Business Mum's Journal Edition 3: Keira

The UK’s Free magazine for ‘Mumpreneurs’

Supported by mothercare

www.businessmumsjournal.com Issue no. 003

MUMPRENEUR WATCH! Profiles of inspirational mums in business

6 OF THE BEST Baby & toddler gifts supplied by mum owned businesses

MILLIONAIRE MUM

WINNING MUMS Meet the winner and runners up of the 2009 PR competition

PR TIPS Insider advice from the editor of Prima Baby magazine

Emma Wimhurst shares her advice

40 Mum-Owned Business inside

HOW-TO Take professional photos for your website

Browse Work from Home Business Opportunities 1

The NATIONAL BUSINESS MUM WEEK Special Edition!

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Mumsclub launches the first ever National Business Mum Week! (and what a success it’s been!)

Welcome to Issue Three of the Business Mum’s Journal timed to coincide with the UK’s first ever Business Mum Week in October 2009.

National Business Mum Week was launched with a number of aims; the vision is that by linking together, we can earn greater coverage and promotion for all of us mum-owned businesses, and for this first ever Business Mum Week, it’s worked a treat.

There are so many women all over the UK who work hard every day to build their businesses from home, despite all the additional constraints we have of the kids, school runs, homework, housework, so Business Mum Week was designed for when we’re settled back into the school routine, and we’re ready to get back to business...before the Christmas madness starts!

It’s the one week in the year dedicated to mums in business when we can be united to highlight our work and celebrate our successes, and with a bit of PR we can let everyone else know what we’re up to...and next year we’ll create an even bigger ‘buzz’ around the growing Mumpreneur trend.

The Mumpreneur Conference and awards launched the week of activities, centrally hosted in the Midlands making it accessible to all UK based women.

Check online for news of the conference and the award winners (mumpreneurconference.com).

We’ve had events all over the country from networking meetings with guest speakers, a personal branding evening at Harvey Nichols, baby shows with mums exhibiting, networking lunches, many with free prize draws and competitions. Business Mum Week has connected many more women, and next year we promise it’ll be even better.

Details of all the events are online to browse through, to give you inspiration for next year’s Week where we hope you’ll join us too. So go ahead and enjoy this issue’s features and articles, feel free to browse the products and services offered by just some of the nation’s inspirational business mums- and perhaps we’ll see you in the next issue… !

Jane Hopkins with Jamie

Wishing you every business success,

Jane x Jane Hopkins Founder of MumsClub.co.uk - the business club for mums businessmumsjournal.com - businessmumweek.com mumpreneurconference.com

UPS Local Business of the Year 2008 - chosen by Theo Paphitis WOW (Women on their Way) Award winner 2009 Go Woman! Award Finalist 2009 Remote Employment Award Winner 2009 3

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Mumpreneur Directory

Mumpreneur Directory

Mumpreneur Directory 4

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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 MumsClub 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.

Articles Mumpreneur directory pages promote mum-owned businesses only 02-03.

National Business Mum Week

08-09.

Insider Tips PR advice from Prima Baby

10-11.

6 of the best...

Baby & Toddler gifts

12-13.

Tips from a Millionaire Mum Emma Wimhurst shares her tips

16-17.

Winning Mums promoting their businesses

18-19.

A guide to Dropshipping

20-21.

Photography tips

CONTENTS

Editor: Jane Hopkins Editorial: 01675 465863 Advertising: 01675 465863 admin@mumsclub.co.uk www.mumsclub.co.uk

taking professional shots at home 22-25.

Mumpreneur Watch!

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The Power of Social Networking

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Business Opportunities

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.

mumsclub

www.mumsclub.co.uk the award winning business club for mums 5

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Mumpreneur Directory

Mumpreneur Directory

Mumpreneur Directory 6

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Mumpreneur Directory Mumpreneur Directory

Mumpreneur Directory

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Insider PR Tips

PR Tips, from the experts When times are tight, it is more important than ever to raise the profile of your business in order to attract new customers and retain existing ones.

Public relations, or PR, is a related but separate discipline from marketing or advertising, and involves trying to get your product or service featured in magazines, articles or blogs.

PR is a vital element contributing to the success of a business, and it is always a good idea to draw up a PR plan for the year when setting your budgets and forecasts- the free template offered as part of the MumsClub PR competition is a great place to start (and if you use it, why not enter next year’s PR competition a the same time- see page 16 for details!)

Paul Buller / Prima Baby There are many different ways to get PR, and your approach should be tailored to whether you are approaching a national newspaper or magazine, or a fellow mummy-blogger.

Getting coverage can be hard, especially when playing with the ‘big boys’ and many companies employ PR specialists to do the hard work for them.

Give them what they want!

