My Mumpreneur of the Month: Michelle Daniells from Benjoy Nutrition Ltd

1. Can you quickly introduce yourself to our readers?

I’m Michelle Daniells, mother of Benoit (5) & Amelie (18 months) and the founder of new children’s nutrition company, Benjoy Nutrition Ltd. We develop really healthy, delicious and handy snacks for young children (from 1 year+) and sell them in our amazing, anti-spill, less mess MUNCHCUPS.

2. When and why did you decide you decide to become your own boss?

When my son Ben started on solid foods in 2008, I soon realised he was a very fussy eater. I was constantly worried about his diet and struggled to find the time to prepare home made food for him all the time. He preferred “snacking” to eating his main meals and I tried to find healthy, convenient, packaged snack foods that were appropriate for him as a toddler. 

I was not happy with the choice, ingredients and nutritional value of most of the products available and realised that all my mummy friends shared similar concerns. We were all giving our children foods like breadsticks, savoury biscuits and crackers, and even breakfast cereals as snacks because we wanted to avoid things like crisps, sweets and biscuits as much as possible. There were many occasions where we were giving our children packaged snacks that were convenient, but not healthy and we were feeling guilty about this.

I had lots of ideas for snack foods that would be better for young children and started to develop these, along with professional children’s nutrition experts and food bioscience academics. I was also keen to address other problems I had encountered with young children’s snacks such as portion sizes being too large and the mess created when children spill conventional bags and boxes of snacks.

I have always been driven by doing something useful and am also very interested in food and cooking. I had diet and weight problems when I was younger that have had a lifelong impact on me and I felt passionate about creating tasty and nutritious foods that would help to make parents lives easier and children’s diets better. I wanted to help parents feel less stressed and guilty about their children and free up more time to spend with their special little people. 

3. What sort of products do you produce and sell? And which one is your absolute favourite?

We produce a range of nutritious snacks including crunchy strawberry & grape slices (100% pure fruit), multigrain bites (little puffs coated in fruit & vegetable juices), multigrain munchers (mixed grain and seed toasts with vegetables) and root vegetable crisps (unsalted). All our products are made from 10% natural ingredients and have no added salt or sugar. 

My favourite is the root vegetable crisps. People can’t believe they have absolutely no salt added. We selected the tastiest root vegetables (parsnip, beetroot, carrot & sweet potato) and use no potato, which is quite bland. Most children love crisps, but they contain far too much salt and it’s great that we have developed something so delicious as a great alternative. Children and parents love them and parents don’t have to feel guilty about giving them to their kids – it’s a real win-win. They are also high in Vitamin A, which is an added benefit. People keep asking when we are going to supply them in large bags.

4. How do you juggle being a successful business woman and a mum and wife?

I admit I haven’t always been successful at getting the work/family balance right. After spending months feeling constantly stressed and guilty, I finally found techniques that helped and I made peace with myself.  For example I try hard not to work during the day at weekends and other times when the children are around and I do a lot of work after they have gone to bed.  I strive to separate family and work life so that each gets my full attention when it’s their turn. It doesn’t always work, but when I am trying to look after the children and take a work call, I somehow manage to wipe my son’s bottom or feed my daughter and sound professional and competent on the phone at the same time!! 

Maintaining a strong sense of humour and perspective has helped a lot!  I make sure family time is quality time when we do loads of fun stuff and I’ve become quite good at switching off from work. This means my children are getting enough time, attention and engagement from me when we are together. I try hard not to feel guilty and don’t beat myself up when I have to work during family time occasionally.  It helps that my kids are very happy and my relationship with them is just what I would want it to be.  Contrary to popular opinion I believe it is possible to be a brilliant mum and a brilliant business person (just not concurrently!).

As any working mum knows, childcare is always a huge challenge. My mum has been a great support and helps out a couple of days a week and the children go to a great nursery that I am very happy with (so I don’t feel worried or guilty about sending them there). 18 months ago my husband had to go and work overseas and to be honest, whilst it makes life hard on the one hand and I feel like a single parent, it has also meant I don’t feel torn in too many different directions because I only have to focus on the kids and the business and don’t feel like I’m neglecting him. He’s due back in the UK next month, so let’s see how we cope then!

