Bump to Business Owner

If you’re about to go back to work post mat leave, or have just returned to work, this one is for you.

Jess Heagran, Founder of Careers After Babies is on a mission to create a cohort of world class employers for working parents. If you haven’t read the Careers After Babies report, I highly recommend it. It is mind blowing. I think we knew, but we didn’t ‘know’, I didn’t realise just how widespread the lack of support for parents, and especially mums is. So if you’re having a bad experience at the moment: you are not alone, as Jess says ‘this is a universal mum thing’. A little bit of support at work goes a long way.

I loved Jess’ words about becoming a mum - it’s like a whole new planet that we didn’t know existed. But it has given her incredible and work applicable skills: she’s a better line manager, and I agree, I am a better (nicer!) person too since becoming a mum. We talked about identity and what this complete change means for us as individuals but also in work.

Jess was really honest about how hard she found it when her first business didn’t ‘just take off’ like all the business stories she was hearing around her. And even now, despite the huge viral success of the Careers After Babies Report, going back to employment is still a real possibility, like it is for any self-employed person.

Jess mentioned some really useful resources and had some great advice for mums having a bad mat leave/return to work experience, listen to the end to catch it, resources listed below.

Resources Jess mentioned:

Pregnant then Screwed: https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/

ACAS: https://www.acas.org.uk/grievance-procedure-step-by-step

Working Families: https://workingfamilies.org.uk/advice-information/free-parents-carers-helpline/

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Jessica Heagran

Jessica Heagran is Founder of Career after babies.

Jessica’s first business ‘that works for me’ she founded after a quick and extremely badly handled return to her very senior role in a finance company at five months postpartum which lead her to quit her job

‘That works for me’, was a platform to help parents find part time and flexible work, which meant she spoke to thousands of other women who had similar experiences to her own.

This led to Jess realising she could not understand why this wasn’t being spoken about - so Jess interrogated, analysed, and drew many conclusions from 848 women across the UK from all industries and she released the ‘career after babies’ report in November 2023. 

It exposed what many of us would expect on this podcast here. The uncomfortable truth.

Not only all of this but Jess has four children of her own, three daughters and a son who she wants to work in a different world to the one she did.

Jessica Heagran’s Links:

Website: https://www.careersafterbabies.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/careers-after-babies/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/careersafterbabies/

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jessica-heagren

Nicky Elliot is the embodiment of the lessons of her own podcast: there is no career path. From events business, to children’s clothing brand, to podcasting and consultancy, Nicky’s path has been winding.

Stepping away from her events business after the birth of her second child, Nicky opened a successful clothing brand in 2020, and closed it in 2023. And wow, Nicky is honest about her journey through it: exactly how much she invested in the company (life savings!), the healthy dose of naivety it takes to be a business owner, and why she decided that she just didn’t want to do it any more.

We had a really interesting discussion that ranged from how do we measure success, why founders need to be able to make head as well as heart decisions and how difficult that can be when your business is (a big) part of your identity. And why there’s no shame in saying ‘I just don’t want it enough’.

I loved what Nicky had to say about seasons - a recurring theme on the podcast. Your ambitions can move and so can your resources. Maybe you just don’t have it in the tank at the moment, you can come back to it when it feels right. 

She also was honest about her experiences of mat leave, her first with her daughter was hard: ‘I loved her, I didn’t love ‘it’’, and the opportunity that Covid created for her to dedicate herself to starting a business on mat leave with her son. TLDR: It would not have been possible to start a business in her first.

We spoke about fundraising, ‘the juggle’ and Nicky’s approach to social media and how it’s changed. All favourite topics on the pod and Nicky has some great perspectives.

Listen to the end to hear Nicky’s tips for mums who are thinking about starting their own business but aren’t sure where to start.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Nicky Elliot

Nicky is a serial entrepreneur, podcast host, mum of two, speaker and advocate for women in business and their stories.

