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Publisher: Community Times Limited 0800 243 462 info@communitytimes,co.uk Jane Hopkins - Editor Editorial: 01675 465863 Advertising: 01675 465863 email: admin@mumsclub.co.uk www.mumsclub.co.uk Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. Community Times Ltd does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. is the registered trademark of Community Times Ltd. 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.
6 Mumpreneur Revolution
18 Benefits of true relaxation
7 M.U.M.S Campaign
21 Beating the credit crunch
10 Get your Business noticed
23 Create a lava lamp at home
14 Pitching for business success
24 Mumpreneur Watch!
17 Web Tips - where to start
28 Work from Home Opportunities
Hello! It’s the Spring issue; supported by Mothercare and what a great one it is! The credit crunch has dominated the news so far into 2009 and is set to continue for some time. However, I am pleased to report that after speaking with many mums in business, it seems that not only are we undeterred by talk of a recession, we’re motivated and already adapting to ensure our businesses not only survive but thrive so where sales could go down, we’re seeking alternative markets...
To prepare for less children coming to her afterschool classes, one mum has opened an online store to reach further afield, another has already taken on the biggest order of her business life, whilst another is moving into bigger premises, and two franchise owners have seen a surge in new business coming in. This magazine is a celebration of their successes, designed to inspire and help women, and with the support of Mothercare, we will reach more mums who may not have considered a life in business before. There are so many options that a mum has regarding working for herself, information and support is out there, all you need to do is click the right buttons! If you’re not yet in business, you’ll see what some of the thousands of mums are already doing. Browse their online stores and grab a great gift, be inspired and pick up tips from the articles – all written by mums. And if you’re looking for new business ideas, check out the business opportunities feature – there’s plenty to choose from. Whether you’re in business or not, once you’ve finished with your Jane Hopkins copy, please pass it on to another mum you know. And if you’re not already with Jamie using the MumsClub website, grab a hot drink and come take a look. There’s a whole world of possibilities out there, let’s go and get them! Finally, my personal thanks go to both Mothercare for supporting this issue of the Business Mum’s Journal, and to all the mums who have found time away from their own businesses and families to contribute to our forums, these are the mums who have made it the hugely supportive community it is today.
Jane x 3
Jane Hopkins, Founder of MumsClub.co.uk UPS Local Business of the Year 2008, chosen by Theo Paphitis WOW (Women on their Way) Awards Finalist 2009
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ANTECELL BUSI NESS SERVI CES DESI GN AND COP YW RI TI NG FOR SMALL BUSI NESS ES CO MPELLING COP Y THAT REALLY SELLS |
www.antecell.co.uk
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Tel: 020 8690 7228
UNIQUE, IMAGINATIVE, CREATIVE DESIGN
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Fax: 020 8150 7854
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email: info@antecell.co.uk
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TOP TIP No. 1 WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN: Doing so enables you to carefully plan your business finances, sales & profits. TOP TIP No. 2 NETWORK: Easier said than done with young children in tow, however do make the most of online forums such as www.mumsclub.co.uk.
Working from home...
TOP TIP No. 3 SEEK ADVICE: Seek professional advice as early on in your start-up endeavours as possible. by Mumpreneur Mary Cummings
Join the
Mumpreneur Revolution! The process of starting up and running a business while juggling the responsibilities of motherhood is a unique challenge. Yet there is a clear trend in mums who are no longer content to be stay at home mums. These days we want more out of life. We want more for our families, a better future for our children, we want to improve our self esteem and confidence. For a mum, everything is planned around the needs of the family. This can mean constant distractions, difficulty in obtaining professional advice and little or no opportunity to network offline. One may also lack confidence due to having taken a prolonged absence of maternity leave. In such a case, trying to pitch to The Decision Maker (think
Dragons Den) can be daunting to the point of terrifying. Yet despite these challenges, Mumpreneurs and WAHM’s (work at home mums) are on the increase. These days, having access to the internet means the world can come to you, your own website is just clicks away, and unparalleled support from other mums with the same difficulties as you can be there as soon as you log in. So if, as a mum, you are thinking of setting up your new business from home, all you need is an idea - so what are you waiting for? Go ahead. Join the revolution!
- - MUMPRENEUR MARKET WATCH- Business Mums contribute ÂŁ4.4bn to the economy annually. According to a recent poll: - 40% of the women polled said that pregnancy changed their priorities - 40% started their business while pregnant or within a year of the baby being born - 92% said working while caring for their children improved their work-related skills
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M.U.M.S Campaign Mum’s Ultimate Mission for Success All mothers do a great job but sometimes a woman needs more; she needs to get out there, do her own thing, have her own money, her own life and her own independence. Sound familiar? Being a mum in business can mean anything from selling books or homemade cakes, designing children’s clothing and setting up your own website, right through to sourcing investment and thinking really big.
