are going to stock our cakes. Like us, Sainsburys can see a gap in the market for the supply of nut-free products and can see our vision of making fabulous food products that provide solutions for those with allergies. We don’t believe it should be a fabulous product or a product that suits those with allergies. We believe we should make delicious food that allergy sufferers and food lovers alike can enjoy. In order for the supermarkets to sit up and take notice that there is a need, I would urge shoppers to keep asking in stores and requesting that they provide products for people with allergies.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?

Best bit about being your own boss, is that you are in control of the direction your business is going in. You can be true to your own beliefs and ideals without making compromises.

Who has given you the support to succeed?

Family and friends have been hugely supportive and of course none of it would have been possible without the financial support from Natwest and Finance Wales. We have had supportive letters and emails from people who have read our newspaper articles, this is fabulous and will keep us going as we know we are doing the right thing.

What are your plans for the future?

We want to make a difference and provide a solution to help the parents, families and friends of those with allergies. The company’s vision is to be a major player in the food industry, making fabulous food products AND providing solutions for those with allergies. We don’t believe it should be a fabulous product OR a product that suits those with allergies. We believe we should make delicious food that allergy sufferers and food lovers alike can enjoy.

The Just Love Food Company is in its infancy. We are starting with children’s celebration cakes but it won’t be long before we are branching out into different markets and product ranges. We already have lots of new product ideas up our sleeves and are busily perfecting the recipes so that when our customers finally get the chance to try them, they’ll be delighted!

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?

Do something that makes a difference, be true to your own beliefs and ideals and be passionate. If you are passionate about what you believe in then this will rub off on others.

For more information visit www.justlovefoodcompany.com or email Karen@justlovefoodcompany.com

Popularity: 9% [?]

Sally Hunter, author and illustrator of the popular Humphrey’s Corner books shares some insights into how the books started and her inspiration.  

What was the biggest challenge in the beginning?

The early days were very difficult, I was a single parent, with two children and a new baby and struggling with a mountain of debt and very little money.  However, my situation gave me the incentive I needed to create Humphrey and the perseverance to keep making the journeys back and forth to publishers.  After a lot of late nights and hard work, my first range of greeting cards was successfully launched at the NEC Spring Fair, greeting card and gift exhibition. One of the people interested in Humphrey’s Corner was a man who owned several greeting card shops. He took some of the samples back home to show his wife, who happened to be the Head of Children’s Books at Penguin Publishers.  I explained I had already written and illustrated a book, which arrived on her desk the next day… I am pleased to say they loved it and it went pretty much straight off to print!

Have you ever struggled for inspiration?

I based the three main characters, featured in Humphrey’s Corner, on my own children when they were much younger and they have continued to be a huge inspiration. Lottie, Humphrey’s big sister was based on my daughter Georgie, when she was 5, headstrong and bossy but also sweet, affectionate and my beautiful blue eyed, blonde curly-headed little girl.  Humphrey is based on Ralph at 3, he was extra loving, soft tempered and gentle. Very Humphrey like! He got more rebellious through the years but I had a good 6 years of bliss first!  He is now a young budding fashion designer with bright green hair. Baby Jack is based on my youngest son Kim, who was just the loveliest, happiest, smiling and funny little one year old ever.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?

Apart from Saturday jobs when I was at school, I have never been anything but self employed, so a difficult question to answer, I have always been determined and I believe being self employed, although not an ideal situation for many does make you develop your resourcefulness and tenacity and leaves little room for anything but a positive attitude.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?

There are so many advantages and I feel very privileged in being my own boss, there are very few day where  I don’t enjoy my work immensely and unlike so many people, who are unhappy with their place of work, I look forward to Monday mornings, rather than dreading another week and willing Friday to hurry up.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone with a ‘dream’ an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?

Don’t give up, but be realistic, when you have a good idea or concept it can be difficult to be constructive and commercial, so do your market research and don’t limit it to friends and family.

For more information about Sally and the whole range of Humphrey’s Corner merchandise please visit www.humphreys-corner.com

Popularity: 14% [?]

Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne became an entrepreneur almost by accident when she discovered her children had food allergies. Her company Genius makes award winning gluten-free fresh bread. Launched less than a year ago, it has been stocked across the UK in various supermarkets and has recently hit the landmark of producing one million loaves.

What inspired you to start your own business?

I have three sons, two of whom have food allergies.  Prior to having my children, I trained as a chef at Bibendum restaurant in London and went on to teach at Leith’s School of Food and Wine when I co-authored their Techniques Bible. When I discovered that two of my children had food allergies I decided to write a book called How to Cook for Food Allergies.  Knowing how difficult it can be to cook for a family with various allergies, I had the cookery knowledge to impart to others to make it easier for people in the same situation as me.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?

I have been surprised by how resilient and determined I am when obstacles threatening business progress arise.  I am certainly more efficient the busier I am. I also need to do daily exercise if I am to maintain the energy levels required for running both my work and family life. I am more aware of just how important my family is to me and how essential it is for my family’s collective sense of well being to spend a period of quality time together each day.

What has been your biggest challenge?

The greatest challenge was getting the product to market as there was so much to be done before we had even begun trading; scaling up the bread recipe, securing listings, setting up the company, finding investment, developing the brand, the packaging and the website.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?

Being in a position to strongly influence the direction of the business and determine the company values.

Who has given you the support to succeed?

I was very fortunate to have met Sir Bill Gammell, European Entrepreneur of the Year and CEO of Cairn Energy, who is the father of one of my son’s friends at school.  He suffers from Coeliac Disease, tried my bread and loved it.  He has been instrumental in helping me set-up the business.

Where do you see the business in 5 years time?

I want to grow the business by developing a range of high quality products both in this country and overseas to help improve the quality of life for people on a gluten-free diet.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone with a ‘dream’, an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?

Believe in your idea, focus and hold your nerve when the going gets tough. 

To find out more about Lucinda and her gluten-free range of food visit www.geniusglutenfree.com

Popularity: 16% [?]

If you are looking for inspiration, and an example of how a business idea can just appear out of thin air, then look no further than Chrissi Sharkey, a 29 year old working textiles teacher & mum to 2 small children, from Oxford. 

Her business – aMillionJobsToDo… is a unique, national concept where you can suggest literally any task that you might need completing and also propose how much you would like to pay for that service.  We asked Chrissi some questions about how she got started, the challenges she has faced along the way, and what she hopes for the future.

What inspired you to start your own business?
About a year ago I stumbled across a house for sale in my local area. The house was everything I had ever dreamt of but with a price tag just shy of a million pounds, I knew it was unobtainable with my current salary. I became fixated on the house and dreaming of how I could raise the funds to purchase it.

Although I find my current career as a textiles teacher extremely rewarding and challenging, I know that I am never going to make my fortune whilst doing it and if I really want to make my dream a reality, I needed to create the opportunity for myself, and so aMillionJobsToDo was born!

I have always been a person with lots of tasks on my to do list, and I seemed to spend most evenings and weekends working on one project or another. Many of these projects were favours for friends and family so it made sense to turn my skills into a business that may one day actually help me to achieve my dream!

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?
I have learned that I am actually really organised!! Before I started aMillionJobsToDo I would never have said that organisation was my strongest quality, but juggling two small children, a part time teaching job and all of the task requests that come in, has really made me able to tackle anything that comes my way.

What has been your biggest challenge?
One of the biggest challenges I have faced has been getting the concept out into the public domain. At first I was really sensitive and took it hard when promised media coverage fell through or I read anything negative. Now I have learned to take it on the chin and realise that it is just the nature of the media and the people who have commented on forums that I will never achieve my dream, don’t really matter – I will never achieve it if I don’t try!

What has been your best and worst tasks?
My favourite task so far has been making wedding jewellery for a bride and her bridesmaids from real miniature sea urchins. She wanted them to be covered in silver and to sit in a certain way on chains. It was a really challenging task for me as the urchins were so delicate and after many prototypes we finally developed a perfect solution and everyone agreed that they looked amazing on the day.