Nicky is an absolute rock star, a mum of two, her motherhood journeys began with iVF and a preemie baby - it was during her maternity leave she launched her first business venture with wilder ones, a unisex kids brand this led her to pivoting to all things women business, their stories and sharing with the world.

Nicky Elliot’s Links:

Website: https://www.wilderones.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-elliott-44103418/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wilder.ones/

Mimi spent almost 20 years building her international advertising career when she was challenged on her leadership style, ‘is it intuition or is it empathy?’

Just arrived to a new country with her small daughter in tow, Mimi realised she had been mis-sold a job and faced the challenge of trying to rebuild a failing company. She realised that listening, and most of all empathy, was a superpower and used it to not only turn the business around, but become a best selling author along the way.

I learnt so much from my conversation with Mimi and from reading her book, I’ve already started incorporating some changes into my business. I loved her approach to balance - it doesn’t exist, so stop chasing it. Mimi uses her position as CEO to set the tone for her team, ‘life first always’, which is definitely something I’m encouraging more in my life and for my team.

We also spoke about pursuing our passion projects - her empathy research, for me the podcast. People might ask why, question whether the audience is there, whether people even read any more (!?) but we have to make something. And it doesn’t have to change the world, or make us loads of money, but why not use our creations as a way of marking our progress?

Resources mentioned:

Netflix documentary, Blue Zones: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/live-to-100-secrets-of-the-blue-zones-documentary

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Mimi Nicklin

Mimi Nicklin is a Bestselling Author, CEO, Empathy Advocate, Podcaster. 

Building a career around Training Listening Led-Leadership and creating more empathy, everywhere with 12,500 students globally, Mimi had a 18 year career in the advertising industry before founding Empathy Everywhere Academy -the worlds first training platform to use empathy led leadership to drive transformational change in workplaces and our world."

Mimi’s book Softening The Edge was a bestseller before it even reached the shelves. 

Her breakfast show, hosted from home during lock down, reached 85,000 people and her social following is growing at 150% month on month. People want to listen to her message, Mimi wants to listen to their stories.

Mimi is a mum of one, a global citizen currently in  Kuala Lumpur  and her career within branding and storytelling agencies led her to become an Empathy advocate - having read her book myself it opened my eyes to the Empathy deficit  and how we can play a small part individually in changing thi

Mimi Nicklin’s Links:

Website: https://www.empathyeverywhere.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miminicklin/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/miminicklin

Like so many women with corporate careers, Saasha Celestial-One decided during mat leave that it just wasn’t worth the sacrifices it required. Instead, inspired by her mat leave experience, she created London’s first pay-as-you-go nursery.

Fiercely ambitious, Saasha and her friend and now co-founder Tessa, wanted to create a business that contributed meaningfully to the environment, and Olio was born: a mere 5 months after their initial ‘A-ha’ moment!

As a solo founder, I am fascinated by co-founder relationships, even more so when you’re working with your best friend. It was so interesting to hear Saasha’s perspective on her relationship with Tessa and the commitment it creates. 

Olio raised £50 million in fundraising rounds, it’s in the top 10 in the UK in terms of capital raised by female founders. It's easy to think it was a straightforward, effortless process, but Saasha makes a really clear distinction between how fundraising felt, and how it appeared. And, the darker side of ‘growth, growth, growth’.

They bootstrapped Olio, and we hear the details of how, the flyering, the knocking on doors, the magic of Facebook groups and how they created such a beautiful, engaged and supportive community: the lifeblood of the business.

It was also really refreshing to hear Saasha talk about her founder peer group, who are now in the young children phase of family and finally ‘get it’, and leaning into the chaos of parenthood - wearing it like a badge of honour.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Saasha Celestial-One

Saasha is the  Co-Founder & COO of OLIO, a free app harnessing the power of mobile technology and the sharing economy to provide a revolutionary solution to the problem of waste. 