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Anything is possible, it simply depends mums that can offer you products and services that can help both your on what you want for yourself. More and more mums are setting up business and your home & family life. businesses from home, and although being a mum can be lonely, having the support of other mums, also juggling kids and a business can remove much of that isolation. Rest assured there is always a mum awake and working – especially after nightfall (aka kid’s bedtime).
With the credit crunch threatening us all, now is the perfect time to reach further to find all the mums who have ever felt an entrepreneurial streak.
There are options and we can show you them all and help you on your way. With more business partners joining our campaign, in the spirit of As well as being the online venue for MumsClub, together we will thrive. meeting other mums in business, Join us today, it’s free and you never MumsClub is always looking for new know where it might lead. And be benefits to add that will help busi- sure to tell your friends too... nesses start and grow. In addition to our own services, you’ll find tons of www.mumsclub.co.uk
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If you dream of having all your favourite meals, hand prepared by experienced chefs, using quality ingredients, delivered to your door, we can make that dream come true!
Mumpreneur Directory
Choose from our range of over 320 dishes at www.kitchenmonkey.co.uk or call 0870 140 3213 Special offer—Enter MC09 at check out for £5 off
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Get your business When you are starting out in business and no
Noticed!
one knows who you are, one of the greatest challenges you will face is how to drum up new business. Even if you’re on a tight budget, there are some great tactics out there to get your business known; here are a few tips to get you started from MumsClub founder, Jane Hopkins.
A mailing list If you’re just starting out then from day one you should be thinking about keeping records so start a database, even if it’s just in a spreadsheet, you need to keep track of all customers and enquiries. Your mailing list is one of your most effective marketing tools and it’s all free so look after it. If you have previous customers then you’ll have their details, so keep in touch – let them know what you’re up to, what new offers you have, new products that would appeal to them. Business success is all about building relationships so make sure your customers know who you are.
theirs. Who knows what doors it could open for you.
Become a walking advert Wear a promotional t-shirt, carry shopping bags with your logo, have a sign in the back window of your car, magnetic stickers for the doors on your car, get some
find them? Many mum owned businesses sell products aimed at mums. As mums, we know what we want to buy and when in the role as the customer we are able to identify gaps in markets. How many times have you said ‘I could do with a ...’? There are hundreds
Friends and family We all have our own small network of friends and family, make sure they know what you and your business offers. By telling as many people as you can about what you do increases the chance of those people referring your business to people in their own networks. Present your business at a playgroup or local clinic, talk to other mums at school - Mum’s talk, we help each other, so build your own network of friends and family then tap into the networks of
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flyers printed and hand them out at playgroup, to your friends, leave them in libraries and local shops. These are all cost effective ways to get your name out there with a minimum outlay.
Online networking! You need to network as much as possible, who is your target market? Who buys your product or service? And where can you
of parenting forums out there, join some and get involved with the community. You’ll also make new friends along the way!
Meet your media Whilst you’re doing all of the above, you need to come up with some creative solutions for meeting your advertising needs whilst keeping to the (possibly) non-existent budget.
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Useful Resources when promoting your business on a budget: • Low cost web hosting and free websites on www.mumstores.co.uk • One-off Promotional polo shirts, shopping bags & more from www.teesonline.co.uk • Learn more about doing your own PR on www.prbasics.co.uk
Press Releases The next database you will need is to help you keep in contact with your media. Press releases are a great way to generate news about your business. The editor of your local newspaper, will always be looking for news of general interest, so if your business has an angle of community interest then write about it and send it off. Remember the important thing about a press release is that it must be written in the form of a news story. Don’t fall into the trap of writing sales copy, because it simply will not get printed. You need a story that readers will actually want to read. Have a punchy heading and first paragraph which flows into the main details. Put in relevant quotes about the news from yourself and get your business name and website address quoted. Ensure you provide the reporter with your contact information, written clearly so that they can contact you easily for more information as they may
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want additional details to enhance the article. Build a database of media contacts, start with your local papers; build relationships with journalists and editors, then move on to the nationals!
