Journal Edition 010 Summer 2014 by MumsClub.co.uk

the

Business

MUM’S JOURNAL www.

.com

FREE! NEWSDESK:

Supported by mothercare

Issue No.010

Cover Story:

LISA SUSWAIN of Wagging Tails

Repor ng your news

HOW TO: HOW TO:

Pinterest for Business

Get in the press for free

INTERVIEW: A self-made mum, from direct selling

WHAT’S ON: Fes vals and how to go glamping. We look at some of the best products, and where to go.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Summer essen als

FEATURE: Inven ng and juggling

BEING A MUM IN BUSINESS entrepreneurs share their memorable moments

MUMPRENEUR Directory inside! 1

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Editor: Jane Hopkins Advertising & Editorial: admin@mumsclub.co.uk Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. Neither the editor, nor The Business Mum’s Journal officially endorses any advertising material included within this publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission of the publisher.

Hello and Welcome! Once again, hello to our new readers! It’s always a pleasure to read your emails and I thank you for sending in your comments and news. The new Newsdesk feature was well received so we’re keeping that in, so don’t forget to look out for our requests for comments on facebook and twi#er, we’re always asking for your news. If it doesn’t make it into the next edi%on, the chances are it’ll be published online so do please keep your news coming in. My own advice on sending in press releases is featured inside so have a read of that too ;) We’re changing things slightly here at The Journal, and we’ll be introducing a membership adver%sing package to enable us to both promote more mum owned businesses, and make more space for editorial rather than adver%sing. We’ve trialled it for this edi%on so we hope to roll it out as standard soon; we’d love your feedback though. Take a look at MumsClub Premium Membership for more informa%on on that. Another new for this edi%on is the compe%%on page (page 13) we’re running a lovely giveaway so you have the chance to win lots of the goodies we’ve featured inside so make sure you enter! Have a great summer, have loads of fun and we’ll see you online, if we don’t see you at a fes%val! As ever, wishing you every business success.

Jane Jane Hopkins MBE Founder of MumsClub & The Business Mum’s Journal www.mumsclub.co.uk @mumsclub | @janehopkinsmbe

04-05. How to Pinterest for business

18-19. NewsDesk: Your news

06-07. Cover: Lisa Suswain

20-21. Successful Direct Selling

08.

The Importance of a Niche

22-23. Mumpreneur Watch!

10-13. What’s on: The Festival Features

24-25. Being a Mum in Business:

14-15. Feature: Inventing & Juggling

26-29. Business Directory Pages

16-17. Spotlight on… Summer Products

30.

How to: Get in the press for free 3

I would love to say I am a tech-savvy business woman. The reality is I’m not. I was not raised on ipads in classrooms or laptops at home, I was the Spectrum genera on. School computers were a rarity, certainly nothing like the high tech machines of today. But, as I have *ahem* matured, I have made some new friends; technology and social media, and specifically - Pinterest. Social media is not something you can afford to ignore if, like me, you are in the process of star%ng up a new business, or looking to get your brand name recognised. I am in the process of turning my hobby into a small business. A3er all, the li#le ones are both in school now; I need something to occupy my %me right? I have taken a lot of inspira%on from my children for my new business venture; in fact, they are my chief product testers. My 6 year old even came up with the name for my business – Mum’s A Bit Cra3y. It seemed to fit, so it stayed. I predominantly make handmade soaps, bath treats and gi3s along that line. Whilst I set up the obligatory Facebook page and Twi#er account, it took me a while to understand how I could get them to work for me and my business. Then I had one of those wonderful moments where everything ‘clicked’ into place. I found Pinterest. What is Pinterest?

For anyone that isn’t aware of Pinterest, I like to describe it as a scrapbook, burs%ng at the seams with ideas and informa%on. You can search or just browse for ideas and collect them in your own folder or ‘board’ for future reference. Each of these visual bookmarks is called a ‘Pin’, just as you would pin a magazine clipping to a memo board. Pins can be of many things, photos of inspira%onal scenery, a child’s drawing, a cra3 project, videos, recipes, and the possibili%es go on. If you can create a picture or video of your product or idea then Pinterest could help your business. In a similar way to Twi#er, Pinterest encourages people to ‘follow you’; to see what you’re up to and what’s new in your business. It is therefore important that you follow some basic guidelines to maximize your exposure, and get people interested in what you do: Get your content right; be relevant & engaging Good quality, clear pictures &

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photographs draw people in. Pictures with text are more engaging. If you’re not pos%ng a picture of your own make sure you’re not infringing copyright. Ensure your content is relevant and engaging. Repin other people’s pins too if you think your followers would ﬁnd them interes%ng. Space your Pins out; don’t overwhelm people Nobody wants to see a %dal wave of pins one day and then nothing for two weeks. Your Pins won’t get the a#en%on they deserve. Use relevant keywords Keyword-rich descrip%ons will help get Pins and Boards found more easily via search. Help people to ﬁnd you! Organize your Boards As you would an online store, organize into logical sec%ons with good descrip%ve headers. Don’t panic – if you Pin something on the wrong Board, it can easily be moved, edited or deleted. Once you have built an audience

How to Pinterest you will see which pins are popular by the number of ‘repins’ – when someone takes your pin and puts it on their board. Keep track of what works. Add a Pinterest tag If you have a website, similarly, put a ‘Pin It’ tag on your website posts. These tools can be found on the Pinterest site. A quick internet search would also oﬀer up a wealth of other tools that could be used on websites that would give you further analysis of your Pinterest use and Pin tracking informa%on. If you collaborate with someone on a project then you can create a board where you both get credit and recogni%on for the ideas. Create a board where contributors

can Pin to as well. Connect with others Whilst I could quite happily sit and trawl through the fascina%ng depths of Pinterest un%l the early hours, I have to remind myself it is an interac%ve forum where you can comment, follow and NETWORK – just as you would on Facebook or Twi#er. The next one is my number one top %p!.... Tie social media together. With one click you can very easily post a pin onto Pinterest, Twi#er and Facebook all at the same %me. This takes a li#le ﬁddling around (go to ‘SeFngs’ on the drop down menu) but once you’ve set it up you won’t need to touch it again. This makes it incredibly quick and

easy to keep your ‘followers’ and ‘likers’ up to date with what’s happening in your business, whether it’s a new product, idea or oﬀer. Over %me, this is an opportunity to build recogni%on of your brand and create a long term audience. A great place to start is at h p://uk.about.pinterest.com/ index.html where you’ll ﬁnd the headings ‘About’, ‘Basics’, ‘Goodies’, ‘Careers’, ‘Team’, ‘Press’ and ‘Blog’. The ‘Basics’ sec%on is really useful but really, just get stuck in, play with it, have fun! Pinterest says ‘Pinterest is a tool for collec%ng and organising things you love’. I’m inclined to agree. Happy Pinning!

Thanks to Sarah James for her Pinterest advice. Sarah is a mum of two who creates amazing soap crea ons and more from her home workshop and website www.mumsabitcra y.co.uk

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Cover story: Lisa Suswain, Wagging Tails

Lisa Suswain launched her business; Wagging Tails in 2007. She successfully developed it into a franchise model and hasn’t looked back since. This is her story.

Lisa, tell us about Wagging Tails. Wagging Tails is a home dog boarding company offering owners an alterna%ve to tradi%onal kennels. We have very experienced dog owners who are at home during the day and enjoy the company of a canine holiday guest! Dogs se#le really well and owners tell us how happy and relaxed their dogs are when they return from their vaca%on, a huge difference to their kennel experiences. It also gives owners complete peace of mind to know their dog is being loved and cared for as a member of the family. We are an exclusive service so we don’t mix different family’s dogs together and owners get to meet their dog’s chosen carer before the board for what we call a “sniffing out mee%ng”. What is the reasons you started Wagging Tails? I’d re%red from my career as a professional Ballet Dancer. I’d trained at The Royal Ballet, danced all across the UK and sadly suffered a back injury which meant con%nuing to dance was very painful. I’d done all of my teaching qualifica%ons and all children I had taught had successfully passed their RAD exams, but it was all a bit too raw and I needed a complete change. Office jobs were a novelty but I’d been so fortunate to earn a living doing something I enjoyed that to work to make a living doing something I wasn’t passionate about wasn’t something I could accept. I’d grown up with dogs (my parents breed and show Cocker Spaniels) and I always cared for them when my parents went away. I wanted to give all owners the peace of mind my parents got and do something I loved.