OLIO is growing quickly, empowered by 100k+ volunteers. Since 2016,7m OLIOers have successfully shared over 130m portions of food and 10m household items with each other in 62 countries. 

Before OLIO, Saasha founded London’s first pay-as-you-go high street childcare provider, and prior to that she spent 13yrs at Morgan Stanley, McKinsey and American Express. 

Not only was Saasha was named one of the UK’s “Coolest Female Founders” by Business Insider but she also has an MBA from Stanford, is a mum to 11-year-old Nolan, and is the proud daughter of hippy entrepreneurs.

Saasha Celestial-One’s Links:

Website: https://olioapp.com/en/

LinkedIn (Saasha): https://www.linkedin.com/in/saasha-celestial-one-929390/

LinkedIn (OLIO): https://www.linkedin.com/company/olio-share-more-waste-less/

Instagram (Saasha): https://www.instagram.com/saashacone/

Instagram (OLIO): https://www.instagram.com/olio.app/

If you are feeling challenged, by motherhood, by your business, this is the conversation for you.

Anna Mathur, psychotherapist, best selling author and mum of 3 shares some of her wisdom on how we can live more restfully, when let’s face it, as parents, sleep just isn’t an option.

Not only does Anna share some of her personal practices and insights into how we can all try to create that space for a breath between a moment of stress and our reaction, but it was also a real comfort just to hear her share and think ‘I’m not alone in this’. It is hard, but it will pass.

We spoke about social media: not only the stress it unconsciously puts our bodies under, but how Anna’s approach to it is changing and what that means for her business. And above all, if things are getting harder, it’s not you taking a step backwards, it’s you levelling up.

This is a really nice companion episode to Season 2, Episode 10 with Kim Hartwell, if you haven’t already listened to it, I would recommend it.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Anna Mathur

Anna Mathur, a woman I feel I don’t REALLY need to introduce to my fellow mums listening to this podcast. The woman who makes us all relieved and feel actually ‘normal’ with how we feel day to day.

Anna is a Psychotherapist, mum of 3, speaker and Sunday Times Best Selling Author.

Passionate about taking therapy out of the therapy room Anna Mathur is widely celebrated for her accessible mental health advice and the light- bulb moments which she offers across her platforms.

Often told through her own experiences, Anna has a unique approach to mental health, whether it’s providing advice on anxiety, coping with overwhelm or encouraging self-worth.

Anna’s latest book ‘Raising a Happier Mother’ is out now and is a MUST read for every mum.

Anna Mathur’s Links:

Website: https://www.annamathur.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-mathur-mbacp-accred-63085738/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annamathur

After nearly 20 years as Tom Ford’s right hand woman, Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings went on maternity leave with her third child, and knew she was never going back.

Mat leave was a now or never moment, Whitney knew that the nascent FLOWERBX, set up 7 months before, was a good idea, but she needed to commit. And she never looked back.

There is some real honesty from Whitney in this conversation, what it was like being a young mother working in the fashion industry, ‘hide the baby, lose the weight’, and how difficult it has been creating a business since 2016 amongst Brexit, Covid, inflation and the cost of living crisis.

We spoke about how scary it can be leaving behind a career that has been a defining part of your identity, whether that’s to become a mum or to found your own business.

There’s also a lot of practical tips in there - Tom Ford’s #1 piece of advice, how to create the right team at home and in business, what Whitney wished she had learnt sooner and the 3 things that she wants every female founder to know.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings

Back in 2016, Dallas born Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings quit her job as head of global communications for Tom Ford where she had been for 19 years and started the online floristry company FLOWERBX

Whitney, was in search of luxury, single-variety flowers at an accessible price point, but could not find a florist or supplier that made her experience simple, reliable, and premium. 

And she was not alone, with like-minded flower lovers from London to Manhattan encountering the same inconvenience. 

Whitney recognised a niche in the market to deliver best-in-show florals to the front doorsteps of customers across the globe. With that, FLOWERBX was born, and their mantra has remained the same ever since.

Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings’s Links:

Website: https://www.flowerbx.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-hawkings-643a3317/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theflowerbx/

We’re back! This week, as a little taster for Season 3, coming out next week, I’m talking about the biggest, and most expensive mistake I have made to date in my business.

I fully admit - I got sucked into Instagram FOMO, and let my ego take control.

I’m sharing my reasons why I made the mistake, the reasons why it was the wrong decision for my business and my biggest 2 learnings from it. I want to normalise making mistakes and owning them - it’s part of our growth.

DISCLAIMER: I name a service I invested in, but I know that it has worked really well for other businesses, it just was not the right thing for me, my business and my client base. 

For a full list of software that we actually use in my business and recommend see: https://weareupsource.co.uk/resources/

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

After recording the final episode of Season 2 of Bump to Business Owner, Kim Hartwell, Founder of Humum, led us in a 20 minute meditation as a little pre-Christmas gift to remind you to take care of yourself, and prepare you for the festive season.

We’ve made this available as a stand alone episode for you to listen to whenever you need a moment of calm over the festive season.

Enjoy!

Kim Hartwell built a business on adventure hosting international retreats and teaching yoga, movement and breathwork face to face. And then Covid happened.  Kim’s business had to pivot pretty quickly to a new online model, and then she got pregnant. A huge pivot.

I really related to Kim’s feelings pre birth, the “oh god, am I going to be a person that just does mum stuff now?” feeling, the mindset that nothing really has to change once the baby arrives and the identity struggles that come when you have a baby and everything changes.

Thank you to Kim for being so honest about her postnatal depression and how long it took for her to really listen to the signs her mind and body were giving her. I think we can all understand that reluctance to ask for help, that “everyone else can manage fine, so why can’t I?” feeling.

This was such a beautiful conversation, that I think all mums need to hear, especially in the run up to Christmas. How can you say no, how can you protect your own energy and let go of what motherhood (and Christmas!) “should” look like.

Kim kindly led us in a 20 minute meditation, a little pre-Christmas gift to remind you to take care of yourself, and prepare you for the festive season.

Resources mentioned:

Conscious Connected Breathwork: https://ibfbreathwork.org/conscious-connected-breathwork/

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Kim Hartwell and Humum

Kim is a mum of one, Founder, mindfulness coach, Yoga teacher and movement coach.

Her core mission is to remind mums that we all deserve to feel empowered, confident and strong. To be themselves,

With a background in wellbeing and outdoor adventure she guides women to feel powerful in their day to day lives, whether that's surviving another day of motherhood or scaling a mountain!

This episode is a very special Christmas one and then Kim will be leading us with a short meditation for all mums this Christmas - do something to heal and support you.

Kim Hartwell is a personal trainer and yoga teacher with more than 10 years experience working in the industry. She is also a Breathwork Practitioner offering conscious connected breathwork sessions to help clients take their self development journey to the next level. 

Mumma to Indie (2) her brand HUMUM is a reflection of her core mission to remind Mums (like herself) new and experienced, that every mum deserves to feel empowered, confident and strong, not only as a mum but in themselves. That they are not “just a Mum” but a human with very real human needs. Having had first hand experience of the mental toll motherhood can take suffering from postnatal depression, Kim knows exactly how hard it can be growing your own human in the current world we live in.

Humum puts the often forgotten but VITALLY important aspect of being a Mum - YOU at the forefront. By focusing on a mothers healing journey Kim passionately believes we can make new pathways for happier, healthier Mums and in turn happier and healthier children and generations to come. Pour from an overflowing cup, look after you to look after them.

Kim offers online 1:1 yoga and breathwork sessions as well as HUMUM group healing events. 

Kim Hartwell’s Links:

Website: https://kimhartwell.com/

Instagram (Kim): https://www.instagram.com/kimhartwell/

Instagram (Humum): https://www.instagram.com/iamhumum/

Co-Founders Alina and Dini met each other at a Founders matchmaking programme, an interesting mix of Love Island and the Apprentice! They pretty quickly started working together, both fired by their mission to stop supply chain food waste.

