MUMS INTO BUSINESS KEY WORDS Barriers to employment. Affordable childcare. Accessible business support. Grass-roots entrepreneurship. Creative approaches. Mothers. Multipe disadvantage. WHALE Arts, Tasting Change, Wester Hailes.
CASE STUDY OF A GROUP SET UP IN RESPONSE TO THE NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF A GROUP OF ENTREPRENEURIAL MOTHERS IN WESTER HAILES, EDINBURGH. BY KIRSTY FRANKLAND
Mums into Business is an ambitious project which has evolved in response to the needs and aspirations of a group of local mothers who wanted business advice and support in a context that could accommodate both them and their young children. Taking a unique and innovative approach, the project embeds creative activity in conjunction with business skills and experiential learning, as a means of empowerment and building social capital.
INTRODUCTION Mums into Business began as a small group of women who wanted to start their own businesses but faced a number of barriers to accessing conventional business advice and support. These included: low incomes, language, lack of affordable childcare and lack of provision of business advice/support in the local area. The group was set up with the aim of providing accessible business support and free childcare within an environment that would foster the women's innate creativity and lead to increased self-confidence, empowerment and social capital. Since its beginning in June 2018, the group has grown significantly and continues to evolve in response to the needs of its increasingly diverse members and the complexity of the challenges they face. This study outlines the evolution of the project and aims to demonstrate how a creative approach can help to overcome some of the barriers faced by mothers on low incomes, including single mothers and mothers from ethnic minority groups who want to set up their own businesses. The study also seeks to explore how such a model can help plug the gaps in the provision of affordable childcare and tailored business support, resulting in improved outcomes for mothers facing multiple disadvantages.
THE CONTEXT Mums into Business is based at WHALE Arts, a community-led arts charity and social enterprise which is firmly established as the cultural anchor organisation for Wester Hailes. Mums into Business has been set up through Tasting Change, a multi-agency partnership project established to tackle issues of food insecurity in Wester Hailes. WHALE Arts is a founding partner in the Tasting Change project along with Prospect Housing, The Health Agency, SCOREscotland, and CHAI. Wester Hailes is an area facing many challenges relating to health, employment, access to services, crime and housing. It falls in the 6% most deprived areas on the SIMD whose figures
"I love coming to this group. My life revolves around my children but this is the one thing I can do for myself." E (group member)
"I want to make a business because, look around here and my life, I want a better future for my daughter"
put the employment rate at 25%, well below the national average of 74%. The women who have formed Mums into Business all live in Wester Hailes. They are all on low incomes, most are immigrants to Scotland, some are from ethnic minority groups. The majority speak English as a second or third language - with varying levels of fluency. The primary motivating factor for most women in the group is the desire to secure a better future for their children. They are keenly aware of the barriers and challenges they face, with some expressing a sense of frustration and helplessness due to the limitations of their current situation.
M (group member)
BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT Our starting point was to explore the many barriers and challenges the women face and consider how we might address and overcome these issues within the context of the group. Many women, particularly mothers face barriers to employment The most commonly cited barrier is the cost and availability of childcare. According to a survey by Mumsnet and the independent think tank Resolution Foundation, two-thirds of mothers cite the cost of childcare as a barrier to them working more. According to the Family and Childcare Trust Childcare survey 2018, the average cost of a full-time nursery place in Scotland is £200.66 per week. Data from the Numbeo cost of living comparison site suggests that a full-time nursery place for one child in Edinburgh costs £983.64 per month. Depending on family circumstances, a range of childcare support options are available however it is difficult for parents to navigate the system and some parents are still worse off after paying for childcare. Currently, in Scotland, all children aged between 3 - 4 and some children under 2 are entitled to a part-time (16 hours a week) funded place in a council nursery or funding towards a place at a private nursery. The free childcare allowance is set to go up to 30 hours per week by 2020 but many private nurseries are pulling out of this scheme and in some areas, there is not enough childcare available.
"Childcare in the UK is already amongst the most expensive in the world and childcare prices have continued to rise above inflation." Family and Childcare Trust Childcare Costs survey 2015
"Childcare has become unaffordable, inflexible and simply not good enough for too many people. Like housing, it's one of the issues in modern life that makes families feel trapped, dictating the limits of their working practice and personal relationships." #RadicalChildcare, Impact Hub website
The current entitlement to 16 hours per week free childcare does provide a significant reduction in costs however, many council nurseries do not open long enough to provide cover for a full working day. No nurseries run by the City of Edinburgh Council are open for business between 08:00 to 18:00 which drastically limits some parents ability to work. As a result, many working parents are forced to use private nurseries. These charge in excess of £6.00 per hour per child where government funding towards a private nursery place is paid at a rate of £3.33 per hour. For some, this does not even cover the cost of one day per week at a private nursery. On top of that, the money is paid in arrears, so parents have to pay the full rate up front and wait to be reimbursed, presenting another huge barrier for mothers on low incomes. There are some interesting approaches being developed. Impact Hub in Birmingham in partnership with Familam have instigated the #RadicalChildcare movement and have been working with families to develop co-working & creche facilities for freelance and nomadic working parents.