How did you grow the business? It was never meant to be this big! We were in a fortunate posi%on to not need a large salary for me so Wagging Tails really was about me doing something fulﬁlling that I was passionate about. Owners seemed to respond to this passion and within three months I had so much

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demand I needed to take on carers, then within the ﬁrst year I had owners contac%ng me from Scotland and Wales to use Wagging Tails in Hampshire. I made the decision that to expand to meet the demand from owners I needed to ensure I didn’t compromise the service and spread myself too thinly. I worked with the BFA (Bri%sh Franchise Associa%on) to franchise my business and launched my ﬁrst franchisee in December 2010. Since then we’ve grown and currently have 12 franchises across Scotland, Wales and England and yet we s%ll have owners travelling from Spain to use us!

How has your role changed in that me? My role has very much changed over the years. Ini%ally I was hands on boarding dogs, now I help my franchisees build successful businesses. I have three dogs of my own so I s%ll get my “doggy fill” but it’s a very different role and one I am equally passionate about. We are only successful if our franchisees are successful, that drive I needed when I was a dancer is s%ll within me and I’m passionate and thrive on the challenge of making Wagging Tails the number 1 dog boarding service in the UK (my goal for the business). Have you faced any challenges? Yes, juggling! My husband and I struggled to have children and whilst developing and launching our first franchise I was undergoing IVF and moving home. I was very fortunate to fall pregnant and took on the next 3 franchisees whilst pregnant. I’m very aware of why Wagging Tails is so successful and in such high demand so my biggest challenge was growing to meet the demand whilst not over stretching myself. It’s meant I’ve had to put some ideas on the fence for a year or so un%l I had more %me to devote to them. I hope in the long run it will all pay off as I have grown the business at a sensible and manageable rate. 6

Cover story: Lisa Suswain, Wagging Tails What makes you stand out? It’s my passion and I don’t compromise my ethics simply to make money. I really do love dogs and people, what be#er job could there be? My passion for animal welfare especially improving the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, helped Wagging Tails to be accepted as a Member of APGAW (Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare). In addi%on to educa%ng owners and working with councils on the Act I am also ac%ve with diﬀerent chari%es. We have a charity of the Year (this year Hearing Dogs) and we aim to raise not only money but awareness for the charity. For me Wagging Tails isn’t just about making a living, although like everyone I obviously do have bills to pay, in a way it was my ﬁrst baby.

What is your greatest p for week. As she is such a blessing and success? Do something you are we never thought we’d be so lucky passionate about. I didn’t fully appreciate when I was dancing how lucky I was to get paid to do something that was my childhood hobby. I never had that feeling of, “oh no got to go to work” although hard work each day was diﬀerent, was exci%ng and even be#er it paid the bills! So to then work to earn money was a shock. I also didn’t like not being in charge of my own des%ny. I’d work really hard in the customer service role I had and by 10am on Monday I’d met my daily targets and by 5pm I’d meet my en%re teams weekly target but I wasn’t fulﬁlled and I knew if I wasn’t there the business would just carry on – albeit my team would probably have to work a li#le harder!

What marke ng do you do? I am What is your greatest p for the dogsbody - quite literally! Due juggling family life? Acknowledge to %me and monetary constraints while developing Wagging Tails I have honed different skills and been on many courses from marke%ng, journalism and canine first aid, you name it I’ve done it! On the whole it seems to have paid off, we’ve been featured in Red magazine and Closer as well as the local publica%ons in the areas we cover and tabloids and broadsheets. We won the 2013 Franchise Marke%ng Award for Best Franchisee Marke%ng Support, my social media work caught the a#en%on of Theo Paphi%s when we won the #SBS Award and we’ve been invited on local BBC Radio sta%ons. Long term I don’t plan to con%nue wearing all the hats, indeed to con%nue to expand to meet demand I simply won’t have %me, but for the %me being I can fall back on my woman’s ability to mul%-task to ensure everything gets done!

to be parents I don’t want to miss out on these early years with her but I think some%mes the best way of coping is to actually say “I can’t do this on my own”.

What’s next Lisa? I have recently won the EWIF (Encouraging Women into Franchising) Franchisor of the Year Award and have been asked to be a speaker for both the BFA and a media company for my use of social media. For the past two years one of my female franchisees have also won the EWIF Franchisee of the Year Award too (Teresa Bowers, 2013 and Clair Slingo, 2014) so So I believe I know something about inspiring and helping to develop women’s businesses. I want to inspire women, regardless of whether their business involves dogs, children, property or any other industry; they can be a successful business woman and raise a family. Yes it takes a lot of %me, dedica%on and drive but if you don’t believe in yourself then why will anyone else. I’d like to show women what can be achieved with a sound business concept, bucket loads of enthusiasm and sheer bloody-mindedness!

when you need help, you’re not superwoman! I managed to breasQeed my li#le girl un%l 27 months when she naturally weaned and I ran my business from home alongside her and didn’t send her to nursery un%l she was 2years 9 months. I’d reached a stage where I knew the business needed more %me from me than I could give it and I hated feeling guilty for trying www.waggingtailsuk.co.uk to work around her on the occasions I did so. We don’t have family close by but if they can then one of the Grandmothers will come over to spend the day with my daughter and she now goes to nursery for one morning a

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The importance of a NICHE

Where do they hang out? The key is to get inside the head of your ideal client and really get to know them. Start with the people you really want to work with and ask: What magazines and newspapers do they read? What websites do they visit? What conferences and events do they a#end? What networking events do they visit What social media plaQorms do they use? What is their problem? Now that you know where your ideal client hangs out, you need to make sure that you have a group of people who you can actually work with. Get to know your ideal clients so you can ﬁnd out: 1. What is their biggest challenge? 2. What keeps them up at night?

When you ﬁrst start a business, you might have heard people men on niche marke ng but felt it wouldn’t apply to you as your service or product can help anyone. While it may be true that you can work with anyone, your marke ng now becomes impossible – unless you’ve got an endless supply of money!

3. What are they worrying about? 4. What will they pay to get their problem solved? By knowing this, you can make sure that your product or service is the solu%on they need to ﬁx their problem and is something they’d be prepared to pay money for. CraC a perfect marke ng message

What you now need to do is take everything you’ve found out about your ideal client and then cra3 a To put this into perspec%ve; there’s approximately 4.8 marke%ng message that talks directly to them. million small businesses and 63.7 million people in the - By knowing where they hang out, you can get a feel UK. Can you work with all of them? Your answer for type of media they prefer (formal or relaxed) should be a big NO. - How do they talk, what jargon do they use? Instead, if you narrow that down to a more You can then use this informa%on when you create manageable number, your marke%ng suddenly your marke%ng message to use on your website, becomes a lot easier as you’re only wan%ng to talk to leaﬂets, networking presenta%ons, PR etc. a smaller number of people – this saves you %me AND Even if you’re an established business, it’s always a money. good idea to review your niche market to see if it is This is what niche marke%ng is all about, focusing on the same or has changed. one group of people and then concentra%ng on talking only to those people. Thanks to Emma Walker, the Mums in Business Once you have a speciﬁc group of people in mind, you Coach. For more marke ng and business building need to follow these three simple steps: strategies, go to www.theMumpreneursMentor.com

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Camping is just awesome and we think that just like starting a business, if you’re going to do it, you should do it in style. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune either, so we’ve sourced some great goodies for all budgets that will take you from camping to Glamping in a jiffy!