And a lot has changed since then!

Alina had a baby 9 months into their business, leaving Dini to head the business as it navigated a change of business model from B2C to B2B SaaS. Now, Dini is about to have her first child, as the Wonki Collective goes out for its first funding rounds. Both really crucial moments in their business and personal lives. And what really shows from our conversation is their absolute trust and faith in one another as Co-Founders, in their gut instincts and their ability to flex and adapt.

It’s really inspiring to hear that mat leave when you’re a start up business is possible, but Alina and Dini are also really honest about the financial pressures of being a start up and having to pay for childcare.

This is a really important conversation for start ups navigating those early years of business and family life. I hope it’s helpful, and most of all, inspiring.

Resources mentioned:

Undaunted: https://undaunted-hq.org/

Bubble App for startups: https://joinbubble.com/for-business/ada-ventures-partners-with-bubble-for-startups_15366.html

The Amazing If: https://www.amazingif.com/

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About The Wonki Collective

Alina and Dini were brought together by the ugly truth of the wasteful world we live in. 40% of all food that's produced in the UK never even makes it to a supermarket shelf and gets lost along the supply chain and this duo are on a mission to change this, making it as easy for food manufacturers to buy and sell surplus supply chain ingredients as it is to currently throw them away.  

Alina by trade is a commercial lawyer who studied sustainability in Cambridge and Dini is a B-corp global brand builder with +8 years working in the food and drinks industry.

After seeing first hand how hard it is for even the most sustainable of manufacturers to map, measure and reduce their surplus easily, they set out upon a mission together to support UK food and drinks manufacturers and protect the planet’s finite resources.  

Their solution? The first B2B matchmaking technology for food manufacturers to efficiently identify, sell and redistribute surplus - think Tinder for surplus. 

Not only this but Alina welcomed her first child earlier this year and Dini is currently pregnant - they are building a business for our planet while growing our future. 

The Wonki Collective’s Links:

Website: https://www.thewonkicollective.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wonkicollective/

LinkedIn (Wonki Collective): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-wonki-collective/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alina-sartogo-57513b5b/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dini-mcgrath-323b5b62/

Another mum who found that the corporate world just wasn’t for her after having kids, Laura was inspired to create Mama Bamboo when she couldn’t find a sustainable nappy that fit in with her lifestyle. 

Laura waited until her children were at school/nursery before committing to her business idea, and from there in her words, “it’s been a real rollercoaster”. From 300% growth in her first years of business, to being hamstrung by skyrocketing freighting costs (hello 700% increase!) and considering closure, Laura and her team have been through it.

We talked about the pressure on mums to be perfect, whether that’s from social media, or just ourselves. 

We talked about having it all, and whether that’s ever really possible.

And Laura shared some valuable insights on EIS share equity funding, and how that helped her business.

I will personally be applying for a job at Mama Bamboo, as will all the mums in Hertfordshire - their ways of working sounded absolutely utopian, and I loved Laura’s “my girls just don’t work that way” when it comes to push back from suppliers and partners.

Resources that Laura mentioned:

Triodos Ethical Bank: https://www.triodos.co.uk/

Professor Lynda Gratton: https://lyndagratton.com/

More information on EIS: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-for-the-enterprise-investment-scheme

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Laura Crawford and Mama Bamboo:

Laura Crawford, mother-of-two from Hertfordshire, is the CEO and Founder of Mama Bamboo   

Horrified with the impact 3 billion nappies and 11 billion wet wipes a year were having in the UK, Laura Crawford, decided not to return to her previous role as a Management Consultant in the Banking industry after her maternity leave, but to launch her own B-Corp sustainable business. Born from the idea that our babies’ should not have to wear cheap plastic and start their early lives negatively impacting their future world, Laura developed a healthier, more natural, sustainable nappy and wet wipe.  