5. Is there anything you wish you'd known before becoming a mumpreneur or wish you'd done differently?

At times I’ve said I wish I’d known how hard this was going to be, but I don’t regret it and if I had known I might not have done it and taken the huge risks I have done. Because I am doing something that is really close to my heart and directly related to my children’s well-being and that of other kids, it has all been worth it. It would have made the journey easier if I’d had more experience in some areas though.

I’m new to the food sector and my lack or experience has mean it’s been a huge learning curve. It would have been good to have know what some of the challenges were going to be so that I could have been more prepared: things like how the big supermarkets operate and all the complexities involved with sourcing and packing foods. We’ve done extremely well getting into the likes of Morrisons and Waitrose already, but it could have been easier. I’m not a packaging expert either, but have developed the world’s first anti-spill snacks packaging and feel very proud of that. I also had to raise external investment, which I had never done before, and that was incredibly challenging and stressful.

I’ve learned a lot and would have done things a bit differently with our fundraising. I got into hot water when an investor pulled out at the last minute and that was really scary.

What do I wish I had done differently? I wish I had taken more time to select some of the people who worked for me in the early days. Some were brilliant, but others were not good value and I should have checked out their backgrounds and references in more detail. You live and learn!

6. What do you love most about your job and what are your plans for the future?

I love all the positive feedback we get from parents and carers about our products.  Once people have tried them and understand how nutritious they are, they are so pleased that they send us loads of lovely messages.  It has been a hard road (and continues to be, as we grow and develop new products) but it’s amazing to see our products on supermarket shelves and know that children and parents are enjoying what we have put our hearts and souls into.

Future plans for the business are to grow our distribution so that our products are available where parents need them.  This includes venues like cafes, airports, petrol stations and leisure centres.  We also have loads of exciting ideas for new products that we hope to introduce soon.  Personally, my plans are to lose weight, go cycling every day (like I used to in my life before children and Benjoy) and to grow the Benjoy team so that I can take more holidays!

If you love the sound of Benjoy's healthy snacks, pop around tomorrow for this month's Mumpreneur of the Month giveaway. This time, we have one big first prize and two runner-ups.

5 top tips on how to survive as a new mum

You've waited 9 long months to meet your baby. You've gone through hours of painful labour or even a c-section and now it's time to take your new baby home from hospital. What you don't know: The first weeks can be a shock to the system. Here are my 5 top tips on how to survive as a new mum:

 

Don't let guests stress you

It's nice to show off your baby, but you've got to rest at some point. Limit the number of visitors and the time they are staying. If you don't want to seem rude come up with a little code word for your other half so that he can politely let your visitors know that you and baby might need some rest now. Also, remember that no one expects you to be the hostess with the mostess. If someone wants a cup of tea or coffee, let them help themselves.

Forget about the household

The first weeks are about getting to know each other as a family. You'll learn about your baby's needs, when he/she sleeps or when he/she likes to cuddle and most of all you will find out that their needs will totally clash with your previous routine. But don't let that stress you. Lean back, take the time to bond with your baby and let the household wait. Does it really matter if you empty the dishwasher today or tomorrow?

Do your own thing

If you've gone over due you will have already experienced all the 'good advice' that people throw at you, if not, you will experience it now. It will come from all sides, from men and women, from neighbours you have never talked to, complete strangers and people who don't even have children. They'll tell you how long to let your baby cry for, which nappies to use and how to get them into a routine and they'll all tell you something different. Listen, nod and do your own thing. You'll know what is best for your baby.

Forget dieting

Well, at least if you are breast feeding. I didn't believe it, but breast feeding is draining. Especially during growth spurts it can feel as if your little one is sucking all your energy out of your body. So sod the weight shifting and keep your energy levels up by eating regularly and having the odd snacks. Also, have a drink ready for every feed. You can get terribly thirsty while feeding your little vampire.

And last but not least...

kiss and cuddle your new family member as much as you possibly can. Cuddling your baby and looking into his/her little face when they smile at you is the most rewarding feeling in the world. So make sure you take as much time as possible to be close to your little bundle of joy. My baby girl is only 5 weeks old and I'm already telling everyone she's growing up too quickly.

If you are a mum already, what are your survival tips? Mums-to-be, did people give you advice on how to be a mum and if so, are you going to stick with it or will you throw it over board to make your own experiences?