The Bell Tent This here is the epitome of camping. Old school meets the height of trendy camping. There’s a lot to choose from out there but Bell Tent UK have been glamping since 2006 and have modified their original design to arrive at this magnificent work of art. It’s the top of the range Bell Tent Pro; a piece worth inves%ng in because it’s made to last. It has a zipped in groundsheet meaning it keeps the bugs out at night but zips free during the day to let the air flow through. It’s made of a thicker co#on than the standard making it more robust and as it weathers, it just gets be#er. www.belltent.co.uk Prices from £269. Model shown 4m Bell Tent Pro £549. Bun"ng, model’s own.

Chandelier for your tent Check this beauty out. This is the single item that can turn camping into glamping. This beau%ful double coloured Tea Light Chandelier will also work at home or hanging around your garden parasol. These chandeliers not only produce a wonderful so3 hue but also pump out a surprising amount of heat. Use a piece of string to lower it to about 23 oﬀ the ground and you'll beneﬁt for more of the warmth and light at your head height as you all relax on ma#resses and cushions "in the round". www.lightsfortents.co.uk £59.99

Too posh to Pitch? For those of you who are "too posh to pitch" or just want a weekend oﬀ you can even take a "room" in Hotel Bell Tent at selected fes%vals and events. Think, Egyp%an Co#on Sheets, thick duvets, India rugs and tables. Basically all those things that take mul%ple trips to back and forth to the car and you even get posh loos and showers and a hotel recep%on with lounge to relax in. www.hotelbelltent.co.uk 10

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Beach towel - This cheeky reserved towel is a great addi%on, especially if you’re camping close to a beach, plus it’s lovely and thick so makes a great tent mat too! www.gonecrabbing.co.uk £19.99 Wind Break - Perfect for either camping or beach, this stunning (and huge) wind break is totally clawesome. It’s made from a robust canvas and is nice and high to keep your camp area private (Burly man with mallet not included). www.gonecrabbing.co.uk £68 The Festival Trolley - Reinven%ng the granny trolley, is this shiny red polkadot number. As well as being bright & cheerful it is lightweight, robust andhas enough room to carry a folding camping chair too. Totally fes%val ready. www.universal-tex les.com. £18.95 Festival Bag - And to match the fes%val trolley we found this cute oil cloth bag that holds it all. Perfect for a fes%val as it easily wipes clean. www.theliVlebri shcompany.co.uk £35.00 HemingwayDesign Wellies Think fes%val, think wellies. They are the staple item of any camper and as so many of our members are bloggers, we were delighted to find these li#le gems. The HemingwayDesign range comprises of 4 exci%ng designs, but our favourite was “Typo”, an unusual design made up of some fabulous fonts depic%ng typical welly words. Yes, we love fonts. www.briersltd.co.uk £29.99 Waterproof phone case We found The LifeProof Series of cases invaluable. They allowed us relax and chill out without thinking about the safety of our precious devices. Having pesky kids around has previously led to allsorts of technological and communica%on screen breakages… They are waterproof, drop proof and dust proof, ensuring your screen’s are safe! Available from Amazon and www.lifeproof.com/en. Power Bank And finally, in the absence of a power supply this marvellous li#le gadget will ensure your phone will always have power to update your facebook status. It’s small enough to fit in your pocket and to help you find your tent at the end of the day, it sports a built in torch. Get them at Argos, ShopDirect, Rymans £99.99 11

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In the last edi on we ran an interview with Rob & Josie da Bank, the amazing mum and dad team behind the UK’s best family fes val, Camp Bes val. The interview proved popular with lots of you emailing us with your own comments, and we even managed to meet some of you there. So with this in mind, here’s our helpful guide to Camp Bes val, and what we, as small business owners can learn. We love Camp Bes%val, not only does it provide a fantas%c getaway for the family, but it’s a shining example of how to ensure an event keeps people coming back year a3er year. The basic fes%val is set: camping facili%es, a main stage hos%ng an array of musicians, more venues for entertainment and good food. But a3er seven years, Camp Bes val know a thing or two about keeping things exci%ng at this fes%holiday paradise. By coming up with new ways to get our jaws dropping; whether it’s new and, intriguing areas to lose yourself in, places to hangout with like-minded people (there are lots of mums in business there!) or have any number of new experiences with family and friends. This year their theme is the circus, and as always we are encouraged to dress up! It’s these new features that keep regular fes%val goers coming back each year. Curator Rob da Bank says; “Our new venues are causing the family and I a wardrobe dilemma:

we'll want camouflage face paint climb a tree, roll down a really big and explorer gear for the feral hill, Build a den, go on a walk ac"vi"es in the Dingly Dell with barefoot, make a grass trumpet, Project Wild Thing, cowboy boots and chaps for the all-family toetapping hoedowns in the Travelling Barn, and dancing shoes and circle skirts to swing along to Greg's Greats in Pig’s Big Ballroom. Can't wait to discover it all with the nippers and a different ou0it on every half an hour! See you there.” What we’re looking forward to and the piece de resistance...go most is the brand new 50 things stargazing! For one night only you meadow. The Na onal Trust are can gather by the campfire and bringing the 50 Things Meadow to snuggle up in your sleeping bag, Lulworth Castle, giving kids a with only the blanket of the night brilliant taster of their amazing ’50 sky above you and camp out in the things to do before you’re 11¾’ wild. With bush cra3 experts on ini%a%ve. hand to share stories and %ps, The Meadow will introduce kids to there is no be#er way to get back the kind of exci%ng challenges and to nature. carefree adventures they can have So prepare to release you inner throughout the summer holidays. Bear Grylls! And experience how With a team of Na%onal Trust Camp Bes%val can blow your socks experts on hand to help, the 50 off with bohemian beauty, toetappin mayhem and the wildest Things Meadow is the place for %mes at Lulworth Castle this ,and ac%on and adventure. You can every summer. knock off so many of the big 50 including: Create some wild art, www.campbes%val.net

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We sent Shelly Daniels and her family to The Big Feastival last year to sample the delight. Here’s the highlights... The Big Feastival As you would expect from organisers Jamie Oliver and Alex James, both food and music was high on the agenda. Set on Alex’s idyllic Cotswolds farm, you can enjoy music from top acts on the main stage

whilst tucking into great food from a huge choice, including the interes%ng ‘outback burger’ (Bison and Kangaroo?!). You can catch Jamie Oliver in ac%on, join a cookery class or a#end a Q&A session with top chefs. There’s loads for the kids to do too, both from main stage entertainment, the Li#le Dudes Den, arts & cra3s workshops,

Big Top games, a vintage funfair and a farm area where you can get up close with the animals. There’s a real family friendly vibe here , lots to do and lots to sample. It’s a foodies heaven. You can go for a day or a weekend (loads of parking), there’s even camping facili%es too. www.thebigfeas val.co.uk

To win prizes from both our fes%val features and throughout this edi%on, simply ﬁnd the compe%%ons page on our blog! You may see other comps there too…

www.mumsclub.co.uk/blog Good luck!

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Inventing and Juggling

Rena Nathanson is a mum who created the toy craze Bananagrams, here she explains a bit more about the product she invented while also juggling a family.

Rena, can you tell us about your business, Bananagrams? Bananagrams is an interna%onal toy manufacturer. We make, market and distribute family word games. BANANAGRAMS is our ﬂagship game and is the most well known. It’s a fast-paced word game/race using le#er %les packaged in a unique banana shaped fabric pouch. Players have to complete a free-form crossword grid of words in the shortest %me. You can play a round in as li#le as ﬁve minutes and it’s seriously addic%ve! It’s compact and easily portable so ideal as a travel game too. We package BANANAGRAMS in a fabric pouch. This wasn’t popular with the big chains, who put pressure on us to add outer packaging. We stuck to our guns, because we feel strongly about the environment and that there is

already too much plas%c and cardboard packaging out there, and because we believe the banana pouch is a fundamental feature of the game. As BANANAGRAMS grew in popularity and distribu%on via independent retailers, the larger chains realised they were missing out. They accepted our packaging approach and now stock BANANAGRAMS merchandised on a “banana tree” – just as we envisaged.

kept control of the concept, quality, packaging and distribu%on of BANANAGRAMS. I’m the CEO, but all the family is involved in and passionate about the games. My children were the ﬁrst and most cri%cal product testers. They were with me on the stand helping promote BANANAGRAMS (in banana costumes!) at the London and New York toy fairs where we launched. It’s a real family concern.

