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Career

Mums in Business featuring Making Mumpreneurs

This week for my Mums in Business series I am delighted to be interviewing Erin from Making Mumpreneurs. I was a little bit overwhelmed by Erin’s story, she has done so much and certainly seems to know how to set-up to a business, so much so she has created her own business; Making Mumpreneurs that aims to support other Mums who have set-up their own businesses. Have a read of Erin’s story below and I hope that you feel inspired.

Tell me a little bit about you, your background and Making Mumpreneurs?

I’m a mum of 2 boys and recently made the move from London to live by the seaside in Bournemouth (best move ever!). I used to work in Television Production pre-kids, and although I loved my job, I always wondered how I would juggle the long hours with having a family. Very quickly after having my first son, I decided that I wanted to make a change, and build a career that was more flexible.

My first business was a franchise of Smallprint Fingerprint Jewellery. It opened my eyes to a whole new world and ignited my entrepreneurial spirit! I went on to create my own company, Pitter Patter – The Hubs For Bubs which were venues for baby & toddler classes in West London. I also co-founded Ealing Mums in Business with my business partner and together we held networking events and craft markets, supporting other mums running their own businesses.

In 2015 an opportunity to move to Abu Dhabi for my husband’s job came out of the blue. Not wanting to have any regrets, we decided to go for it. It was one of the scariest yet exciting things we have ever done. Living the expat lifestyle has lots of benefits, but it just wasn’t right for us, and I felt a million miles away from the close-knit business community I had created in London. That’s when I decided I needed to bring it all online, and create a digital business. So Making Mumpreneurs was born.

Making Mumpreneurs logo

What were your drivers and motivations for setting up Making Mumpreneurs?

The mission of Making Mumpreneurs is to create a supportive space online for mums in business all over the world. The Cocoon is the inner sanctum of Making Mumpreneurs and is a safe place to learn, evolve & grow. It can be so isolating running your own business, but in The Cocoon there is always someone online to chat to, and we have monthly master classes, goal setting and expert advice. I think it’s so important to surround yourself with positive, entrepreneurial people, who understand the challenges you are facing because they face them too.

How do you balance the business around family and childcare?

I’ve been running my businesses around the kids for 9 years now so I think I have created a good balance. My youngest has just started school which has transformed the way I will work, and I really want to start sticking to 9-3pm, with just a bit of social media checking in the evenings. One thing that’s important is that I don’t let myself feel guilty when I have to do some work while they are playing or watching TV. They understand I run my own business, and this is how we earn money. I could definitely put my smartphone down a bit more though. The entrepreneurial spirit is definitely rubbing off on them which is wonderful to see!

Picture of Erin

Since setting up Making Mumpreneurs what’s been your biggest success to date? 

In 2014 my business partner and I were honoured in Parliament by our local MP for our work supporting small business owners. We were then interviewed on London Live TV too – very exciting times and it was so rewarding for our work to be acknowledged.

What’s your top tip for anyone who is thinking about setting up their own business?

Make sure it’s something that you are really passionate about. It’s incredibly hard work and a complete rollercoaster. Sometimes you feel like you are bashing your head against a brick wall and you wonder if you will ever make enough money to cover your bills! But the upside for me is the feeling of immense opportunity – as an entrepreneur the world really is your oyster, and it’s up to you how high you want to fly!

Thank you so much Erin for agreeing to be featured on my blog today. It’s been lovely finding out more about Making Mumpreneurs, and I wish you every success in the future.

You can find out more about Making Mumpreneurs on the website, or social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you would like to be part of my Mums in Business then just drop me an email: thepramshedblog@gmail.com. Or have a nose at some of the other businesses I have featured in my series: Holisticare, The Mummy Consultancy, and Created by Magic.

Claire x

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