But not everyone has unlimited resources, so Elaine Griffiths, editor One of the best ways to get your of Prima Baby magazine offers her tips to PR-seeking Mumpreneurs… product or service featured in a

The editorial assistant is often the best point of contact initially as they will generally know who’s who and be able to point you in the right direction.

The cardinal rule - find the right contact!

You can have the most brilliant story or press release, but if it doesn’t reach the relevant person, you’ve fallen at the first fence and it may just end up in the bin. Research the publications you’re aiming at and PHONE to get the name of the relevant person – this might be ‘the news editor’ or ‘the features editor’ or the ‘health editor’ or ‘the business editor’.

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These days, it’s probably more efficient to email the relevant person in the first instance – maybe with a short introduction and a synopsis. Make sure you include a phone number – if it’s a news page, the news editor may want to run the story NOW, and will want to get in touch with you immediately.

Preparing your pitch and making your story interesting Find out the reader profile Call the editorial assistant to see if the publication has a specific reader profile. What sex, age?

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magazine is to find out what they are looking for and pitch accordingly.

Unless you have a great relationship with an editor or editorial assistant (which is possible), it is unlikely they will call you to let you know. So how do you find out?

Many journalists and editors will post requests on various databases that can be picked up by PR agencies who will then send details of client’s matching products.

However, many mum-owned businesses simply won’t have the budget to retain a PR company.

Never fear, Mumsclub is here!

Mumsclub subscribes to these databases on behalf of premium members so that they can access the latest media requests as they come in.

Now all you need to do is write a cracking press release…

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Insider PR Tips Press Releases - The Lowdown from

mumpreneur media

Journalists are busy bees so don’t have time to read every single press release that comes across their (virtual) desk. While you may not like to think of your hard work being summarily dismissed like that, it does mean that it is up to you to make your press release stand out.

As Elaine says, a great headline is key and the catchier or more intriguing the better- try and pique their interest or capture their imagination by giving them enough to nibble, but so they need to read on.

Don’t drone on about your background or the struggle you had if it’s not relevant to the story you are trying to sell - journalists won’t waste time on excess words.

Is there a Celebrity angle?

This can be useful for popular publications and news stories.

Sell the story—come up with a great headline The headline is the most important part of your press release. If it’s dull, most editors won’t read on. Editors tend to think in headlines, so if you can’t sell your feature on the headline alone, you’ll be lucky to sell it at all.

While you may be able to come up with an adequate press release yourself, if you need it to be great, ask a professional. You don’t need to buy an all-encompassing service at great cost - you can often just buy a release for £45 - £150 a time. And get a recommendation, there are a few mumsclub marketers, so ask around!

What type of job? How do they vote-or do they? Copy the house style, ensuring the tone and angle are right for the reader.

Work out where the story will go If it would work as a short on the news pages, a statistic on the health pages or a case study based spread, come up with three separate pitches. Only pitch features of the sort you’re sure they cover.

Contact the appropriate person Find out who looks after each page that you’re interested in and pitch to each writer/editor individually as well as the features editor. Good freelancers should be taken seriously too as they could sell your story to half a dozen publications.

Send it in at the right time Find out how far ahead the 9

Create short and punchy copy One side is ample. If the journalist needs more, they’ll call.

If you’ve targeted your pitch to specific page in a specific publication schedules are - glossy publication, you shouldn’t need monthlies may work six months to include more anyway as you ahead. Find out the date of the won’t need to cover your back features conference for the issue with quotes from all and sundry. you want to target and pitch your Include a picture of your product idea at least a few days before. if relevant Produce stats, surveys and Many writers and editors are quirky facts looking for photographic material Stats and surveys are news and to illustrate their pages, so this immediately make your story can be useful. As can be more likely to be picked up.

INCLUDING A DIRECT LINK to Quirky facts capture the your website or any online imagination. All of these material so the writer or editor elements may end up being used can take a look for themselves. separately, maximising the Build a relationship with the impact of your story. journalist Source a range of case studies Call to check they’re the right Offer different case studies to contact. If appropriate, call later each publication, making sure to follow up. Remember there’s a they’re the right sex and age. If fine line between friendly and you’re pitching a case study as a annoying but if you follow the stand-alone feature, summarise tips above, you’ll be ahead of their story with a punchy most of the competition. headline and strong angle.

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of the best...

More and more mums around the country are joining the Mumpreneur revolution which means you are more likely to be able to find a mum-business for what you need somewhere near you. Even better, with networking groups like MumsClub, you can get mum recommendations, so you know who to call first.