How did Bananagrams come about and how did you grow the business while also managing a around the kitchen table on family? The business was born in 2005 around the kitchen table on a a family holiday.“ family holiday. Three genera%ons – What makes us stand out is the fact me, my parents and my two children – love playing board and that our games are created by a word games but found the slow family, for families. In a market pace of many frustra%ng. We dominated by large corpora%ons, we have stuck to our principles and experimented with alterna%ves. “The business was born

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Inventing and Juggling My dad said we should come up with “a word game that’ll drive you bananas” – so we set about developing BANANAGRAMS. When playing one day my father exclaimed “This anagram game is driving me bananas!” - and the name BANANAGRAMS was born. My mum created a prototype banana-shaped pouch to store the %les in. Originally we just created the game for our own pleasure, and to share with friends. My children, now teenagers, were 10 and 7 when I started the Bananagrams business. My 16-year marriage had just ended and I was under pressure to ﬁnd a way to support myself and the kids. BANANAGRAMS had been slowly evolving into a viable commercial product. I decided to take the next step and make it a full %me job.

We would play BANANAGRAMS with friends and they suggested that we should do something with it. So we bit the bullet in 2005 and had 50 games made. It was agreed that my father would sell 25 locally in Rhode Island and I would bring 25 back to the UK. We sold out! We then had 500 made and again split them - 250 each. We sold out again! In 2006 we a#ended the London Toy Fair and officially launched the game and have not looked back! What challenges did you face in the first 12 months? One thing that was very difficult on the journey was in 2010 when my dad, Abe Nathanson, lost his ba#le with cancer. Dad had been involved right from the start in coming up with the game idea and was a tremendous support at every

stage. He had a background in inven%ng products and his knowledge of things like patents and his belief in the game were key for us all. It has been very tough to carry on without him, although it also mo%vates us all because we know how proud he was of Bananagrams and how excited he would be about our plans for the future. We did encounter some growing pains in a business we were quickly learning about. In the second year, we met with a major manufacturing problem. We received a delivery of 21,000 units. The logos were printed on the pouches and sewn in the wrong place so that a part of the logo was lost under a seam! Disaster! This looked awful, so we had to have 21k new pouches made, shipped from China and we had to manually rebag and retag 21,000 games. That was a huge learning curve on the quality control side of things and needless to say, we now monitor our QC much more carefully! How did you manage to deal with these? I've learned not to get overly emo%onal about business issues. There is always an answer to a challenge...it just may take a li#le while to ﬁnd it and think outside the pouch - so to speak - to get there in the end. Keeping things in perspec%ve is key. We are a game business and nothing we do is a ma#er of life or death. It should be a FUN journey! Rena will a end the Toy & Game Inventors Workshop on Monday 22nd September taking part in the Inventors Panel Session: How We Made It oﬀering prac"cal advice to aspiring inventors a ending the workshop.

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Spotlight on Summer Essentials...Think summer, think holidays, seaside, beach and fes vals, and even in the depths of winter, having those summery things we love around us can remind us of those summer me memories...

Handmade pocket mirror Made using a Yellow Daisy fabric, this essen%al handbag accessory measures 55mm diameter, it slips easily into your pocket or bag. RRP £5.00 Available at: www.theliVlebri shcompany.co.uk

Summer Holidays! Bookings For You have over 200 villas and apartments to rent throughout Italy, perfect for that last minute Summer holiday or for keeping the summer going for as long as possible! From contemporary apartments in the beau%ful Italian Lakes to luxury villas in Tuscany, they are sure that they will have the right property to suit you and your family. Even be#er, they would like to oﬀer our readers exclusive discounts on their next stay. Just quote ‘Mumpreneur Summer special’ to receive your exclusive discount. Take a look at the selec%on of proper%es s%ll available for this Summer at www.bookingsforyou.com.

Reversible sun hats You can tell that these hats are designed by a mum - they come with a small tab on which to write a name, and a chin strap to keep hats on heads. Two styles in one, which sided will they choose? The only thing they can't choose is not to wear one we all know how important it is that kids wear a hat in the sun. Problem solved. £13.50. Come in sizes 6 - 12 months, 1 - 3 years or 3 - 6 years www.double-ﬂip.com 16

BusinessMumsJournal.com - Be your own Boss

Starfish pendant necklace A great choice for all sea-lovers. The pendant is ﬂat on the reverse allowing space for a few words of text - add a name, special seaside des%na%on and a year, a hearQelt message... the choice is yours. Hand-made from scratch in North Wales and comes on an understated sterling silver necklace which lets the pendant do the talking. From £58 for 16" chain (plus £3.50 p&p). Order from www.jwls.co.uk/starﬁsh-necklace-snake

Travel Notebook Personalised applique travel notebook made from vintage linen for him and her. Perfect for keeping a diary or making a note of future blog ideas! from £19 . www.polkadotsandblooms.co.uk

SwimFin child safety These SwimFin’s are fabulous for keeping children safe in the water and provide lots of fun too. They retail at £22 and can be found at www.rugglesleisure.com/swimﬁn-1

Summertime Books Out of the Blue – evoca%ve wordless book about the mysteries of the sea; tell the story in your own words! £10.99 www.barefootshop.co.uk

Luxury Hot Tub Feel like you are on holiday in your garden this summer with a luxury hot tub. Fantas%c fun for all the family and perfect for relaxing in with your partner a3er a hard day entertaining the children. Prices start from £3,495. Details can be found at www.rugglesleisure.com/hot-tubs Prices correct at "me of press

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Stop the press... What’s happening around the country

The na onal news that our mums in business are making! Got something to shout about? Tell us! You’ve seen the Ad, now get the Necklace! Everyone was talking about Three Mobile’s #SingitKi#y tv advert earlier this year. It went viral soon a3er its release and captured the imagina%on of thousands of people worldwide. Chiara Stone, creator of HoobyNooWorld was surprised and delighted to see that the li#le girl with the superstar cat was wearing her Clarissa the Cupcake necklace prominently through the her to take part, Jessica Kim advert. Chiara told us the necklace (President of Barefoot Living) said was so recognisable that she was that Nicola was a key leader within the global Barefoot community and would be an amazing addi%on to the panel. Nicola has been a Barefoot Books Ambassador for over four years and is one of four Team Leaders in Europe. She is currently running a mentoring programme for other Ambassadors inundated with messages from who wish to become Team Leaders. customers and well wishers telling www.barefootshop.co.uk us they had spo#ed her necklace on the 5 year old would be rock Kelly Marsden has launched a brand new Twile. star. Twile is a secure photo and www.hoobynooworld.co.uk memory storage website that Nicola Kelsall (above right) was allows you to record and explore asked to sit on an expert panel at memories. Kelly says that %me May’s Barefoot Books European passes so quickly, which is why Conference, to talk about capturing your family memories is recruitment and mentoring. Invi%ng

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so important. Big life events and quirky moments can be enjoyed again and again. It’s the record of your family life you wish your parents had kept for you. Photos and memories can be treasured and shared securely with family and friends - only the people you choose will ever have access to the content you share. www.twile.com Dragons Den star has set hot tub dealer bubbling. Lisa Ruggles (below) , owner of emerging Gloucestershire based business that supplies and installs Jacuzzi hot tubs has caught the eye of former Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphi%s. Ruggles Leisure have been chosen by Theo Paphi%s as winners of his Small Business Sunday (#SBS) award on Twi#er,

Stop the press... What’s happening around the country where he singles out companies for future success. This came only a week a3er picking up an iPad Air from Jacuzzi UK at the annual awards ceremony for reaching their targets during a historically quiet period in the industry. On the back of the endorsement, Ruggles Leisure are featured on Theo’s SBS winners website and will be invited to a#end the exclusive annual conference; which provides the opportunity to meet Theo, listen to business %ps from his hand-picked panel of experts and network with other winners.