Feedback & research When you do go for some advertising, take it step by step. Don’t rush into a massive campaign taking up all your funds. Go slowly, one medium at a time to test the success of each small campaign you do. Add promotional codes for each advert you place so you know where your leads are coming from. Then you’ll know where to concentrate for advertising in the future. The same goes for your website, get hit counter software and Google analytics, web design and hosting businesses such as mumstores.co.uk provide lots of free software including a stat counter to help you keep track of how your website visitors have found you. You can also ask your customers
and site visitors how they found you, such information isn’t always reliable but it will also give you an idea. When you have researched your advertising tactics you’ll have the confidence to invest more, by which time the smaller campaigns you’ve been working on will be paying off. Think about timing your advertising though, think about the time of year, what’s going on? When is your product or service going to sell best/worst. Plan your campaign strategically around these times.
In conclusion You don’t have to spend a lot to promote your business. When you’re just starting out, every penny counts so you must spend those pennies wisely. Don’t make the mistake of blaming your business idea if something doesn’t work, take a harder look at the decisions you’ve made instead. Business planning is important at this stage; you need to know where you’re heading so invest some time into writing your plans down.
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Pitching for m e fro c i v g Ad nnin i w rd awa s... m um
Business Success!
For some mums, 2008 was an award winning year. But what does it take to win a business award? Members of the MumsClub forums in particular have found success by picking up some great business titles... MumsClub; the business club for mums, founded by mum-ofone Jane Hopkins, was awarded the title of UPS Local Business of the Year 2008 after impressing none other than Theo Paphitis of Dragon’s Den. Melanie Riddell, a mum and scientist from the Scottish
helped her to pick up the MumsClub New Business of the Year award.
provides Cool Creative Organic Clothing Shop for Babies, Kids & Adults with Attitude.
Claire O’Conner creator of Baby Ballet, the pre-school dance franchise was crowned Mumpreneur of the year and appeared live on ITV’s this Morning along with runners up
As all of these mums know, to win a business award is great as a PR tool; a winners badge looks impressive on a website!
But what makes a successful business win an award? What do you need to do, to say, to demonstrate? Who better to ask than the ladies who have done it themselves? Lynn Oakes took time out from Milky moo moo and with the kids running berserk in the background, gave us her insight into putting together the perfect pitch...
First and foremost what you’re pitching should be something Highlands created Sizzling Sharon Ward, who started you believe in and are Science, to provide Fun and Teddy and Me; tiny clothes for passionate about. This is picked Interactive Hands-On premature babies, and Lynn up on, and if you don't believe Science Workshops for children. Oakes and Pamela Lowes whose in your product or idea yourself, Her idea and future plans business Milky moo moo, who will?
Lynn Oakes with her fellow finalists on ITV’s Mumpreneur competition
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You must be able to back up everything you say in your initial entry, so although you need to make your business sounds the bees knees, be careful not to get carried away and flower it up too much, as you will need to substantiate all claims if you are put through to a selection stage.
Preparing the pitch Writing the actual pitch depends on the amount of time you are speaking for. We found that starting with a longer pitch but then chopping it down (condensing a 1 minute pitch into 30 seconds) enabled us to literally keep the key points!
your 'unique selling point' and telling them how well your product or service sells to a customer - with the customer you are selling your product and how it will benefit them! It's worth thinking from both the customer and stockist’s perspectives prior to writing your pitch so you have two angles.
Anticipate questions
You must also prepare for questions that you may be asked about your business. Know your figures and try to anticipate everything they may ask you. You need to appear 100% clued up about the in’s and out’s of your If time is short you need to focus business; your accounts, where on the strongest aspects of your you are now, where you want to be and how you are going to get business that will engage your audience (whether that is a single there. person or a panel or millions of Even if you are asked something daytime TV viewers!) and unexpected that you can’t answer, as make your product long as you’ve memorable to them! already Pitching to potential demonstrated stockists, investors or your knowledge panel of judges is and passion for your entirely different to pitching to product, such curl balls your buying public. That is may not always adversely affect important to remember; when your overall success on the day, pitching to a supplier, investor or so relax! judging panel, you are selling
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The last piece of advice I would recommend is to find out exactly who and what will be at your pitch: Who are the people you will be pitching to? Research them so you know all about them. This may give you some indication as to how they may question you (if this is to happen) for example, if they run a marketing company they are likely to ask you how you market your company or propose to. What if camera's are going to be there? You need to prepare yourself for that as they will be in your face and you must practice talking to one (as silly as it may seem). Practice, practice and practice your pitch until you know it inside and out and take any information or samples which will not only back up your claims but will impress your panel and give you the opportunity to show your product off. A cue card with pointers is also handy in case you panic or freeze! Believe in yourself, be yourself and your enthusiasm will shine through!!
And the best of luck to you.
