Business Mum's Journal Edition 4: Duncan by MumsClub.co.uk

the

Business

Midlands Edition

MUM’S JOURNAL www.businessmumsjournal.com | No. 004

The UK’s Free magazine for Mumpreneurs

START YOUR HOME BUSINESS See inside for business ideas & opportunities to get started

GET YOUR PRODUCT IN STORES Jo Jo Maman Bebe founder gives us her tips on getting your products noticed

OF THE BEST

Personalised gifts supplied by mum owned businesses

AN INTERVIEW WITH A DRAGON! Duncan Bannatyne answers your questions

HOW’S YOUR VISION? A guide to business strategy by millionaire mum Emma Wimhurst

40 Mum-Owned Businesses inside

MUMPRENEUR WATCH! Profiles of our mums in business

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Unique & fabulous for mums in business!

Spring 2010 (Midlands) Welcome to Issue Three of the Business Mum’s Journal! 2010 has already been a very exciting year, the whole mumpreneur movement is really gaining momentum, at the beginning of the year we launched Mums Business Clubs and now have 20 local clubs nationwide! We have the Journal going national; this Midlands edition was the first and now covering the whole of the Midlands Mothercare stores, several soft play areas and of course the NEC Baby show. But we have also launched our first additional local edition, down in Dorset so a big welcome to Joanne & Laura for being our first editors. Look out for more editions popping up, and if it’s a project you’d like to take on then please do get in touch. The exciting news of the year though is the first ever Business and Baby show, right here in the Midlands. I am so looking forward to this event, the ideas we are working on are simply fabulous so I do hope you can join us as a visitor, as an exhibitor or a VIP, whichever one I can promise you a fabulously inspiring day out—for all the family! We’ve had tons of mums being shortlisted for and indeed winning business awards, which you’ll read about later on, we’ve had visits to Downing Street to meet the PM, and lots of business mum news which if you’re on our mailing list you’ll already know about. But one thing I’ve noticed is when we ask for your news in the forums, there is a distinct reluctance in talking about our achievements. It’s as if we don’t value what we’re actually good at. Does that ring true for you? You see herein lies the problem...the best form of promotion is PR; writing your own news, getting a story in the paper, it’s what every business wants. So, we have to believe in ourselves before we can make a reporter or editor believe in us. So this is your mission. Whether you’re running a business already or just thinking about it (you need to start somewhere so why not now!) you need to shout about your business every day, so whether it’s writing a press release, telling another mum in the playground what you do, tweeting, posting in the mumsclub forum...anything at all just get into the habit of believing in yourself and promoting your business. Oh and don’t forget to enter the PR challenge, unfortunately Keira O’Mara who won last year is entering once again but fear not, she can be beaten! Will it be you?? Jane Hopkins with Jamie

But please, whatever you do in life be confident and believe in yourself and if you do have any business news, let us here at mumpreneur HQ know about it so we can shout about it for you! Wishing you every business success,

Jane x Jane Hopkins Founder of MumsClub.co.uk - the business club for mums www.mumsbusinessclubs.com | www.businessandbabyshow.com www.businessmumsmagazine.co.uk

UPS Local Business of the Year 2008 - chosen by Theo Paphitis WOW (Women on their Way) Award winner 2009 Remote Employment Award Winner 2009

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02.

Business & Baby Show 2010

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.

Welcome

08-09.

Interview: Duncan Bannatyne

10-11.

Six of the best...Personalised gifts

12-13.

Millionaire mum Emma Wimhurst

16-17.

Interview: Jo Jo Maman Bebe

18-19.

Mumpreneur Watch!

Neither MumsClub nor The Business Mumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Journal officially endorses any advertising material included within this publication.

20-21.

Mums receiving awards & Accolades

22.

Top 5 Tips: responding to media requests

23.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Happening in 2010

24-25.

Getting online - Wordpress for beginners

26-27.

A guide to funding

28-30.

The working from home pages

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.

CONTENTS

Editorial & advertising: 01675 463 963 admin@mumsclub.co.uk www.mumsclub.co.uk

For more home business and Mumpreneur information, plus great competitions and awards opportunities, join our mailing list and be among the first to hear the news. You can join our forums to ask any questions about starting & running your business, follow us on twitter - @mumsclub and browse our website for business advice, information and a selection of business opportunities which we add to regularly.

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Information is out there, you simply need to know where to click!

