Mumpreneurs
28 Oct 2009
Alan Williams, Partner, Company & Commercial
Mumpreneurs - The inevitable choice
About half of the population are of working age. About half of them are women. About half of them have children of school going age. The perfect job for these 7.5 million mums is a part-time work-from-home job that allows for school holidays.
The story of a typical mum; High school (then maybe some tertiary education). A few good years in her chosen profession, meet and marry the father of her children, take time out for the baby, the second baby and maybe the third. In between try a bit of consulting for the old firm. Drift further away from the working world. And then she wakes up with a 7 year hole in her CV. The kids are at school and mum needs to fill her day.
And what if dad is made redundant? Then being a stay at home mum is impossible. But the job market does not know what to make of her. Mum has the experience (but it is out of date), she has the skills (but they are rusty), she has the energy (but you try nursing a teething baby through the night), she has the commitment (but she needs to be home by 5). Suddenly getting a job becomes a challenge.
As a result she looks at starting her own business. Starting her own business gives a mum the built-in flexibility to fit the job and business around her life. The home is the work place. A day's work includes a trip to the supplier and the parent-teacher meeting. Smart casual dress must suit the school drop-off and the new client coffee. Blackberry is both a pie filling and an extension of her hand.
I have worked with many mumpreneurs. They are inspirational. A flood of new "micro-businesses" are emerging from the spare bedrooms and garages of mums across Britain. Mumpreneurs are taking their skills, talent, time and creative energy and launching a myriad new businesses to harness their potential. Understanding how to take a business from a good idea over a coffee to a registered tax-paying fee earning, profit making entity is a daunting process. This is the era for mums to take-up the challenge and wear the mumpreneur badge.