Laura has grown the company to its present £1m turnover with a strong loyal subscriber base. The company has benefitted from +£1 million of investment and recently expanded the product range and launched a marketing campaign to make the brand more mainstream and available.  

Laura continues to manage the product range development and certifications, alongside the wider company strategy, sales and marketing activities. Her focus extends beyond the development of greener products, to the global issue of circularity for nappies and wipes; running the #thenappyrevolution campaign and partnering with UCL, Imperial College, Hompost, Envar and Green Bums, Laura aims to implement a nationwide solution to ensure no compostable product goes into the landfill waste stream in future.   

Laura’s Links:

Website: www.mamabamboo.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/mamabamboouk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mamabamboouk

Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCxfgK1zxlW45txyKwB2L2Og

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions of baby loss which may be difficult for those with similar experiences.

Kat Fellows is mum of two and founder of the innovative, soon to launch revolutionary nursing bra - Lesh. With over 10 years in the beauty industry, Kat, like a lot of mums, found that the big corporate lifestyle just wasn’t working for her, especially once she had children.

Thanks so much to Kat who shared so honestly about her struggles throughout pregnancy with all consuming HG (hyperemesis gravidarum - acute morning sickness) and the impact that had on her mental health, perinatal and postnatal depression. I could hard relate to thinking the second pregnancy and birth would be “rinse and repeat” but finding that in reality they were two totally different ball games.

Kat and I are alike in that early doors we both realised that as solo business owners, networking was going to be key. For Kat, it’s the most important part of her business, not only in terms of making useful business connections and those 6 degrees of separation, but keeping her motivated and preventing that loneliness that can sometimes happen when you’re working solo.

She also has some really interesting perspectives on ownership and funding. VC funding seems like a silver bullet in many ways, but it can mean a lot of compromise. If you started your business to have more ownership and autonomy, is it right for you?

There were some real practical golden nuggets in this conversation - a game changing product platform that Kat recommended, local funding possibilities, where to spend and where to save when it comes to budgeting as a brand, and how to network as a new mum.

Resources Kat mentioned:

Chinaimportal: https://www.chinaimportal.com/

Female Founders Rise: https://femalefoundersrise.com/

Founders Social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-social/

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Kat Fellows and Lesh:

Kat is a Surrey based mummy to two and Founder of Lesh.

Kat started her business with one goal in mind -  to help breastfeeding Mums who experience leaking to breastfeed with dignity, and give them one less thing to think about in the minefield of motherhood.

Lesh is soon to launch, you can sign up for the waitlist now, using the link below.

Kat’s Links:

Website: https://wearelesh.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearelesh/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kat-fellows-69171817/

Self confessed super connector, Susie Lodge is a proud Mum to 3 little ones and founder of 2 businesses - Wiki Places for Kids and the Wiki Mama Network.

I think we can all relate to Susie’s description of screeching up to the office or to nursery pick ups constantly feeling like we’re on the back foot or in the wrong place. And we’ve all felt the romantic pull of setting up on our own - desperately seeking the freedom to choose how we manage our days and how we make our money.

Wiki Places for Kids was established and Susie had taken a place on the NatWest accelerator programme ready to take the business to the next level when Covid happened and business activity basically shut down overnight. Susie was really honest about how hard she found lockdown, homeschooling 2 small children with a baby and the disconnection she felt as an extrovert stuck at home. Which led to her founding her next business - Wiki Mama network, a place for women to celebrate each other, build connections and network when they might not consider themselves natural “networkers”.

Of course, I loved what Susie had to say about the value of networking: we all have a network whether we use that word to describe it or not and we should never underestimate our value and the value of our connections.

We ended the conversation with Susie’s beautiful and wise words about boundaries, which really resonated with me - listen out for her jar analogy, I am going to get myself a Susie jar! TLDR: It’s essential to ask for help.