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Interview with a dragon : Duncan Bannatyne

Duncan Bannatyne is not a mumpreneur... He is, however, one of Britain’s most famous entrepreneurs and is a dad to, wait for it, six children. The Business Mum’s Journal recently had the opportunity to catch up with him and ask a few probing questions, as suggested by MumsClub members. Duncan famously runs Bannatyne’s Health Clubs, but he has run a number of other businesses in his time. His entrepreneurial streak first showed when he created himself a paper round and before long he became an ice cream mogul. The first thing we asked Duncan was, with such a huge range of business sectors, was there anything he wished he had had a go at while he was

younger. He said he was fine as he was, thanks! We also wanted to know whether Duncan was a parent when he first became a successful businessman, and whether having children spurred him on to strive for more for his family. “When I started my ice cream business, I didn’t have children, although they came along soon afterwards. However, when I sold that business, and took the huge financial risk I did when I started my nursing home business, my two eldest were still young.” Duncan doesn’t think having a young family is an excuse for inaction, rather that the desire to create a better life for your children

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can be a great motivator “One of my greatest objectives was to be able to send my children to private school”, which clearly needs funding! Duncan met his wife, Joanne, through his nursing home business, so she is obviously a capable businesswoman in her own right. Now she is a mother, does she continue to have a flair for business? “Joanne has a small shop which she runs with her sister, however kids come first and business comes second for Joanne.” Duncan is one of only two remaining original Dragons from the Den. He is famed for his brusque manner and selective investments, but those he does choose to 8

Interview with a dragon : Duncan Bannatyne invest in are often among the most successful. One of the Duncan’s catchphrases on the show is “That’s not a business”, so we asked him what he means when he says that. A lot of the people who go on the show are running ‘lifestyle’ businesses, which might provide them with an income, but that leaves nothing left over, and therefore no incentive, for investors. “A business is one that generates enough money to pay professional wages and more.” You may be willing to work for £5,000 per year, but no-one else would. If that is all your business is capable of producing, perhaps you need to look at different ways to increase your profit potential.

a decent Villa in Tuscany for less than £1m…” “The best thing about being a millionaire is the freedom it gives you. You have the freedom to do whatever you want.” So does he have any tips for all of us business mums as to how we can become millionaires? “Perseverance, perseverance, perseverance. Perseverance is all you need”. Hmm, perhaps we should have tried a bit harder to get a cheesy Business Mum’s Journal photograph of Duncan then… Finally, not a lot of people know that Duncan is actually an OBE, much less that he

earned this honour not through his business interests, but from his huge contribution to charity over the years. He is currently a trustee of Comic Relief and is also heavily involved with Unicef. We asked Duncan to give us a MumsClub exclusive, to tell us something about him no-one else knows… “I can’t- if I told you everyone else would know!” Well, it was worth a try girls… Duncan can be found on twitter as @DuncanBannatyne and the Bannatyne group website is www.bannatyne.co.uk.

Duncan writes about his rise to become a millionaire businessman in his bestselling book ‘Anyone can do it’, so we asked him what he spent his first million on- a villa in Tuscany perhaps? “I reinvested all my money in my businesses until I sold Just Learning [his nursery business] when I bought a villa in the South of France for £3m. I’m not sure you can get 9

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of the best...

As ever, we have scoured the country looking for six of the best products, so you don’t have to. This issue, we have found six of the best…

personalised gifts... These beautifully made Fair Trade wooden name plaques come in 3 different designs of wooden letters and four designs of plaque, depending on whether you have a glittery pink fairytale princess or a sparkly blue adventurer. The beautiful wooden letters are phonetically correct with the picture theme painted on them, A for angel, B for ballerina, you get the picture! from £6.50 plus £1 per letter (excl. P&P) www.knotjustjigs.co.uk

Or for portraits with a unique twist, why not visit Enhance-Me and turn your photo into something magical limited only by your imagination. Simply email the photo you want to use, and they will do their best to create your vision. With a personalised greeting card print service now available you can even create wonderful invitations and cards too! From £13.99 www.enhance-me.com

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This bold contemporary print is a truly personal gift that uses the letters of the recipient's name to convey lovely traits about that person. People can choose their own words (or pick from a helpful list for those who find themselves lacking inspiration) and it is available in lots of on trend colours like turquoise, tomato and plum. RRP starts from £15 .Order from www.millybee.com

New baby? Old baby who needs new clothes? Meenymineymo’s bright, funky stripes and cool retro cuts satisfy even the most fashion savvy tot going! This fantastic stripy romper is made of the softest brushed organic cotton jersey and personalised with velvety flock lettering which can be machine washed and ironed. Babies naturally recognise the shape of their own name, so this is an ideal eco-friendly, useful and educational gift in one! Stripy romper £20 (plus P&P) www.meenymineymo.co.uk

Stumped for what to get the person who has everything? Why not put your loved one on the cover of their very own spoof magazine! Designs cover all themes from sport to pets to home & garden and are designed to mimic familiar titles found in the newsagent. A great unique choice. Visit www.photofairytales.co.uk. Digital version is £10 and and A4 printed version is £15 inc P&P.

