Mum’s the buzz word on going it alone from home...

Mar 5 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

More and more modern mothers are putting babies and business together. Karen Dent meets ‘the mumpreneurs’ – those women juggling children and enterprise who boost the UK economy by more than £4bn annually.

MUMPRENEURS, kitchen table tycoons, business mums – whatever name you give them, they are becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Mums who decided to start a business when they were pregnant or shortly after giving birth are now generating £4.4bn annually for the UK economy.

Achieving that elusive work-life balance, escaping the cost of childcare or plugging a gap in the market for child-friendly products are among the reasons mothers go it alone.

“The main reason is that they want more flexibility and motherhood changes their priorities; 13% said they felt ready for a new challenge,” said Emma Jeffs from Yell.com, which produced the Mum Magnates study of entrepreneurial activity among mothers.

The changes a woman goes through while pregnant are a key catalyst, according to psychologist Dr Geoffrey Beattie from the University of Manchester: “It can elevate your mood for significant periods of time.

“When people are in an elevated mood state, they are prepared to consider riskier types of ideas, such as launching a business.”

Traditionally, women are less likely than men to show entrepreneurial spirit and branch out on their own.

“Fear of failure and concerns that banks do not consider them to be a worthwhile risk are often highlighted as reasons why women put off starting their own businesses,” according to Dinah Bennett from North East-based support organisation Women into the Network (WIN).

Working from home, where they can care for their children and work flexibly around their other needs, is a key attraction for new mothers considering their next steps.

Penny Jones, who began researching her business while on maternity leave, agrees that working from home is a strong pull. The White T-Shirt Company is headquartered at her home in North Shields and sells ‘the perfect white (and black) T-shirt’.

Penny, whose son Will is now six, had always worked in design for London-based employers including Dewhirst and Harrods.

“Your priorities change when you have children. I just made the decision I didn’t want to go up and down to London. I realised I needed to do something I could work around him. I’ve been able to work around Will and not miss any of those important occasions,” she said.

She quickly discovered that running her own business was not a shortcut to achieving the fabled work-life balance. “If you need to take time off during the day, you can catch up at night,” said Ms Jones, “but you definitely work longer hours than with a normal nine-to-five job.”

Kate Welch, founder and managing director of east Durham-based Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust, said: “If you wake up in the middle of the night – which you will do with the baby – you can do some work, then have a sleep in the afternoon. You control what you are actually doing.”

Mrs Welch, who took her own children, now 21 and 22, to work in a carrycot at her family-run garden centre, is a women’s enterprise ambassador. She is one of a team of inspiring women recruited as role models in the Government’s drive to encourage female entrepreneurship.

She said: “It’s about flexibility really. Most of the people we talk to, it’s very much that they want to be at home with their baby in the first few months. It’s probably easier because of things like the internet.”

The flexibility offered by the internet is vital to Laura Maddison, who started Gateshead-based Altitude Recruitment. She ran the business, now approaching its second anniversary, from home for a year before moving into commercial premises. The internet allowed her to be based at home for long periods.

“I do all of our communication over the internet, the whole business was set up behind a website. All our registration is done online, I think we only had three CVs through the post last year.

“We even interview people using Skype [the internet telephone service] if they live out of the area but most of the interviewing takes place face to face – we’re not robots yet!”

Although she has more time to see her young son than if she was an employee, Ms Maddison admits working for herself does not mean she can be a full-time mum: “Foolishly, I thought I could be really flexible around the little one but within a couple of months, he went to nursery, then I got a childminder.

“I have a good couple of hours with him before he goes to bed, then I can work on the PC at home. Candidates like that flexibility, because obviously, a lot of them can’t talk at work.”

Many mumpreneurs head tiny, home-based enterprises. Kate Welch is adamant these ‘lifestyle’ businesses, which often remain small and revolve around the founder’s other responsibilities, are as valid as bigger companies.

She said: “Lifestyle businesses don’t always show up on the radar. But they are just as legitimate – if you have 100 such businesses, they’re creating 100 jobs.”

Glenda Stone, however, believes big is beautiful. This Australian-born entrepreneur, who co-chairs the Women’s Enterprise Task Force set up by the Government last year, wants more women to think about growing their businesses.

She said. “If you don’t make money, you don’t have a business, it’s a hobby.

“You’re not working as a charity. Unfortunately, women often don’t make enough money. If you shoot for the stars, you may hit the moon – but in Britain, we’re not even shooting for the moon.”

Dr Stone, who heads company comparison recruitment advertising firm Aurora, lives by mantra “profit before passion” – something she admits is a controversial statement.

She said: “Business is a 24-7 commitment, it’s about thinking big from the start.

“If we keep showcasing a one-woman band working from home in retail, then we’re missing a trick.

“Where are the women in the city with lots of employees? Those women are less sexy.

“Mumpreneurs are very vital for the economy. If a proportion were able to scale up their businesses, economically, that would be fabulous. We’re not saying don’t be a mumpreneur, just don’t stay small.”