AusMumpreneur australia & new zealand
Issue 3
magazine
A new financial year a renewed focus!
2011Bio-Oil AusMumpreneur Awards Finalists
Secret Cash for Clever Mums
We chat with
Shae Tye
and the Huggies Muminspired Winners
www.
connect2mums.com.au www.connect2mums.com.au
1
AusMumpreneur Awards Awards Join us in Sydney to celebrate
the best and the brightest in The
Mumpreneur industry at the 2011
Bio-Oil AusMumpreneur Awards
Gala Dinner Saturday 27 August 2011 Mercure Sydney
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Contents p63
Secret Cash
p10
Mumpreneurs Huggies MumInspired Winners p10 Read their Story
for Clever Mums p60
Business Articles
Contracts What You Need To Know p50
Meet Our Mums Find Success in Business p32
Working with the Flow of your bsuiness p52
We talk to mumpreneurs running their own succesfull businesses in Australia.
Green Your Business p54
Meet the 2011 AusMumpreneur Awards Finalists p70 The Best Advice You Ever Received p88
Your Time is Worth It p56 5 Ways to Skyrocket Your Profits p58 Enhancing your Brand through Customised Professional Photography p60
p86
p70
p 32
p28
Features
Inspiration
20 Reasons YOU need to be at the We Love! Home Office Inspiration 2011 Mumpreneurs Conference! p86 p28 Mumpreneur Style p63 New Financial Year Special p40 A New Financial Year - A Renewed Focus p41 Secret Cash For Mumsp42 Boost Your Business with a Financial Plan p44 Set Up Your Office For Tax Time Success! p46
AusMumpreneur magazine Editorial Peace Mitchell & Katy Garner Contributors Alycia Edgar Helen Butler Johanna Baker-Dowdell Larissa Glubb Simone Outteridge Susan Pearse Carolyn Bofinger Caroline Hughes Johanna Harvey Jodi Gibson Advertising enquiries connect2mums@gmail.com
W
e’re delighted to present our third issue of AusMumpreneur magazine!
Contact us: connect2mums@gmail.com 0422 624 100 connect2mums.com.au
Australasia’s #1 Mumpreneur Community
www.connect2mums.com.au In this issue we’re celebrating mums finding real success in business. We chat with the Huggies MumInspired winners about the inspiration behind their business and how it felt to win! We also have a very special feature on the finalists in the 2011 Bio-Oil AusMumpreneur Awards.
Our experts have also provided great business articles on how to make the most of the new financial year and we ask mumpreneurs what the best advice they ever received was. We also meet some of the members of the new AusMumpreneur Network. We hope you enjoy this issue, and would love to hear what you think! Enjoy
Peace & Katy xx 8 www.connect2mums.com.au
Editor’s image by Carolyn Bofinger www.carolynb.com.au
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Amazing Mumpreneurs The inspirational new guide for Mums starting out in business with stories and advice from mums who’ve made it. Available now at www.connect2mums.com.au
11 www.connect2mums.com.au
2011 Huggies MumInspired Winners
We chatted with the 2011 Huggies MumInspired Winners about what inspires them, how they felt when they won and their plans for the future! 12 www.connect2mums.com.au
Shae Tye Sleepy Wings
Tell us about yourself and your business: I am a Sydney based Retail Design Manager currently working for Stockland Shopping Centres for the past 7 years. My hours are part time 4 days a week. I have over 13 years Retail Design experience and LOVE SHOPPING, drawing and creating. I am imaginative, future-orientated, and work with intensive bursts of energy! I have an outgoing personality, an extrovert and find it hard to relax. I thrive on being a busy bee and hate to be late to events as I am a social butterfly. Sleepy WingsSleepy Wings is cotton / elastane infant slumber wear jacket that is worn for a baby’s day and night time sleep. A newborn baby can sleep up to 16 hours in their first months of life; therefore it is essential that parents provide a safe and comfortable sleep environment, ensuring their baby is slept safely on their back. The Sleepy Wings design allows baby to sleep in their natural and preferred position - with their arms bent at the elbows, and hands beside their face enabling self consoling. The garment design keeps a babies chest and neck clear of hazard and overheating which is essential for safe sleeping. Sleepy Wings can also be rotated 180 degrees to be worn with arms down. It is common for dummies to be used when trying to get a baby to sleep. However babies
under 6 months of age have limited tongue, eye and hand control and coordination. When a dummy is dislodged from their mouth, it is physically impossible for a baby to place their own dummy back into their mouth themselves. Sleepy Wings has been designed with two dummy pockets giving a baby two chances to learn to retrieve their own dummy within head turn reach. Sleepy Wings is approved by the ‘Infant and Nursery Product Association of Australia’ INPAA and is Australian made. What was the inspiration behind your product? Enduring the sleepless Sydney summer nights (January 2010) and whilst midnight breast feeding, gave me the time to brainstorm the idea and pattern of a garment that would keep my 5 month old daughter Alannah cool without overheating, but also wrapped so she didn’t startle or scratch. Drawing on my own mothering knowledge and drive to solve this everyday problem of replacing Alannah’s dummy, I made the decision to enter the baby business, eager to share her innovative garment with other parents. The versatile design provides parents the option to allow their baby to sleep with either their arms up or down (by simply rotating). “My husband and I would return to Alannah’s cot countless times to replace her dummy, which inspired me with the challenge to
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create this garment with a way for Alannah to replace her own dummy and give us all more sleep! I have found no other garment or object worldwide that can do this for a baby, and done in such a safe and easy way. :)”
I gave myself a realistic time period of over 8 months to conduct my market research and product trials for Sleepy Wings to ensure the size and fit was right. Therefore with part time work and daily mummy duties, my only available time to ‘work’ on Sleepy Wings is from 9pm to midnight...!
The homemade pattern making, followed by overlocking classes and months of trials, gave me the time to refine the design and its function, So my biggest challenge is TIME ! ensuring it solved the everyday problems that other parents also endure with lack of sleep. The spare bedroom was converted the Sleepy Wings headquarters! With longer sleep patterns proven with the wear of Sleepy Wings, this would ultimately improve Unfortunately my immediate family is based in the nurturing bond between mother, father Geelong and I am Sydney based. My mother in and baby with all getting more sleep, which is law Ruth Tye is an enormous help on my days essential to all in the precious first year of life. off, happy to mind Hamish and Alannah. My Happier baby and family! mum has travelled to Sydney so many times over the past year to help me with my baby What has been the biggest challenge in expos and manage stock quality assurance. starting your business? I was on maternity leave caring for Alannah for Why did you want to become a the first 2 months of business set up, which I mumpreneur? would manage around her naps. My father I made the decision to enter the baby business passed away only 2 weeks after my daughter after months of product testing on friend’s Alannah was born. I suffered Post Natal babies and seeking facebook followers. With Depression, but my business plans brought me positive testimonials coming back, and queries out of the depression. My dad would be so of Sleepy Wings availability, I couldn’t wait to proud. hit the retail market to share my innovative garment with other parents who also need more My return to part time work in March 2010 sleep in their household! limited ANY time I had to communicate with manufacturers and arrange product testing and With longer sleep patterns proven with the wear trialling. of Sleepy Wings, this would ultimately improve the nurturing bond between mother, father
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and baby with all getting more sleep, which is essential to all in the precious first year of life. Happier baby and family! I wish I could say that I could work at home amongst my young children, but I just wouldn’t get any work done.. The customer testimonials and photos I receive daily on either facebook or email just make my day! As the designer, manager and fellow mum, I can take full credit for my success. I have to pinch myself daily as it is so rewarding. What did you do when you found out you where the winner of the Huggies Muminspired Competition? The wait to hear from Huggies whether I was successful or not was long and nerve racking! I received the call whilst quality assuring hundreds of Sleepy Wings with my mum one Thursday morning. I just burst into tears of happiness. Seconds later my mum joined me, as we both cried and hugged with pride! The news couldn’t have come at a better time as my bank account was too low to engage any advertising or replenish further stock.
of a agent to boost Sleepy Wings exposure. With placement on the shelves of retail outlets nationally such as Baby Bunting, Baby Kingdom and other major baby stockists, would provide regular wholesale orders and be displayed to my influential target market. Thus helping more parents and baby’s with their precious sleep!! I would also envisage further sleep wear designs within my range, including the design of a transition wrap for the use to wean bubs off Sleepy Wings. What advice do you have for other mums that are thinking about starting out in business? 1. Be unique in your offer 2. Do the figures first and be patient for the dollars 3. Gather support and ideas from family and friends to keep you inspired 4. ‘Try and fail, but never fail to try’ 5. Invest in advertising, facebook and PR for exposure!
The exposure from Huggies and my Kerri-Anne appearance has provided invaluable exposure, providing such a positive response with sales and new wholesale orders.
To start! Set up a facebook page; test the market for support of your business idea. Starting small, and slowly build up your dream to bigger things.
Financially it may take months to breakthrough into profit, but I remain ambitious and patient for my brand’s success.
Seek grants available, some government grants are available for innovation.
The Huggies Grant has been a life saver to my business allowing me to keep Sleepy Wings in the spot light and now set up my business infrastructure ready for growth! What are your plans for the future of your business? The next step for Sleepy Wings is to ramp up the wholesale distribution to baby stores nationally and maybe internationally.
Don’t be reluctant to utilise ALL your support systems – grandparents, sisters, aunties to help out with minding the children or doing the house work. You will need them on occasions so you can focus on your business! Mumprenuer Facebook businesses are popping up everywhere which excites me. Facebook is an ideal platform to start without the overheads. Gathering interest from ‘likers’ grows virally from friends of friends who follow in your footsteps.
I currently haven’t the time to visit stores to do the pitch.. With additional funds (the Huggies Grant) would help me engage the services
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www.madamcharli.com.au carolyn@madamcharli.com.au Tel: (03) 9584 9565
All Your Essential Office Needs! www.madamcharli.com.au
www.sleepywings.com.au
Rachel Cordina + Lia Tonich Toddler Tints
Tell us about yourself and your business. toddler tints are a funky and stylish alternative to the current car shades on the market. The bright animal print film is applied to the inside of the car window, offering excellent shade for children (Australian UV protection factor 15+) but are almost invisible from the outside. They are a superior product because they do not fade in the sun or flap in the wind and don’t stop the window from being wound down. Toddler tints do not need to be removed to wash the car and can’t be easily removed by children. Lia Tonich and Rachel Cordina are the mumpreneurs behind toddler tints. Lia has a Bachelor of Psychology and is a qualified Naturopath and mum to her son Maximus. Rachel is a primary school teacher and mum of two sons Thomas and Oscar. What was the inspiration behind your product?