From the ever-growing pool of talented mums, here is a selection (in no particular order) of just six of the best Baby & Toddler Gifts…

These gorgeous Inch Blue shoes are made from soft, natural leather and come in this cute gift set paired with matching 100% cotton footless babygrow. This elephant design is a favourite, but there are a wide range of designs available, all presented in a beautiful gift box. £30 each www.snugbaby.co.uk

These unique handmade party bags come in a choice of fabric, with a seed tag that are impregnated with seeds which, when planted, germinate and grow into wild flowers. A lovely gift for a new baby or quirky way to thank your guests for coming. £1.15 each (unfilled) www.charliemoos.co.uk 10

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Baby's first Christmas tree decoration/keepsake Wooden Christmas tree with matching gingham ribbons and brown twine. These beautiful hand stitched bags are perfect for giving as a gift.

Made from calico and finished with a gingham heart and checked ribbon. Available with or without a matching bag.

Tree - £3.95 Tree + bag - £6.95 www.preciousparcels.co.uk

Sophie 4 Sophie dresses are made to fit from 9 months - 3 years and each dress is fully reversible to create a different style.

Starting off as a dress, as your baby grows the dress can then be worn as a swing top with leggings or trousers. £24.99 each www.babynotincluded.co.uk

An adorable gift to accessorise an older baby's room or for a toddler moving to a big bed these personalised pillowcases from cutezie poo are £16.00 a pair including p&p. www.cutezie-poo.com

Good enough to drink! These Baby smoothies contain one baby sleepsuit, hat & weaning spoon and make a fantastic unique gift for a new arrival. Comes beautifully wrapped in cellophane, ribbon & ingredients card.

Price £8.99 www.bestbabyshower.co.uk 11

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Tips from the top—Millionaire Mum Emma Wimhurst

There are no prizes for coming second – so let me help you put your business first.

EMMA WIMHURST of EMpwr is a business success. Her company Diva Cosmetics Ltd, achieved near £3m turnover, with fantastic profit margins, in its fourth year of trading. At that stage, she decided to sell it and concentrate on motherhood. Now three children and a happy worklife balance later, she is on a crusade to motivate other women to achieve success. Here she explains how you need to put your business first.

Starting up and running your own business is exciting and definitely challenging but in these uncertain economic times – is it really wise?

It is too easy to be distracted and feel stressed by doom-mongers and gloomy news reports – yet times like this have the potential to be extremely positive in terms of reassessing business 12

direction and continuing to trade successfully.

You need to start by being absolutely clear on where you want your business to be – consider the bigger picture – your mid to long-term strategy.

You need to keep your business goals at the front of your mind, that way you won’t be distracted by every opportunity that comes

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your way especially those that may lead you away from your goals.

I have a fundamental belief, that is so important, I have based my 7 Business Disciplines system on it. It is at the heart of every piece of business advice I offer.

So what is it? It’s planning – I know that if you plan for success, you will achieve it.

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Tips from the top—Millionaire Mum Emma Wimhurst Business Strategy is the first of my 7 disciplines. It demands clear and focussed thinking but can be encompassed in just one paragraph. You need to identify what you want to achieve in your business in a motivational and informative way – and keep your goals at the front of your mind.

Recalling them will ensure you make the right decisions and keep on track, as well as motivating your staff, suppliers and potential customers.

Business Planning is my second discipline because once you’re sure of where you want to be, you need to set about getting there. A good business plan is an investment of your time and effort, covering everything from money matters to marketing and more. If you update it regularly, it will evolve as your business does.

spent. For a business to survive – it is very simple – you have to have more money coming in than going out.

Team Building, my fifth discipline. Building a strong team is what really puts the boom into your business. This relates to your employees and also to external support functions too – such as your accountant, lawyer, human resources consultant, PR or marketing team. Your people are your most valuable business resource – often the most expensive but extremely valuable nonetheless, they front your business and deliver your service, so it’s vital to maintain the standards you originally set out to achieve.

Customer Commitment, my sixth business discipline, details

how to make sure your customer care and service is better than anyone else’s – without customers you have no business.

If you focus on making your customers feel good, they’ll never have a reason to leave and will tell everyone they meet how great you are.

Personal Development is my seventh discipline and is vitally important – because you are your business. In order for your business to succeed you need to remain positive, focussed and motivated to lead and drive your business on. You need to address your own needs to give you greater confidence when dealing with business challenges.

It’s lonely at the top and tasks can be thankless but time for professional and personal growth is vital.

On to Marketing Management, my third discipline. Effective marketing turns business communication into commercial opportunity and it is vital to plan your objectives and desired outcomes before you begin.

Marketing activity will always represent a cost to your company – in time and/or money – so make sure you don’t waste it by not having clear expectations on the results.