Dragons’ Den. When the two mums shocked the dragons back in 2007 by turning down all oﬀers of investment for their ingenious Cuddledry Apron Towel and deciding to go it alone, they had no idea that they would go on to be a worldwide success! Helen and Polly made a big impression on the Dragons back in 2007 when they pitched the idea for their simple yet prac%cal Cuddledry Apron Towel.

Nicola Dickinson’s (below) business, Fresh Therapies makes the UK’s ﬁrst made natural nail polish remover. Within the ﬁrst two years it has won several awards including Best Vegan Beauty product 2013, bea%ng the likes of Lush Cosme%cs to the prize. Product no.2 is now up and running being a travel version in sachet wipes. Both products are sold throughout Europe and also Australia.

A3er appearing on the show, they were inundated with investors and suppliers interested in their www.rugglesleisure.com product. The entrepreneurial duo Cuddledry (below) go global aCer secured private investment and the business has expanded beyond all turning down the dragons! expecta%ons. By reinves%ng the With the latest series of Dragons’ proﬁts and building the company Den airing this summer, mums li#le by li#le they have grown their Helen Wooldridge and Polly Marsh idea from a kitchen-table business are reminded of just how far they into a mul%na%onal brand in just 6 have come in the 6 years since they years, whilst working around the appeared on the hit TV show needs of three young children. Fresh Therapies is the UK's only made natural nail polish remover and it’s just gained Winner statues in The Ul%mate Natural Beauty Bible, scoring a massive 8.69 out of 10. This is the highest score for a polish remover in the books 17yr The Cuddledry is now used by tens history. Scoring higher than famous of thousands of parents, endorsed brands such as OPI, Superdrug and by celebri%es and recommended by Cutex. www.freshtherapies.com midwives and maternity nurses worldwide. It has won over 40 We love hearing from our pres%gious awards and is readers so send your news or recommended again and again as achievements to the number 1 baby bath-%me news@mumsclub.co.uk along essen%al. with a photo & you too could be The Cuddledry range is now sold in over 30 countries. Their UK sales ﬁgures are projected to increase by 30%-40% in 2014-2015 and their Interna%onal sales have more than doubled this year at over 214%.

www.cuddledry.com.

featured here.

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Successful Direct Selling

HOW AN

ORDINARY MUM FROM THE MIDLANDS BUILT AN

EXTRAORDINARY INCOME ON FACEBOOK FROM A VILLA IN SPAIN. Many mothers would look at Ange Loughran and think she’s the luckiest woman in the world. Not only does she live in sunny Lanzarote (where she moved to from her home town of Birmingham) with her beau ful daughter, but she also runs a mul ple six figure business from her laptop… Entrepreneur and mum, Michelle Holmes spent "me with Ange recently to find out just how she does it. Spend more than five minutes with Ange Loughran and you’ll see that her success has got nothing to do with luck! “I’m not the kind of person that people think should be earning this kind of money! I didn’t do that well at school and I’m just a really normal person” she says. “In fact, I would say it’s got NOTHING to do with luck because the reality is that ANYONE can do what I’ve done if they have the right drive and when you have kids, you definitely have one of the most powerful drives to succeed!” There is a sta%s%c that states that the average family in the UK spends only 36 minutes a day together because of the demands 20

of ‘normal life’. “It’s not right how li#le free %me people have today because they are so busy working just to make ends meet” says Ange.

the age of 23 because she was sure that being self-employed was the way to achieve all of her dreams. But a3er a lot of hard work, that changed in 2010 when she came across a network “I don’t know anyone marke%ng company that oﬀered her the opportunity to start a who wouldn’t like a ‘Business in a Box’ for under £200 – since the day she decided to monthly pay rise!” join, just 3 years ago, she has Ange always knew she wanted to never looked back. be successful, “growing up in a family of ﬁtness fana%cs I was surrounded by excellent role models who ins%lled in me from birth that winners never quit (and qui#ers never win). And I am a winner. I’m sure given the right opportunity, any mother would be too!” She started her own business at

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Successful Direct Selling Ange started out only wan%ng to make £4,000 a month – and at the %me that seemed like a huge amount of money, but last month she brought home nearly £35k and that amount is set to con%nue growing every month. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t like a monthly pay rise!” says Ange. Well, frankly, nor do I! Ange’s business is a part-%me, 15 hours a week lifestyle business, that earns her a very a#rac%ve six -ﬁgure income. ‘ordinary’ mum and get to the Not only that but her income is very top of her company. willable to her beau%ful And now she helps others to daughter, should anything reach the same level as her in just happen to her and Ange says that HALF the %me! having this sort of wealth and For many people £2k a month is a peace of mind is priceless. life changing amount of money Ange had no help when she and most of Ange’s team hit that started her business. income working part %me within Most network marke%ng just 5 months. companies rely on the person “This opportunity is PERFECT for who sponsors you into the mums because you can work business to show you the ropes from home, when it suits you to but this didn’t happen for Ange. work. No more long boring Despite that ini%al hurdle commute. No more expensive however, she STILL managed to travel. No more oﬃce poli%cs, rise through the ranks as an endless emails or mind-numbing mee%ngs. And no more leaving your children in someone else’s care.”

Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? But Ange assures us that it’s not! “This business is very simple, but you DO have to work hard. But, put it this way, would you rather work hard (10-15 hours a week from home) for 12 months to reach a 6 ﬁgure income that will come in even a3er you re%re AND which is willable to your children or would you prefer to work for 40 years of your life in a job that doesn’t pay you enough to live your life on your own terms (and even if it did it certainly doesn’t give you enough free %me to spend doing the things that ma#er to you) for a re%rement package that may never come?”

If you would like to find out more about how this opportunity could earn you a great income from home working part time around family commitments visit www.notsuperwoman.co.uk/workwithme and enter your email address. We’ll send you an information pack right away. 21

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We like to keep an eye (or two) on what mumowned businesses out there are doing, and these are the likely suspects for this issue…

Emma Brown and Tracy Wilson are two mums who aCer trying everything they could think of to keep their babies chests dry and dribble free, made it their mission to ﬁnd a solu on. A3er months of researching, trialling and tes%ng, they invented the ‘Dribble Stop Top’. With li#le idea about what a USP, FOB or MOQ was, they had to learn as they went and managed to successfully bring their product to market. Emma says “We are up against so many huge brands with money and history behind them, it makes our story a real David and Goliath tale that I hope will inspire others.” Tracy adds “We really were the underdogs who came up trumps and it just shows that if we can do it, anyone can.” www.dribblestoptop.com

Nicola Semple runs Mumpreneur Mentor which supports women who want to build a successful, proﬁtable business around their family. She set the business up in September 2013 – the day that her oldest child started school. The idea had been bubbling away for a couple of years. She says “I had ini%ally planned to launch when my youngest started school (in 2016) but I was so desperate to get started and help other mums that when I knew I would have a few hours a day to devote to the business I decided to get going much sooner than intended. The night before Olivia started school I got out of bed just before midnight, went to my laptop and registered the domain name and that was it…. I was on my way.” www.mumpreneurmentor.com