Know a book lover? Would they like to star in one of the best-loved romances of all time? Choose your loved one, their family and friends to play six leading characters. Simply substitute the names of the leading characters with your chosen names, and 14-28 days later you will receive your own personalised classic! Classic! £19.99 (+ P&P) www.funkypigeon.com

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How’s your vision? : Advice from a Millionaire Mum

How Clear is Your Vision? By Emma Wimhurst How’s your vision? No, I’m not referring to shortsightedness or your begrudging investment in reading glasses ... I’m talking about the future of your business. When you look five years down the line what do you see? Is it a big blur or a clear image? Being clear about where you intend to be is all part of your Business Strategy and deserves serious consideration. It doesn’t matter whether you’re contemplating ideas, about to start up or already operating a business, you need to know where you’re heading otherwise you risk not getting anywhere at all.

So let’s focus on the future, specifically your Vision Statement. If you have one you may like to review it, otherwise get a pen and notepaper and find somewhere quiet to think. Scribble words, phrases, or short sentences that you feel sum up where you want your business to be in, let’s say, five years and what success means to you. Think about what you are offering in terms of products or services; consider who you are talking to and want to attract; be clear on how you are going to deliver your proposed service and then conclude by making sure you have identified the benefit of working with you. Aim to wrap up your vision of the future in 50 words or less – a single paragraph. Make it positive and dynamic, exciting enough to motivate you when you read and re-read it. It also needs to fire up others, either stakeholders in your business, potential recruits to your company, bank managers or investors who you’d like to buy in to your venture. I maintain that this single exercise kick-starts the planning you need to do to achieve success. This is something I believed when I set up Diva Cosmetics (as a new mother) back in 2000. I had a wealth of experience and expertise in the industry, I was focussed on what I wanted, and knew exactly how I was going to get it. It was, in essence, written down in 45 words! Running a business is challenging, decisions have to be taken and if you’re not absolutely certain where you’re heading it’s possible to stumble, lose your way and ultimately miss out on the success that should have been yours. I often referred back to Diva Cosmetics’ Vision Statement when confronted by difficult decision-making. If opportunities led me away from my original strategy, I refused to be sidetracked. 12

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How’s your vision? : Advice from a Millionaire Mum Emma Wimhurst is a sought after Motivational Business speaker and author of BOOM! 7 disciplines to CONTROL, GROW and ADD IMPACT to your business (Diva Publishing Ltd). She earned her entrepreneurial stripes with the success of Diva Cosmetics (the leading supplier of own labelled cosmetics for the majority of UK high street chains/stores) literally from her kitchen table to a £3 million turnover in just four years, when she became a millionaire by selling the business to take some time out to grow her family instead. Emma is passionate about business and working with small/medium business owners yet loves nothing more than being a Mum – being pitch side to watch William score a goal, helping Charlie to read or watching Hattie sneak off with her prized Lip Gloss! Establishing my goals was a priority at Diva Cosmetics. I knew from day one where I wanted the business to be and achieving a fantastic £1m in the first 12 months was, of course, all part of the plan. I made use of a planning system I call my Seven Business Disciplines to ensure I didn’t deviate from the path towards success. Having sold the company, I use this proven system to guide entrepreneurs through one to one mentoring and is the basis for my business book, BOOM! Of course, there

are many facets to my first discipline, Business Strategy, but having a clear and considered Vision Statement is a very positive start. Once finished, put the statement aside for a week or two. When you go back to it, review it, edit it and leave it again. Repeat this process until those 50 words mean what they say. Now you have your vision for success. Success doesn’t just happen it takes enormous effort and hard work. It also takes thorough planning, specifically

Strategic Planning as a foundation to build everything else on, so now you see just how vital it is. A lack of research and planning is often blamed for business failure, so do make sure your business planning is watertight. If you’re daunted by that then consider getting advice from someone who’s already got what it is you want. Planning is crucial to your success whether you’ve been in business days or years, so do seek advice. First things first though, sort out your Vision Statement. Make sure it really reflects your business and where you want it to be in the future. Every time you make a decision, let the words of your vision run through your mind and be true to them. Focus on where you want to be with the clearest of vision and be determined never to lose sight of it. Who knows where you’ll be in five years? You do ... because you’ll have planned it!

