Making Mumpreneurs. by Erin Thomas Wong
I met Erin briefly at an event I organised last Spring but I we did not have a chance to actually get to know one another until a few weeks ago when I attended a Netwalking group which her husband has set up in Bournemouth for local Entrepreneurs to meet and collaborate. Whilst walking on the beach on a gorgeous sunny morning, I found out about how she created Making Mumpreneurs and is bringing women together, providing support and a platform for shared resources. I love what she does and she is clearly very good at it! I am delighted to be sharing her interview with you as she is a true Networker and Connector. I will let her tell you about herself in her own words...
“ Making Mumpreneurs is an online community which supports and empowers mums who are running businesses around family life. A Mumpreneur is someone who sets up a business after having children, and often their motivation is to be able to design a career that they love doing which also fits around their family commitments. Sometimes it’ s just not viable for women to go back to a full time job due to the cost of childcare and the lack of flexibility offered by employers.
While I lived in London I co-founded Ealing Mums in Business, and we organised monthly local business meetups for mums running their own businesses. We were overwhelmed with the response and realised how important it was to create this support network. Two years ago my family and I left London and moved to Abu Dhabi, which was a massive change for all of us. I felt incredibly isolated and a long way away from the wonderful business community I had actively created in London. I realised I needed to bring this community online, where geographical location was no longer an issue. I set up Making Mumpreneurs to create an online space where these like-minded mums can connect and support each other through the challenges of juggling a business whilst raising children. The response has been incredible, and the Facebook group is hugely active.
This year I launched a membership club called The Cocoon, which is the inner sanctum of Making Mumpreneurs; a safe place to learn, evolve and grow. We have monthly masterclasses, expert advice, accountability and a fantastic sense of camaraderie, all from the comfort of your own home. This is ideal for mums who can’ t attend networking events because they are looking after their children. I believe strongly in collaboration, and The Cocoon has given me an opportunity to draw together all the amazing business experts I have met over the years to provide valuable training for the members. In return I promote them to the wider Making Mumpreneurs community. Collaborating and networking is definitely about working out how best to work together for mutual benefit.