Links:

NatWest accelerator programme: https://www.natwest.com/business/business-services/entrepreneur-accelerator.html 
More on how I set boundaries with my clients: https://podfollow.com/1695056315 

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Suzie Lodge and Wiki Places for Kids:

Susie Lodge is the founder and director of Wikiplacesforkids, The Wiki Mama Network and is ALSO a consultant in Marketing, Events and Social Media. 

Not only that but Susie is also a radio presenter, days out specialist and content creator on social media.

OH and lets not forget mummy to 3 CHILDREN and 2 dogs.

Suzie’s Links:

Website: https://wikiplacesforkids.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewikimama/

www.instagram.com/wikiplacesforkids_official/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susie-lodge-5b98b123/

Maria has moved from the ultimate corporate jobs at Coutts and Harrods to combining her passions and running her own sustainable luxury fashion business.

Maria’s journey into her business sounds like a really organic process, and shows you the value of sometimes just saying yes to opportunities and working out the finer details later! Like a lot of mums, Maria was looking for a more flexible working life than corporate life afforded her, not least because her eldest, Edie, has autism and other health concerns. 

Her business became an outlet during lockdowns (hard relate!) and Maria went from being very focused in her corporate roles to being skilled and capable across many areas, which I think will resonate with a lot of other business owners out there!   

We talked a lot about what we share and how things appear on social media. We might be frustrated with our seeming lack of progress in our business, but only we know the balls that we’re dropping. If we do share more “reality”, it gives clients and followers an opportunity to connect with us and our challenges, and often, they are going through something similar. It’s a tricky balance and something that I’m working out myself at the moment!

Listen to the end to hear Maria’s 3 tips for tired mums who want to look great, feel comfortable but also make more sustainable choices.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Maria Bettis and Slow Style Mindset:

Maria is a mummy of two and business owner leading the way in promoting confidence and conscious style

From a career in Finance looking after HNWs individuals at Coutts, to a fashion career at Harrods turned business owner, Maria is blazing the trail for women who want to leave the corporate world roles to follow their creativity & passion. 

Maria’s Links:

Website: https://slowstylemindset.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slowstylemindset/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariabettis/

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions of baby loss which may be difficult for those with similar experiences.

Lucy Legal is someone who knows pressure - a corporate legal job meant she was often working til 2am, then training with her private PT clients first thing before work. Realising that corporate life just wasn’t working for her when it came to starting a family, Lucy took the leap and went full time self employed. Everyone thought she was crazy to say goodbye to her company’s excellent mat leave and pension but she looked seriously at the financial considerations for her and her partner and made it work. Two businesses and two babies later and Lucy is an incredibly successful founder creating a life with intention for  her and her family.

Lucy was incredibly generous in sharing her personal and business experiences: Her experience of growing her team and what she could have done to make it work better; where she’s choosing to invest now to create more time and how a corporate background can shape your thinking in ways that aren’t helpful.

One of the best things about being a business owner is that you can create your own ways of working, so why do things the way they have always been done?

BONUS: Lucy shares the 3 legal essentials that your business needs NOW

Inspired by my chat with Lucy Legal (coming up next week, don't miss this one!) I’m talking about how I set boundaries with my clients this week. When it came to setting up my business I had very ingrained ideas about what was and wasn’t acceptable for clients as a service provider - and I’m happy to admit that I was completely wrong!

Listen in for my 2 top tips for communicating changes in ways of working with clients and let me know how you set clear boundaries and expectations in your business.

Maria was 6 years into her business when she fell pregnant with her first child. And I can hard relate when she said “I just didn’t think anything would change”. 

Maria didn’t take maternity leave until her daughter was 6 months old, and was taking work calls just hours after giving birth! Hear her thoughts on whether it worked for her, and her perspective looking back on it.