Free Offer: All readers of The Business Mum’s Journal can receive a FREE copy of Emma Wimhurst’s latest DVD (worth £9.99) where she reveals her top business secrets to Paul Lavers. You will discover how Emma’s 7 Business Disciplines will help you achieve outstanding results in your business.

Visit: www.MakeyourbusinessBOOM.co.uk/mumsclub 13

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Interviewing: JoJo Maman Bebe Laura Tenison is the founder and Managing Director of JoJo Maman Bebe. Although her business and her products have become staple necessities for mothers all over the UK, Laura was not actually a mother when she came up with one of the most successful new businesses in the sector over recent years. In actual fact, Lauraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inspiration is one of the most perfect examples of every cloud having that proverbial silver lining. While recuperating from a car accident in a hospital bed, the patient in the next bed, who had two small children, was trying to find childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothing she could buy from her hospital bed. Seeing her struggle, the idea for JoJo Maman Bebe was born. As a successful business woman, and mother to two lively boys, we asked Laura about how she grew her business from a seed of an idea into the huge concern it is today, her tips for getting your product stocked by major retailers like JoJo, and what she is up to now. BMJ: What did you do once you but we grew organically from worth more had your big idea? Did you get that starting point, but at an advertising. going straight away? amazing rate. In the early days I LT: Not at all! It is easy to get was designing all the collections carried away with the excitement as well, so it was hard work, but but you need to make sure you worth it. know what you are doing. I had sold a previous business, so I had bags of experience but I knew nothing about the market I was trying to enter. So I did my homework. I did buckets of market research and identified that there was a real demand, not just for baby clothes but for maternity wear too.

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BMJ: JoJo MamanBebe is clearly a household name. What has been your marketing strategy?

LT: We are great believers in the power of customer recommendation, and that has been our major marketing strategy. Mums are a powerful group and knowledgeable consumers and we know that a Our first collection was small, c u s t o m e r - c u s t o m e r with a 24 page mini-catalogue, recommendation costs less and is 16

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Interviewing: JoJo Maman Bebe We consider ourselves customerfriendly and are always keen to hear, and act upon, customer feedback. Mothers are also the best consumer testers, and we believe investing in producing great products is the best marketing we can do. BMJ: Do you consider yourself a role model? LT: I have never set out to be a role model, but only 3% of private companies in Wales are owned and managed by women and I hope that, by JoJo Maman Bebe being part of that number, we can inspire more women to increase the percentage over time. BMJ: What are you most proud of? LT: I am very proud of JoJo Maman Bebe and the quality we represent. As a private company, we do not have disinterested shareholders to answer to, which means that if profit margins need to be squeezed to maintain our quality standards, they can be, and I am proud of that. Our corporate social responsibility is also important to us. We have a charity that works in Africa to try and reduce infant mortality and help build communities. We have just seconded a number of our staff out there and I am very proud of what they are working to achieve. 17

Lauraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tips for approaching retailers and stockists Although JoJo Maman Bebe designs and makes a large part of their range, Laura is always open to approaches from manufacturers of good quality, market suitable products. Here, she offers her tips for approaching any large retailer or stockist with your product. Retailer Margin: The retailer is going to be very interested in the bottom line. They will not be happy just making a small mark up, and you should aim for a margin of 100% plus VAT to make your product an attractive prospect. Packaging: What passes for packaging in your online store may not pass muster with a bigger retailer. Customers will see the packaging first so it needs to be attractive and professional, but equally, consider how the retailer is going to display it. Consider purchasing Eurohooks or other suitable hanging mechanism suitable for shopfitting displays. Safety and Certification: If your product needs safety testing or organic certification, make sure you complete this process before approaching retailers- no one is going to take you on a promise, you need cold hard facts to back you up. Sales and stock: If you are approaching larger retailers, make sure your packaging includes a barcode as the prospect of going through and relabelling every product is unlikely to appeal. Make sure you can offer retailers a minimum of ÂŁ5,000 stock as an initial batch- they need to be able to properly evaluate the product to see how well it sells. Intellectual Property: Checking out IP at the start of the process can save a lot of time and heartache further down the line. It is especially important as products may be selling really well in Europe but we have no knowledge of them in the UK yet. Approaching buyers: First and foremost buyers shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be scary and intimidating- certainly at JoJo we like to try and help smaller retailers and give them advice on what they need to do. I would not recommend sending samples in out of the blue- buyer receive lots of samples and if they are not expecting you, your product may get lost. As a starting point, find out the name and the email address of the buyer you are trying to reach and start by sending an introductory email. Include in the email a description of your product, a lowresolution image, a wholesale cost and RRP (incl and excl VAT). If the product is stocked elsewhere, also mention this fact. Hopefully this email will elicit a response, either asking for a sample or giving a reason why the product is not suitable. If you have not received a reply in a week, it is perfectly acceptable to send a reminder email. And best of luck!