My worst task so far, was actually nothing to do with the actual task at all. I was hired to conduct a ballot of over 1000 homes in a specific area. A few days into the task I was struck down by swine flu! I had to meet the deadline as we were being filmed by ITV, so I ended up managing my brilliant team of people that were helping on that particular task, by phone from my sick bed! Luckily after a dose of Tamiflu I was well enough to take the reins for the final count of all the ballot slips, and the client was really happy. It was a very eventful week though!

Have you ever turned a job down?
I try not to turn work down but occasionally I have to. We had one request from a man calling himself Ali G who wanted me to dress up as Borat, pole vault down a main road and go into Habitat and try and smash things! He offered to pay me very well for doing this task, but I didn’t feel being arrested wearing a mankini, would be great for my business reputation so unfortunately I had to decline his request!

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?
The best thing about being my own boss is pride I feel whenever I complete a task or someone I have never met takes time to write something positive about my business model. I like the freedom aMillionJobsToDo gives me to spend time with my children during the day and do my work later on in the evenings when they have gone to bed. It is an amazing feeling to know that every task I complete takes me one step closer to achieving my goal.

Who has given you the support to succeed?
I am incredibly lucky in that my family are amazingly supportive. My sister is the silent talent behind aMillionJobsToDo. I called her one evening to discuss the idea with her and ask for her advice on getting the website off the ground. In the end she actually designed the entire site and now maintains everything and also does most of the marketing for the concept. My mother is an accountant so she looks after all the financial side of the business and ensures I do all my expenses properly, as well as being a massive support with the children. My step-father is an engineer and is fantastic at all things practical, so I call upon his skills all the time to help me with various tasks. My husband has gradually taken on more and more of the household chores, much to his distress – he actually sent me an email via the website offering to hire me to clean our own house!!

When do you think you will reach your goal?
It is so hard to estimate a time when I will achieve my goal as the task request I get are so varied. I have done tasks for as little as £20 and others that have been worth thousands, you never know when that million pound task might come in! I am prepared for the fact that the house may sell before I have raised all the money for it but, I am sure if I have £1 million pounds sat in the bank I will be able to find a similar property to fall in love with!

Do you think you will continue after your target has been reached?
My long term plan for the business is that it could help lots of people to achieve their own personal dreams. I would like to see aMillionJobsToDo to continue even if I do succeed in my goals. I already have a group of people that I pass tasks over to when it is necessary so eventually I hope there could be lots of branches of the concept running all over the place.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone with a ‘dream’ or an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to give it a try, you really don’t know what you might achieve. Use social networking sites to create some interest in your idea and if it seems popular you might be on to a winner. Make sure you are doing something you really believe in and don’t listen if people tell you your idea is not going to work, it is up to you to make it work!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Mum’s The Boss member Julie Kirk launched Cupcake Occasion in 2009 having identified a gap in the gift business locally. ‘I was looking for an original gift to send to my sister for her birthday. We’d done flowers, chocolates, champagne, even balloons – when I hit on the idea of cupcakes. I researched locally and couldn’t find anyone operating a dedicated cupcake gift delivery business in the Bedford area.’

Julie had recently taken the difficult decision to resign her position as Retail Sales Merchandiser for a large food services company, as the demands of her changing job role were conflicting with the more important role as Mum to two teenagers. Determined not to find herself back in a job where she was constantly balancing two conflicting sets of demands, Julie decided to establish Cupcake Occasion. She was able to draw on experience of food retailing and entertaining having worked for nine years in a local specialist delicatessen, and cake decorating skills learned on courses taken when her children were small.

Cupcake Occasion is an online shop where customers can order cupcake gifts for delivery in the North and Mid Bedfordshire area. Julie also provides cakes to local businesses for corporate hospitality, including printing logos and photograghs with edible products. Telephone requests for custom cakes for childrens’ birthdays and other celebrations are very welcome. The message is – make your occasion a Cupcake Occasion!