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Becoming a new mum is a fantastic experience and during the first few weeks, life is hectic getting to know your new baby and all that that entails – not to mention the countless visitors you’ll receive to wish you well and welcome your new bundle of joy into the world. But for many mums, once the rush of visitors have gone, being at home with your newborn can become quite lonely especially if family don’t live nearby and friends work all day. When you’ve been up all night with a crying baby and most of the next day as well, meeting up with other mums and having a reassuring chat over a cup of coffee works wonders and helps you realise everyone is in the same boat and experiencing the same things.
You’re not alone According to a recent survey by www.whatson4littlesones.co.uk, over 70% of new mums would like to make more friends and yet over 40% have no idea how to do this. All of us need help and support more than ever as we embrace this new territory that is motherhood. And the great news is that many new mums who do make new ‘mummy mates’ go on to have lifelong friendships.
and up to date details of over 12,000 classes and activities across the UK for babies and children under 5. The website offers parents a range of activities from baby swimming classes and massage groups to baby signing classes and local mother and toddler groups. What’s more, there are lots of activities listed that are free of charge - from baby rhyme time at your local library to playtime sessions at Early Learning Centre stores. There are also lots of classes that offer the first sessions free if you want to try an activity before you sign up.
tips and advice and make lasting friendships. Plus babies and children have fun, meet other children and learn new skills too.”
It’s Free
There are literally thousands of groups out there just waiting for you to join them. Making the first step and going along to your local mum and baby group may feel daunting but there is really nothing to worry about. Whilst it may feel too much trouble to leave the house with all the paraphernalia you need, you’ll be so glad you made the effort and didn’t just stay put.
The website offers a completely free search and doesn’t even ask parents to register. All the information is quickly available, dates, times and everything else parents need to know including links to websites and contact information plus a map of how to get there! The information is up to date as the people running the classes and activities for children can The website was set up 3 years ago by update their details whenever they Sam Willoughby (pictured), a mum need to. with a young baby, who found it very tricky to find out what was going on Visit www.whatson4littleones.co.uk in her local area and meet other for more details and to find your mums. She decided to set up a web- nearest groups and classes. site of local activities for mums and their children and is amazed at how the site has grown. She now even employs other mums and can work from home as well as being able to take her daughter to music, swimming and gym classes too!
And don’t worry if you don’t know what is available in your local area. Website www.whatson4littleones.co.uk sponsored by pioneering children’s food company Organix, has the perfect solution providing comprehensive
“Many new mums feel isolated and need to meet other mums who are going through similar experiences, but it can be difficult to know where to meet them,” says Sam. “Taking part in local activities gives mums the chance to meet other parents, share
So what’s the secret to making new friends and finding other new mums that are in the same situation as you?
Be Confident
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Web Tips - where to start
by Antonia Chitty
Being a mumpreneur is a great way to live. You are your own boss, set your own hours, and can fit your business around your family.
Useful Resources:
Mumpreneur Guide Antonia Chitty has written this article with lots of ideas from the MumsClub forums on boosting your website and sales.
• Free e-course for Mumpreneurs covering SEO on www.themumpreneurguide.co.uk
Many mumpreneurs run web-based businesses; flexible and family friendly, your website can keep selling even if you are cooking the kids’ tea. But the key question is, how do you get more visitors to the site and how do you encourage them to buy? Jane Hopkins runs MumsClub, and is a trained web designer too. If you’re looking to increase your search engine’s profile, she recommends, “Links, links and more links back to your site. The more quality links you have, the more valuable your site appears to the Google spiders who are sent out every 3 months to mooch the web.”
down.” Try directories like DMOZ, Zoom Info and Yahoo. A quick tip when submitting to Yahoo is that if you drill down to find the exact category to submit your link you can avoid paying the $299 submission fee. Once you have submitted your business to a number of directories, set up Google Alerts to search on your business name. You will get an email alert whenever your business appears somewhere on the web.
• More Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tips on www.mumsclub.co.uk
for a link need only take a few minutes each day. Think about the structure behind your site too. Jane says, “You need to make sure the pages of your website are titled correctly. Think about your keywords, and how you want to be found, then name your pages with that. Have a different title on each page.” Keywords are the terms that people might search on to find your site. Antonia
So, where do you start to develop these links? Jane says, “First, you need to get your site submitted to the search engines to let Google and the others know you're here. A website is your advert to the world, but if you don't tell them you've arrived, it's like placing an advert on a lamp post in a street no one goes
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Persist in generating links to your business. Looking for new directories and submitting your site or contacting complementary businesses to ask
Chitty writes content for websites and advises, “Do your keyword research. Go into the Google Keyword finder and it will give you alternatives to a
word or phrase. Aim for the more specific terms: you will have a harder job appearing high on the search engines for ‘baby clothes’ than if you work on integrating the phrase ‘organic cotton baby clothes’. Be sensible abut how you use your key words and phrases in your page content. Make sure it reads naturally for the person visiting the site. Overuse of keywords can get you marked down by search engines.” “Content is King” Keep your site up to date and relevant. MumsClub member Jo Garrett runs maternity website Cecily Plum and has done a lot of work on her own site. She advises, “Change your text: Google really likes pages whose text changes regularly more than once a month. Keep your text the same for long and your site looks unmaintained, or out of date, this is a really important one.” Follow these tips to start improving the number of visitors to your website - today!