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The inspiration for our toddler tints was born out of frustration for the car shades currently on offer. Between the two of us we had been through five different types of shades in a couple of years. Finding something that fit perfectly, covered the whole window and didn’t fade and stretch in the sun was impossible. We were also concerned about safety as many shades create a blind spot because you can’t see through them. We were both convinced there had to be a better option. We were inspired by the advertising film used on buses – you could see the advertising from the outside but not from the inside. We thought, let’s reverse that! We tracked down a supplier, got a great design www.connect2mums.com.au
made up and six months later have launched the toddler tints product. What has been the biggest challenge in starting your business? Starting our business has not been all smooth sailing and we’re pretty sure we are about to face many more challenges in the months ahead. When we decided to turn our idea into a business we honestly didn’t put much thought into what we would have to do to get there. We just felt confident that we had a great idea that was commercially viable and both really loved the idea of having a break from our professions and doing something different. So the decision was made in an instant and then we proceeded to get samples, UV testing, create a logo and look at designs. That was the fun part! The financial side, trademarks, patents etc was a little more challenging and finance for set up costs was always a stress. Winning a Huggies ‘MumInspired’ grant gave us a huge opportunity to fast track our progress, and we wanted to make sure we made the most of the media exposure and be at selling stage before the competition ended. This has been our biggest challenge as there was so much that needed to be done and suddenly we were flat out and under pressure! Juggling our duties as mum’s and achieving this goal was really tricky but we think it has been worth it. At the Huggies winners lunch in Sydney we were lucky enough to meet Carolyn Creswell. She emphasised the importance of giving 100% attention to what you are doing at any time, whether it be work or family. Funnily enough a week after returning to Perth to our first week of orders, both of us had difficulty juggling the kids and business at one time. We felt guilty that we weren’t giving the kids our full attention. We decided that we needed to take Carolyn’s advice and set aside specific time for toddler tints and not think about it when we are with our children. At the end of the day we really want a successful business, but our first job is always going to be ‘Mum,’ and family will always be our top priority. ‘Balance’ is definitely going to be the big challenge for us!
about it that it was just a natural progression. Both having had time off from our professions to have our gorgeous boys, we also thought this was the perfect way to have a career that we could balance with giving our kids the time and attention they deserve. What did you do when you found out you were winners in the Huggies ‘MumInspired’ competition? I almost didn’t believe it when I got the call to tell us we had been chosen as a grant recipient in the Huggies ‘MumInspired’ competition. I think I was quite embarrassing…..cheering like a child! The best part was sharing the news with Lia. We were both so excited. What an honour to be selected by a panel of professionals who felt our idea has so much potential. And amongst such tough competition too! It has been such an exciting time for us and we want to thank Huggies for running such an amazing program. The exposure and the support has been incredible! What are your plans for the future of the business? We have huge dreams for toddler tints. In the short term we would like to offer some more print options to our customers and perfect our packaging and marketing. To be the number one option for parents choosing window shades is of course our long term goal. We would ideally love to have other mums working for us and continue in a management role. For now, we need to be realistic about what we can achieve. Make lists, prioritise and tackle one thing at a time. Wish us luck! What advice do you have for other Mum’s that are thinking about starting out in business?
If you are thinking of starting your own business, passion for your idea or product will go a long way in helping you get through the challenge of the set up phase. We have found that having each other has been great for support and encouragement, so a partner is a huge help! Thorough research is really important. Search the web and shops to help you decide if there is a market for your product and get feedback from friends. We found the Small Business DeWhy did you want to become a mumpreneur? velopment Centre in Perth a great free resource. It was not until we came up with our toddler tints We would recommend using all the free support that we discussed becoming ‘mumpreneurs’ seri- you can and possibly applying for government ously. We had often talked about ideas for new grants and of course the Huggies ‘MumInpsired’ or improved products that we thought would competition. Finally, if you believe in your idea, be practical and mums would love. When our go for it…..you never know! window shade idea emerged, we felt so excited www.connect2mums.com.au
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Amanda Wong Duka
Tell us about yourself and your business I am a mother of 2 – Jasmine and Eamon. Currently I am on maternity leave from teaching. This has given me the opportunity to spend precious time with my children as well as time for my husband Steve and I to start our own business - H2O Koncepts. Duka is our first product. Duka is an inflatable bath time aid that sits in the bathtub and limits the amount of water required to fill the tub when bathing children. It allows you to save water and time, as well as provide a barrier from little hands touching the plug, shampoo/soaps, hot water tap etc. As an added bonus it is also a soft pliable back rest. What was the inspiration behind your product? During the drought in South East Queensland I was concerned with wasting water and felt guilty every time I filled the bathtub. I thought there had to be a way to limit the amount of water I was using while still giving my children the opportunity to “play” in the bath. You need less liquid to fill a glass when you add ice so I thought I could apply the same principal to a bathtub. Our daughter Jasmine used to walk around the house saying “duka duka duka duka” so we named our product after her.
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What has been the biggest challenge in starting your business? The biggest challenge in starting my own business has been knowing what steps to take and being able to afford to do so. With no prior business knowledge it has been a huge learning curve for me. It has meant taking risks both personally and financially but fortunately they have paid off – thanks to Huggies. 4. Why did you want to become a mumpreneur? When the idea for “Duka” popped into my head I couldn’t let it go. I thought it was important to conserve water and now I had found a way to help people to do just that. When Huggies gave us the opportunity to enter the MumInspired competition I jumped at the chance.
When I got the call I was speechless. I walked around in a daze with a massive grin on my face because I couldn’t believe we had actually won. I kept repeating to myself “I won. I did it. I won.” What are your plans for the future of your business? The next step is to finalise the design of Duka and get it ready for market. Initially Duka will be sold on-line through our website www.duka. com.au but we would like to get it into shops as soon as possible. What advice do you have for other mums that are thinking about starting out in business?
Give it a go. If you have something you are passionate about and you enjoy doing it then take What did you do when you found out you up the challenge. Make sure you have a strong where the winner of the Huggies Muminspired support network around you and be willing to Competition? ask LOTS of questions.
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forced to start bottle feeding. I felt that I had failed at my first job as a mother-to nourish my child. Some weeks passed and I began to think about what had gone wrong and what I could have done differently. I knew that I could not find a breast feeding bra that gave my breast the support and stability I needed as well as offered the privacy that I would have liked. It was then that I set out to create that type of bra. Many sketches and patterns and years went by and finally DISCRETION by GINA was born. I have a prototype that I am very happy with and my next steps are to begin manufacturing. I am now working on a six month timeline and hope to see DISCRETION available in stores early next year. What was the inspiration behind your product?
Gina Kun Discretion by Gina
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Tell us about yourself and your businessI am a 32 year old mother of two. My son Joshua is nearly 5 and my daughter Sophia is 15 months. When I found out that I was pregnant with my son, I knew straight away that I would breastfeed him. After all, breastfeeding was natural and healthy and something that every female can do instinctively - or so I thought. What I did not anticipate was how difficult, painful and awkward breastfeeding could be. After 11 weeks of struggling to feed and most feeds only happening in private or at home, I found that the stress of it was causing my milk to dry up and therefore was
I wanted to create a product that was beautiful and comfortable yet functional as well. One of the hardest, most emotional times in a woman’s life is after giving birth to her baby. I believe that anything that can make life a little bit easier for a new mum is worthwhile. I am passionate about DISCRETION and I truly believe that this bra will make feeding time easier and more enjoyable for mums. What has been the biggest challenge in starting your business? Being a mother of two young, energetic children is very time consuming and therefore I was mostly working on my business during stolen minutes throughout the day and in the evenings after the children were sleeping. Financially, I was at a standstill with my business after my prototype was complete. Winning the Huggies MumInspired Competition has allowed me to overcome that hurdle so that I can now focus on manufacturing and marketing my product. Why did you want to become a mumpreneur? I always wanted to be able to stay home with my children. Unfortunately we live in a society where a dual income is almost a necessity and therefore I had to return to work after my son turned one year. After my daughter was born, I have been able to stay home in the day with my children but I worked nights to supplement my income. My goal in becoming a mumpreneur is to have the opportunity to be home with my children while having a successful business that I can run while still being a stay at home mum.
www.connect2mums.com.au
What did you do when you found out you where the winner of the Huggies Muminspired Competition? I was in total disbelief when I received the phone call from Huggies that I was chosen as one of the winners. My initial reaction was to ask her if she was serious, I think I asked that about ten times. Then I burst into tears after I realised that I had won the grant and that I would be able to properly start my business. I am extremely grateful to Huggies for running this competition and to the judges that believed in my product. What are your plans for the future of your business? I am currently finalising manufacturing and I hope to see DISCRETION by GINA available in stores early next year. What advice do you have for other mums that are thinking about starting out in business? I began this adventure almost five years ago and I had many “no thank you” and “not interested” responses in that time. My best advice is never to give up. If you are passionate about what you are doing, then it doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, you have to get back up and keep going. Always remember that what your mind conceives and your heart believes - you will achieve.
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Sarah Hindes Hearing Henry Tell us about yourself and your business? I am a mother of two gorgeous children, Imogen 3.5 years and Henry 1 year. My business, hearinghenry, provides hats and headbands designed to keep hearing aids and cochlear implants on babies and toddlers. The hearinghenry products allow parents to enjoy their baby and focus on getting to know their child without worrying every moment that they are about to lose an important electronic device. Because the hearinghenry products keep Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants on so effectively, they will provide more consistent access to sound for babies during such a critical learning period, providing better long term outcomes in speech and comprehension. Additionally, 50% of all profits will be donated to organisations such as the Royal Institute of Deaf and Blind (RIDBC) and Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre (SCIC), which provide such important services to families of children with hearing loss. What was the inspiration behind your product?
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My son Henry was born profoundly deaf. He didn’t hear anything until he got his Cochlear Implants (CIs) at 11 months of age. Research has shown that a baby born with significant hearing loss has already missed out on 20 weeks of auditory stimulation in the womb – so Henry had more than 11 months of listening to catch up on. I was determined to give Henry the best possible opportunity to learn to listen and speak, and that meant keeping his CIs on every waking moment. www.connect2mums.com.au
However babies are not conducive to keeping a mini-computer behind their ears! I found myself in tears, on the first day, after spending the entire afternoon chasing Henry around the floor as he dragged his speech processor behind him. Not only did I risk losing this valuable piece of equipment, Henry can’t hear without them- it’s just so important that they stay on. That’s when I came up with Henry’s headbands, out of necessity. I designed them for us, and they made such an immense difference to our life, and gave Henry much more consistent access to sound, I decided to go into business to provide these to other parents. What has been the biggest challenge in starting your business? The most difficult thing is balancing time spent on the business with time spent with my children and family. I have found the best way is to dedicate certain times to work on the business where I am completely focussed, can work efficiently and effectively and get things done. Then when I am with Imogen and Henry, they know they have my complete attention and that is their time. I am lucky to have a very supportive family to allow me to do this.
can make this business a success. What are your plans for the future of your business? My family is lucky to be living in Australia where Henry has access to the best services in the world for a hearing impaired baby. Things like early detection, early intervention and therapy – these are the things that will determine how successful a child will be in developing speech and language, which is our goal for Henry. I would like my business to generate enough income to be able to help hearing impaired children in more disadvantaged situations, providing them with better opportunities and long term outcomes. What advice do you have for other mums that are thinking about starting out in business? Having your own business is rewarding, but demanding. I think the best thing you can do at the beginning is be honest with yourself- is the business not only a good idea, but is it commercially viable? Do you have the time and energy to put into it? And I think that if you are committed and have a good plan and a good idea, I believe you can make it work.