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We like to keep an eye (or two) on what mum-owned businesses out there are doing, and these are the likely suspects for this issue… Cara Sayer likes sleeping... ...and so does her daughter Holly. Unfortunately Cara had difficulty in keeping Holly napping in her pram or pushchair while was out and about. She didn’t want to be trapped at home while Holly slept but needed to make sure she got the sleep she needed. Grizzly toddlers are not fun! Coats and blankets were unreliable and didn’t always work in windy or sunny conditions.

Caroline started pre-school activity business Jittabugs when her baby was just 6 months old, when many mums can barely keep their eyes open! Caroline says her motivation was her baby boy– she wanted to make him proud of his mummy. In just a year, Jittabugs has grown to have 9 franchises in England and

Now stocked by Kiddicare, Mothercare and JoJo Maman Bebe, Cara is proof that there are still products to invent out there, and Snoozeshade recently received the Prima Baby Loves… logo. Cara is still inventing, so watch this space! www.snoozeshade.com

Caroline Ashworth has been jigging about with excitement for some time now…

Joanne Dewberry is mootivational! You would think Joanne would have enough to do, being founder of Charlie Moos, making and selling handmade fabric party bags and being one half

Cara looked everywhere for something that would help and when she found nothing suitable, friends told her to stop whining and do something about it. And Snoozeshade was born!

Scotland, and has received a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate for her achievements to date. Caroline thinks being able to spend time with her son makes her business so rewarding, and is financially rewarding for her and other franchisee mums too! www.jittabugs.com

of Networking Mummies Dorset, while looking after two children aged 1 and 2, but Joanne, together with Laura Morris from Rentabuggy are the newest regional editors of The Business Mum’s Journal.

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Not only that, but Joanne was listed in the Future 100 Young Social Entrepreneurs of the Year last year and was recently very nearly stocked by Liberty. Phew! Definitely one to watch! www.charliemoos.co.uk

Mimimyne is finding new markets… Mimimyne, the online eco store selling organic baby and children's clothes, eco friendly toys and gifts and sustainable home decor and kids furniture is the brainchild of Tabitha Potts. Her store was shortlisted for Women on their Way Awards 2010 "Best Online Business", the Archant Environmental Awards and the Thames Gateway Business Awards in 2009 and is being featured by the British Library Business and IP Centre as May's "Success Story". She has just been shortlisted by Make Your Mark in The Markets 2010 run by Enterprise UK. Tabitha will spend ten days trading in Spitalfields Market where she will compete to win six months free trading and £1,000 towards her costs! www.mimimyne.com

Annabel Brown loves Special Occasions... ...so it’s no surprise her new Baby and Toddler Fairs all come under the blanket of Special Occasion Events. Starting with one Baby Fair in her local town of Northampton last year, there are now an amazing six shows planned for 2010, all with great entertainment and demonstrations making them far more than just a hall full of stalls, and rather a great day out for all the family. Annabel has cleverly used both her marketing background and experience as a show exhibitor herself to promote and create her fairs, and has even found time to become the local co-ordinator of the Northampton Mums Business Club as well! We’ll see you at the next show! www.specialoccasionevents.co.uk www.northampton.mumsbusinessclub.com 19

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NEWS! from mumpreneur HQ

Obviously here at Mumpreneur HQ we already know how fantastic Britain’s Mumpreneurs are, but our mums are also receiving recognition for their businesses; their fabulous products and services from far and wide. Here are just a selection of the latest news, awards and accolades currently being sprinkled on us...

The exciting new partnership with mumsclub was simply waiting to Taking inspiration from our children is happen. Katie sees herself as a mum how many of us get started and Katie first then a business woman. She Price is no different. We all know knows about the huge mumpreneur Katie from her TV appearances and movement and wants to support it we know she’s had a successful too, so has offered fabulous career as a business woman. Now, wholesale rates to enable mums in using her experience of being a mum business to distribute her range, and having been inspired by her whether it's adding to your fashion conscious family Katie has established online store or setting created a fabulous new range of baby yourself up in business. clothes. Katie is well aware of her media The whole range was designed by following and is happy for her team of Katie with funky prints, attention to mums to benefit from it. As a KP Baby detail and high quality and comfort distributor you'll have the chance to standards, Katie says; meet and have photo opportunities “It is so important for my baby with Katie to assist your PR activities. clothes to look cool and funky as well Let's face it, who knows how to work as be ultra comfortable, so I made the media better than Katie Price? sure comfort was priority, for To sign up, wholesale information is instance the seams are stitched in a available to view on way to stop any threads pulling on www.mumsclub.co.uk/katieprice, tiny toe nails. you can view the whole range on Cost is an important factor too, I www.kpbaby.co.uk. want the range to be high quality but We are delighted to announce that still accessible to everyone”.

