Mums behind the UK’s small businesses are a powerful economic force

by Sangeeta Haindl — Do you know much about the “Mumpreneur” economy? These are businesses run by mothers with children under 18, which generated a staggering, £7.2bn for the U.K. economy in 2014 supporting over 200,000 jobs! Now this figure is set to rise to £9.5bn by 2025, according to research by EBay. Mums behind the nation's small businesses are becoming a powerful economic force in the U.K. Being able to run a business alongside bringing up children could be deemed a perfect job, giving more of a flexible approach to working life. Especially, as so often that statistics are reeled out for the low numbers of women in the boardrooms - but how frequently is it considered that those women absent at the top of the corporate ladder are, in fact, running their very own successful businesses from the kitchen table.

Case studies show that most Mumpreneurs had successful careers before having children, but decided to not go back to the rat race, with the gender pay gap at 14 percent more for men, according to the Office of National Statistics. The most popular business sectors for entrepreneurial mothers’ range from retail to entertainment to management consultancy to care home management. These Mumpreneurs have been responsible for creating some of the most famous brands in British business, from the White Company to Jo Malone and Ultimo underwear.

However, to start up a business requires drive and tenacity; which is why NatWest is lending its iconic purple branded bus to the ‘Mumpreneurs Networking Club’ as they do a whistle stop tour of four U.K. locations starting on 16 May in Guildford; 17 May in Kingston; 25 May in Brighton; and ending on 26 May in Portsmouth. This bus tour aims to inspire more mothers to start their own businesses.

Each tour runs from 10am to 4pm, with a jam-packed agenda covering all aspects of running a business, with mumpreneur advisors giving free sessions from marketing to accountancy, public relations, vlogging, branding, networking, social media to personal styling, business life coaching and more. This Mumpreneurs Networking Club Bus Tour, sponsored by DotUK, will showcase some excellent examples of successful Mumpreneurs. The Mumpreneurs Networking Club gets an audience over 17,000 visits to their events; their mission is to connect, inspire and engage mumpreneurs across the U.K.

Improved connectivity and growing digital literacy is enabling ambitious, business-minded mums to realise and pursue successful enterprises. These entrepreneurial businesswomen are building impressive companies, creating both wealth and jobs while also fulfilling one of the most demanding roles of all – being a mum! Yet, while more women around the world are interested in becoming entrepreneurs than ever before, the number of women who turn aspiration into reality is still low. Now, this bus tour will give people the tools to prompt those thinking about taking the plunge into the self-employed life to take action.

Photo Credit: Mumpreneurs Networking Club

Source: Justmeans