My Mumpreneur of the Month: Eve Bell from Baba+Boo

1. Can you quickly introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi, my name is Eve and I am mum to Seth and Louisa, wife and owner of Baba+Boo – the names I use for my babies!

2. When and why did you decide you decide to become your own boss?

It happened organically really. I had the children in quick succession and I had decided to be a stay at home mum. I like to always look for clothing that is unique but it was also expensive, so with two children, it just wasn’t an option. I used to be a buyer before I had the children, so I started sourcing funky products that were that little different to the high street and it all took off from there.
Also, when Louisa was 4 months old, we found money was really tight, so I looked into using reusable nappies for her and thought they were really expensive to start with. I did a bit of research and I realised that there was a need for affordable cloth nappies but with no compromise in quality and performance. Baba+Boo nappies are now becoming a really popular brand of nappies and have continuous rave reviews.

3. What sort of products to you produce and sell? And which one is your absolute favourite?

I sell funky clothing+shoes, my own brand of reusable nappies, shoes and potty training pants. I source some items for the boutique but my dream is that one day, they will all be my own design! I absolutely love my nappies and all the fabrics but if I have an absolute favourite it has to be my Moo Cow Leather Baby Shoes. Just wish I’d had these when my little man was smaller. He loved all things cow!

4. How do you juggle being a successful business woman and a mum and wife?

Hmmmm, not very well most of the time! I am getting better at it though! I have a fantastic husband who helps me with the children and then when they have gone to bed, he’s been everything to post boy, stock controller and general skivvy! I try to not work in the day when the children are with me and work away at night until all hours in the morning! Its hard sometimes because I feel guilty when I can hear all the fun downstairs and I am sat in upstairs working. I think guilt plays a part in every mum’s life though!

5. Is there anything you wish you'd known before becoming a mumpreneur or wish you'd done differently?

I wish I’d known what a roller-coaster of a ride it is when you have your own business. There have been some great highs and also some lows but I have found that some good has always come of them, and make my business that bit stronger. It’s like being a school…I learn something new every day, which I love!

6. What do you love most about your job and what are your plans for the future?

I love being part of the campaign to get cloth nappies into the mainstream. Also, I have met some amazing people, who are just happy to help me with my business because they want to, for no gain. The generosity of some mums I have met since I started my business has amazed me. With regards to the future, its my dream that I can help real nappies become fashionable and I think that placing them amongst beautiful clothes for children is a good starting point. I have some new designs of clothing in the pipeline..I have a lot of things in my head which I want to do. I’m sure they will happen…when I find some extra hours in the day!

If you love the sound of Baba + Boo, pop around tomorrow for this month's Mumpreneur of the Month giveaway.

Review: Love You Mum by Gillian Campbell

I'm not normally one for self-help books, I really don't like the guilt trip that most of them send you on, however when I was asked to review Love You Mum by Gillian Campbell I thought it might be a good idea to have a read through it. 

There are millions of books that tell you how to raise your children, how to get them to have the perfect sleep routine and and and. This books different: It tells you how to be a mum – a mum that is happy in her role, a mum that goes to bed with a smile on her face and a mum that is in charge of her life.

Love Your Mum is divided into several chapters like Understanding Who You Are, Building Habits or Parenting with a Truth and helps you to analyse yourself and your feelings towards motherhood using exercises that really get you thinking. After working through them, you will clearly be able to say what kind of mum you are and what kind of mum you really want to be.

We all are grumpy from time to time or think we could do better when we look at the 'perfect' lives of others, aren't we? But why don't we just change our habits? No motivation? No idea where to start? Let me tell you, Gill Campbell will give you a kick up the bum that will get you going. Regard her as a good friend or even better, your personal trainer: she'll hold a mirror in front of you and she'll show you ways on how to deal with the ups and downs of being a mum.

Gillian herself says: “The book is for Mums who perhaps end more days wishing they hadn’t snapped at their kids and their partners more than they had laughed and loved the challenges they faced. Those who dive into the escape of a glass of wine, an internet site or a reality TV show at the end of each day, rather than spending time with their partner or putting steps in place.”