Emma Wimhurst runs EMpwr and is author of and is author of BOOM! 7 disciplines to CONTROL, GROW and ADD IMPACT to your business. It is available from 12 November 2009 via Amazon or www.BOOMreneur.co.uk

Practical Finance is my fourth discipline and the area that some dread. Yes, finances can be mind boggling but you really do need to be aware of cash flow, in fact you need to understand the implications of every penny

.....one of the most readable business manuals that I have ever encountered, there is dynamite buried in every page, BOOM!

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BOOM! has been written for business owners of small/medium sized enterprises as well as for those interested in starting a new business.

Emma shares her experiences and much valued knowledge of setting up and running a successful business and is intended to inspire others to achieve success in their business ventures.

Edwin Booth, Chairman, Booth’s Supermarkets Website: www.emmawimhurst.com

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Mumpreneur Directory

Mumpreneur Directory

Mumpreneur Directory 14

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Mumpreneur Directory Mumpreneur Directory

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ness: si u B r u o Y g n ti o m ro P Why PR is the Way Fo

rward for Enterprisin g

Mums

By Antonia Chitty of ACPR and now use the quote from Chris Evans on my website, marketing and PR materials." Keira O’Mara also made the most of a PR opportunity. She says, “I regularly check the internet for media requests from journalists - this is how I got on Working Lunch. I then put a story together around how PR is a great way to build your business following my redundancy and stressful reputation and attract customers. It is experiences of breastfeeding in public I great for business mums growing their had created a new product and contacted several press agencies. Press business on a limited budget because agencies sell stories to national PR success is often about persistence newspapers and magazines. I was and putting in the hours rather than lucky as my story went into three big budgets. Jane Hopkins of national newspapers on the same Mumsclub says, “We ran the Mumsclub PR competition because we day. This created a lot of interest and the same day I was contacted by want to spur mumpreneurs on to several radio stations, baby/lifestyle develop their businesses. The media websites and This Morning wanting to coverage generated by PR can be just what is needed to help a mum take her interview me/ feature Mamascarf. I spend time every week on PR and have business to the next level.” been contacting people again and Make your PR Responsive again until I get a response.”

Mums who have entered have shown Planning Regular PR commitment and ingenuity in Jenny’s PR is not just a one-off effort, spreading the word about their though. She explains her regular plan business. One great example of for PR, “I have my own list of target responsive PR is Jenny Rennocks of Mummy’s Little Hamper. She says, "In publications and contacts to which I issue regular communications. Having February I heard Chris Evans say that just launched some new gift packs and his wife, who was just about to be induced, could not wait to eat pate and products I have issued a release to my targets together with a detailed press blue cheese again so I seized the opportunity and emailed the show that pack about Mummy’s Little Hamper. I have identified seven publications in evening introducing Mummy’s Little particular that I would love to receive Hamper and the perfect gift. I had a call the next day and was on the show coverage in therefore are sending that evening. Following the coverage I them a few samples to really try and issued a release to my target audience capture their attention!”

Did you enter the Mumsclub PR competition earlier this year?

We’ve been astounded and overwhelmed by the dedicated and enterprising entrants. But why did we run the competition in the first place?

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Sam Willoughby

Joanne Dewberry Nicky Chisholm

Louise Prunty

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Why D.I.Y PR is a Winning Strategy You might aspire to retaining someone to promote your business for you, but in lots of ways doing your own PR is best.

Sam Willoughby of What’s On 4 says, “Be a one-woman PR machine! Use any and every opportunity to promote yourself and your business. No one will sell your business as well as you as no one else has the passion, vision or enthusiasm that you do. Tell friends, family and any one you meet about what you do as you never know what connections they might have. And make friends with your local media, if at first they don't run your story don't worry. Keep them updated in a low pressure, friendly way and they will.”

Keeping a Record

And the winner is….

The winner of the Mumsclub PR Competition 2009 is

Keira O’Mara of Mamascarf Keira won because of the sheer volume of coverage she has generated. Mamascarf has appeared in blogs, magazines, newspapers, foreign business blogs and even on national TV.

Finally, when you have been working Keira wins: hard at your PR, don’t forget to keep a record of your achievements. By planning Editorial in Prima Baby & your PR in advance you can make sure www.BabyExpert.com that it meets your goals as Nicky Chisholm of Mums in Biz explains, Cover feature on this issue of “I planned my PR campaign as an The Business Mums Journal integral part of the Mums in Biz overall One-to-one consultation with yearly marketing campaign – so that I could ensure that all messages and Antonia Chitty of ACPR (over promotions had clarity, consistency and phone if distance is a could be measured!” And Nicky’s top PR problem) to help Keira tip contains valuable advice for anyone improve her own PR. who’s motivation flags at times: “Keep a - Profile on MumsClub record of all your PR achievements! As this will boost your confidence when you - Profile on are in need of a little inspiration and be a Family Friendly Working hugely useful resource when showcasing -MumsClub premium your business.” membership for 12 months Start Planning for 2010 If you didn’t enter this year, don’t worry.