Why did you want to become a mumpreneur? I came across a problem, and came up with a solution – something that mums do every day. I turned it into a business in order to help other families going through a similar thing. My business does not feel like ‘work’ because I am passionate about it, I believe in it and think it’s important. I am really excited to be providing not only products, but resources and support for other families of children with hearing loss. What did you do when you found out you were the winner of the Huggies MumInspired Competition? I feel slightly overwhelmed with a new level of pressure to make my business work, however at the same time I feel confidence having the support and encouragement of the Huggies team and Carolyn Creswell as ambassador of the program. It has allowed me to meet up with the other MumInspired winning mums, bounce ideas and learn from each other. And it’s really just given me the confidence to say, I can do this, I
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“The one thing my pregnant friends and I discussed at length was stretch marks – once you’ve got them, they’re there for good! I used Bio-Oil throughout, morning, noon and night... in fact, I haven’t stopped using it since Liam’s birth. Now that I’m pregnant with twins, I’m going to be using it more than ever! What’s also nice is that it’s not oily – you can put it on and then get dressed immediately and it doesn’t stain your clothes. You’ve no idea how many friends and family I’ve told about Bio-Oil!” Tracy with Liam
*Colmar Brunton, 2010.
Coming up in Sydney on the 26 & 27 August we are holding the 2011 National Australasian Mumpreneurs Conference, a 2 Day Mumpreneurs Conference of Business Workshops, Networking, Guest Speakers, Friendship & Fun! Specifically designed to help Mums in business reach their full potential the confernce includes the Business Workshops, the Mumpreneurs Panel featuring successful entrepreneurs ready to answer your questions and share there secrets to success, the Mumpreneurs Showcase Mini Expo and exclusive Friday night networking function and the glamorous 2011 Bio-Oil AusMumpreneur Awards recognising Australia’s leading Mumpreneurs.
www.australianmumpreneursconference.eventbrite.com 29 www.connect2mums.com.au
20 Reasons YOU need to be at the 2011 Mumpreneurs Conference! 1. Amazing expert presenters This year’s presenters are world class and will leave you feeling motivated, uplifted and inspired to achieve your business goals. Specifically designed to help Mums in business reach their full potential. Our Key note speakers include amazing entrepreneurs: Julia Bickerstaff of channel 7’s Kochies Business Builders and Author of the Business Bakery, Lara Solomon creator of Mocks and Social Rabbit and Author of Brand New Day and Rebbeca Derrington pr expert and founder of online resource Sourcebottle. Each will share with us there success story as well as tips on how you can achieve success in your business. 2. Get the Skills you need! - Our Business Experts from throughout Australia, Susan Pearse Creator of Mind Gardener, Nick Bowditch Director of the Bowditch Group, Karen Gunton of Build a little biz, Helen Butler of Clutter Rescue, Johanna BakerDowdell of Strawberry Communications, Alycia Edgar creator of Bookzkeeper, Simone Outteridge of Outer Edge Coaching, Monique Filer creator of the B.Box, Paula Kuhnemann Director of Smart Woman and Peace Mitchell Co Editor of online community Connect2mums will hold 90 minute intense workshops teaching key skills for your business in the areas of Marketing, Branding, Business Planning, Finance, Setting Goals, Work life Balance, PR, Social Media, Building your Platform, Manufacturing, Mind Set, Price Points and Organisation. Check out the full program 3. Friendship - Meet other Mums in business who are experiencing the same challenges and triumphs as you! No one quite understands the complexity of being a Mumpreneur the way other Mumpreneurs do!! 4. Networking - Spend the weekend with like-minded business women, meet in real life the fantastic mums you have spoken to at live chat, through the forum, in the groups and by email, make real connections and lasting friendships! Our exclusive networking event lets you chat one on one with Mumpreneurs from all over Australia! 5. Get dressed up! - Remember when you used to go out every Friday night? And how much fun it was just getting ready to go? Well the AusMumpreneur awards dinner is your opportunity to dig out your little black dress, find your fave pair of dancing shoes and get dressed up to go out in style! 6. Showcase your wares - The Mumpreneurs Conference Mini Expo business Showcase gives you the opportunity to show us what’s great about your business and what you do, giving you the opportunity to display your products or talk about your services in a warm and friendly environment.
www.australianmumpreneursconference.eventbrite.com www.connect2mums.com.au
7. AusMumpreneur Awards - Celebrate with us with a glass of bubbly Pink champagne at the glamourous AusMumpreneur Awards Dinner! The Awards are the must attend event of the Mumpreneur Calendar and as a conference attendee you are guaranteed a seat at this exciting and prestigious event celebrating Mumpreneurs! 8. Invest in YOU! - The weekend provides you with the opportunity to work ‘on’ not just ‘in’ your business, with time for reflecting on and setting goals for your future direction and helping you put together the pieces which will help you see your big picture for your business and YOU! 9. Fun -The Mumpreneurs Conference is lots of fun, there’ll be laughing, dancing and sharing of ideas, experiences and successes! It’s a great opportunity for you to forget your cares, kick up your heels and get your mojo back!
the success of businesses like Aromababy, Babes In Arms, Michelle Bowden Enterprises, Food for Health and Slim Secrets and how their journey to becoming a mumpreneur has created a new life for themselves and their families! 12. Become Social Media Savvy – The amazing Lara Soloman and charismatic Nick Bowditch will be sharing their tips and stories of how social media changed their life and helped grow amazing businesses! 13. Create the conference that’s right for you! With a choice of 13 workshops to attend you can tailor your days to target
10. Open the door to new opportunities Imagine what amazing opportunities you will be presented with by spending the weekend with a group of people who are excited about the possibilities for the Mumpreneur Industry and supporting talented Mums in business! 11. Be inspired – Hear the story behind
the area’s you need to work on! (see full program)
www.australianmumpreneursconference.eventbrite.com www.connect2mums.com.au
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14. Connect with the best & the brightest – Meet the talented finalists of the AusMumpreneur Awards gathered together in one place for one very special night! 15. Lights Camera Action! – Get fabulous professional shots to use for your business with our professional photographer as well as join in the fun of photobooth snaps with your friends!
18. Just Dance! – Join us at the AusMumpreneur Awards to dance the night away! 19. Win-win – Gorgeous prizes up for grabs throughout the weekend proudly donated by connect2mums members! 20. Reclaim your Fabulosity – Remember you? That person you used to be before you had children and started a business and got lost beneath the mountain of washing that never seems to end? This conference is all about becoming that excited, motivated, inspired person again! And helping you find the ability to take on the world and be the best you can be So what are you waiting for? Book your spot for the 2011 Mumpreneurs Conference today! Book your tickets online at www. australianmumpreneursconference. eventbrite.com
16. Work the room – network, network, network with up and coming mumpreneurs, business experts, inspirational speakers and the Connect2mums team! A sensational networking opportunity for you and your business at our exclusive networking event. 17. Support – Imagine being surrounded by a room full of people who truly understand where you’re coming from and what you’re hoping to achieve! That’s what this conference is all about connecting with like-minded people who understand your challenges and are excited by your success – get the support you need to keep going when times are tough.
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www.australianmumpreneursconference.eventbrite.com www.connect2mums.com.au
2011 Mumpreneurs Conference Program Friday 26 August 2011 “Get Wired for Business Success” - Susan Pearse Mind Gardener “Pricing For Profitability” - Julia Bickerstaff - Business Bakery AMN Experts Breakout Sessions - Choose the Conference thats right for you! “5 keys to building a successful business” Simone Outteridge Coaching “Use your brand to attract customers & sell your products” Karen Build A Little Biz “The world is your coffice” - Alycia Edgar Bookzkeeper “The Missing Pieces of the Mumpreneur Puzzle” Helen Butler “Be Your Own PR Agent” - Johanna Baker-Dowdell Strawberry Communications “How NOT to get your social marketing wrong” Nick Bowditch The Bowditch Group Friday Night 7.30pm C2m Networking Drinks, Mumpreneurs Mini Expo & Book Launch Saturday 27 August 2011 AMN Experts Breakout Sessions - Choose the Conference thats right for you! “Manufacturing” Monique Filer B.Box “Secrets to Standing out” Peace Mitchell Connect2mums “How To Get The Media To Notice You” - Rebecca Derrington SourceBottle “Getting Social in Small Business” Lara Solomon Mumpreneur Panel - Bring your questions and get advice from our panel of “Women Who’ve Made It!” Saturday Evening 2011 Bio-Oil AusMumpreneur Awards Gala Dinner Who will be this year’s AusMumpreneur? The Bio-Oil AusMumpreneur Awards recognise the best and brightest in the Mumpreneur industry, and celebrates business mums achieving success in business, product development, innovation and amazing service in business. Ticket Includes 2 Course Meal, Pre Dinner Canapés and 3 hour Drinks Package Download full program here TICKETS ON SALE NOW: www.australianmumpreneursconference.eventbrite.com
www.australianmumpreneursconference.eventbrite.com www.connect2mums.com.au
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Meet the Mums
finding SUCCESS in business Kim Vespa Vespa & The Ladybird I am a new mum for the second time with my second son Lewis born in May 2011. He is little brother to Joseph who is now almost 2.5 years old. By “trade” I am a HR Professional working in the Banking & Finance Industry and through my own journey to becoming a mother, I stumbled on an ancient tradition that has not only changed the shape of my career, but the shape of my belly!
