Welcome back to Self Employed Mum. Thanks for visiting!

We hope that you manage to have a few hours off today to relax and enjoy Mother’s Day.

If you’ve got a few minutes spare then you might like to take a look at the latest Mummo Mag, edited by the fabulous Jo Rheam of Mummo to help spread the word about the Million Mums appeal.

There’s lots of interesting stuff inside, mind and body, home and family issues, articles on home schooling, travel and a dollop of business stuff too (including an interview with Ali).

Enjoy!

Mummo Mag

The latest in our series features Helen Twigge-Molecey, the inventor of the unique children’s toy, My Wondercube…

Why I started my business:
Ever since my early twenties I’ve always wanted to run my own business. I don’t know whether it was the idea of independence, the excitement that anything’s possible or not wanting to be answerable to a boss – probably a combination of all three. Anyway I didn’t do it. I ended up working in television as a producer/director which was just as well because I loved my job and it also prevented me from launching several barking business ideas which at the time I thought were brilliant. However I still hankered after doing my own thing.

The catalyst came after the birth of our third child when we moved from London to Sussex – it just felt like the right time to have a break. I also knew it was now or never in terms of leaving my job and starting my own thing – although I had no idea what that ‘thing’ was going to be.

Then one day after my baby daughter emptied yet another packet of wet wipes and I realised she enjoyed playing more with the wet wipes than any of her toys, I made her a toy based around the same concept but with different fabric squares you could pull out of a box. She loved it and so did her friends which led to the birth of My Wondercube and the launch of my business.

Toughest Challenge:
I think the toughest challenge was actually to get started at all – taking that plunge from dream to reality. The other biggest challenge was manufacturing. I had no experience in manufacturing and yet wanted to ensure that my toy was ethically produced and environmentally friendly. Initial plans to get it made in the UK turned out to be financially unviable. My manufacturer in Turkey then fell through meaning I had to postpone my planned launch. I then struck lucky when I met a wonderful woman who runs a toy manufacturing company in Sri Lanka and although most of their customers are large multi-national companies, they were prepared to take a gamble on me for which I’m very grateful.

What I enjoy most:
I enjoy the creativity, building something and seeing it grow. Although difficult at times I love the feeling that it’s up to me to make it happen and that anything is possible.

My advice for someone thinking about starting their own business:
Listen to lots of advice but go with your instincts. Don’t ignore the boring bits and face your fears. It’s good sometimes to put yourself outside your comfort zone and I firmly believe that ‘stuff comes from stuff’. Good luck!

The latest in our mumpreneur series features Natalie from the Organic Toy Company.

Natalie from the Organic Toy Company

Why I started my business?
All of my children have suffered since birth with eczema but Jade, my eldest at 10 years old, has always been by far the worst affected. I’d frequently have to prise her (synthetic) cuddly toys away from her at night because they’d make her, and her skin, overheat provoking her eczema flare-ups. It occurred to me that if her toys were made with organic cotton as the outer fabric, poor Jade wouldn’t have to regularly wake up to find she’d been surreptitiously robbed overnight of her favourite furry friend! So I started spending hours searching on-line for organic toys.

I found that whilst organic cotton toys were available, the choices were very limited and I wasted precious time following fruitless trails and frustratingly chasing false or long-winded search engine results. With childhood eczema, asthma and allergies being at all time high, I was certain that other parents would welcome a simple and convenient solution, when looking for soft toys which wouldn’t aggravate their children’s sensitivities.

I also wanted to share with other parents what I’d learnt about the obscene levels of pesticides and toxic chemicals that are used in conventional cotton agriculture. By using my website as a platform to raise awareness about conventional cotton farming practices, I’m able to highlight both the environmental and human cost of producing non-organic cotton.

Toughest Challenge?
During my research when setting up the company, I found I’d opened a massive can of worms, after discovering how easily the integrity of organic fibres can be compromised, during various manufacturing processes (post-organic certification). This really did pose quite a daunting obstacle as it seemed like a whole new, vast and complex science to learn. The really positive outcome is that it prompted me to submit a Spanish Inquisition-worthy barrage of questions to each manufacturer of the toys I stock, to establish that “no organic fabrics had been harmed during the making of this toy”! So now, I can display detailed composition information in plain language about every toy I stock, so other parents can see exactly what’s in the toys.

What I enjoy most?
Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s hearing the most heart-warming (and sometimes heart-wrenching) stories of the children who are given my organic toys. I know this is such a cliché (and I’ve not stolen this from a Miss World contestant’s speech), but I hear such touching stories, which stay with me long after an order has been despatched. In my experience, the concept of good customer service being “something that provides a personal touch for the customer” is only half the story. When customers generously share their amazing stories, it’s impossible for that to not become personal to me too. It’s a two-way street. Given the nature of these toys, I do hear of many circumstances of considerable hardship and of children overcoming real difficulty. It genuinely is immeasurably rewarding to think you may have helped in some tiny way.

My advice for someone thinking about starting their own business?
Naturally, a cocktail of sound research and passion/belief in what you’re doing is critical. I think when setting up a business, many people encounter a lot of negativity from well-intentioned family and friends and I think it’s really important to try to find a way of mentally insulating yourself from that. As long as you’ve really done your homework, just stay focused on a positive and successful outcome. If you couple that with a determination and resolve to overcome the inevitability of some obstacles along the way, I think the combination of these attitudes goes a long way to achieving your goals. Finally, with the start-up of a business so often involving haemorrhaging cash left, right and centre in the early days, try to take advantage of freebie business courses and advice, like the government resources offered by Business Link and lots of free marketing advice, available on the Internet.

You can find out more about Natalie’s business over at The Organic Toy Company.

Our latest participant in our entrepreneurial mums feature is Keira O’Mara from Mamascarf. Mum of one, Keira designed an innovative way to make public breastfeeding easier based on her own experiences.

Why I started my business:

I started my business Mamascarf, as I had the idea for a breastfeeding scarf following my own experiences of breastfeeding in public. I was quite self conscious and always trying to cover up but found that nothing worked. I wanted to have some privacy but still be able to see my baby, have something he couldn’t pull off, that wouldn’t overheat him, would allow me to wear normal clothes to breastfeed in and that stopped the arm ache I would get without my support cushions. When I realised there wasn’t a product available that did all these things I started creating one!

Toughest Challenge:
My toughest challenge has been dealing with illegal copies of Mamascarf, one company was even calling their copy Mamascarf. Unfortunately they keep popping up, so I am having to regularly search and keep on top of it. Luckily I have European Design Registration and Mamascarf is a trademark so I am protected.

What I enjoy most:
I enjoy the freedom that working for myself gives me. I definitely have a much better work life balance now and it’s so rewarding seeing my business grow. It’s really exciting when I get positive feedback from mums who say it has really made a difference to them.

My advice for someone thinking about starting their own business:
You’ve just got to do it. It is scary giving up a regular income for the unknown but if you are committed to it and passionate about your business, you will find a way to make it work. If you are able to test the water by starting your business whilst you are still employed I would recommend doing this, and then when it takes off you can make a decision to dedicate more time to it. Research is also really important, you may think it’s a great idea but does everyone else (and this doesn’t just mean friends and family who are always going to be supportive). I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about it though!