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By Mary Cummings While rushing back from my local parade of shops one afternoon, I bumped into a friend who teasingly poked at - what was at the time a rather rotund tummy - and jokingly remarked, “I hope you’re taking time out to relax madam - you shouldn’t be rushing around like that at this stage of your pregnancy”. I felt reasonably relaxed actually, but this got me thinking about the term “relaxing” or “relaxation” – and that it can mean different things to different people. A relaxing holiday to one person could mean lazily strewn across a sturdy hammock, stretched between two palms on a beautiful white sandy beach, warmed by the sun and gently caressed by just the hint of a breeze. To someone else, it might mean an amble through the countryside, to another, the opportunity to curl up on a comfy sofa with a jolly good read - or it might simply mean a change of scene.
as high levels of stress hormones can What then, is the key to a relaxing for example, suppress proper func- pregnancy? tioning of the immune system. Well, in addition to some of the So not surprisingly then, studies have above, listening to calming music. been carried out to determine the The recording of “Claire de Lune” by benefits of relaxation in an effort to Claude Debussy was played to me combat the effects of stress (such as some 30 years ago by my piano the incidence of heart attack, stroke, teacher. I was mesmerised by it then, mental health problems, memory or and to this day, its romanticism still sleep problems), and such studies have shown that regular use of relaxation techniques can decrease these effects. There are, of course, many forms of relaxation:
Deep Breathing is the art of learning how to breathe deeply from the abdomen. The stresses of daily life often mean that we take shallow breaths, but deep breathing involves using our lungs to their fullest capacity. When mastered, this can be True relaxation, however, involves far wonderfully relaxing. more than the act of simply stopping We all know that sleep is vital for our or sitting down – as helpful as these bodies and essential for restoring are in themselves. Relaxation is a energy – even a short nap can leave way of reaching inner peace and calm. us feeling refreshed, invigorated and Effectively, this involves taking time rearing to go. out to really concentrate on this state Massage, the oldest form of therapy, of calm and thus, true relaxation is well known to be beneficial for needs to be learned. If healthy living relaxation as well as stimulating and is about finding true balance in one’s invigorating our mind, body and soul. life, then relaxation is part of that And to these, one could add Reflexolbalancing process. ogy, Yoga, Aromatherapy, Meditation We know that too much stress can and Visualisation, to name just a few. make us ill, yet some of us find adjusting to a slower pace of life a chal- Finding and choosing the right form of lenge. When the body is stressed, it relaxation for you is simply a matter releases the stress hormones adrena- of preference – but whatever form line and cortisol, causing our blood you choose, once mastered, it will pressure to rise. These stress hor- produce a better state of personal mones are useful in the short term health, both in mind and body - and (the “fight or flight” response mecha- ultimately true inner peace and calm.
reduces me to near tears (although the complete suite, Suite Bergamasque, is beautiful). Or why not enjoy a good laugh? Meet up with some friends and enjoy a good night in, or dig out some of your favourite comedies, settle back and have a good old chuckle. Try to put your feet up as often as possible, as this helps to minimise achy, puffy ankles. Find a comfortable chair, a stool, plenty of cushions and close your eyes for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Take time out to spend quality time with your partner, it’s important to relax and unwind together. Fill your lungs with fresh air and enjoy the sunshine - take a nice stroll around the block, or if nearby, your local park. …. And if you can, slow down.
Mary Cummings, nism), but are toxic in the long term, Which brings me back to pregnancy. Antecell Business Services, Design & Copywriting. Antecell.co.uk
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It’s official 2009 could be one of the hardest years ever for any business so it’s time to;
Take control of your costs before they take control of you! Let’s get Back to Basics!
Reducing Variable Costs
It’s difficult influencing how much customers spend with you, but one thing you can do is to control your costs. There are two types of costs: Variable costs change in relation to the amount you sell or supply. E.g.: stock, packaging, postage or delivery costs, etc. Fixed costs remain constant and do not change regardless of your level of sales. E.g.; rent you pay on premises, electricity bills, accountants fees, bank charges and so on.