Why do you love being a Mumpreneur? I love being a Mumprenuer because I can steer the direction of where my time is spent every day of the week. Being a hands on mum, time is always compartmentalized into little chunks, whether it be play time, food time, education time, discipline time and if I am lucky – maybe even some rest time! So running my own business is just throwing a few more chunks into my day whether it be administration, R&D, marketing, or my favorite thing to do, providing superior customer service to my clients. What was the inspiration behind your business? The inspiration behind Vespa & The Ladybird was fairly simple and I knew instantly that my new business venture was something that I had to pursue. After stumbling across the practice of post natal belly wrapping late in my first pregnancy, I quickly discovered there was a significant gap in our local market not only for Post Pregnancy Belly Wrap products themselves, but an even bigger gap in the education and knowledge about the benefits of belly wrapping for new mums post pregnancy. I kept saying to myself “why cant I get my hands on a wrap here??”, so I went about and created my brand hoping to make these and other products readily available, affordable and with exceptional quality to a whole new community of women. What makes your product unique/special? As a businesswomen, I feel very proud to be able to use the word pioneer, because when I first started our brand there weren’t any other products of its kind readily available in Australia.
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Post Pregnancy Belly Wraps are essential to help new mums’ recover and heal from pregnancy and childbirth. I began Vespa & The Ladybird when I personally found it difficult to find a local, affordable and quality product for me to use post pregnancy. The design of our wraps are to give new mums maximum benefits when using them. Our wraps have an extra wide Velcro fastening strip so they shrink as a new mums tummy shrinks for longer than any other product like it. Our wraps come in various sizes, colours and ranges and our website is easy to use. Customer service, affordability and quality are exceptionally important to me and my brand. Our online store has now also expanded by offering other niche products from around the world to compliment our Belly Wraps. What advice would you give other mums thinking about starting out in business? Do your research, be very committed and have fun!! It will be a very long tough journey to start with an idea and turn it into reality let alone a viable business. Also be open to feedback and criticism from others. You don’t need to agree or do as they say, but being open to differing views I think can be one of the things that sets you apart. Horses for courses and each to their own are two saying that I say almost daily. No one is right or wrong, everyone is just different, so with that philosophy hopefully some of the business decisions that you make will be based on these differences as opposed to the similarities that we assume that everyone has, and success will then follow.
www.vespaandtheladybird.com.au www.facebook.com/pages/Vespa-The-Ladybird
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Connect with us on Facebook:
facebook.com/Alibaba.AU
www.alibaba.com
Sarah Macdonald is the Director of Commerce Therapy, a boutique business to business service providing holistic business and virtual administration solutions. Our aim is to power-up your business through holistic individual solutions designed precisely for you!
So how ? Our solutions cover what you need to grow your business, both the big bits and the little bits. From virtual assistance with documents and templates through to consultancy services such as business plans, policies and procedures, media kits, action planning, agreements, growth strategies and much more, if you need it just ask! On top of this we provide business coaching. Our coaching will ensure you find solutions to your problems within your business and provide you with the answers you need to get to where you are going!
Why Use Commerce Therapy? By taking a personalised and holistic approach to your solutions, you will find what we do suits your needs, wants and values and furthermore represents the core of your business. What’s even better is that you get solutions with understanding. For each solution we walk you through the process step by
Want your business to be successfull?
step, you know the how, why, when and what! So if you are need of some assistance, direction or solutions talk to a real person to get real results that suit you and your business, and don’t settle for anything less! Email: solutions@commercetherapy.com.au Web: www.commercetherapy.com.au FB: www.facebook.com/commercetherapy
www.commercetherapy.com.au
Jodi Gibson Scribble Den Tell us about yourself and your business? I have been running Ace Virtual Assistance since 2007 and I am just in the process of rebranding to combine all of my passions into one. The Scribble Den – Design~Write~Assist. Graphic Design (which I am currently studying), blogging & writing, and personal assistance for Mum’s in business – social media strategy & online marketing. The Scribble Den is a place where I can share my expertise and creativity, a place where I can connect with others and assist time poor Mum’s with their business.
Why do you love being a Mumpreneur? I love that I can choose my own hours and my own business direction. I love that I can take time out and be there for the kids and attend school events and other activities. I love that I am teaching my kids the responsibility and rewards of doing what you love and instilling these values in them. 3. What was the inspiration behind your business? Doing what I love and sharing my passions with others. 4. What advice would you give other mums thinking about starting out in business?You have to be passionate about it and be willing to put in the effort that is required behind the scenes at the beginning – before launch. You have to be ready for a lot of disappointments, struggles and challenges. It really is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, but all worth it. So if you have a passion – go for it! If it works out – fantastic, if not you will be proud of yourself and have no regrets. 5. Why do you think being part of a network is important when in business? Support and sharing the journey. Knowing that others are facing similar challenges is important as working from home particularly can be very isolating. And also having other likeminded people to share our successes of course! The Scribble Den http://www.thescribbleden.com.au Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thescribbledenTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/twitter Mum to Mumpreneur book: http://www.acevirtualassistance.com.au/main/page_books__resources.html Jodi Gibson DESIGN
~
WRITE
~
ASSIST
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Victoria Dyte REN af Sweden Tell us about yourself and your business. I’m originally from Sweden and have ended up in beautiful Australia following a boy. He’s now my husband and we’ve got a boy of our own, soon to be two! I’ve recently started REN af Sweden (no, it’s not a typo, “af” is old Swedish for “of”!) to fulfill my creative dreams and to put the moccasin firmly back on kids feet everywhere. I have a passion for products with a conscience and the moccasins are made in Bolivia through the Fair Trade organisation. I have grand plans for the future of REN, with kids shoes and a funky Scandinavian inspired clothing line in my sights. Why do you love being a Mumpreneur? My husband works from home as a graphic designer and whilst lying in bed one cold Monday morning waiting for our son to wake up it struck me how fortunate we are. I get to decide when to pick my son up from daycare, have help with the 5-7 pm frenzy every day, and I get to be there for all the big steps in my son’s life. And my husband’s for that matter! I love how connected we are as a family, and how working from home challenges me. What was the inspiration behind your business? I wanted to create something for myself, a business where I call the shots. I thought about starting an online shop for all the gorgeous baby related things out there that inspire me, but it wasn’t challenging enough to sell other people’s products. I want to be the creator of beautiful things to inspire others! What advice would you give other mums thinking about starting out in business? Have a mentor. Surround yourself with positive people who believe in your crazy dreams. Give yourself time and don’t rush. Have patience. If you haven’t got financial backing, don’t despair, just start small! Most of all; believe in yourself and your abilities, and let your dream take on a life of it’s own. What have you got to lose? Why do you think being part of a network is important when in business? Support is one of the pillars of being in business for yourself. A network of supportive people will always have answers for you, make you feel less lonely on your journey and believe in you when your confidence wobbles. A good network is like your family! www.rensweden.com http://www.facebook.com/rensweden
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Donna MacMullin Itty Bitty Greenie I started Itty Bitty Greenie after moving to Australia from Canada, and becoming a mother (which was an unexpected, but lovely surprise!). Having no clue about what to buy for babies, and being in a foreign country, I was overwhelmed when shopping for my child, so I did a lot of research online. But I had a hard time finding the products – and the shopping experience – I was looking for. I have a background in journalism and design, so naturally I was looking for products that have trusted eco-credentials as well as being innovative and attractive. My goal was to offer not only a great shopping experience, but also make my website a resource for people looking for information on organics, toxins in children’s products and sustainable living, while supporting children’s charities and environmental initiatives as well. Why do you love being a Mumpreneur? I love that my business has given me an outlet to share all the things that I’m passionate about with other parents: healthy and sustainable living, environmental awareness, product design – while also giving me the opportunity to learn new skills, be my own boss, and work according to my own schedule. It has given me a chance to connect with other parents and businesses that I never would have otherwise, and because I am living far from my family and friends, those connections have become invaluable. 3. What was the inspiration behind your business? One of my business mottos is: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” As mothers, we have power as role models and a market force since we make most of the purchasing decisions for our families, and I wanted to give people healthy, eco friendly and socially responsible options when purchasing things for their children. 4. What advice would you give other mums thinking about starting out in business? Focus on the elements of the business that you are good at, and find trusted people to help you
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with the rest. If bookkeeping is not your thing, find a good accountant to do it for you, etc. Sometimes it’s hard to hand over control of some things when you’re so passionate and particular about what you do, but it can be one of the most important investments to keep your business going. 5. Why do you think being part of a network is important when in business? Because as much as it’s great to be able to work from home in your pajamas, it’s can also be very isolating. Having the opportunity to speak to other people in business, share ideas, resources, or simply just vent once in a while, is invaluable. I can’t tell you how much inspiration and motivation I’ve gained from interacting with other women who are also in business and achieving amazing success. Itty Bitty Greenie – Eco-fabulous Finds For Kids http://ittybittygreenie.com.au http://www.facebook.com/IttyBittyGreenie
Mums in Business this is YOUR place! A place to Network, Be Inspired, Be Encouraged, Be Motivated, Be Ready for Success!..
Membership is just $20 a month http://ausmumpreneursnetwork.ning.com/
New Financial Year Special A New Financial Year a Renewed Focus Secret Cash For Mums Boost Your Business With a Finanical Plan Set Up Your Office For Tax Time success! 42 www.connect2mums.com.au
New Financial Year Special
A New Financial Year A Renewed Focus!
Alycia Edgar
A new financial year, yay! It can be daunting, or the promise of a new era in your business. I love how our financial year here in Australia is mid year. It allows me to create double the goals and double the focus. Let me explain. I make goals for a calendar year, but I also make them for each financial year. I find this helpful because rather than trying to focus on a goal that is potentially a year out, I break it down into half years. For example. A 2011/2012 financial year revenue goal might be $200,000. But your 2011 calendar year might be $160,000. Say you know for the Jun11 half year you are already at $75,000 and your goal for the next six months is $85,000. Then for the last six months of the 2011/12 financial year it’s $115,000 - to make the $200,000. Can you see how that can really stretch you to see what you are capable of? I also like to break these six monthly goals into quarters, and then months. It gives me drive and focus each month. You can even break it down again to weekly. Bit too hard? Set them anyway. Who said business was easy! But to make it easier for you, I have developed a new financial year mantra for you. Commit to these below and you will rock your business and achieve the goals you set.
My New Financial Year Mantra 1. I will not pretend anymore, I am in the business of MAKING MONEY 2. My bookwork will be completed in a timely manner (even if by someone else) 3. I will analyse my financial results at least monthly (if not weekly) 4. I will pay attention to what my numbers are saying 5. If I don’t understand how to analyse or a pay attention to my numbers, I will seek help. 6. I will commit to the business of being in business, not just the fun stuff 7. I will set goals to move my business forward 8. I will review progress of those goals against actual results at least monthly 9. I will strive to grow my business. Only I can drive business growth - no one else. It is my responsibility. 10. I will not be distracted by those bright shiny objects. I will be efficient and productive in implementing strategies to drive growth in my business. Print this out and say it over and over; it will help you focus, and focus is exactly what your business needs to succeed. Get to it, go! I’m watching....