Next year’s competition will start on the 1st of January create a plan for your PR, contact Jane via admin@mumsclub.co.uk to let her know you’d like to enter. When you have received the entry forms, get promoting! Prima baby will cover the winner again: along with other great prizes.

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- A limited edition MumsClub t-shirt!

There were several other entries that deserved a mention so Antonia and Jane have also added a second place and highly commended category. Each business

owner will receive profile on both Family friendly working and MumsClub.

Second place goes to Sam Willoughby of What’s On 4: her competition for kids activity classes gained her lots of coverage across the regions as well as in the national press. Three ‘highly commendeds’ go to Joanne Dewberry of Charlie Moos who scored with lots of online reviews, Louise Prunty of CT Academy whose score was helped a combination of awards and online coverage and Nicky Chisholm of Mum in Biz for some great coverage in her local media.

Congratulations to you all both for winning the competition and for having the commitment to take your businesses to the next level: we hope to hear much more from you all in the next year.

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Drop–shipping

Dropshipping What is it? How do I do it? And what’s in it for me?

Dropshipping is a specific form of retail selling. In simple terms, you advertise and sell widgets on your website for a retail price of £££, when a customer buys a widget, they put it in their cart and pay you the £££ requested.

You then place an identical order with the supplier of widgets, who charges you a wholesale price of ££. You give the supplier your customer’s details and the supplier packs the widgets and sends them directly to your customer.

for his product and you have made a profit on the difference between the price the supplier charged you, and the price paid by the customer. Simple enough?

Advantages and Disadvantages The major advantages of dropshipping, particularly for smaller businesses, are that you do not need to hold any stock, and all the cashflow, storage and order picking costs that involves,

At the end of the day, the customer has received their goods, the supplier has received a wholesale price

and that you do not have to pay your supplier until you receive the order (and payment!) from the customer.

On the downside, the dropshipping wholesale price is likely to be more than the standard wholesale price, to compensate for the extra burden on the supplier, particularly if you are asking them to insert your literature or use your packaging to ensure a seamless transaction.

You will also lose control over your order, and if the supplier is late in delivery, or worse, is out of stock, you will have to deal with the problem yourself.

2. You order the customer’s goods from the supplier and pay them the wholesale price.

1. Customer places order on your website and pays you retail price.

3. Supplier receives your order and ships goods direct to your customer.

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Drop–shipping That said, dropshipping can be a great way to grow a small business and can offer an additional revenue stream with no initial outlay.

Alison Huckle founded www.teenymunchkins.co.uk with toys and party bag fillers but to pad the site out she looked into selling baby items on a dropship basis.

Alison says “Dropshipping is brilliant for me as funds were very low when starting out in business and having products on a dropship basis means that I do not have to hold stock and can just email the information over to my supplier.”

Teeny Munchkins now stocks personalised items as well and works with several work-fromhome mums selling their homemade products.

“Without these suppliers Teeny Munchkins would not be as successful as we are now. It has been a hard slog and you regularly have to ensure that stock levels are consistent, especially for our engraved items.

There is nothing worse than advertising an item, getting an order for it and your supplier saying that item is out of stock.

We have had this happen once, for a big order, but the customer was happy with a similar item phew!!”

Things to remember Although dropshipping can be very advantageous, if your 19

Personal Experience I first considered dropshipping as I didn't have the space to hold any more stock and I liked the fact that I wouldn’t have to spend money on products until the customer had ordered them from me, and I had the cash in my hands.

I ummmed and ahhhed for ages because I was a bit worried about products being in stock or details getting lost etc. I suppose it was a bit of a control thing because when you receive an order for in-house products you pack it up and know that it has been sent safely and on time. With dropshipping you leave all of that in the hands of someone else and if something goes wrong with the order, the problem will land on your doorstep.

Anyway after much thought I decided to give it a go, and started dropshipping using four different companies selling Nappy Cakes, Inch Blue Shoes, The Cosy Shopper and the Bamba Baby Signing Kit. I find it really simple. I receive the order from my customer and I then email the details to the supplier who always confirms the details back, and then I pay for the item. Easy peasy.

I was really nervous the first time that I took an order in this way, but it really seems to work. The people that I have dropshipped through were all recommended to me through MumsClub which made a big difference to me deciding whether to do it or not.

That’s all there is to it really!

Lisa, www.babynotincluded.co.uk

dropship supplier is unreliable or untrustworthy, it will reflect badly on your business, so make sure you choose you dropshipping partners carefully.

Beware of organisations with databases and catalogues of dropshippers to be found on the internet, as these normally have a cost involved and the suppliers

listed may not be the best choice.

Always get a recommendation if you can, or just ask your regular suppliers if they dropship - they can only say no!