What inspired you to start your own business?
I was inspired to start my own business because I realised that it was my best chance of achieving the work/life balance that was important for my family. For some time work had taken up too big a share,  which led  me to the decision to resign from a job I actually enjoyed very much. After six months of unemployment, I took stock of the resources available to me – my home facilities, newly acquired ICT skills and the support of my husband – I realised that being my own boss could be a reality very quickly and easily.

What has been your biggest challenge?
Like anyone newly self-employed I have to wear all of the hats – creativity and production, business administration and sales and marketing. Selling my products has probably pushed me outside of my comfort zone most of all. I have however grown in confidence and competence in this area, and ultimately the knowledge that the business will fail without constant sales activities is a strong motivator!

What have you learned about yourself since becoming self employed?
I have always had a ‘can do’ attitude in all areas of my life. But since starting my own business, and meeting the endless challenges that present themselves, I am convinced that this outlook is my best asset. I often catch myself telling my children ‘‘there is always something you can do about it’’, and I genuinely believe that.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?
Without doubt the best thing about being my own boss is the flexibility to organise work around family commitments. Sure there are deadlines to meet, which gives a real buzz, but they are managed within the four walls of my home instead of taking me miles and hours away from my kids. It also gives the children the chance to see and appreciate how hard Mum works, without resenting my absences.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘Mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Persevere. Overnight successes are few and far between. Businesses need to be grown and developed with fresh ideas and enthusiasm, and sometimes flourish in directions you hadn’t anticipated. You have to grow and develop with your business.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Victoria Dixon is a mum of 2 and set up her business of Enhance Me when looking for something to do that allowed her to be at home with her 2 young children. She uses digital imaging software to alter pictures of your children to create a unique and individual portrait, something special to treasure forever.

What inspired you to start your own business?
Prior to launching my own business my main job was in Administration but having studied a Degree in Art & Design I felt that this really quashed my creative juices! Initially, as a hobby, I had played around with image-editing software on my computer, and later I did a few free portrait enhancements for friends, who had requested that photographs of their children be transformed into fairies. These friends had such a positive reaction at the final result that I decided to dip my toe in the water and put the service online. Very little financial outlay was required – I had everything I needed! I didn’t even need to pay for a website – I was able to create and build my own website, with the assistance of a very helpful and patient husband who had worked in web design. When the website went live I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I was surprised at just how quickly the orders came flooding in. I can’t even begin to describe how thrilling it is to find people who like and want the work that you do!

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?
I am extremely good at multi-taking!! I would however be the first to admit that I am easily distracted – though I have always known that! I am a twitter addict too but this has opened many doors for my business which is great. The main thing I have learnt though that if I can really set my mind to something and feel passionate about achieving it – I will.

What has been your biggest challenge?
I think it’s a challenge in itself trying to be a Jack of all trades, I feel like a Mum, a cook, a cleaner, an admin assistant, a creative queen……….the list goes on…..thank goodness women can multi task!It is so tricky juggling the business with being a Mum. I find I have to work most evenings and because I do everything I have to be really organized. My most challenging period of time is always the approach to Christmas. I always panic slightly at the prospect of trying to juggle so much work with caring for my children.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss?
Being able to make my own decisions regarding the business, not having to run ideas past anyone and just having the freedom to be as creative as I want with it.

Who has given you the support to succeed?
My husband has been wonderful – he created my website for me – he helps to motivate me if I feel I am struggling with anything. He also helps a lot with the children allowing me time I need to devote to the business. My parents in law have been fantastic at providing childcare. My friends are great too – at times helping with childcare but mainly for just putting up with me speaking about my next ‘Big idea’!!

What are your plans for the future?
My daughter begins school after the summer this year so that will allow me more time (if my son still naps) and I am hoping to have a go at running my business full time for a while to see what I can do with it when I am able to devote more time to it. I want to attend the Mumpreneur Conference this year as I have been nominated for an award ‘Best Online Business’ and this will give me the opportunity to put a face to all the names of the women I have come to know via various networking forums. I also have some new products/services that I am hoping to launch this year that I am very optimistic about!