We talked a lot about how amazing women and mothers are, and how we just don’t get the respect we deserve - society still just doesn’t get it. And we can see that in the lack of women in senior leadership positions, the ludicrous cost of childcare, and the way that women can be judged for “taking a break” to have a baby. 

Lastly, Maria shared what she’s learnt about leadership from her podcast, Anatomy of a Leader - what makes a good leader, founder and business owner. Listen in and let me know if her description resonates with you.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Maria Hvorostovsky:

Maria is an international head headhunter and Founder & CEO of HVO search, whose goal is to help Founders, Investors, CEOs and HR Directors identify and hire the best people with the RIGHT superpowers who are aligned with their MISSION, MINDSET and VALUES.

You can find Maria on her podcast ‘Anatomy of a leader’, which she started in 2020 following her fascination with what makes a great leader: the lessons they learnt, failure and how they overcame it and why some leaders thrive in one environment and not another.

All of this alongside becoming a mother and raising her two young children. 

Maria Hvorostovsky’s Links:

Website: https://www.hvosearch.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/
https://www.instagram.com/hvo_search/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/

We are BACK! We’re opening Season 2 with a conversation which genuinely at points gave me goosebumps.

Alison and Natalie are serial entrepreneurs - March Muses is their third business together - all while holding down full time jobs and raising families. As you can imagine, the question of “how do you do it” definitely came up.

Community came up a lot in our conversation - from calling in favours from everyone they know, family and friends helping pack overwhelming orders, the power of social media to get your business in front of the right people and lastly and most importantly, allyship and how we can all use our privilege to help others.

As a small business that increased their turnover by 533% from year one to year two, these ladies know the meaning of the word pressure. Full time jobs, families, the logistics of a fast growing business and that feeling of “what do we do next?”. I can’t wait for you to hear this.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About March Muses:

In December 2018, one of Natalie’s Daughters asked if Christmas Angels can be black.

After finally finding Christmas ornaments online they had to be shipped from the US at huge costs to the customer, so from that, March Muses was born in 2019 to create a range of festive decorations that represent them.

They became the leading brand for Christmas ornaments of colour. Then in 2022, they took the plunge on Dragons Den, with a fantastic response from the dragons and secure investment from Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones.

Not only are Natalie & Alison single parents of three children between them but also run this business around their full time jobs.

March Muses’ Links:

Website: https://www.marchmuses.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marchmuses/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-duvall-20672765/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonburton/

This week’s conversation, and the season one finale (!) is with Ruth Marsden, founder of The Better Company, a “game-changing” sustainable period products company. 

Ruth is an incredibly passionate, purpose led founder, and is really refreshingly honest about the mistakes she’s made (hello 1000 unusable micro bags!) and how hard it can be as a product business in a post Brexit world.

She really is so inspiring. We get to do this, we chose to do this. So manage expectations, accept where sacrifices have to be made, and the benefits that will come from those sacrifices and enjoy it. 

And most of all Do Not Compare Yourself To Anyone Else.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Ruth Marsden:

Ruth is Founder of The Better Company. A business that is on a mission to create sustainable products of exceptional quality.

It started with a menstrual cup that for every sale they then gifted one to a person that needs it most and has now expanded to offer a range of sustainable period products.

Mother-of-three Ruth, was already on a journey to make her family home more sustainable, changing daily habits and products, when she began to realise the planet-damaging reality of her period each month. She was fed up with endless disposable sanitary products, knowing that they were all ending up in landfill and our oceans.

Ruth’s Links:

Website: https://www.the-bettercompany.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_thebettercompany 

https://www.instagram.com/ruthmarsden_/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-marsden-3aab631a9/ 

How much have you reflected on your mat leave experience?

With 2 wildly different mat leaves under my belt - one employed but only 12 weeks long, and one as a business owner with a NICU baby it’s hard to draw parallels. But looking back on my maternity leave as a business owner, there are a few things that I might change.

I’m sharing what I would do differently from a practical POV, what I would change about my perspective as a new mum, and what the best best best decision I made was.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/