Katie Price the mumpreneur

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Katie will be a VIP guest at the Birmingham Business and Baby Show in October where she will be available to meet her new team of mums.

Meeting the Prime Minister Jane, founder and driving force behind MumsClub is an award winning stalwart, winning three prestigious awards in the last two years. However, she is still riding high having been recently invited to Downing Street no less than twice in two weeks! The first invite was courtesy of her Local MP, who recognised Jane’s hard work and application and put her forward as a Community Hero, where she met both the Prime Minister and his wife, Sarah Brown, who is, reportedly, quite lovely.

NEWS! From mumpreneur HQ Gemma Johnson of BaBeeCard (right) was named WOW Woman in Finance for her prepaid Mastercard Even Jane was starstruck by all the big offering fantastic names, but was particularly thrilled to discounts for cashmeet the fabulous Karren Brady, the conscious Mums. inspirational businesswoman Jane has been heard to say she plans to be when she grows up! However, even more exciting was Jane’s next engagement, the Downing Street reception for Inspirational Women.

Of course, Jane isn’t the only mumsclubber to grace those famous steps, as Count on It inventor Lyndsey Young and the Dream PA Nadine Hill were also revered guests at a event to celebrate small and medium business success last year. Let’s see how many Mumsclubbers can get through those hallowed doors in the next 12 months to meet the new PM David Cameron!

Laura Morris of Rentabuggy and Networking Mummies Dorset (above) won the coveted best startup award for her innovative holiday buggy rental business.

in their buggies despite the light and noise of the outside world. Snoozeshade is taking off in a massive way and has already won the Prima Baby Loves… logo, a Gold star from Baby London Magazine and a Bronze Bizzie Babies tester award. Cara herself has been shortlisted for the Smarta 100, a finalist in the Hippy Chick and Prima Baby Mumpreneur competition 2010 and shortlisted for The Climb category in the 2010 Switched On Awards. She’ll end up the size of a house with all those awards dinners!

Congratulations to both the winners WOW! Award winning mums and those shortlisted and nominated- Mamascarf is another mum-invented product to solve a practical problemJane was a winner in the inaugural Women on Their Way awards last year, and she was delighted to see so many MumsClubbers, over a quarter of the total, make the shortlist for this year’s awards. The prizes were awarded at a glittering event in March, with Mumsclubbers going on to scoop two of the top prizes.

you are all Women on Your Way to us!

breastfeeding discreetly in public. Already awarded My Best Buy from Two Top Products I’m Pregnant magazine and a MumsNet best, and as well as being from Top Mums the current PR competition Two of those shortlisted for champion, Keira has also been shortlisted for the Smarta 100. To top Outstanding New Product it all off, Baby Lily arrived in early at the WOW awards were Cara Sayer of Snoozeshade April and is already conducting further product tests of the and Keira O’Mara of Mamascarf! Mamascarf. Although

neither of them were For more information on entering the crowned the winner, Women on Their Way awards go to between them they have so www.womenontheirway.co.uk . many awards they can hardly have There are more awards and noticed! competitions to enter listed on Cara’s Snoozeshade is a new product www.mumsclub.co.uk. which helps babies and toddlers sleep

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Top Tips | Media requests

Top 5 Tips

for responding to media requests

From time to time we all get chance to spot a media request that would be perfect for our business. Premium MumsClub members get loads listed daily, but they sporadically pop up all over the web. Quite simply, a media request is a journalist asking for more information for a story or feature they want to run. If you can provide them with that information, then they get what they need and you get a mention in the media. It’s win-win! However, free PR is, unsurprisingly, something lots of businesses would like, so you need to make sure your reply gets you to the top of the journalist’s list.

So here it is, the MumsClub Top Five Tips for Topping the List...

1. Be quick about it!

3. Why? Why? Why?

Media requests often have tight deadlines so you need to get your reply in quickly. Also, if a journalist receives 100 replies, you are far more likely to get read (as opposed to skimmed or deleted) if you are in the first, rather than the last 20 emails.