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Believe in yourself and your abilities to achieve your dreams – keep yourself positive and motivated, and support yourself to succeed. If you have yourself to believe in, then nothing can stop you.

As a special offer to all Mum’s The Blog readers Victoria is offering a 10% discount – quote ‘MTB 0410’ when you place an order. The offer will expire at the end of May. Visit www.enhance-me.com for some ideas and inspiration.

Popularity: 9% [?]

After the birth of her third child in 2003, Sarah Thomas decided to follow a different career path. Having spent 20 years working for BT and Accenture in Management Training, Sarah wanted a career that was more satisfying personally and one that would fit around her family. So she went to college and retrained as a Beauty Therapist, which she found she had a natural talent for and absolutely loved!

Sarah did as many courses as possible and discovered over time, the treatments she wanted to specialise in. Then in 2009 she set up Beauty Lodge, a private Beauty Salon offering bespoke treatments with all the top brands that she loved. From body massage to Botox, every beauty treatment Sarah offers has been personally tested by her or her family, so she knows they work.

“I love helping people,” says Sarah. “It is so satisfying when someone comes to you and acts on your advice and you see an improvement physically and mentally in them. It’s great to be passionate about your work.”

What inspired you to start your own business?
My inspiration was that I no longer wanted to work for anyone else and knowing that I could do it better.

 What has been your biggest challenge?
A major challenge for me has been promoting myself to others

 What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed?
I’ve learnt that I have great determination and am very good at what I do.

 What has been the best thing about being your own boss?
The best thing is being in a position to decide exactly what work I do and don’t want to take on.

 If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
I’d say to them, don’t give up, dream the dream and work out a way to achieve it. 

 To find out more about the treatments Sarah offers please visit www.beauty-lodge.co.uk or contact Sarah on Tel: 01234 404342 / Mobile: 07966 195850

Popularity: 14% [?]

Virtual Assistant Rebekah Harriman, of R&R VA Services, has been the local leader of MTB Leicestershire since February. Rebekah has over 8 years experience as a Personal Assistant, secretary, administrator office manager and networker  in the Public Sector, Creative Industries and Education. She has recently taken the courageous decision to leave paid employment to concentrate on R&R VA Services on a full-time basis.

What inspired you to start your own business
I was inspired to start my own business when I was looking for the next challenge in my career that used all my skills but offered flexibility, particularly following my eldest child starting school. I need a challenge, I didn’t feel that my role as a PA at Director level was giving me that any longer and did not really bring in my creative skills either. I need to use all of these and also have the ability to do the school run, so becoming a Virtual Assistant to the creative industries was just a perfect fit for me.

What has been your biggest challenge
So far it has been a combination of getting the business off the ground and earning enough money, but also learning a whole new way of managing my time so that I can achieve what I want as a mummy but not spending my whole time ‘at work’ because my desk is in the living room.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed
That I am a lot more tenacious than I thought I could be and also that if you pursue your dreams you can achieve them.

What has been the best thing about being your own boss
Being able to attend my sons plays at school as before I kept having to miss them as I couldn’t get the time off or feeling really guilty I’d left the office early to go.

Why did you decide to become a MTB Local Leader
I have received a lot of support from fellow business mums as I have been starting out and I want to be able to provide a place where I can give back some of that and help encourage others in their businesses. Plus I love networking!!! I am very much a people person.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
Think your idea through very carefully and from all angles before you start and then just be determined! It doesn’t matter what people say about your idea/product/sanity when becoming self employed, if you believe you can do it and what you offer is good.

To find out more about Mum’s the Boss meetings in the Leicestershire area please email rebekah@mumstheboss.co.uk or visit http://www.mumstheboss.co.uk/networking_leics.htm

Popularity: 10% [?]

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: 8% [?]

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: 8% [?]