Let’s start with the variable ones first which can be changed quickly and so should have an immediate benefit on your profit. Start thinking proactively: •What can you reduce or eliminate? •What can you re-negotiate, put out to tender or shop around for a better deal. It is a buyer’s market at the moment so don’t be afraid to ask. Barter and negotiate hard. •Can you get discounts by buying in bulk? If a supplier does not offer a discount – ask for one! You will be surprised at what you can achieve if you ask. So be ruthless and say you will go elsewhere if the price is not reduced.
How to reduce costs Firstly, write down all of your costs and decide if they are fixed or variable. This is a good exercise as it will establish exactly how much you are spending each day/ week/month. Once you’ve established all of your costs the next task is to reduce them – yes it can be done and it would not be unrealistic to set a target of between 10% to 20%.
Remember, anything saved on costs immediately means more profit for your business.
Make savings today! #1 on paper, printing & postage by sending invoices and paperwork by email instead of printing them or only provide them if requested. •Use less packaging for products or charge for none essential items e.g. carrier bags.
The target here is to reduce all costs. So challenge everything you are spending. You may have to put some effort in but your hard work will result in huge savings.
Make savings today! #2 •shop around for cheap utilities such as electricity and gas •change banks regularly to take advantage of free banking periods •Shop around for savings on professional fees e.g. accounting. By paying monthly some accountants will provide a fixed fee service. •Change your business telephone, internet or broadband packages to take advantage of special deals.
•Save
Reducing Fixed Costs These may take a little more time to alter but can actually result in higher savings, so should not be ignored.
Remember be harsh • be ruthless • negotiate hard • challenge all fixed costs • do not be complacent •
Control your costs and Beat the Credit Crunch!
Using 20 years experience at some of the UK’s leading businesses Chartered Accountant Elaine Clark, who is also an Internet specialist, has developed www.cheapaccounting.co.uk, an online accounting service aimed at small businesses with big ambitions. For further information contact Elaine Clark on 0844 884 2399 or email elaine.clark@cheapaccounting.co.uk 21
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Mumpreneur and scientist Melanie Riddlell won the MumsClub 2008 New Business of the Year. Here she shares with us one of her experiments which will help you and your children create a bubbling concoction in your own kitchen...
oooohs & aaaahs guaranteed! 1. Drinking glass, jam jar or plastic bottle 2. Oil - vegetable, sunflower or olive 3.Water 4. Food Colouring 5. Fizzy Tablet eg. Alka Seltzer or effervescent vitamin C.
• Fill the container 1/3 full with vegetable oil. • Add the same amount of water. Leave space at the top for the fizz! • Add a couple of drops of food colouring. • Notice the food colouring only colours the water and not the oil. Hmm...? • Split the tablet into about 6 pieces. • Drop the pieces one at a time into the oil and water mixture. Food colouring dissolves in • Add more tablets to re-start water but not oil, so only the the bubbling! water changes colour. Oil and water don’t mix – they are immiscible and this allows us to create the blobs of colour. The tablet reacts with the water releasing bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. These bubbles attach themselves to the coloured blobs causing them to rise to the surface. When the bubbles pop, the coloured blobs sink back down to the bottom of the glass. Adding another piece of tablets starts the fizzy fun all over again!
Thanks to Melanie Riddell For more science fun visit www.sizzlingscience.co.uk 23
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Where they’ve come from, what they’ve achieved and who to keep an eye on... Pauline Adams d e v e lo p e d a thriving online business printing and selling maternity tshirts, big brother tees and now promotional clothing, specialising in well priced short runs.
her first baby. After a time she took a job, working from home making bannerettes until her entrepreneurial streak unleashed itself and she took over the business when her boss needed to sell due to ill health.
Within 3 months, baby number 2 was on her way, but undeterred, Pauline was already diversifying into t-shirt printing; designing A serial motivator and permanent slogans for maternity t-shirts and positive thinker, Pauline Adams big brother/little sister tees. left her top marketing job to have Five years on, and Pauline has
The concept of Teddy & Me came about through her involvement with ADAPT, she discovered that finding practical, well fitting clothes for babies weighing less than 8lbs was very difficult and wanted to help alleviate the problem. Dribblebuster an online business was started when Alison Withell a busy dressmaker and designer discovered a need. She had a very dribbly grandson who was constantly getting chills from the dampness on his chest caused by dribble. Ordinary bibs didn't really help the problem and besides they hid his lovely outfits.