Alycia Edgar is a fully qualified accountant, systems specialist and small business owner who developed Bookzkeeper, an accounting solution for small businesses and their accountants, ensuring both receive the information needed to satisfy tax requirements in a timely way. For more information about Bookzkeeper and Alycia visit www.bookzkeeper.com. au and www.numbersarelife.com
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Secret Cash for Clever Mums
Caroline Hughes R&D SmartTAX
Most of us have a great idea in us somewhere, and statistics are showing us that there are hundreds if not thousands of clever mums and dads in Australia that are creating innovative new products, devices and services all the time. If this is you, congratulations! Innovators such as yourself help to drive Australia forward and help keep us competitive on the world stage. However, unless you have had great advice somewhere, it is likely that you are unaware of the support the Australian Government has for innovators such as yourself. The support is in the form of significant cash incentives driven through the tax system. The government doesn’t do a lot to promote the program, hence it being a “secret”, but if you look up either the AusIndustry or ATO websites you will see it under the heading of Research and Development (R&D) Tax Concession or R&D Tax Offset. How it works is that you first need to spend some money on your idea. Then you claim it back through your Company Tax Return and then the ATO will send you a cheque. Which you can then use to spend again on your idea or whatever you like. Every year. If you are a small business less than $5 million in turnover, this cheque can be as high as $750,000 for the 2011 financial year. Basically, the more you spend, the more you get back. It is easy to work out by multiplying your R&D spending by 37.5%. Once you are incorporated as a company you can start adding up your R&D spending from the first moment you start researching your idea. And it doesn’t end until you have technically proven your concept. Wages, travel,
materials plus many other expenses - all eligible to be claimed. “The key thing to realise with these incentives is that they apply broadly to all companies of all sizes and in all locations in Australia. Don’t let the term “research and development” put you off into thinking it is just for laboratories or big companies.” says Caroline Hughes, Managing Director of R&D SmartTax and mother of Lily (4) and Charlie (3). As a mum, Caroline appreciates all the clever ideas mums and dads come up with to make parenting easier. Caroline’s dream is to see all the smart innovators more easily access their rightful entitlements, thus making commercial success more of a reality and helping Australia benefit in the process. If you think that these cash incentives could apply to you, then there are a few easy steps to follow to make your claims and your cash a reality: 1. Make sure your business is
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New Financial Year Special incorporated. Only companies can apply and trusts are not allowed to claim. Talk to your accountant or tax advisor if you are planning on doing much new product development as you will need to weigh the pros and cons of the R&D benefits versus other business structure benefits. 2. Confirm the eligibility of your product. A great online tool called R&D Eligibility Wizard will step you through this in minutes on the R&D SmartTax website www.smarttax.com.au, also providing you with an estimate of your benefits. 3. Prepare and submit your R&D Application form to AusIndustry within 10 months after the end of the financial year. If you have a 30 June year end, the next lodgement deadline is 30 April 2012, but you can submit any time after 1 July 2011, depending on how hungry you are for
the cash! The R&D SmartTax website can step you through your completion of the form, or you can also use their amazing R&D Application Wizard that assesses eligibility as well as completes the R&D Application form and emails it to you for lodgement. 4. Add up your expenses incurred in the financial year on your product development and when you receive your R&D registration number back from AusIndustry, lodge your Company Tax Return with the R&D expenses and R&D registration number included. The very bare minimum cash benefit available is $7,500 for a claim of $20,000. And to get it all you have to do is follow the above steps. So now you know that there is money out there for all your hard work and bright ideas, all you have to think about is how to spend it.
www.smarttax.com.au
Boost your Business Figures with a Communication Plan
Johanna Baker-Dowdell Strawberry Communication The end of the 2010/11 financial year is fast approaching, instead of concentrating on just your figures think about how you are going to generate publicity for your brand so those figures look even better this time next year.
where your brand sits within your industry and in relation to your competitors • Include your USP (unique selling proposition) and client/customer base so you know who to target and why you’re good at it • Objectives – outline your aims, whether Your profit and loss statement will help you they are to create brand awareness, generate analyse where most of your business is coming sales, build your database, increase web traffic, from and where you should be concentrating or all of the above your efforts in business, which means it also • Strategy – this is where you document tells you where you should be targeting your how you will make all this happen. It might be PR. through media releases, article marketing, a social media campaign, testimonials, advertising Start by working out where you’d like to end etc up in a year. By this I mean have an end figure • Evaluation – never embark on any in mind and think about how many sales you marketing without measuring the results, need to make, or clients you need to add, to get otherwise how will you know what works? there. You can measure how effective your communications plan is by revisiting your Now you have you monetary goal, work out objectives and seeing if you achieved what you your communications plan around how to make needed to get those figures you set as a goal. it happen. Maybe you surpassed them! A good plan will have some essential building blocks to base your publicity on. Use the following headings to flesh out the strategy: • Mission – be very clear about what you want to achieve and how • Positioning statement – think about
A communications plan isn’t the sort of document that is filed away once completed – it should be a work in progress that you continually add to as your business evolves, new opportunities arise and you evaluate the success of different promotional methods.
Johanna Baker-Dowdell owns and runs Strawberry Communications, a writing and public relations service that generates amazing publicity. Strawberry Communications is based in Launceston and was launched in 2007. Johanna is also a freelance journalist and blogger. For more information email johanna@strawberrycommunications.com.au or log on to www.strawberrycommunications.com.au
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HAYM-ADoutlined.indd 1
www.howareyoumanaging.com.au
www.giftedmemories.com.au
7/6/11 9:07:37 PM
Set up your Office for
Tax Time Success
Helen Butler Clutter Rescue Ah, don’t you just love this time of year? The change of season; the uplifting energy of the cold winter stimulating our senses; the tax man knocking at our door. OK, so the last one usually isn’t seen as that fabulous but if you are willing to take the challenge I’m betting tax time can run smoothly and easily for you. Are you up to it? Firstly, I am not an Accountant. I am a Professional Organiser who works with systems day-in day-out. Many of my clients are dealing with paperwork issues and feel so overwhelmed by their day-today responsibilities that paperwork is the last thing on their minds. The strategies below are what I use on a daily basis to help my clients gain control of their paperwork. There are three types of paperwork files: • Action Files – these are files that you use on a daily or weekly basis. They need to be easily accessible and require recurring action. Examples include current projects, action items, bills to pay and current clients. • Reference Files – these are files that need to be accessed but not actioned on a less-than-weekly basis. They include insurance policies, bank statements, car and home documentation, client files and workshops/conferences attended. • Archive Files – these are files that are important to keep but rarely need
to be accessed. They include things like old school reports and taxation documentation from previous financial years. Once you’ve worked out which documents fit into Action, Reference and Archive, it’s time to roll your sleeves up and get started. You need to work out the best way to store each type of file that works for your organising style. For my Action Files I use a step file, for my Reference Files I use a filing cabinet and for my Archive Files I use box files. So where does all of your tax documentation for 2011-2012 fit within these categories?I believe it’s an Action File that you should strive to stay on top of throughout the year. The first thing to do is separate your business and personal tax documentation. Use the same system if you like – again it depends on your organising style – or use a different system if you prefer. Just make sure you keep the paperwork separate! I store my personal tax documentation in the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet. Whenever anything comes in the mail that’s related to personal tax I put it in there.By following this process I know that most of my personal tax documentation is in one place ready to be sorted at the end of the financial year.
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New Financial Year Special And what about my business tax documentation? I use a few systems – mostly because they have a different purpose. I use expanding files for my Reference Files, sorting my paperwork by month, and a small storage box for my Action Files where I put in the current month’s invoices, purchases, etc. This is the box that is actioned by my bookkeeper and then filed in the expanding file.
So with the new financial year approaching, I invite you to really look at the paperwork systems you currently use, ask yourself if they’re working for you and, if not, change them. Think of how great you’ll feel this time next year knowing you’re on top of your paperwork? Priceless!
Helen is an Accredited Expert Professional Organiser who is the Director of Clutter Rescue and Organise Your Site (www. organiseyoursite.com.au). She is also the manager, director and social coordinator of her household, husband Scott and five year old son Toby.
www.clutterrescue.com.au
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CONTRACTS:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Larissa Glubb At some point in your business, if you haven’t already, you will either be asked to sign up to someone else’s contract or you will want them to sign up to your contract. There are some fundamental concepts relating to the law of contract that, once understood, can help you navigate your way though these documents like a pro. 1. Reaching Agreement For a binding contract to exist you need to actually reach an agreement and “create a legal relationship.” Sounds obvious but often people think there is an agreement, when in fact there is not. For example, you might think that because you have given your terms and conditions to another party, an agreement exists, but if they have not actually signed your terms and conditions, it may not. 2. Get It In Writing An agreement can sometimes exist even if you have not signed up to a written contract. Known as “oral contracts”, they cause a lot of headaches for the parties involved because it all boils down to “he said, she said”. Avoid relying on an oral contract (or a handshake) in a business relationship. Write it down! Print off two copies of your written agreement, sign both original copies and make sure the other party signs both too. You should each keep one original copy of the contract for your records. If you want to make a change to the terms
of your agreement later, the simplest thing to do is to write the change down, print out two copies, get both parties to sign and date each copy, and then attach it as a variation to the original agreement. 3. Identify Yourself Your contract needs to accurately identify you and the other party – in the right way. For example, if you operate as a company and the company is going to be the “buyer” of services under a contract, do not write your own name as the “Party”. Make sure that the full legal name of your company is set out as the “buyer”. You could personally be on the hook if you have mistakenly set out your own name, rather than the name of the company itself. 4. Quid Pro Quo For a contract to be valid there needs to be what is called “consideration”. Both parties need to assume an obligation – a contract cannot be completely one sided. The most basic example of this is that where a business agrees to provide a service (the business obligation) and the customer agrees to pay a fee for that service (the customer’s obligation). “Consideration” must exist for the contract to bind you. 5. Red Flags Of the thousands of contracts that can be drafted, almost every contract will contain common “red flag” areas that you need to be alive to. My top four would include payment, liability, assignment and termination. I’ll explain the importance of these sections in my next article.
Larissa is the mother of 2 lovely boys, a lawyer and the owner of Latitude South, a legal services company, www.latitude-south.com. A Kiwi, based in Hong Kong, she is busy creating a new website called Contract Boutique, where she will sell affordable legal forms and templates designed for women doing business online. Larissa can be contacted on larissa@contractboutique.com.
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Business Brains Program “The mind has exactly the same power as the hands; not merely to grasp the world, but to change it.”
Colin Wilson, Author of “The Outsider”
The business world is based on rational thinking…or so you thought! Evidence shows that biases, preferences and strange mindsets litter our decision-making and mostly go unrecognised. Our Business Brains Program is designed to take you on a journey of discovery. Understand how your mindsets are helping or hindering your business success. Learn how to translate the emerging research on the brain into practical solutions that transform your business. Take steps that will clarify your direction and support your decision-making.