Fiona TrewhiV is a Life and Wellness Coach living in Australia. She designed the Mumafit App to provide pre and post natal exercise guidance and informa%on for holis%c healthy living during pregnancy and beyond. She wanted to create an app that would assist other women to exercise safely and as the app and its brand gathered momentum, she realised women were thirsty for this informa%on so began expanding her services to include divine events for mums to get some ‘me %me’ and bring the focus back onto their health and create greater love for self, plus personal life and wellness coaching specifically for mums. She has audiences in the UK and US. www.mumafit.com.au

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Holly MaVhews has been an actress since the age of 11 and has appeared in tons of TV shows over the years, including Waterloo Road, Byker Grove, The Bill, Doctors, Casualty. She runs two other businesses; The Conﬁdence Project which aims to generate self esteem to the masses, and The Headshot Doctor which entails photographing actors. However when her husband was diagnosed with grade 4 brain cancer earlier this year she reassessed her life completely and sought a be#er way to work around her family. Her newest business is retailing aloe vera based health and wellbeing products and, she has already developed a team who she coaches to build their own businesses. Holly’s blog is a where she illustrates what she can oﬀer people. She says “when people read my blog it helps them to understand my inten%ons and they can o3en see my credibility. I use this as a way to help people ques%on what they are doing and how they can be be#er version of themselves.” www.thegeordiehippy.com

Róisín Curé is an ar st living in the west of Ireland. As an ar%st she knows that it can be very diﬃcult to combine the crea%ve urge with making a decent income. But Róisín has found a way that gives her great ar%s%c sa%sfac%on and makes her clients very happy too. Through Róisín Curé Designs, she paints custom illustra%ons for bridal invita%ons and special gi3s. The invita%ons, which are oneoﬀ, will o3en depict the story of the couple's courtship, including special holidays and perhaps the day he proposed. Everything is

painted by hand in watercolour, and then printed onto beau%ful, heavy textured card so that each one looks like an original watercolour. More recently she has moved into christening invita%ons for the same couples whose invita%ons she designed, which are then framed for the baby's bedroom. Róisín says “The en%re business is online, and I usually don't meet my clients. I even looked a3er a bride from start to ﬁnish when I was living in Mauri%us for a few months between Skype and email, I could just as easily have been one mile away, rather than six and half thousand.” www.roisincuredesigns.com

Joanna Rowlands runs Piccolo GiCs; a new online gi3 store specialising in a range of keepsake boxes filled with gorgeous presents. She wanted to combine crea%vity with business, so she works hard to create combina%ons of carefully selected baby gi3s, clothing and accessories that will thrill both new and expectant Mums as well as those giving the gi3. Joanne says “Piccolo Gi3s has been a real labour of love and a project developed as a much needed sanctuary to maintain a sense of self amidst the chaos of two children under 3 years old. Developing the business while s%ll trying not to sacrifice the special %mes with my family or be swallowed by Mother’s guilt has been a major challenge and now I want to shout about this achievement and get the word out there that we are available and trading and that we have gorgeous gi3s to offer. www.piccologiCs.co.uk

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The best thing about...

Being a mum in business can be hard work, especially in the early days. But it can also be incredibly rewarding when you’ve found the balance and establish a rou ne. We all have great days, as well as those that make us want to go back to bed. So to show we’re not alone, we asked readers about being a mum in business, this is what you had to say: Rachel Smallman (below) is mum to Arthur, age 6 and owns Small Man Media. Rachel tells us; “I have to say the one GOOD thing ( I am ﬁnding that there are lots to choose from at the moment) about being self-employed is the fact that I can a#end my li#le boys school disco and schools trips and not have to ask the BOSS. I o3en jump on the train at 9.10 to London for a mee%ng, get oﬀ train for 3.15pm then s%ck on my trainers and be at school in %me to help with the PTA sandwich making and dancing with the kids. A3er a some%mes stressful day, it’s a tonic to have a release like this! To

see my li#le boy’s eyes when I’m there with his mates, makes me more than pleased and (slightly smug) that I am my own boss.

followed by a wardrobe crisis and a 3yr old in meltdown over a small toy! Plus I'm very low on the morning priority list, so dressing myself before

I know this sounds twee, however I only started my li#le business because of my li#le boy as I wanted to make sure I could spend more %me with him.” Catherine Romney (right) is a busy Mum of three very energe c girls, and founder of thecrea vebranch.com. Has a list! She starts with; “Skiveability op%on for sports days, assemblies etc. My girls think the studio and team are very cool and by associa%on I’m a li#le bit of a cooler mum, I get a hot drink and I'm (usually) allowed to sit on my bo#om to drink it. It may be grown up colouring in that we do, but it’s rela%vely clean work compared to glueing and s%cking with 3 children. I can afford a cleaner! (Big benefit if you are domes%cally challenged like me). I get to wear high heels! And nobody tries to steel them to dress up - (well almost never). I'm allowed to talk about grown up things, (well things other than children). Some%mes it’s a struggle to remember 'which hat' I am wearing for the first few mee%ngs par%cularly if the mee%ng follows a par%cularly challenging French plait session

Fritha Strickland

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leaving the house can be a challenge!! A3er geFng 3 of them ready and presentable, dressed as whatever fancy dress brief came 12 hours earlier, ki#ed out for ballet/ horses/music/sport ac%vity, all paperwork signed - I'm lucky if I achieve 'clean' as a look. I have been known to arrive at work wondering if my teeth are brushed, hair is brushed, shoes match and if I have underwear on... and on occasion I've missed all of the above! “ Lianne Bertelli - Bertelli Communica ons Ltd tells us “I run my PR company from home and it’s the best thing I EVER did. I have worked from home for nearly 4

The best thing about... and a half years and the business has grown considerably. I have gravitated towards toy and nursery clients which makes me very popular with my two daughters and their friends! I get samples of all the toys I work with and therefore am like an everyday Santa Claus….great for making children behave while I send an email or when I need a last minute birthday present or school raffle prize! My children are that used to me working from home now that they are brilliant when I need to make a call or send an email (I try not to when they are there but needs must!). I am dedicated to my business but it is a business that works around my children.“ Chris Kelly (below) started her business haymax.biz, from home: “Our first summer in business was complete chaos, juggling with a new house, children milling around, chickens coming into the kitchen and making HayMax late into the night a3er the children had gone to bed.” “The best thing about being a mum in business is the flexibility. Even if you’re working, you can s%ll see the children when they come home from school and nip out to school plays when you need to. You’re able to watch your children grow up and be there for them. You never have to think, ‘what’s the point in working if I can’t see my kids?’” Fritha Strickland, Blogger and Bou que Owner of www. gerlillyquinn.com says; "Motherhood has given me a sense of ambi%on, and a feeling of ‘I can do anything’ I think once you’ve carried, delivered and sustained a small person’s life then anything else kind of seems easy! I love running my own business, working to my own schedules and I’m not ashamed

to say I love nursery days when I can get home, turn my ‘mum’ brain off, drink a cup of coffee in peace and work on something a li#le different. Motherhood gave me the opportunity to have some %me to work out what I wanted to do with my career and the desire to do it well!" Kelly-Anne Byres (right) is an accountant and owner of kblaccounts.com. She has Logan who is 18 months old. “I think the best thing about working at home is being able to always be there, even for the li#le things. You s%ll get to be yourself, whilst being Mum too. When my son was about 7 months old we put him down for a nap and it just happened that his new ac%vity garden arrived when he was asleep. I was excited to get this built for him as a surprise when he woke, but I had a conference call booked for nap %me! So, I ended up talking financials and figures on the phone with my clients whilst at the same %me building the ac%vity garden knowing it would make my son happy when he woke! I knew I could then go back to being Mum again with my clients happy in the knowledge their business affairs had been taken care of.” Maya (below), mum of three runs her business, Pilates on Demand www.pilatesod.com I always disliked the rou%ne of going to an office 5 days a week. What mo%vates me in running my own business is that I can take a real part in my children’s life especially when they are young. I can decide to go on a school trip and work in the evening instead.

