Pressure on women today to be everything to every person has created a bit of an employment trap for mums.  It is almost impossible to find a women that doesn’t have some sort of guilt relating to the employment choice she has made – be it stay at home mum, full time working mum etc. Childcare costs are high and if you need to earn money to put food on the table you don’t have a lot of choice in how many hours you work. But what if there was a way of compromising? What if these women could start up businesses that work around their lifestyle and brought income in?

More and more women  – myself included – have adapted to these pressures in an unexpected way. In fact the word Mumpreneur has been invented for a generation of women who were determined to create the best of both worlds. Flexibility of hours and control over their own destiny. It is almost as if a maternal instinct has given women a new found confidence that they can start up companies in their own terms.  It does come with risks  and downsides – it can be lonely without daily support from colleagues, where the next pay check comes from can be directly affected by your 3 year old getting chicken pox and many evenings are spent whiling away online to catch up with tasks.  But these issues can be overcome with mum to mum networking for support, forward planning and being strict with working hours.

It is amazing what you can achieve with the right support and drive to succeed. If you think you have what it takes to start up your own business here are some top tips.

1> Get support – join some local mums business networking groups – read the forums – introduce yourself!

2> Create structured working hours within your day.

3> Take a break! We all need a Twix and a cup of tea in peace from time to time.

4> Get outside. You need to socialise and get some vitamin D. Many mums groups are great places for networking and socialising. Who knows maybe the lady that runs Sing and Sign would be happy to tell her clients about the great mobile beautician that you are and vice versa.

5> Have a plan – and stick to it. Do not give up until you have exhausted all the avenues.

6> Get great marketing advice! Have marketing strategy and know how to sell your USP.