Sign up for this 3 month electronic program starting on 6 September 2011 You get a tailored fact sheet every week for 12 weeks. Your fact sheets contain:
• Research and concepts about the brain and business that offer a fresh perspective on achieving success with purpose. • Practical actions that will optimise positive habits of mind and build the right momentum for the healthy evolution of your business. You can email us any time to receive specific advice and guidance on your own business challenges. And your fact sheets form a comprehensive workbook that will continue to guide you into the future.
This whole program for just $55 (GST incl)!! 10% discount now for C2M members Program commences 6 September 2011 and fact Sheets arrive in your inbox every Tuesday More information and register at www.businessbrains.com.au
“I really enjoyed the Business Brains program. I am now taking time to step back more from the business, analyse how it’s going (and not going!) and reflect on what I want both personally and professionally. Quite cathartic really. I feel like I’ve slowed down a little but am making bigger headway in my businesses because of it.” Helen Butler, Clutter Rescue
Don’t be amongst the 1/3 of businesses that fail in the first 2 years or 2/3 of businesses that fail by year 4. Give yourself and your business some fresh attention with this program, designed especially for your small business. Brought to you by Mind Gardener®, a company with over 10 years experience motivating leaders to think differently and thrive.
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Working with the
flow of your business
Susan Pearse Business owners often fall into the common trap of thinking of their business like it’s a machine. Not literally, but through mechanistic thought patterns like: “If I DO this I will GET this” “If I focus on THIS it will impact THERE” Experience tells us that the outcomes we get in our business are not that predictable and controllable. We can put a lot of effort into one thing and not get a return. And we can reap amazing results from something when we weren’t even trying! This happens because our businesses are living systems and just like any living system goes through different phases. We can’t often predict or control a living system because there are too many factors at play. Sometimes they thrive and sometimes they experience phases of rigidity where everything feels difficult. All living systems are in one of 3 possible states at any given time. The terms used to describe these states come from science, but rigidity and chaos are terms we use quite widely and you can probably easily guess what these states are like. In fact we would be surprised if you have not felt them both personally and in a work sense on a number of occasions!
Clear Mind Clear Purpose Clear Action
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Rigidity Inertia
Edge of Chaos Clarity
Chaos Erratic
Heavy
Effortless action
Confused
Slow
Creativity
Distracted
Unclear
Flow
Unproductive
The Edge of Chaos is the state to which we all aspire. Think of it as “being in the zone”. While a healthy living system must move slightly into chaos or rigidity from time to time. eg for rest and recovery, or for sudden bursts of effort, your goal is to keep your sights on the edge of chaos and not to remain in rigidity or chaos for longer than is necessary. Focusing on the following can provide a roadmap back to the edge of chaos for your business: CLEAR PURPOSE It is important to understand the difference between Purpose (why you exist) and Vision (where you want to be). Both elements are very important in defining the strategic direction of your business. While Vision gets the most airplay in the business jargon, Purpose is by far the more important element and often gets missed. A business moves into chaos or rigidity when it has lost its purpose. This usually happens when people forget who they are serving or get fixated on making money. CLEAR MIND The key capability of a leader is to see when their business moves into a state of chaos or rigidity and steer it back. You can’t do this if you don’t have a clear mind or if your mind is clouded with reactivity, “busy-ness” or assumptions. For this reason, it is important to continually reflect on your thoughts, challenge your ideas, and cultivate your mind. CLEAR ACTION Your ability to execute, innovate and adapt determines long term success. With a clear mind focused on clear purpose, the right action can be chosen. Take every opportunity to reflect on your actions, what is driving them, and whether there are other actions that can better support your business. Through keeping your eye on the above factors you will steer your business to the edge of chaos more frequently. This is where you’ll experience creativity, flow and personal growth. It’s well worth the journey!
Author Susan Pearse is evangelical about improving minds – and not just her own. The Brisbane-based author is one of a small number of experts bringing the science of neuroplasticity –literally changing the way you think – to Australia. Through her latest joint entrepreneurial endeavor, Mind Gardener®, Susan translates this science into a series of step-by-step guides designed to help people through various stages of their lives.
www.mindgardener.com 55 www.connect2mums.com.au
Green your Business! Jo Harvey Baby Jo As small business owners, do we have an obligation to look at ways of reducing our carbon footprint and ecological impact on our earth? Absolutely! You may be sitting there wondering if your “small” contribution would actually have any impact, however we are fast learning that every little bit counts.
results in large amounts of carbon dioxide (the greenhouse gas held responsible for global warming) being released into the atmosphere.
Let’s face it – the majority of you reading this article are most likely parents, seeking a challenge through business and self employment and you have probably (at one time or another) thought of your little ones and the world which we are bringing them into (and leaving them with)! I know that as a parent and now as a business owner, I have a certain responsibility to my family and if my little contribution to preservation and being eco friendly makes even one iota of a difference, it is definitely well worth doing.
** Fact – In Australia alone, there are around 173, 422 web servers. A basic web server has a power consumption of around 100 watts and is responsible for almost a tone of carbon dioxide emissions every year. This means that Australia’s web servers produce at least as much carbon dioxide as 35,00 cars!
So how can you make some small changes to your business to embrace being “green”? 1- If you run an online website, consider purchasing carbon credits. Nowadays, setting up and running a small business usually involves a website. Every site on the internet is hosted on a web server, which is a specialized computer that typically remains switched on – always! Due to the fact that a server must process such large data amounts, this will also mean constant consumption of electricity for it to be able to run. Electricity , generated in power plants,
Babyjo are proud to be a part of the movement over at www.tickgreen.com. au – whereby business owners are able to offset these carbon emissions by purchasing “carbon credits”. There are a considerable amount of practices who now offer this service – your carbon credits are used (simply put) to grow trees and reforest land - allowing carbon emissions to be neutralised and abosorbed.
2- If you send out orders and have the ability to do so – walk to the post office! At Babyjo, we post out a lot! We do this regularly as orders are generally sent out the day that they are placed, or within
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24 hours. In our seemingly ‘time-poor’ world, it is easy to want to jump into the car and drive to the nearest post office or street posting box. Our aim is to ensure that each and every parcel is taken to the post office by foot (providing I/we can carry it) and that we do not use the car to further add to carbon emissions through our business operation. Not only is this a great way to save on petrol and greenhouse gasses, it is also a lovely way to get some exercise and you will no doubt feel energized upon your return – think of it as a “walk-around-the-blockat-lunchtime if-you-worked-in-an-officein-the-city”. 3- Use eco friendly/recyclable packaging where possible Need I say more? This is one area that is very easy to alter – there are many fabulous options out there for recycled or eco friendly packaging and prices are highly competitive as well – use them! 4- “Switch off” every night Not you – your PC and other devices! Don’t leave these running in a bid to have a fast and efficient start in the morning. Don’t even use standby! Turn it off, switch it off, shut it down and let it sleep while you do.
5- Use suppliers who follow the same code of ethics Purchase locally where possible and source other businesses that have employed green practices – not only will you be encouraging others to be green by supporting their business, you can cut down on the distance your stock/supplies need to travel to get to you, and in turn, the amount of carbon dioxide produced to get them there. 6- Remember that “being green” is now considered “somewhat trendy” and trendy is good! Ok – so it’s not the most valid reason for making the above changes, however it is important to be vocal about your efforts should you decide to “green” your small business. Tell your customers about it – ask for their suggestions and obtain their “buy in” to your plan – you may be surprised as to how important this is to many people and through word of mouth alone, being green may greatly assist your sales and marketing power. Be green and be proud – at www.babyjo. com.au we are!
**Facts courtesy of www.securityspace.com via www.tickgreen.com
Jo is the creator and owner of Babyjo. An award winning business, Babyjo has received many fabulous media representations over the past 3 years – The Today Show, The Melbourne Age and Herald Sun, NAB Business Magazine, Business West Magazine, Local Newspapers, Health and Wellbeing/Green Magazines, Parenting and General Interest Magazines and Product placement on front cover/in photo shoots of My Child - to name a few.
www.babyjo.com.au
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Your Time Is Worth It! Jodi Gibson Scribble Den Being in business is often a thankless task. The work that needs to be put in behind the scenes sometimes doesn’t feel like it is reflected in the successes that can be few and far between. But we continue to do it because we love what we do and the rewards, not just financial, are worth it. This behind the scenes time isn’t something that is directly financially beneficial, it just has to be done to keep the business going, but how much time do you spend on clients or customers that you should be getting rewarded financially for?
we need to learn to say no to ourselves. We need to understand our true worth and that when we are spending time working, no matter how much we love what we do, we deserve to be rewarded. We need to stop and say, “No. My time is worth it.”
Do you spend ‘free time’ working on client projects because it is only something small? Do you not charge for the work you do on occasions out of good will? Do you sometimes forget to ‘start the clock’?
The more upfront and honest you are the more respect you will earn. It is not about being greedy, it is about accepting your worth and having others believe in your worth. Remember, today’s top entrepreneurs didn’t get there by offering free services.
The truth is when you do something for ‘free’ or at ‘no charge’ you are underselling yourself. Women are more prone to doing this not only in business, but in all aspects of life. We find it hard to say no. We try and keep everyone happy and put ourselves and our worth, last.
So next time you offer ‘free’ services or decide not to charge for something, remind yourself to stop underselling yourself that you are indeed worth it.
Learning to say no in business is hard, but first Jodi Gibson runs Ace Virtual Assistance a boutique agency assisting solo business owners to save time and money in their business, and assisting with social media and emarketing strategy and blog & website management & maintenance. Jodi is also author of ‘Mum to Mumpreneur – A real life guide’ a resource for Mums in Business full of information, advice and tips on how to run a successful solo business.
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Baby Bumpers crawling kneepads are: The fun way to encourage your baby to crawl, play, explore, in comfort and protection from minor abrasions, bruising, and scratches to delicate baby knees. Original Baby Bumper kneepads for crawling babies, have been designed by a mother of two for her own children, and released to parents around the world by public request. With support from Spina Bifida Foundation, Montessori school system, and backed by an Orthopedic, Pediatric Surgeon, Baby Bumpers aide in the important developmental crawling stage all babies go through to develop the right/left brain functions. For Babies 4-24 Months Old Baby Bumpers are one size fits all! Reversible* Machine Washable/Dryable Made in Australia of 100%Cotton/&Velcro Protects on all surfaces including: Hardwood Floors • Tiles and Grouting • Concrete/Paving Carpets/Rugs • Outdoor areas/Grass Hardwood Floors When Ordering include name of child, &/or sex. If sex is unknown order a unisex pair, as styles and colours vary, some colours and prints may not be available. To order Baby Bumpers kneepads: Please contact us through our website: www.babybumpers.com.au info@babybumpers.com.au Provide the Name, Age, and sex of the infant if known: or just order a unisex pair. Styles and colours vary and cannot be guaranteed. Delivery anywhere in the world through Australia Post.