ﬁlming sessions, we did for the site. They know quite a lot about Pilates and why it’s good for you and I think they are proud of it. They do say that I spend too much %me on the computer (which is probably true). Veronica Kenneally (below) founder of Veronica’s Snacks www.veronicassnacks.ie tells us; One of my funniest/proudest moments was when I was travelling to a trade fair with my two daughters (Amy 5 years old and Suzy 3 years old). The girls started shou%ng to our neighbours “Crispies for sale, Crispies for sale” and throwing packets of Veronica’s Crisps to them out of the window. SeFng up a business as a mum isn’t always easy, but it’s great to see my daughters are already throwing themselves into the family business. We are deﬁnitely united on our great crisp crusade!

Susie Mason (below) established www.gonecrabbing.co.uk, a successful seaside clothing and giC company which she established aCer geeng divorced. "I can go to work in my pj’s, without having showered and or puFng on make-up without anyone knowing so empowering.”

I tell my children a lot about what I do and I am o3en amazed at the insight they have without being aware of it. I took my children with me to a few of the

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY There is a growing number of small home grown businesses, in the UK, being nurtured and are steadily yet surely growing. You won’t always ﬁnd them on high street or town centres, you may be lucky to spot them at a local cra3 fair or market or you may stumble on them online. But if you don’t happen to come across them, you could be missing out on that special item you may be looking for. You may have a product yourself and are looking for an outlet, you may have an outlet and are looking for new products. You may be looking for help to start and grow your own business, we have all the help you need right here. These business owners are doing what they love, they are skilled and have a passion for their products or services and want to share it with you. Quality is always high on the agenda, along with a personal service to match. So browse our directory and see what we can do for you, today.

TOYS & GIFTS Doctor Zigs - Making the most awesome giant Bubble Kits in the world. Bubbles are huge, loads of fun and super easy to use. An instant way to bring joy and laughter to all ages! Doctorzigs.com

Double-flip - Double flip’s range of high quality toys, and children’s clothes, are all double sided or reversible. Great for traveling light; value for money, great gi3s, prac%cal, and great fun! double-flip.com

Baby GiCs - Suppliers of unique personalised Baby and Christening Gi3s including baby name frames, keepsake boxes, photo albums, Steiﬀ bears, baskets and blankets. www.baby-giCs.co.uk

The LiVle Bri sh Co - Home of beau%ful gi3s and home accessories by some of Britain’s best designers. We are an online shop, celebra%ng all things beau%ful and Bri%sh. www.TheLiVleBri shCompany.co.uk

LiVle Lily Pad - Beau%ful hand made gi3s for the whole family, made by people the old fashioned way; no designer prices, gimmicky slogans or plas%c packaging. LiVlelilypad.co.uk

Fizzy Lizard - Educa%onal, ethical and unique online toy shop with toys for children from birth to 5 years. www.ﬁzzylizard.com

Urban Mummy - Inspiring stylish, busy parents in search of something diﬀerent. Beau%ful handcra3ed baby accessories & gi3s not commonly found in the UK. www.Urbanmummy.co.uk

Rachel’s Toy Shop - Toys and educa%onal items for children under 5, specialising in bilingual and language toys. Brands include Cloud B, Clementoni, Maxim and Melissa & Doug. www.rachelstoyshop.co.uk

HOME & GARDEN Maggy Downey, Author - The author of the new children's mystery series Declan the Kid Detec%ve. maggydowney.blogspot.ca

Jacuzzi hot tub dealer - Inspiring leisure %me with a few li#le luxuries & good old fashioned service. rugglesleisure.com

Sincerity GiCs - Beau%ful handpicked gi3s and home accessories. Find quirky and unusual items amongst organic & ethical pieces. Gi3s for him, for her or for new arrivals in our Mother & Baby sec%on. SinceritygiCs.co.uk

Curtains Made For Free - made to measure curtains, romans blinds and cushions - customers pay for the fabric/materials then products are made to measure, for free. Choose from 1000’s of fabrics from leading brands. CurtainsMadeForFree.co.uk

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MOTHER & BABY DIRECTORY Milo et Mimi - an online children's bou%que sourcing cool clothes, cute cuddlies and adorable accessories from all over the world. www.miloetmimi.com

GUMIGEM - Teething with style! Necklace for mum to wear.... and baby to enjoy! www.gumigem.co.uk

Crux Baby What to Buy for Baby & Cool Mum Ideas. Ul%mate guide to what to buy for baby, pregnancy & paren%ng – where everything is tailored exactly to your needs. www.cruxbaby.co.uk

Twile - A secure place for families to record and explore memories: Record family life with photos & stories, explore a personal %meline of memories, and share with only the family & friends you choose. Free to join: www.Twile.com

Cloth Nappies - A great place to ﬁnd cloth nappies, washable nappies, real nappies, ﬂeece soakers, nappy liners, baby clothes and baby gi3s. www.cloth-nappies-ni.co.uk

Mumafit - The 'go to' des%na%on for pre and post natal women to assist with exercise, wellbeing and inspira%on for healthy living. Download the Mumafit app for iphone or visit our online resource: www.mumafit.com.au

The Buggysnuggle Company - For design, wholesale & retail prac%cal nursery products in fabulous fabrics, including the original & awardwinning Buggysnuggle footmuﬀ! www.buggysnuggle.com

Only4Mummy - A unique Bri%sh online store dedicated to mum to be’s and New mums. We source and stock the best products on the market that are award winning, natural, organic, unique not to men%on fantas%cally priced. Only4Mummy.co.uk

Twice As Nice - Nearly new sales. Specialising in na%onwide events for pre-loved baby, maternity and children's goods. Bringing the paren%ng community together to recycle and save money. www.2asnice.com

Angel Cashmere - For chic and contemporary cashmere baby blankets look no further than Angel Cashmere. They cater every budget and every taste. Buy for a loved one’s new born or your own li#le angel. angelcashmere.com

baby-giCs - Suppliers of unique personalised Baby and Christening Gi3s including baby name frames, keepsake boxes, photo albums, Steiﬀ bears, baskets and blankets. www.baby-giCs.co.uk

Safe Dreams - Breathable and safe sleeping products for babies - the award winning Cot Wrap, the safe alterna%ve to a cot bumper, and Safebreathe Hoppy and Patch, the ﬁrst toys designed with safety and breathability in mind. www.safedreams.co.uk

Dorothy & Theodore - An exclusive collec%on of beau%ful, stylish, unique and prac%cal products for all the family. Furniture, home accessories, tradi%onal toys, personalised gi3s, sta%onery and much more. dorothyandtheodore.com

Baby Shower Supplies & GiCs - Everything you need to host the best baby shower from decora%ons, games & tableware to gorgeous handmade nappy cakes, baby bouquets, personalised keepsakes and more. bestbabyshower.co.uk

Cheeky Wipes - Washable baby wipes kit for cloth or disposable nappy users. Using just 99.4% water and gentle essen%al oil, we're be#er for baby, the planet and your pocket. www.cheekywipes.com

My Child World - A social shopping plaQorm where you can discover, share and buy anything you need for your child’s world by mixing and matching products from e-shops worldwide! mychildworld.com

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JEWELLERY & ACCESSORIES Hoobynooworld - Cute acrylic character jewellery and handmade felt accessories for children and teenagers. Created from original illustra%ons, each with their own unique personality proﬁle. Hoobynooworld.co.uk

Wonderland Wigs - Sell a stunning range of wigs, hairpieces, hair extensions and ¾ wig online. Hairpieces and wigs are available in a wide range of styles & colours. wonderlandwigs.co.uk

jwls - Beau%ful and unique keepsake jewellery and gi3s capturing your child or loved one's ﬁngerprint, handprint, footprint, drawings, name or ini%al in ﬁne silver. jwls.co.uk

Manai - Retail and Wholesale Specialists in children and adult Temporary Gli#er Ta#oo kits, Body Art Jewellery Kits, Pro Kits, Charity Fundraiser Kits. Manai.co.uk