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Ever looking to the future, this year Pauline is aiming to invest in new machinery which will add even more items to her growing range, and she’s also planning on employing her husband full time too! www.teesonline.co.uk Sharon launched her business in March 2008, following eighteen months of research and development involving neonatal specialists and parents. It is important to Sharon that parents can buy Teddy & Me clothes with confidence.
Sharon Ward creator of Teddy & Me, designed a range of clothing designed specifically for premature and tiny babies. Sharon lives in Warwickshire with husband Jon and four year old son Louis. She devotes much of her spare time raising funds for the premature baby charity ADAPT (Charity no. 1080112), based in Leicester.
added a sportswear and promotional clothing business to her portfolio which she still manages to juggle from home, as well as home educating her two children.
Look out for Teddy and Me in 2009, as they are expanding their range to offer more choice and will continue to strive to make Teddy & Me the premature baby store you can trust. www.teddyandme.co.uk
"As an experienced dressmaker, I experimented with a few d e si g n s an d perfected the Dribblebuster which has won a TIPS Clever Design Award. My grandson can now keep the same outfit on all day, massively cutting down on the laundry pile. He no longer gets chills and to top it all, he looks
gorgeous." Alison finds online networking one of the best and continual sources of help and inspiration to further her business. "people are so friendly and willing to share their resources and business acumen", she says. "I would recommend MumsClub to any aspiring Mumtrepreneur". www.dribblebuster.co.uk
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With a Masters degree in Management and a background in graphic design combined with 4 years experience in the prepaid industry, Gemma has the knowledge, vision and gutsy determination to make BaBeeCard the musthave financial tool for every household looking to reduce their monthly outgoings.
mums and mums with young children through the credit crunch BaBeeCard offers access to discounts on everyday living essentials such as groceries, petrol & baby related items at stores such as Asda, Sainsburys’, Waitrose, Mothercare, John Lewis, Argos and Boots.
where everyone can benefit, not just by growing her business but by helping mums an d f am i l i es directly where it matters most, the household finances.
Her entrepreneurial flair is born from a natural desire to succeed, to help others and to create a business that her son Mum of one and co-founder of BaBeeCard - the prepaid Gemma is a mum to watch will be proud of. MasterCard that helps expectant because she believes in a win/win www.babeecard.co.uk ethos. Gemma is creating a tool Milly Bee is the brainchild of Camilla Braidwood, a mum whose passion for art and design has come together to offer an eye-catching collection of varied and colourful artwork for children’s rooms.
Getting Milly Bee going involved several months of planning and careful picture selection; from canvassing local mums on picture style and choice, through to liaising with other designers to ensure a comprehensive picture collection to suit all tastes.
Camilla is no stranger to the visual arts, having worked as a photographer prior to starting a family. It was her fruitless search to find tasteful and affordable artwork to decorate her daughter’s nursery that led Camilla to start Milly Bee - ‘Milly’, as Camilla is known by family and friends, and ‘Bee’, an extension of her surname initial ‘B’ and now the image associated with her brand.
Launched in Aug 2008 after several months of planning, the business has gone from strength to strength with new collections being added on a regular basis. There are some exciting plans for 2009 too – including the launch of a new range for older children. For now however, she simply wants her young customers to enjoy her art and ‘Bee Happy’!
Elaine Player, designer and founder of Kicsi Baby Wear, started trading only last year with the help of the Princes Trust. Previously Elaine had been training to be a burns specialist nurse until unexpectedly falling pregnant with her first child in 2005. After maternity leave was over, she had to make a
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www.millybee.com
decision to either return to study, or find a job. As a child Elaine had exhibited her own art work in galleries throughout Sussex, and had been commissioned to do private works on the landscapes of Gibraltar. She returned to her love of art but with an idea of combining 2 ideas she had… a gap in a niche market! Fashion for babies in cloth nappies, Elaine
has used cloth nappies on Alana now 3, and her most recent Harriet only born last March. She told us, she had found it so difficult to find any funky fashionable clothes to fit over the bulky cloth nappies. So after initially trying to make her own alternative fashion for her own 2 children, she put her art skills to use and designed a range herself. In 2009 she is expanding her range and continually coming up with new ideas. www.kicsi.co.uk
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Lyndsey Young not only runs her own design consultancy, she has also successfully designed and brought to market her own innovative product. Not afraid of a challenge, Lyndsey left full time employment to study for a design degree at University. Graduating with a First class honours degree, she then worked as a Marketing manager in Local Government,
Later disillusioned with her job, Lyndsey was con sidering establishing her own design consultancy when she was chosen to appear on the first ever ‘Deal or No Deal’ and won £15,500. Grasping this opportunity, she left her job and established her own business in 2007. Specialising
in
producing marketing literature, Open Design also focuses on bringing to market innovative products to make families’ lives easier. One such product, Count On It® food freshness labels, launched in 2008 and is now available nationwide at Lakeland and online. With new products in the pipeline and plans to expand the Count On It® brand, 2009 is set to be another exciting year for Lyndsey. www.count-on-it.co.uk.