Editor’s note: Many of the mumowned businesses on www.mumsclub.co.uk offer dropshipping- why not ask them!

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Professional Photography—at home

Product shot taken in ‘kitchen’ photo booth!

Create great product shots for your website Good product shots of items will increase sales. Using a professional photographer will give you professional, crisp shots that will enhance the look of the product, however if you don’t have the budget to spend, Sara Moseley takes us through how to photograph great product shots inexpensively.

Create a ‘photo booth’ from a few items in your kitchen!

Join two pieces of A4 white paper together at the back to create a seamless background. Place them on the kitchen surface and tape the paper to the wall to secure it.

Cover a tablemat with silver foil and prop it against the wall. Place another tablemat on the other side to support a piece of A4 white paper. The tablemats will reflect light back onto the subject and soften shadows. Place the subject on the paper 20

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The inexpensive ‘photo booth’

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Professional Photography—at home and angle the light on to the top and front of the subject. Diffuse and soften the light further by placing a sheet of greaseproof paper over the top of the ‘booth’.

Shadows are now softened and you have a more professionally lit product.

Ensure your camera’s automatic flash is turned off, as you don’t want to add any further light and take the photograph. To enhance the photograph further use some image-editing software. Most cameras come with a package. This enables you to crop, adjust the brightness and contrast and sharpen your image further.

Some further tips & suggestions

light further away or add another layer of greaseproof paper!

Listen to your customer feedback When taking any shots for your marketing material make sure the – what are the reasons they love your product(s), or what made camera you are using is set at its them buy? Is your shot going to highest quality setting. For your website your image will only need to be fairly small so any camera over 3 megapixels will be more than adequate.

If you have a product with Summary fine detail – The Professional why not do a product shot Pick a clutter-free plain background so the product is the close up shot or two of the main focus. detail to add to your product maximise the desirability of your Keep your backgrounds uniform shot. Your customer can then see product. to create a professional feel to everything and it may just make your site.

A white background is very them buy there and then. common as it does give a great A well-lit product will show its Take it outside! Natural light on a plain canvas for you to show off details, textures and features plain background can be equally your product. However don’t be clearly, making it more as effective. Just make sure you afraid to try a contrasting appealing. don’t shoot in direct sunlight as background. For example a bright Fill the frame. A little white space the light will be too harsh– red hat may look more striking on is good to frame the item. providing shade with just a white a green background.

However you don’t want the umbrella can soften shadows and subject to look small and lost in Finally, make sure you take your provide excellent light. the photograph. time and get it right. A little Ensure the product is in focus. A Remember soft light is good for practice can go a long way. If you focal length between 50 and 90 product shots – if you need to are not happy with your portrayal mm will provide the most natural soften the light in your newly of your product, then it’s unlikely - looking perspective. created ‘photo booth’ hold the your customer will be either.

Take plenty of shots to get the Sara Moseley is the principal photographer and owner of The Great best illustration of the key Little Picture Company Ltd, based in the West Midlands. For more features.

Use image-editing software to enhance further.

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information Call 01543 677881 or visit www.thegreatlittlepicturecompany.co.uk

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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…

Amanda Farren wasn’t happy with running just one successful business... ellaannouncements.com, had been supplying personalised photocards, announcements & invitations for some time before Amanda realised there was a need in the Midlands for smaller local baby fairs. She wanted to exhibit at shows where stands were reasonably priced so as not to exclude smaller businesses and visitors weren’t charged an arm and a leg to get in! The inaugural fair held in Coventry in June 2009, was a huge success and having now teamed up

with Laura from simplygifted.co.uk, another six are scheduled for the coming year.

Cari Parker is another unstoppable business mum. After starting out as an Usborne agent, Cari founded www.partysprite.co.uk selling party and celebration items.

However, Cari is about to launch a new online store which will be filled with unusual and fair trade Christmas decorations.

However, a seasoned fair veteran herself, she soon spotted a need in her local area and www.coochiecou.co.uk was born to provide Mother’s Markets and Baby Fairs in North Yorkshire and Teeside.

It will be open all year round to try and spread the goodwill over the year and to help out those people who find themselves in need of a Nativity scene in June…

Sharon-Elaine Chapman is busy running two online businesses.

She started by selling lingerie from her online store, sending underwear all over the world.

But not content with just one, she

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And to top it all off, she recently won a Remote Employment business award and has organised the inaugural Mumpreneur conference which launched National Business Mum Week on the 3rd October. www.babyfair.co.uk

found an outlet for her creative talents by making sock roses and baby nappy cakes for friends, which went down a storm.

Now her Baby Cake Boutique is securely up and running and Sharon-Elaine has

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been inundated with orders from her local fairs.