In Scotland, more innovation in childcare is sorely needed. Creative Scotland in their 2017 report Understanding Diversity in the Arts, highlight childcare and caring responsibilities as significant barriers, particularly for women, to working in the arts and creative industries. In recognition of this, they are inviting representatives from the arts and creative industries to participate in a research trip to Birmingham to explore innovative solutions to flexible childcare which could potentially be implemented in Scotland. For many women in our group, moving to Scotland has resulted in the loss of traditional family and community-based support networks. When you add the high cost and lack of flexible childcare options available this not only has a negative impact on the women's ability to work but can also have a detrimental effect on their confidence and self-esteem. The issue is further compounded by a lack of suitable or flexible jobs, the underrating (of mothers) by employers due to the responsibility for childcare and a general lack of knowledge about their rights. The language barrier is another significant issue. Most group members are not native English speakers and while many of them are competent in English they do not have the confidence to match their abilities which limits their possibilities when seeking employment.
"Children remain mostly invisible in our cities, access to good quality play is becoming compromised and the Private Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector – the main deliverer of the government’s free childcare scheme – is also facing chronic underfunding." #RadicalChildcare, Impact Hub website
On top of the language barrier, many women find their higher education certificates from abroad are under‐rated by UK employers leaving them unable to progress in employment and limited to low paid work. The women in the group rely on a combination of benefits, low paid part-time work and many have had to use food banks in order to feed their families. Most feel trapped or limited by their situation and see setting up their own business as a possible solution. Simple as it may sound, this approach has presented a number of further challenges to overcome.
BARRIERS TO BUSSINESS ACCESSING BUSINESS SUPPORT The first challenge that came to light was the difficulty faced by local mothers in accessing conventional business support and advice. Within Edinburgh, there are a number of free business courses available, including courses run by Business Gateway, The Prince's Trust Youth Business Scotland (if you are under 30), Cre8te Opportunities and free online courses run by the University of Edinburgh. For the women attending the group, the lack of affordable childcare, lack of funds to travel and language barriers made accessing these services difficult, in some cases impossible. A few years ago Business Gateway, in conjunction with Jobcentre Plus in Wester Hailes, offered a series of business workshops with childcare provision. Despite the success and popularity of these workshops, they are no longer running and when we set up Mums into Business there were no groups in Wester Hailes offering business advice/support, never mind the combination of business support and free childcare. THE IMPACT OF EARNING MORE The next challenge surrounds the implications of earning more money when you are reliant on benefits. There is a significant lack of clarity on this issue generating confusion, uncertainty and the fear that earning more will result in punitive reductions or the outright cancellation of benefits.
"Being able to access external business support and advice is crucial to starting, running and growing a business." Women in Enterprise - The Untapped Potential FSB 2016
The recent rollout of Univeral Credit is further compounding the problem. Having to pay for childcare upfront is just one example of the negative implications for mothers wanting to set up their own business. The challenge is how to make the jump from surviving on benefits and/or low paid work, to making enough money from your own business to sustain your self and your family. For mothers reliant on benefits, there needs to be some reassurance that financial support will still be available to those brave enough to give it a try. Without this many will never seek to move beyond their current situation and will remain trapped by the benefits system. The New Enterprise Allowance is a government scheme set up to help people on certain benefits (Universal Credit, Jobseekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance) to start their own businesses. Under the scheme, participants would have to give up their existing benefits and would be given £66 per week for 13 weeks going down to £33 per week for a further 13 weeks. Participants would be eligible to apply for a loan but after the six month period would be expected to be making enough money from their new business to support themselves and their families. Considering the fact, that most new businesses don't even break even within the first year of trading, it is highly unrealistic to expect a new start-up to be turning a profit within 6 months. Most women in the group feel they would be significantly worse off under this scheme. LACK OF CONFIDENCE Perhaps the biggest challenge to overcome was a lack of confidence and self-belief among individual group members and the group as a whole. Research has shown that women's lack of confidence can and often does impact on their ability to succeed. Many successful female entrepreneurs cite confidence as one of the key traits that are crucial for success. A 2015 FSB survey of women entrepreneurs found that 22 per cent said that a lack of confidence was one of the most significant challenges they faced when starting their business and 20 per cent claimed that their lack of self-confidence has restricted their ability to grow. (9)
"Without further reforms to fix Universal Credit, more families especially lone parents - are likely to face higher rates of poverty in and out of work." Poverty in Scotland 2018, Emma Congreve & Jim McCormick, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
"When you're a stay at home mum you lose confidence and sense of self. This group is like a bridge to getting your confidence back." P (group member)
"I have six children, it is hard to get everything done, washing, cleaning, make food. I would like to make a business maybe something with cooking. It is hard just now but I love coming to the group." AM (group member)
CAPACITY & CHAOTIC LIVES With large families, many responsibilities, language barriers and for some, very chaotic lives, it was important to consider the capacity of group members to digest complex information relating to business and their time capacity for carrying out related tasks. The main concern was not to overwhelm the women and risk them losing interest. The challenge was to find a way to deliver the content that was both engaging and easily digestible. THE PROHIBITIVE COST OF RENTAL PREMISES Another obstacle that came to light when we got further along with the project, was the prohibitive cost of local shop premises and a lack of flexibility on the part of shop landlords to consider alternative approaches. There are a number of vacant shop spaces in the Westside Plaza in Wester Hailes, an ideal location for local mothers wanting to set up their businesses, however, the average rental cost for a small unit in the Plaza is £1000 per month with a five-year lease. Even collectively, this is well beyond the means of Mums into Business members. Initial enquiries with local shop landlords to explore creative approaches such as a shop share, rent a shelf or cooperative models have so far proved unsuccessful.