Although this point is particularly important where you are deviating from the brief, when responding to any media request always ask yourself why. Why am I sending this request? Why are they going to pick me? Think of it from the journalist’s perspective- what makes you and your story unique/ interesting/compelling and then If they’re looking for someone aged sell that point to them. 20-25, it is unlikely to be worth your while replying if you are 55. There are situations where it might It can be hard to get the tone of an be worth sending details anyway, if email right, and far too easy to you have been given more details come across as needy, desperate about the feature and you really or sycophantic. Just remember that feel you fit, but age is normally this is not a one-sided related to readership demographic, arrangement, although you are and 20 year olds do not want to hoping for some great coverage, hear about 50 year olds, no matter they get info from you too, so aim how good the story. for helpful and concise rather than

2. Read carefully.

4. Tone and Volume.

flowery, long-winded and sickly sweet. Always provide enough information to tell your story, but don’t go into chapter and versethey will contact you if they want more, so give them your contact details as well.

5. Samples. Sometimes media requests will ask for samples, either as a product review or sometimes to accompany an editorial. Depending on your product it may be relatively cheap to send out samples, in which case, go ahead. However, if cost is a bigger issue, you need to weigh up the benefits of sending the sampleis it a national newspaper likely to bring loads of visitors and sales or is it for a specialist blog, in a narrow niche, that may disappear into oblivion.

So get going and we look forward to seeing lots more MumsClubbers in the papers very soon. Remember, there is normally a Friday Freebie media request posted in the main forum every week- all you need to do is sign up for free! www.mumsclub.co.uk/forums 22

BusinessMumsMagazine.co.uk - Be your own Boss

Mumpreneur HQ | News

What’s happening in 2010? Online, you have tons of ways to both get your business started and grow your business, mostly for free, some for a fee! But what else is there that will help your business start and grow?

2010

Online networking is essential for any business but mumsclub is the award winning and fastest growing business network for mums, not only is it free, it will help your business if you use it right. Simply register for free and post away… Here’s a quick guide to what lies ahead...

Media Alerts & Premium Membership For what works out at just £5 per month your business will benefit from a listing in the mumsclub marketplace and on mumpreneurdirectory.com. You will have access to our private forums where you can view daily media requests which is superb for building relationships with journalists.

Business Mum Week ’10 2009 was the very first and it was a huge success with mumpreneur events all over the country! So this year, keep an eye on the website for events near you or simply arrange your own. There’s no fee and we’re right behind you…. www.businessmumweek.com

Business & Baby Show

Business Opportunities

The UK’s only business show for mums. Come along and be inspired and learn new business skills Buying into a proven business model is a popular by our team of expert speakers; millionaire mums way of entering the business world. On MumsClub & well known faces. Browse our exhibition of eveyou can browse currently available franchises and rything from starting up to expanding into new direct selling opportunities….or advertise your own markets, pick up franchise & direct selling informafrom just £13.50 per month. tion and bring the kids as there’ll be entertainment and a fashion show! Saturday 2nd October 2010 www.businessandbabyshow.com The Annual PR challenge is under way! Pick up tips on doing your own PR and be rewarded for your efforts. Great prizes for the one who collects the What you're reading is the UK’s only magazine most points, go online to see last year’s winner! specifically designed to support our nations mums Competition ends in October. in business. Advertising is kept low cost and there are plenty of editorial opportunities too. Supported by Mothercare stores, distribution is growLocal networking in your area! With more groups ing with more regional editors coming on board. being added regularly, if there’s not one in your Look for new editions and opportunities in your area already, there soon will be! Check the website area now. for all groups and join yours today or start your www.businessmumsmagazine.co.uk own! www.mumsbusinessclub.com

The PR Challenge

Business Mum’s Journal

Mum’s Business Clubs

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

How to guide | Wordpress for beginners Blogging is everywhere. Famous people are doing it, business people are doing it, even babies, pets and cartoon characters are doing it...are you? There are lots of blogging platforms out there, and one of the most popular is Wordpress.com. This quick how to guide hopes to give you some starter pointers so you can get yourself a wordpress blog and start sharing your thoughts with the world! In the first instance you have a choice. Ideally your business needs its own domain name. Hosting companies such as www.mumstores.co.uk offer free one touch installation of software packages including wordpress for a low annual cost. This is the most cost effective DIY option you have. However the free option is to take the hosted-at-wordpress option which means your website address will look something like: www.yourblog.wordpress.com. Easy peasy! Perfect for your personal or family website.