Now she has more time on her hands, she will be able to devote five times as long to her businesses, so there’ll be no stopping her!

www.thebabycakeboutique.co.uk

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Mumpreneur Directory Mumpreneur Directory

Mumpreneur Directory

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Claire Willis launched www.SnugBaby.co.uk after struggling to find a way to overcome the difficulty of looking after her elder son whilst carrying her clingy baby. After trying various carriers, and ruling them on out grounds of safety, comfort or style, she tried her hand at making her own.

With two children under three, there

was no plan to start a business, but friends saw Claire’s SnugBaby carrier and wanted one. Having made some for friends, they told their friends and Claire was soon making slings for people she had never met - she began to think there was a business to be made and today, SnugBaby carriers are one of the few UK carriers to hold the BSEN safety accreditation.

Claire is always adding and refreshing the stylish SnugBaby collection, and has also recently launched a UK wide campaign to promote the benefits of babywearing with features, news and advice for mums and dads everywhere. www.getyourhandsback.co.uk

Mindful of the challenges faced by mums in business, Lindsay allows However she soon developed her own franchisees to set programme for antenatal music classes in their own Music Within. Now a successful timetable of franchisor, Music Within classes run in getting classes Birmingham, Milton Keynes, running based on Northampton, South London, and their own circumstances, and takes Solihull, with further classes planned in personal delight in seeing her ideas take South Wales and North on a life of their own.

Yorkshire. www.musicwithin.co.uk Lindsay Lucas started her mumpreneur career as a franchisee for Music with Mummy.

Zoe Newcombe was already an mumpreneurial spirit is evident, entrepreneur when she became having set up both a a mum three years ago, having distribution company, Opal Products and set up Cleaning networking group Solutions four years Connection previously, which now Events in the past employs 20 staff. year.

Now pregnant with Connection child #2 due in Events offers December, her networking

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events for mums in business , with two new events scheduled for 2010 - Disco Kids which is a monthly disco for 0-7 year olds and Coffee & Kids which is an exclusive monthly event for mums from 35 weeks pregnant up to the child’s first birthday.

Watch this space… www.opalproducts.co.uk

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Lancashire based Tracey-Jane Hughes and her business, bras4all, are celebrating their first birthday in their shop, against the odds of survival in the credit crunch.

bras, women have been more cautious with their money over the past year, which threatened Tracey’s business.

plus-size bra.

Despite a difficult year, and Tracey’s Mum’s tragic illness and death at the end of May, she is delighted to celebrate Tracey is a mother of 2 boys Regardless, she continued with her her first year in her (aged 7 and 5), who set up plans and extended premises. She bras4mums and bras4all after receiving bad bra fitting advice her range of bras over the last acknowledges it hasn’t been when breastfeeding. year, and now offers a specialist easy juggling everything, but is bra fitting service to those confident her specialist shop Although there are always women who have had a and websites are here to stay. pregnant and www.bras4mums.co.uk breastfeeding women, mastectomy or lumpectomy, and for women who need a and women needing Melanie Greenwood went on a family holiday to Morocco where she found it very difficult to protect her son from the harmful rays of the sun. Her parasol proved no use owing to the movement of the sun, it always left the legs exposed, plus it was prone to pop off.

Sun protective clothing, although useful, can be extremely uncomfortable for the child.

Instead of accepting the situation, Mel came home and started to research a product to fulfil her need and that of every other parent.

After struggling to find stallholders for a fundraising event Gail O'Brien decided there had to be an easier way for stallholders and event organisers to find each other and the idea for Stallfinder was born. With the help of her husband, she launched the UK's first one-stop shop for stallholders, events, fundraising and direct selling or party plan businesses in March 2008.

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Finding nothing, she decided to create her own product and the UV Buggy Cover SPF40+ was born, made of an ultra lightweight soft durable fabric that easily fastens to most pushchairs with simple velcro straps.

The site has taken off in a big way, thanks to a great concept and the obvious need for Stallfinder's service, with some great feedback from both stallholders and event organisers. The online directory of stallholders ranges from unique handmade crafts to party plan reps and the events database contains a wide variety of forthcoming UK events.

It's free to add events

www.uvbuggyblanket.com

and search for stallholders and there is also some great advice on fundraising ideas and charity features.

With more and more talented mums, like Gail, selling their own products and benefitting from Stallfinder's advice, this family business from a small village near Leamington Spa is bound to go far. www.stallfinder.com

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The Power of Social networking

One of the driving forces behind Business Mum Week is how networking can benefit our businesses. The

networking over the internet, made so easy by the social media revolution, there is almost no excuse for not taking part.

simple concept of mum x 3 shows Take Twitter as an how networking doesn’t need to example. begin with a roomful of people, that just three can start it off.