SUMMARY Although many of the aforementioned barriers were evident from the start, others have come to light during the course of the project. What has been evident from the outset is a clear gap in the market for a radically different approach to the provision of business support and childcare, particularly for mothers facing multiple disadvantages. What follows is a brief description of how the group has evolved and what actions we have taken to overcome or circumvent the numerous challenges faced in the process.
EVOLUTION OF THE GROUP & DEFINING WHAT WORKS
"Thank you Mums into Business you all make me really confident and strong. I am really happy in the group. Mums into Business always help each other and so much positive energy" N (group member)
Initially, the group was small. Mothers and children shared a space and we focused on creative activities. Group members were keen to try a range of arts and crafts with a view to developing products that they could later sell. Embedding creativity as a fundamental part of the process has had a significant impact on the success of the project so far. Engaging the group in creative activities at an early stage had a number of benefits. It was a great way to help group members overcome insecurities, facilitate discussion and break down barriers. This, in turn, helped the group to bond quickly, boosted confidence, morale and most importantly instilled a sense of fun. While each woman in the group is working towards setting up her own business, the close bonds, high levels of creativity, energy and enthusiasm have led to a feeling of shared purpose. This and the incredible levels of support the group give each other have been instrumental in driving the group forward. The fact that we catered for children made it possible for the mothers to attend but as the group grew it became harder to manage both mothers and children together. Setting up a free creche was a turning point for the group. The provision of free childcare has been a crucial aspect of the project without which it could not have happened.
Providing the mums with their own space; and time away from their children, had a huge impact on their ability to focus. It helped them bond as a group and develop a new collective identity as mothers who were on their way to becoming successful entrepreneurs. The next vital step was securing expert business advice. We contacted Business Gateway who sent Yvonne Bostock to deliver four workshops covering business planning, marketing, finances and building a successful business. It quickly became clear that conventional delivery methods were not going to work with our group. Yvonne picked up on the issue of capacity and was able to tailor the content of her workshops accordingly. Fortunately, Yvonne was taken with the project and agreed to continue working with us beyond her initial workshops. Together we structured sessions to include bite-size nuggets of business advice combined with creative activities relating to aspects of setting up a business. Tailored business support has been paramount to the success of the project. Being mindful of each individual and the groups capacity to take in and digest information, then modifying the content appropriately has allowed us to work and engage with a diverse range of individuals. Crucially this approach has enabled us to offer complete inclusivity and ensured that the women are not over faced or overwhelmed by complex information. Inviting guest experts and using the expertise within the group have been key factors in the groups' development. Lorna Robertson from Wester Hailes Jobcentre Plus attended a number of our sessions is now working in partnership with us. One of our members is a skilled designer and is helping others design logos and individual business cards. Another member with a background in journalism has written a poem about the group which she has turned into a rap. The group have been practising and plan to make a music video as a way to promote the group. We have been working with a documentary filmmaker who is creating a short clip about Mums into Business, to be used for promotional purposes, Some of the group members have contributed to one of his documentary projects about revolutionary acts.