Getting Started (The free option!) The first thing you need to do is to go to www.wordpress.com and register as a user. Wordpress will assume you want your blog to match your user name, but you can change it if this is not the case. All wordpress blogs will be in the format .xyz.wordpress.com, where the xyz is the name you choose. As a result, you may not be able to have the exact name you would like, particularly if it is something likely to be popular. If your first choice is not

available, don’t panic, just play around with the name until you find a unique title you like- remember you can use hyphens (-) or underscores (_) too. The Blog Title can also be different from your wordpress blog domain. For example, if you wanted to call your blog “The Amazing MumsClub

But wordpress isn’t just about blogging, you can

your own domain name, you’ll find they are both easy to set up . Once you have filled in the relevant details, you will see a congratulations page. Congratulations! You have now set up your Wordpress blog. However, in order to become a bona fide blogger, you need to write something and publish it on your shiny new website.

build a professional and

Writing Blog Posts

sophisticated website at

The Wordpress interface is pretty user friendly, to post a blog all you need to do is click on Add New under Posts on the menu on the left hand side. You don’t need to know any html (computer language) you can just type away in the box and press publish. Really, that’s all there is to it!

the touch of a button, or two... Guide to Blogging with Wordpress” that would be fine for a title, but too long for people to type as an internet address, and the shorter guidetowordpress.wordpress.com might be better. Beware of picking a title too dissimilar from your web address though- you want to make sure people can find your blog too.

Once installed With you’ve chosen the free, or the one touch wordpress installation on

BusinessMumsMagazine.co.uk - Be your own Boss

The wsywig (what you see is what you get) means you should be able to see what your post will look like, and you can change colours and size of fonts to suit. You can also add pictures & links. To add a picture, click on the picture

Wordpress for beginners | How to guide frame icon at the top where it says “Add Media”, and follow the instructions to upload your picture. Once uploaded, do remember to click “insert into post” though!

it is simple to change the look of your blog. Simply click on Appearance on the left hand menu, and then Themes. You can then browse through the themes, “Preview” those you like the look of, before choosing For links, highlight the word or words to “Activate” the best one. Different you want to be clickable and click on themes will have different colours, the chain icon, then simply type in the fonts and features. Some themes website address for your link. allow you to upload your own header Appearance & Widgets image, or lots of widgets, and you can filter the results accordingly. Now, we all know beauty is only skin deep, and the look of a blog isn’t as You may be wondering what widgets important as the content. But it helps. have to do with a blog if, like me, you thought it was that thing in a can of When you first set up your blog, it will bitter that made it all frothy. In this automatically be set up as the context, a widget is a little preWordpress default theme. Which is written bit that you can add to the OK, but may not float your boat. sidebars of your blog that allow you Fortunately there are a whole host of to show certain features. Common different themes to choose from and widgets include archives of previous

posts, lists of categories for your posts or a blogroll, a list of links to websites you like. And that’s it! Your blog is now up and running and you can post to your heart’s content. Obviously there are some more advanced features and tools, but as you get used to using Wordpress, you will become a seasoned expert and won’t need a How To to show you how to use them. Best of luck!

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

Show me the money! | A guide to funding

Show me the...

money!

So you have a fantastic business idea? You have researched your market, drawn up a business plan and KNOW you are destined for success, you just need some capital behind you to get going. Finding early funding can be the difference between getting a business idea off the ground and it languishing in the “When I get around to it” box. Like it or not, money does make the world go round and some financial support in the early days can allow you to build prototypes, do market tests and get online. We love money here at The Business Mum’s Journal, and have drawn up a list of likely suspects who may be able to offer you some cash. However, this is only intended to be a starting point, and there are likely to be many, many more sources out there, so don’t stop researching yet!

The Prince’s Trust If you are aged between 18-30, the Prince’s Trust is a great place to start. As well as cash, they can offer mentoring and they will stay with you during the early years of the business to make sure you are getting the support you need. www.princestrust.org.uk

Business Link Although split into regions, e.g. Business Link West Midlands, this is a Government backed organisation aimed at being a one-stop support shop for new businesses. Although they do help you find funding, they don’t provide funding themselves, but can offer you loads of support, free classes and seminars and may be able to source cheap or free help from other service providers. www.businesslink.gov.uk

Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)

agencies are about developing businesses in their region but they do offer their own and EU funding to businesses meeting the relevant criteria. The RDAs aim to promote enterprise activity, support business growth and competitiveness, attract inward investment, foster innovation and scientific advance and help create the right skills to match local business needs. The RDAs share a budget from various Government departments, and they manage the European Regional Development Fund. Visit www. englandsrdas.com to find your local agency.