Mumpreneurs ― the new generation of start-ups

Growing numbers of mums are choosing to become their own boss and look after their children at the same time. Almost 300,000 'mumpreneurs' are now established in the UK and their numbers are rising fast. What’s behind the boom in start-up mums? We ask two enterprise experts

“Our research indicates that the number of mumpreneurs ― mums who have started a business and are the primary carer for their kids ― has increased dramatically.” Laura Rigney, founder of MumpreneurUK.

“The partners of a lot of stay-at-home mums have lost their jobs because of the recession. Through sheer necessity they’ve turned what was just an idea or a hobby into an income-generating business. With a lot of public sector jobs still to be cut, we’ll see more mums starting up over the next 12 months.

“Most mumpreneurs start their business when they are on maternity leave ― many spot a gap in the market related to children or babies. They decide they want the flexibility of being their own boss and don’t want to leave their kids and go back to work. And with the cost of childcare now so high, it often just doesn’t pay mums to go back to their job and fund one or more nursery places.

“Mumpreneurs still face barriers to starting up. The biggest is people not taking them seriously as business women ― particularly family and friends. Everybody sees their business as just a hobby.

“Access to finance is less of a problem, as a lot of these women tend to start a business which doesn’t need a lot of funding ― most do it with as little as £500. Mums use savings that they’ve built up or borrow from their family. There are also quite a few angel investors who are keen to invest in mum-owned businesses, as mums are seen as a lower risk.”

“High-profile female entrepreneurs have helped give other women the confidence that they can do it too.” George Derbyshire, ex-chief executive of the National Enterprise Network

“Traditional barriers to women starting businesses don’t seem to be here anymore ― most people are bending over backwards to support women entrepreneurs.

“There are a lot of successful female entrepreneurs ranging from the likes of Green & Black’s founder Jo Fairley, to small home-based businesses run by women. A lot of women have realised that running a business from home is manageable. Add to that the developments in internet technology making it easier for people to work from home and it explains the upsurge.”

Related articles:

• Setting up a home-based business
• Profile: The Mumpreneur
• See our guide on Maternity, paternity and adoption on the Law Donut