This is my why. This picture right here, and those big blue eyes, sums up why I love being a Mumpreneur and why I wouldn’t trade it for anything. You see before I had my babies I was a teacher. A really good teacher too I might add, with a promising career ahead. So I went back to teaching when my baby was about 8 months old. But motherhood had changed me. I never knew love could be that powerful, but that’s how it was for me. I know it’s not like that for everyone, but for me it was profound and nothing was ever the same again.
I spent the whole time pining for my baby and counting the days till holidays and the hours till I could get home to him. It never felt the same again. No one told me it would be like this. I just wanted to be with him but I wanted something for me too. Why was that so hard? I rang my head office & asked about working from home – maybe curriculum writing or school of the air?? Anything. But of course there was nothing. I had two choices. Be a teacher. Or be with my baby.
Eventually baby no. two arrived and I never did go back to the school. I’d heard about mumpreneurs, these stay at home mums who created cool little businesses to enable them to make some extra money and be with their baby too. “Wow!” I thought, “that’s exactly what I want to do”.
I soon found out it wasn’t easy but Katy and I were determined to be successful and we stuck with it. Because this wasn’t just about us, it was about our kids too. I’m so glad we did.
We now have a 6 figure business and we still work from home, and we work just 3 hours a day! I have all the time I want to go to playgroup, to the park, to the beach, to the play cafe or just to hang out at home with my gorgeous baby and the boys.
I’m also surrounded by thousands of other mumpreneurs around Australia, just like me, running hugely successful businesses and enjoying their time with their babies too.
New research by St.George Bank reveals nearly one in two Australian mums (43%) are motivated to start up a business in order to spend more time with the kids, followed by the desire to have more freedom and flexibility (27%), or to work for themselves (15%).
And thousands of Australian women each year are making the leap, in fact the number of women starting a business from home has doubled in the last 10 years. They’re making a loud and clear statement to traditional employers that women expect more:
*They want flexibility in how, when and where they work, they want
*They want to be recognised for the work they do
*They want to be able to be a part of their children’s lives whenever they want to – going to sports day, helping out in the classroom, there for school pick up.
*They also want to be paid better
So they’re taking matters into their own hands and making it happen!
We’ve known this was happening for a while now, so we were absolutely delighted to hear that the Federal Minister for Small Business Mr Bruce Billson is now recognising the contribution mumpreneurs are bringing to the Australian economy too!
“The number of women running businesses in Australia is growing, with “mumpreneurs” harnessing new technologies and social media to launch products and services,” Small Business Minister Bruce Billson says.
And Mr Billson says small business can expect three things – a tax cut of at least 1.5 per cent, greater support for entrepreneurs and more cuts to red tape and regulation – as part of a small business and jobs package that will be released in the lead-up to the May budget.
He also said that the government was working on a pre-budget time frame for the release of the small business and jobs package, which would be of direct benefit to the 97 per cent of businesses in Australia that were small business.
“Mumpreneurs are able to make use of the disruptive technology to build businesses and livelihoods for themselves and others – often combining new technology, social media skills, new products and services too,” he said.
“They are leading the way in navigating new technology, new business opportunities, and the perennial challenge of balancing economic and family goals.”
They’re also bringing millions of dollars to the Australian economy and I’m with Bruce Billson in applauding them.