If that sounds like you, pop into your local book shop or visit Gillian's website www.theonlymum.com to get your copy of “Love You Mum”. The book costs £12.95 but it might change your life.

Mumpreneur of the Month giveaway

As I promised in yesterday's big Mumpreneur of the Month feature with Lizzie Longworth from Chic Unique, I have got something very special to give away to you this month. You can win a bespoke piece of jewellery in a design of your choice - made by Lizzie for you.

How to enter the competition:

1. Follow my blog using Google Friend Connect - required
2. Visit Chic Unique and tell me what your favourite piece is and why- required

For 5 extra entries:

3. Follow @ChicUniqueUK on Twitter

4. Tweet "I have entered @caro_mad's competition to win a unique piece of jewellery by @ChicUniqueUK"
5. Subscribe to Mummy Alarm using the email form in the right hand corner

6. Follow Mummy Alarm via Networked Blogs
7. Like Mummy Alarm on Facebook

Please, use separate comments for each entry. Failure do to so will result in only one entry per person.

The closing date of the competition is 09/04/2011

The winner will be chosen at random.

The winner's name will be shown on this page.

Competition is open to residents of the UK only.

The prize is non-refundable and cannot be transferred. No cash alternative is available.

And the winner of a bespoke piece of jewellery by Chic Unique is

haxel - @beachrambler

Congratulations - I'll be in touch shortly!

My Mumpreneur of the Month: Lizzie Longworth from Chic Unique

1. Can you quickly introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi, my name is Lizzie and I'm a wife and a full time mum to 3 young girls. I'm the founder of Chic Unique.

2. When and why did you decide you decide to become your own boss?

I set up Chic Unique approximately 8 months ago. At first, it all began as a hobby then spread to family and friends and soon it quickly escalated into selling online. I have always wanted to work for myself but had never found the time before.

3. What sort of products to you produce and sell? And which one is your absolute favourite?

I lovingly handcraft jewellery to fall in love with, from home. I cannot say that I have a favourite piece of jewellery. I fall in love with something else every time I make something.

4. How do you juggle being a succesful business woman and a mum and wife?

My husband is a huge help with that. He takes care of the girls when he can, giving me the opportunity to get creative. The girls get involved where they can and I try to spend most of my working day when it's nap time and after they have gone to bed.

5. Is there anything you wish you'd known before becoming a mumpreneur or wish you'd done differently?

I am very proud of where I have got to in such a short space of time but I would have liked more advice on the more business side of things.

6. What do you love most about your job and what are your plans for the future?

I love the fact that I can hide away for an hour and then go and play with my daughters! I love that my whole family can get involved and that I can take time off whenever I want or need to. I hope to develop my brand more this year and hopefully become a well known brand in time to come.

If you love the sound of Chic Unique, pop around tomorrow to win a unique piece of jewellery in a  bespoke design of your choice in my big Mumpreneur of the Month giveaway.

Flashback Friday: 1988 - Cuddling with Mummy

1988 - Cuddling with Mummy (4 years old)

As it was International Women's Day on Tuesday, I thought that this would be the perfect oppurtunity to show you a picture of the most important woman in my life: my mum!

My mum is my best friend and she always makes me laugh. She listens whenever I need a shoulder to cry on and she is always there for me no matter how big the mess I'm in. Everyone says how alike we are and when we are answering the phone not even my dad can tell us apart - brilliant when someone you don't want to talk to is calling...

If you’re interested in trawling back through the photo archives, then pop over to Cafe Bebe every Friday for Flashback Friday. For now, let’s just get the ball rolling. Look back in your photo archives. It can be a picture of you as a child…your child in the early days/months/years…your house before a makeover…a winter photo…a “one year ago today” photo…The sky’s the limit. Just take us back in time. Share some words to take us there and we can all get nostalgic and smiley remembering “when”. Then, the important part: Go back to Cafe Bebe and add your linky in the gadget below the current Flashback Friday post. Then visit a few blogs to continue the nostalgia and smiley-ness. Simples!

The Gallery: Children

This is my first ever Gallery post, a great blogging feature that Tara over at Sticky Fingers invented, and I have to say that I absolutely love the topic for my first week: Children. 

Below you can see a ultrasound picture of my little girl that was taken at my 20 weeks scan not too long ago. I will finally get to meet her in 10 weeks and I can't wait to start taking millions of pictures of her to share with you.