“Research suggests that 900,000 more businesses would be created if the UK achieved the same level of female entrepreneurship as in the US." UK Women’s Enterprise Taskforce, Greater Return On Women’s Enterprise
These highly creative but perhaps less conventional businessrelated activities have had a dramatic impact on individual members levels of self-confidence and have been hugely beneficial as fun-filled group bonding exercises. Developing skills through experiential learning is another key aspect of our approach which includes providing opportunities to test the market in a risk-free environment. In December 2018 the group had their first big opportunity to do so at the Tasting Change Festive Market. It was a resounding success and another phenomenal boost to the group's confidence. Since then Mums into Business have organised a Valentines Market, an International Women's Day Market and have more markets planned at WHALE Arts. They have been granted a temporary trading licence to hold a market outside the Westside Plaza in Wester Hails and are applying for a market operators licence so they can hold a monthly market at WHALE Arts. Moving beyond market stalls the group are seeking to secure shop premises and are exploring the idea of a shop share model, where four or five small businesses could operate from the same premises offering different good and or services at different times. This would allow a certain level of flexibility in terms of time constraints and childcare arrangements. Perhaps, more importantly, it would mean joint rather than individual responsibility for rent and overheads going some way towards minimising risks. Another line of enquiry is a rent a shelf model where individuals could rent shelf space within an existing shop or business again providing opportunities to reduce costs and minimise risk. We are currently in meetings with local councillors and MSP's to discuss the prohibitive cost of rental premises and business rates and are exploring creative ways to overcome these barriers Looking to the future we are exploring how best to structure Mums into Business and are looking at the benefits and implications of becoming either a limited company or a community partnership. Moving forward, Mums into Business are taking steps to become a self-reliant group. The primary motivation for this is due to funding, however, the group is getting to the point where taking responsibility and driving themselves forward will bring certain benefits.
"We have proved ourselves, we are self sufficient, we can plan and have a market done in the wink of an eye" S (group member)
The Tasting Change project comes to an end in April 2019 and does not have future funding. WHALE Arts would like to amalgamate Mums into Business into their adult programme but as yet have no funding in place to do so. The group are determined to continue. Becoming self-reliant opens up possibilities for other funding streams such as the Unlimited Do It awards for which they plan to apply. It is hugely encouraging that the group are taking responsibility and driving the project forward on their own, however, it is clear that they will continue to need support and guidance. WHALE Arts is looking at ways they can continue to support the group while future funding is sought.
"You are a mum then you mean Business!" S (group member)
CONCLUSION Setting up your own business is always a challenging process. For mothers, the challenges are even greater and for the women in our group, a lack of affordable childcare, low incomes, low confidence, language barriers and the absence of flexible business support in the local area, present barriers that for many, may seem insurmountable. From the outset Mums into Business has been a highly ambitious project. Working with mothers to develop a unique approach that is creative, flexible and sensitive to both their situations, capacity, needs and aspirations has been fundamental to the success of the project so far. Embedding creativity as an integral part of the process is central to our unique and innovative approach. By maintaining an atmosphere of fun while blending bitesize nuggets of business advice with opportunities for experiential learning and drawing on expertise from within and out with the group, we have seen confidence levels and skills development increase exponentially. Despite phenomenal progress, the question of how to make the jump from being reliant on benefits to running a successful, sustainable business that's generating enough profit to support a family remains unanswered. Together with Lorna Robertson from Jobcentre Plus we are exploring issues surrounding Universal Credit and the benefits system as a whole. The fear of being penalised for earning more and a lack of clarity on this issue remains a massive barrier and existing schemes such as the New Enterprise Allowance risk pushing some mothers further into poverty.
"My first sale at Mums into Business Market, so happy, thank you to my first customer" N (group member)
Working in partnership we see a huge opportunity to develop our approach into a model which could be replicated and potentially complement schemes like the New Enterprise Allowance. However, to truly overcome these barriers there needs to be a realistic level of financial support for mothers who want to try and set up their own businesses and an understanding on the part of policymakers of the depth and complexity of the barriers faced by mothers on low incomes facing multiple disadvantages
REFERENCES Council nurseries 'not open long enough' for working parents. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-43116021 Exploring Parenting and Play in the 21st Century, Famalam http://www.famalam.org/about Family and Childcare Trust Childcare Survey 2015. Family and Childcare Trust Childcare Survey 2018. Greater return on women's enterprise. (GROWE) The UK Women’s Enterprise Task Force’s Final Report and Recommendations, Alexander, Pam and Stone, Glenda and Ahmad, S and Carter, Sara and Dwyer, Val (2009). Impact Hub #RadicalChildcare https://birmingham.impacthub.net/mission/radical-childcare/ Maximising women’s contribution to future economic growth, Women’s Business Council June 2013. Poverty in Scotland 2018, Emma Congreve & Jim McCormick at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Radical Childcare Research Trip to Birmingham, Creative Scotland 2019. ‘Supporting high-growth potential women entrepreneurs’, World Bank (2004). Understanding Diversity in the Arts, Creative Scotland 2016. ‘Universal Credit: Childcare’ report, Work and Pensions Select Committee, December 2018. Women in Enterprise - The Untapped Potential, FSB report 2016. Women Entrepreneurs Survey, FSB July 2015. Women in Employment Advancing Equal Opportunities Conference Report 2015.