Rachel is mother to toddler Thea and step mum to two sons. Her career has taken many twists and turns to lead her to this point. Formally trained as a Beauty Therapist, she moved into a long period of sales within the luxury industry. This lead to a 10 year career in Executive Recruitment.
Designer and High-street Maternity and ladies clothing sits amongst essential accessories for the discerning mother- tobe. Sales grow as does Rachel’s ambition for a career online!
Having left motherhood until her mid thirties and 2nd marriage! Thea Josephine arrived in 2006. During pregnancy, the lack of stylish clothing available to suit her personal image and taste was a shock, and so during the rare hours of peace whilst listening to the soft whistling of a baby sleeping, images of “The Black Fairy” were created in water-colour. A short fairy story was penned and the brand ‘Lafeenoire’ was born.
A recent launch of a specially commissioned product will help Rachel’s support of ladies suffering from Symphisis Pubis Dysfunction. Lafeenoire’s ‘Corset Couture’ is a new style support band to help relieve symptoms of SPD and back pain in pregnancy. Lafeenoire Maternity is one to watch!.
Claire Bennett, a Wiltshire based mum of 4, dreamed of sett ing up her own preschool music classes after the birth of her youngest son when she saw a gap in the market for play-based and interactive classes (exactly the kind of class she had tried and failed to find, for her own children). In 2004, the dream turned to reality with
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during which time she had her two sons.
the launch of Music Bugs classes in her hometown of Swindon. Starting off with a small class of just 7 local mums and babies, the classes soon boomed and in 2006, the company went national. Thirteen franchisees now welcome 2000 children each week to classes as far north as Newcastle all the way down to the South Coast and Kent and Claire looks forward to the day when Music Bugs classes
www.lafeenoire.com
are running in every town throughout the British Isles! Says Claire “the fun and playbased element of the classes was a big hit with parents from day one and we think that Music Bugs makes an excellent opportunity, either for women who are looking to run a business alongside existing family commitments or who are simply looking for a career change. www.musicbugs.co.uk
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Whether you’re looking for ideas and inspiration for a new business you can run from home or simply looking for an additional income to run alongside your current business, the following pages are full of some ideas for you to consider.
Mothers are known to be creative buy a start up pack which may Often, you’ll buy a package that and resourceful, let’s face it we need to be when juggling the madness of family life every day! But often we can stumble upon a new business idea by realising a need for ourselves. Have you ever wanted, say, a style of clothing that you just can’t find in shops? The chances are that if you’ve needed it then other mum’s will have done too. So if you’re up for the challenge you could set yourself up, source a supplier and run with your own idea; you already have the advice and support you need, freely available on MumsClub. Find a business opportunity that suits you Or, on the other hand you could find a business opportunity that is suited to you and benefit from someone else’s bright idea and groundwork. There are hundreds of opportunities currently available that are suited to a mum wanting to work around the children, over the next few pages you’ll find a few to get you started. Party Planning & Direct selling One option is selling on behalf of another company. It’s simple to set yourself up as a party planner, or working from home sales; You will often, although not always, need to
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include sales & marketing material and products to start you off. They will provide the products and main marketing, whilst you will be required to do some local marketing and earn a percentage of the sales you make. As with all things the more time you put in, the more you can earn, and a good living can be made from direct selling. If you only have part time hours you can still make good money, but do it at your own pace and in your own time. Either way, make sure you have fun doing it – getting the girls together for a party can be a great night – even better if you’re earning from it!
Franchises If you’re looking to invest a little more into your future, then buying a franchise or a license from an established business with an already proven product or service could be your ideal option. You could be running your own music class for children or your own magazine in no time! Franchising is a way of setting up on your own but with the support of a bigger company behind you. As the franchisee, you’ll have day to day responsibility of running your business, but (as with direct selling) the research and groundwork will have been done already so you won’t have to make any mistakes finding the best method.
entitles you to work in a specific area, where no other franchisee of that company will be allowed to operate. You will receive training in all aspects of running the business in accordance to their
method and standards, and you’ll have the use of their business name which will be centrally marketed to help provide you with a recognised and trusted brand and image. If you’ve ever wanted to own your own business but simply don’t know where to start, then direct selling or buying a franchise could be your ideal solution.
For more ideas when starting your own business from home, log on to mumsclub.co.uk
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