If you want to find out more about the idea behind the Gallery and want to have a go yourself, pop over to Tara's blog and read more about it here.

Hurry up and BaM! - Become a Mumpreneur

You want 2011 to become your year? A year that you can look back on as a mum and a successful business woman? Then the BaM! e-course might be exactly what you have been looking for.

The course was developed by Erica Douglas and Antonia Chitty and both of them are living proof that there are lots of flexible ways to earn from home, even if you have small children to look after, if you’re studying, if you have health problems that limit the work you can do or simply if you are tied to school hours.

The membership site for the course (monthly fee of just £14.99) will be made up of e-lessons sent to your inbox and a private members area that will host multi-media study materials along with a live chat area and a forum. All in all, the course does not only offer you a perfect step by step quide on how to develop a successful business idea but also helps you to keep motivated when things might look tough.

The course will be split into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, but you pay the same monthly fee throughout that covers all your materials and access to the members area.

Here is what happens:

Beginner – e-Lessons are one every three days and focus on you taking those first steps to earning your own income. We focus on mindset, taking action and dealing with failure. Within the first few weeks you should be earning enough to cover your BaM! subscription. By the end of this section you should be earning a steady but small part-time income.

Intermediate – We focus on taking your seed idea and growing it into something more established. e-Lessons cover everything you need to know about running a small business and creating a business plan. Monthly expert webinars will focus on specialised areas. By the end of this section your income should have completely replaced your ‘work’ income.

Advanced – The e-lessons look at finding more customers, creating the work/life balance you dream of, expanding and selling your business. Webinar experts will be people that have been there and done it. You’ll only reach this level of success if you work extremely hard at your idea, however if you achieve it then your earnings are uncapped and may even include a lump sum on selling your business.

If you want some fresh wind in your life and you feel you are ready to fullfil your dreams then be quick: registration on the membership site closes 22 January 2011. There you'll also find out more detailed information on the structure of the course.

Seven Secrets

As you might see from the number of posts on my blog, I am relatively new to the world of mummy blogs, however New Mummy has tagged my blog on her website so that all my readers will get to know me a bit better by reading seven of my well-kept secrets.

1. Lots of people think I am quite tough. Well, usually that is right but as soon as I watch a film that has only the slightest element of sadness in it I turn into the biggest crybaby ever seen. My worst moment so far was watching "Evita" - I started crying during the intro just because I found the music really emotional.

2. I can handle spiders and all other creepy crawlies but as soon as I see a snake (be it on telly or in a zoo or any other situation) I freak out big time. And if I say big time I actually mean humongously - sweaty hands, shaking, panic and night mares that scare the living daylight out of my better half.

3. I hate white food: egg white, milk, rice pudding and fish are only a few of the white things I wouldn't even want close to my mouth. I find them that disgusting that I sometimes even refuse washing sauce pans that had these things in them, because I don't want to touch them. Breast feeding is going to be fun!

4. I'm singing everywhere and always. I used to sing in a choir for more than 13 years and sang many solos in front of hundreds of people, but I get stage fright when friends and family want me to sing to them. Weird, I know.

5. I'm rather cold than too hot. That's why I don't like to have the heating running when I am driving and I never blow dry my hair.

6. I can cope really well with pain but as soon as I get a local anaesthetic my body goes all funny and I faint although actually feeling absolutely fine.

7. When I was about 15 I had the biggest crush ever on a boy that went to my school. So far not really unusual, but when I saw him walking on the other side of the road and noticed I was wearing really unsexy tracksuit buttoms, I put my magazine up and pretended I was reading. Massive fail: Just that moment I  noticed that I held my magazine the wrong way round and got so embarrassed that I tripped over the kerb and pulled a ligament.

To make this whole thing even more fun I am tagging 15 of the blogs that I am reading regularly hoping they'll join the game and share some of their secrets. Here they are: Mediocre Mum, All Baby Advice Blog, Mummy loves, Scottish Mum Blog, Baby Baby, New Mummy, All about the Boys, Baby Budgeting, Mummy Mishaps, Something Blue, Mostly Yummy Mummy, Mummy's Shoes, Rosie Scribble, Plus 2.4 and last but not least My funny Bunny.