CLOTHING & LINGERIE

FOOD AND CATERING

Designer Teen Lingerie - Fantas%c, beau%ful and comfortable bras for growing teens. Cut and styled to ensure a great ﬁt without the use of harsh wires. www.sweetling.co.uk

Chocolat A Toi - Provides a bespoke chocolate gi3ing experience. Unique designs ready to be personalised or create yours at no extra cost. Stylish and aﬀordable gi3 hampers and boxes also available in stunning designs. www.Chocolatatoi.com

Maternity Wear - Stylish, aﬀordable clothes, designed by mums for mums-to-be. Oﬀering wearable pieces to carry you through nine months and beyond. www.heavenlybump.co.uk

Menus4Mums - Stuck in a rut at meal %mes? Want to get more organised in the kitchen? Get Menus4Mums menu plans and dish up tasty, home-cooked meals for your family in no %me. www.menus4mums.co.uk

ARTS AND CRAFTS

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

It’s Organised - A new blog planning to blossom into a hub of gi3-giving inspira%on! www.itsorganised.com

TRAVEL

Aloe Vera weight loss and beauty Hugely popular Aloe based health and beauty products. Discounts available for tes%monials! For details visit: www.notsuperwoman.co.uk

BLOGGERS

Nicola Malone Your Personal Travel Agent Fantas%c cruise deals hand-picked just for you! Contact me and let me do the work for you. Call me direct on 0121 270 3900

LiVle Lilypad Co - Family & Lifestyle With everything in between from baby swimming, thri3y %ps and shoes! www.liVlelilypad.co.uk/blog

Bookings For You Oﬀering holiday rental villas and apartments throughout Italy. www.bookingsforyou.com

Love Life and Pixels - “A journey to happiness”. Elaine Cro3 blogs about her journey to ﬁnd ME %me again a3er having 3 kids. She also documents her glamping adventures. lovelifeandpixels.com

Birmingham NEC Guest House Perfectly located just 4 miles from Bham NEC, train sta%on & airport. 2 minutes from M6 and M42 exits. In a quite part of town and a short walk from pubs and restaurants. www.blythewood.co.uk

Not Superwoman - Business, lifestyle & travel A#emp%ng to dispel the myth of those superwomen we aspire to be; “You had the power all along” said Glenda, the good witch to Dorothy. www.notsuperwoman.co.uk

BusinessMumsJournal.com - Be your own Boss

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BUSINESS SERVICES Freelance web designer Based in West Yorkshire, I create aﬀordable, elegant and func%onal web designs for individuals and small businesses. I also oﬀer graphic and logo designs to compliment your website. www.riabrown.com

Holly MaVhews Actress, and social media geek, trying to generate self esteem to the masses with The Conﬁdence Project and photographing actors with the headshot doctor. hollymaVhews.net, theheadshotdoctor.com

Tamarisk SD Business coach to budding entrepreneurs www.tamarisksd.com

The Mumpreneur’s Mentor Coaching and training mums, showing them exactly what they need to do to balance business and s%ll be a fabulous mum. www.themumpreneursmentor.com

We promote and grow your brand! You have a fantas%c product and want to get it into the shelves? Let us help you. We are selling and distribu%ng innova%ve brands to over 1000 retailer und mul%ples across the UK, Europe & Asia. www.immergruen.co.uk

Inspired Mum - Anna Davidson Thawe founder will help you start or grow a business leveraging the internet so you have more %me to work ﬂexibly around your family. Learn cuFng edge techniques so you can supercharge this Digital Economy! www.inspiredmum.co.uk

PR consultant Specialising in press releases for small businesses. As a former journalist, I can help you source stories to get editorial coverage. www.macmabel.com

Ask Andrina Oﬀering bookkeeping & accounts services to Silsden, Skipton, Keighley, Bradford & surrounding areas. www.askandrina.co.uk

Mumpreneur Mentor suppor%ng women to build a successful, proﬁtable business around their family. The Mum’s Business Academy provides a cost eﬀec%ve access to the business skills required to take a business from good to great. www.mumpreneurmentor.com

Posi ve Publicity A PR company that's passionate about raising the proﬁle of female entrepreneurs. Has secured Radio interviews and coverage in Interna%onal, Regional and Local Publica%ons for clients and oﬀers a range of packages. www.posi vepublicity.biz

Low cost ecommerce & brochure websites Bespoke design or use our stylish free templates. Superia has everything you need to manage your site and build your business! Unlimited UK based support by phone or email included! www.superiacommerce.co.uk

A friendly firm of solicitors With a mum at the helm, we specialise in family & child issues, employment, wills, start-up businesses and dispute resolu%on. We offer free ini%al advice and a city family law clinic. www.acitylawfirm.com

DIY Web Hos ng Low cost web hos%ng that includes FREE one touch wordpress installa%on. PLUS an op%onal site set up service to get you started. www.mumstores.co.uk

Daily Media alerts Product and personal case study requests are posted in our private group on a daily basis along with advice on how to respond. The more savvy member uses it to build their own media contacts database. www.mumsclub.co.uk

Free work at home advice, support, and online networking - MumsClub.co.uk

Get your business in the press

Have you ever wondered how people get into magazines? How those people with extraordinary stories get featured on the cover of a glossy magazine? When you know how, it’s really not that diﬃcult. But it’s geeng to know how that can be tricky. Jane Hopkins MBE inves gated your op ons. As with life, o3en it’s not what you know but who you know and especially in the past this has been the case in geFng your face in the glossies.

companies and their products.

The reporter will issue a request for Easter gi3s and sit back and wait to see what comes in. If you are a client of the right PR company, they I met someone recently who’s will reply on your behalf then holiday home was featured in a top report back when your fabulous glossy magazine - she was a photo product is featured. editor working for the magazine so However a lot of these media she’s in the know and so has the request services are expensive contacts to get her story told. therefore only accessible to PR But when you’re self employed, you want your business featured, too, we all do. But for a small business owner, the cost of adver%sing can be a massive barrier. However, there are ways to secure features, and even a personal case study giving your business a men%on can be a great result.

agents or companies with bigger budgets. It doesn’t really help smaller businesses just star%ng to make waves in their market.

2. The free ways

Write your own press release and send it to your own list of media contacts. Make it relevant to the media, give them a good story, add So if you don’t have friends in the images, don’t waﬄe, and hope they right places here are three realis%c like your story. op%ons for when you don’t know This can be a tough job because who to ask. your %ming has to be right, if you get your press release spot on 1. Easy but expensive don’t you risk it ending up in the bin. Do When you see products being your research into wri%ng a great featured in say, a 10 of the best release, be#er s%ll, employ a Easter gi3s and so on, the chances copywriter. This method although are that it will have originated from is free, will take up your %me which a media request from a journalist. as a small business owner is There are organisa%ons who will precious. So use it well. distribute a request from a reporter If you’re on TwiVer you can run a to a list of paying subscribers - search for #journorequest, this usually PR’s who look a3er various tends to be where journalists look

BusinessMumsJournal.com - Be your own Boss

for new stories, I thoroughly recommend this op%on. It’s free and easy, simples.

3. The cheap way And ﬁnally, the one I like the best. The totally accessible method that involves a small cost but my goodness it’ll save you loads of %me. This method was borne of a need of a mum star%ng her own business, yes, me. I needed to be in the magazines and papers so almost 8 years ago I did what I needed to and I made great contacts in the media and built rela%onships. I reached a point where journalists were asking me for case studies, I had become a service for other mums. I turned this into a membership service, added in some other super business services and now have hundreds of mum owned businesses using the mumsclub membership to build their business. For just £7.50 a month, or £60 a year you can take advantage of Daily media alerts sent direct to your inbox or by checking online. What’s be#er is that you can trial it for just £1 for a whole month, and you can cancel at any %me.

Go to www.mumsclub.co.uk to start your £1 trial today. 30

Free work at home advice, support, and online networking - MumsClub.co.uk