When I took my first tentative steps into Twitter I wasn’t sure Networking is such a valuable what (or who) I would find. tool, particularly for Admittedly, my first followers mumpreneurs, and specialist forums like the one on MumsClub might have been mumpreneurs, but with usernames like provide a virtual channel for @sexymama295, I wasn’t networking as well as offering prepared to find out. valuable business advice from other members.

Networking is such a valuable tool Networking used to conjure up clichéd Eighties images of canapés and small talk for business suits in windowless hotel rooms. Such things are not the natural habitat of mumpreneurs, who are far more likely to be wiping dirty faces with a spit tissue than munching vol au vents and wearing sickstained shirts than suits.

However, times have changed dramatically, and with the evergrowing resources for virtual 26

However, I soon found a few names I had heard of from MumsClub, followed them, and they soon returned the favour.

Before long I had over 100 followers and had made some great friends. Every Friday, many Twitterers do a #followfriday, where they recommend people to their followers, and so your network grows.

interesting business propositions.

Twitter also allows you to tweet about your favourite products or when you have added new items to your site or blog. Many people run Twitter competitions, which brings followers and visits to your site. All for free!

And if you still don’t appreciate the power of the network, let me tell you a little story. A friend of mine, @ellaannounce recently tweeted that she would like some cupcakes. Later that same day, some were delivered to her house, courtesy of @amylane.

The following day? More cupcakes, from @fashioncake.

I have now started tweeting how much I would like a new car, so if you’re offering, I’m @samthewlis…

Check our updates - follow @mumsclub for Mumpreneur news.

Now that is all great for your personal social life, but what about your business? Well, I have had several business queries from my followers in a very short space of time, as well as some

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Franchising & Direct Sales

Many of the Mums who form part of the MumsClub community are women who found a niche.

Be it a product that just wasn’t available, a new invention, or even just a better way of doing things.

These Mums started their businesses from scratch and work hard running it alongside doing the washing, the ironing, the school run, mending grazed knees…

mini version of a business selling a tried and tested product or service.

The advantages include centralised Direct sales cost savings on things like advertising and promotion, full (or party planning) training is normally provided, and businesses need only minimal initial the recognition of a central ‘brand’. outlay but can be a lucrative source As with any other business, the of income. You effectively act as an ‘risk’ of making a profit lies with agent for the main company in you, but the potential rewards are question and sell products to great. people at parties or in their own The businesses on the following homes, earning a generous commission on every item you sell. pages offer a sample of just

Franchise Opportunities require a larger capital investment and involve you running your own

some of the many opportunities out there- why not check them out!

Work from Home Opportunities

But these are not the only Mumpreneurs out there. A growing number of Mums are turning to existing business opportunities as a way to use their

skills and drive, but with the support of an established brand.

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Work from Home Opportunities

Work from Home Opportunities

Work from Home Opportunities 28

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Work from Home Opportunities

Work from Home Opportunities

MUMS - Would you like a PART time business with a FULL time income to work around your kids?

This is a recession proof business EARN MONEY every time someone you know‌‌ Makes a telephone call or sends a text Turns on the lights and heating Surfs the net

Call Davina: 0800 093 5380 or 07950 003140 or visit my website to see the dvd at

www. earn4sure. co.uk 29

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Work from Home Opportunities

Full training & support given

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Business Opportunity Fact File

The Business Opportunity: The Business mum’s Journal is a magazine developed to provide options, solutions, advice and support to women (like you) looking to set up their own business from home. As well as plenty of inspiration by promoting other mumowned businesses in the Mumpreneur directory. Produced by business mums, it is freely available through our distribution outlets across the UK.

Work Description: A solution for you to be the editor of your own magazine. Your responsibility will be to fill the magazine with advertising and manage any additional local distribution.

Work/Life Balance: Once set up you will find this is a very part time business, you will build your reputation and contacts and will find it easier once you establish your own work/life balance. It has great earning potential with the flexibility to continue being there for your children.

Experience Required: No actual experience is necessary but an eye for detail will help you, and having confidence in your own ability will take you and your business a long way.

Training & Support: We will provide editorial content and arrange for printing, your responsibility will be to fill the magazine with advertising, some leads of which can be centrally generated Launching the Business Mum’s Journal at Mothercare, Birmingham through us. You will be responsible for managing your area’s distribution but you will benefit from our national distribution deals.

For More Information: www.businessmumsmagazine.co.uk - Editor@businessmumsmagazine.co.uk

Additional Information: This is a great part time business that could earn you a full time income. You will be incredibly proud to be the editor of your own magazine, especially when you see the very first issue in print! The original Journal was first distributed in 2008 at the NEC Baby Show and has since gained distribution through the Midlands Mothercare stores. Now is a great time to join this exciting opportunity, as we take the next step towards full national distribution.

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