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5 Ways to
Skyrocket your
Profits
Simone Outteridge
Growth is on every business owners mind. Regardless if you are a small business owner or a larger sized business owner we all want to grow our business and have better results than the year before or even the month before. Believe it or not there are 5 simple keys to improving your business profits. 1. Margin Business is all about leftover not turnover and the best way to have more leftover is to have a higher margin. Margin % is made up of your incoming revenue and the outgoing expenses. Gross margin % is revenue – cost of sales / revenue x 100. The net margin % calculation is gross profit – expenses / revenue x 100. The simplest way to have a better margin, is to decrease your expenses. Have a detailed look at all of your expenses and ask yourself where you can cut costs. Can you get a better mobile phone plan? Can you get cheaper insurance? Can you negotiate better prices with your suppliers?
2. Increase your average $ale value When was the last time you increased your prices? Increasing your prices will lead to
a higher average $ale value, more revenue and add to a better margin. Many business owners are scared of increasing their prices, but the reality is we live in a world where we have inflation and the costs of goods is always increasing. You don’t need to increase prices by huge amounts. The customer does generally not notice small incremental increases. Those customers that do are probably shopping on price anyway, so you were always going to lose them at some point.
3. Improve your conversion rate A conversion rate is the number of people that turn into customers after making an inquiry. For example if you have 10 people call you in a week to inquire about your services and 4 of them buy, then you have a 40% conversion rate. If you own an online business you can measure your conversion rate
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by the number of hits on your site vs. the number of purchases made. Some of the ways to improve your conversion rate are: add value to the customer, clearly define what benefits the customer will have from using your product or service and give a guarantee.
4. Get your customers buying more often This is where nurturing your customer comes in. It costs more to get a new customer than it does to keep an existing one happy. Make your customers feel special. Keep in contact with them even when they are not in your store or using your service. Find out what they like, what needs they have that your business could help them with and create your marketing around that to pull your customers back in time after time. Coffee is a great example. I like to drink 1 cup of nice coffee a day. My local café knows me by name, knows what kind of coffee I drink and even knows the type of muffins I (occasionally!) like to eat. That makes me feel special, so I go out of my way to get a coffee from that shop. I have even been known to drive half way across town to get a coffee from this place. They could put their prices up 20% and I would still pay! Yes of course the coffee is good, but I live
in Melbourne so you rarely find a bad coffee here! What can you do in your business to get your customers coming back more often and don’t just discount! Everyone does that!
5. Increase your leads, get more customers. This is where your marketing comes into it. This is where you let customers know, who you are and what you do. More importantly it’s where you let them know how you can help solve their problems. Everyone is time poor so having marketing materials that state your business name and what you do isn’t enough. You need to catch people’s attention. Think back to some advertising material that caught your attention, whether it be a magazine ad, newsletter, radio commercial and ask yourself what was it about that particular material that caught your attention and did it call you into action? There are lots of ways to generate leads that don’t have to cost you any money at all. The more exposure you can get, the more leads you will generate and the more customers you have the opportunity to convert!
If you would like to explore further how to increase profits in your business call me for an obligation free chat.
Simone has rounded business experience having operated an online business on one end of the scale and working in senior sales positions at a global multinational company on the other end of the scale! Simone is passionate about helping small business owners achieve their dreams. Being a wife & mum to her 17 month old son, she understands the challenges of juggling family & business life. www.facebook.com/outeredgecoach
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Enhancing your Brand through Customised Professional Photography Carolyn Bofinger Branding is a major component of any business. It’s more than a logo, it’s a way of operating to showcase who you are, what you believe in and what sets up apart from others. Branding is what the consumer identifies with to perceive you as a unique business. Images can be an instant way to showcase your brand and allow your clients the opportunity to identify with your business without using too much brainpower. They’re catchy and have a way of communicating feelings and soul in an instant. Whether they be on a flyer, a magazine, a website or in a showroom … the old saying ‘A picture says a thousand words’ rings true to business branding all over the world. More and more businesses are using customised professional photography to showcase their brand. Carolyn Bofinger, owner and director of Carolyn B Fine Art Photography has ideas for mumpreneurs who wish to showcase their brand with the use of professional imagery. Why do you think professional photography helps with branding? We live in a digital world with imagery all around us. Today’s consumers rely on imagery to help make purchasing decisions, either consciously or unintentionally. As a mother of two small boys and professional photographer, I’m conscious of the way imagery impacts on my decision making as a consumer. The images that portray soul, passion and clarity attract me instantly.
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People can see what they are getting. I know when I go to purchase something online, I like to visualise what it will look like and how it’s going to fit in with my lifestyle. I believe seeing images of people enjoying the product help others make decisions about purchasing
the product. Professional photography stands out from everyday photographs. Professional photographers know how to make use of light and colour effectively to make the subject shine. Many professional photographers also have experience in styling products and subjects to really showcase how products and services fit into a lifestyle. What should a mumpreneur look for when selecting images for their branding? The images selected should really highlight the purpose of the product. For example, if it’s a product for children playing in the backyard, the images selected should highlight the feeling of enjoyment, fun and fully engaged kiddies at play. If it were a product like nappies, the best images would be happy babies doing happy baby things … playing, crawling or giggling. The images should give a sense of what the business and product offers. The imagery used should portray the soul of the business. If the branding is based on a sense of fun, the images should ooze fun, laughter, lots of saturated colour and general good times. If the branding has a sense of sophistication, the tone of the images should reflect this. A vintage clothing company might aim for a retro/vintage feel about the imagery used. What is the difference between using stock photos and customised photography? I believe branding is very personal. Branding reflects the uniqueness of a business, service or product. Stock photos are good because they are generally professional photos that attract attention or make a point. They’re also cost effective and can be found on the Internet in a short space of time. Stock photos however are not necessarily unique. They don’t necessarily portray the unique soul of a business as a
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series of images. Customised commercial photography will guarantee the series of images associated with the branding will be unique to that particular business. Customised commercial photography can be tailored to suit the season or particular product / service being showcased. Business owners and directors have total control over how the images can enhance and compliment their branding. With customised commercial photography, a series of images can be styled to compliment the entire brand across a wide scope of marketing tools. I’m a little biased, but it’s also a really fun process to go through to discover a little more about yourself. Are there any specific images that should be on all business websites and online personas? Every online consumer wants to be able to trust the business they are purchasing from. With this in mind, letting the consumer see the person or people they are purchasing from will give them an opportunity to trust the people behind the brand. Head shots are always fantastic to help create that trust. Head shots don’t have to be traditional portraits either. Again, these should reflect the brand. For example, if the branding has a fun aspect to it, the headshots should portray a sense of joy and laughter whereas if the branding has more of a sophisticated feel to it, the headshots might be sensible and traditional. The products or services associated with the brand should also be showcased in the online presence of any business. I always like to showcase the emotions associated with the product. To do this, when shooting for a commercial venture, I focus on the details around the product/service as well as the product/service itself. For example I focus on the baby’s laugh or sparkly eyes when they are wearing that gorgeous nappy or the connection between the guests sharing the hostel or the creativity amongst the children as they play with the simple yet amazing ribbon wands or the joy on the child’s face when they are wearing the very funky swimwear. It’s the soul of the business we aim to showcase through imagery.
easier to be creative when planning or styling a commercial shoot. Another fun way to get creative is to join forces with associated, complimentary businesses. A children’s swimwear brand could join with a brand specialising in bath toys or a vintage clothing company might feature tea party suppliers. I know when I complete a commercial shoot consignment, like many professional photographers I look for opportunities to showcase the product by combining other products to compliment the client’s brand. Networking is such an important success factor with any business; why not use networking when producing unique imagery for your brand. Next time you Carolyn B Photography are looking for http://carolynb.com.au/ imagery for your business, it might be worth considering approaching your preferred professional photographer to create customised imagery to best portray your brand over a wide range of marketing tools.
What are some creative ways of using photography in the branding process? I have spoken a lot about shooting the details and capturing the emotions and soul behind the branding. When thinking from this angle, it’s www.connect2mums.com.au
Carolyn B offers a customised, initimate experience in photographing children, families, business and couples. Her photography has been described by many as eye catching, yummy, delicious and real. http://carolynb.com.au/
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MUMPRENEUR STYLE Gorgeous looks to take you from the school drop off to networking drinks Wrap front top with long sleeve, shown in a black & white print, also available in ink, black & fuchsia RRP $89.95 Basic stretch singlet, shown in white also available in black RRP $49.95 Classic black bengaline stretch pants RRP $99.95 Available at www.plusmaternity.com.au
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Afternoon Tea Pearl Earrings - Annette Piper http://annettepiper.com/
Coco Clutch - Willow Blu www.willowblu.com.au
Cream Clemence Dress - Review http://www.review-australia.com/
Miss Devonshire Pump - PeepToe http://www.peeptoeshoes.com.au
Styles by Vicki Vicki is a mother to two teenage daughter’s with a love of fashion and style. Her blog In Style KIds www.shoppegirls.blogspot.com including styles and looks for mother’s and their children. She also has JUNIOR epitome http:// juniorepitome.blogspot.com/ Showcasing Online Boutiques and her own online store JUNIOR Epitome Shop - a boutiques specialising in New, Recycled and Preloved designer clothing, books etc for children with a few pieces for Mother’s. www.juniorepitome.com
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Wrap front top with long sleeve, shown in ink, also available in a black & white print, black & fuchsia RRP $89.95 available at www.plusmaternity.com.au
Plus Maternity pull on maternity jeans RRP $99.95 available at www.plusmaternity.com.au
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Striped Knit - Witchery http://www.witchery.com.au/
Winola Handbag www.piperjordan.com.au
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Business Brunch
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Empire line long sleeve top, shown in teal, also available in flame & burnt iris RRP $79.95 Classic black bengaline stretch pants RRP $99.95 available at www.plusmaternity.com.au
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AusMumpreneur of the Year Finalists
Michelle Bowden
Anita Lincolne-Lomax
“Empowering people so they can have what they want in their life through robust, influential communication skills is an awesome honour and something I definitely do not take for granted. I am so lucky and blessed that I chose this career! Oh my goodness there’s no better job in the world!” Michelle Bowden
“ There is nothing in the world that compares to having your baby in your arms – the feeling of your sleeping child against your chest, the sweet smelling downy head under your nose. It is deeply satisfying supplying products that allow a busy parent the freedom to continue their normal daily routine while providing the richest and most desirable environment for their child.” Anita Lin Lincolne-Lomax
Michelle Bowden Enterprises
Michelle Bowden is recognised as the expert in Influential Presentation Skills in the Asia-Pacific region and has been a corporate trainer, speaker and executive coach for much of the past 2-decades. She is the author of: • Don’t Picture Me Naked • 13-steps to exceptional presentation design • STOP! Your PowerPoint is killing me! • How to Present – Tips from the Masters & • Exceptional Speaking Vocals
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Michelle conducts both public and in-house presentation skills programs and is renowned for achieving results through learning and laughter. Michelle’s executive mentoring program is well known as a must before high profile, significant events. www.connect2mums.com.au
Babes in Arms
‘Babes in Arms’ specialises in award-winning baby slings and carriers. With examples found across every age and culture, baby slings and carriers are the world’s most ancient parenting tools which respect a baby’s biological need for physical closeness and a parent’s functional need to be hands-free. Our by line - ‘Togetherness made Simple’ – testifies to to the freedom babywearing continues to offer busy families today. Personally selected and test-driven by business founder and mother of three, Anita Lincolne-Lomax, our award-winning collection provides ergonomic weight distribution for er parents and optimal spinal support for growing babies.
Catherine Cervasio
Narelle Plapp
Sharon Thurin
”I have had the wonderful opportunity to travel around my family and be there for my children. My boys and I are very close and I’m certain it’s because I’ve been able to be there for them.” Catherine Cervasio
“I love l bringing products to market and receiving positive feedback from customers. Still to this day if I see someone with a Food for Health product in their trolley I have to go and introduce myself. It is those little moments that I love about my business.” Narelle Plapp
“ There have been so many great and exciting moments (such as going to the Oscars) in this business and maybe the best part is that I never know what the day is going to bring; every day there are surprises, so life is never boring.” Sharon Thurin
Aromababy
I developed de the world’s first, research based natural & organically focused mother & baby care brand of its kind more than fifteen years ago. That brand, AROMABABY®, was uniquely introduced to hospitals as well as retail channels and has pioneered the availability of ‘choice’ in baby products av for both parents & health professionals. Aromababy has been provided to Princess Mary, John Travolta, Jamie Oliver and Dannii Minogue to name a few and has won awards in both USA & UK with myself nominated for numerous awards over the past decade. I am a ffreelance writer and presenter for several TV shows – my focus is baby, natural health lifestyle. I have worked with numerous fundraisers and charity events. I am the Chairwoman for a Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation major fundraiser.
Food for health
When I was a consulting Naturopath I drew on my knowledge of allergies, dietary requirements and natural ingredients to produce two digestive support mueslis for my patients. In 2006 Food for Health was born. Food for Health focuses on health, functionality and allergy friendly products, to make life that little bit easier for people with specific dietary requirement and food allergies. Our motto is: “without our health we have nothing, so it is important to use our food to heal and nourish our active bodies so we can get more out of life!” We apply this to products we create and are firm believers in a healthy happy life.
www.connect2mums.com.au
Slim Secrets
Like many ma babies, Slim Secrets was born one sleepless night in 2005 as I lay in bed concerned about the growing rate of obesity in Australia. Realising there was a gap in the health and wellbeing market, I set about creating a healthy snack food company and have never looked back. ne The Slim Secrets philosophy is to promote a healthy lifestyle, be the secret weapon for your snack attacks and connect with consumers through valuable secrets. Thanks to our outstanding packaging, great taste and proven results I have seen the business flourish over the past 5 years. Our range of snack bars, cookies, chips and shots are now distributed nationally and overseas to a wide variety of outlets and are fast 73 becoming a worldwide favourite. be
AusMumpreneur of the Year
Rising Star (2 - 5yrs) Finalists
Nicky Johnston
Yvette Adams
“The highlights of my business ventures are the letters, emails, notes I receive from parents who express their ‘life changing’ moments of finding and using my books with their own ‘little worriers’, reporting their instant success!” Nicky Johnston
“I love l the flexibility of being my own boss and have ensured I have implemented excellent procedures and systems to ensure even though we are a small business I can step out of it and my staff are more the capable to ‘steer the ship’. We regularly holiday, sometimes combining work with play.” Yvette Adams
Nicky’s Art
Artist, teacher and mother, Nicky Johnston now has the title of Author & Illustrator to add to her list of accomplishments. Being a mother of 4 boys and having worked in the primary education sector for the past 15 years, Nicky was prompted to publish her two picture books for children dealing with pi anxiety “Go Away, Mr. Worry thoughts!” & “Happythoughts are Everywhere...”
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With her eldest son being diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) at just 5 years and finding very few children’s books available for young children with anxiety, Nicky embarked on the journey of self-publishing. Since launching her books she has not only greatly helped her own son, but gr thousands of young children struggling to manage and overcome their own anxiety. www.connect2mums.com.au
The Creative Collective
‘ The Creative Collective is an award-winning full service creative agency offering everything from website design and development to graphic design and print, marketing and PR, search engine optimisation and search engine marketing, social media more! + mo We also offer a range of education and training opportunities related to achieving online and business success through regular webinars, live events and recorded products. We currently deliver training on behalf of AusIndustry, the Queensland Government’s DEEDI and have also performed work for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and a range of private sector clients.
Dr Deborah Latouf
Stacey Clayton & Lisa O’Keefe
Michelle Wright
“I love it when someone comes into the store for the first time and looks around in wonder. As we say at Entropy, you are never too old to have fun in a toy shop. I love it when I come into the store in the morning and see face and hand prints all over the windows, as enthusiastic children have pressed their face on the window to get a closer look.” Dr Deborah Latouf
“We are sisters and we love working together. Never did we think that we would get paid to spend time having fun with each other and our families. We love that we can use business meetings as an excuse for our families to catch up – even our Mum and Dad come along!” Lisa O’Keefe
“My business has shown my children that running a business is hard work but making a difference is infinitely rewarding and achievable ” Michelle Wright
Entropy
I am the sole owner and Director of Entropy Pty Ltd. Entropy is an old fashioned toy store to put a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face. Entropy commenced trading in 2007 with a retail shop front in Queensland. The business was expanded 12 months la later with the addition of an online store with warehouse. In 2010 the bricks and mortar store relocated to a high profile location in one of the largest ‘big box’ retail centres in Australia. In 2011 the ecommerce site was upgraded, with more than 3000 products available for online purchase. Entropy is one of the fastest growing independent toy stores in Australia and now employs 10 staff. Entropy is all about energy. It's more than a motto, it's the motivation and driving force behind my business.
Koolaman Designs
Koolaman Designs is the highly successful brand owned by sisters Stacey Clayton & Lisa O’Keefe. In four years, these inspirational ‘best friends’ have delivered to the market a product that is sought after both domestically and internationally. Their signature pendants are proudly being worn by everyone from stay at home Mums to celebrities and look just as stylish and appropriate with a track suit as they do with your favourite little black dress. The sisters manage their business from their respective homes, despite being 450km apart. Lisa lives in outback NSW and Stacey in rural Victoria and between them they have 6 children, 2 husbands, 3 dogs, 1 cat, 5000 sheep, and hundreds of special memories of sha time shared together. www.connect2mums.com.au
Mishfit
Sho Shortly after migrating to Melbourne with her husband and young daughter, Mish found herself pregnant and a single parent. It was during this difficult time Mish developed a love affair with exercise as an antidote to post-natal depression. However, exercising after the bi birth of her son without correct guidance, caused Mish to suffer stress incontinence. Mish healed her own pelvic floor through corrective exercise, thus avoiding surgery and was inspired to retrain as a Personal Trainer. Driven with a passion to share her knowledge with other mums, Mish completed Certificate IV in Small Business and cr created mishfit mothers: a group personal training system specialising in providing safe exercise and education for pre and post natal women.
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gifts for men made ‘really’ easy
www.giftsforblokes.com.au www.giftsforblokes.com.au
Our magnetic activity charts help children and parents move through their busy days
BE
SEL ST LER
My Busy Day
My Busy School Week k
My Busy Day is a colourful and fun activity chart designed to help your pre-school age child (3-5 yrs) have input into their day.
The ideal activity and routine chart for school children designed to give them a pictorial view of what is happening in their school week from day to day.
P NREKW SHO
WO ER IES S
Visit our website to find out about our new Magnetic Moves workshop series on Sensory Processing and Children’s Behaviour
www.magneticmoves.com.au MM_Mumpreneur_150x210_ART01.indd 1
NEW
My Toilet Chart
PRO DUC T
Specifically designed as an aid for children of all ages that are ready to start toilet training – popular for parents and children alike.
All our products are proudly designed and manufactured in Australia, for more information visit our online store
magneticmoves.com.au 9/6/11 8:16:22 AM
www.supersprout.com.au
Toddlers to teens TV Emerging Mumpreneur of the Year Finalists
Kim Berkers
Bianca Shugg
“Living a balanced life is what I believe happiness is all about and although I am up sometimes still at 2 o’çlock in the morning in order to meet orders, I am still there to wake up with the children and put them to bed every night as well as everything in between!” Kim Berkers
“My silver lining is that I love what I do and more importantly I can do it from home with my two baby girls in tow.!” Bianca Shugg
Toddler Tucker
Toddler Tucker was conceived 5 years ago when Kim’s eldest child, Kayla, started eating solids. Kim was working in catering with food all day and didn’t want to spend the precious hours before Kayla’s bed time in the kitchen. After some research, Kim found that there was a gap in the marketplace for the home cooked foods for babies and toddlers.
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By the time her second child, Kian was 18 months old, the website for Toddler Tucker was launched and Kim was supplying nutritious home cooked meals for toddlers and babies, frozen for convenience and delivered to customers at home or workplaces all around Melbourne. Nearly two years ar on, Toddler Tucker is now providing over 500 meals per week to day care centres, families and specialty shops and is looking to branch interstate in the nearwww.connect2mums.com.au future.
Peekaboo Magazine
Peekaboo magazine was founded by Bianca Shugg in November, 2009. Peekaboo is a free, glossy lifestyle publication produced quarterly. Aimed at sophisticated parents and their families, it includes feature-length articles on inspiring people, on-trend fashion for littlies, new product reviews, localised park and eatery reviews, a localised events calendar, family travel e ideas, expert columnists, national giveaways and more. There are three different magazine editions printed quarterly - Peekaboo Brisbane, Peekaboo Sydney and Peekaboo Melbourne - each offering a combination of localised editorial and advertising and other nationally-run pages featuring national advertising clients and editorial. clie
Nadine Newell
Tina Mihalitsis
Rhian Allen
“I love being able to help other plus size mums, so that they never have to feel the same way I did, whilst looking for maternity wear. It has become a hub for discussions about what plus size women in Australia are passionate about. I am connecting with lots of mums out there. I love the sense of community it creates. .” Nadine Newell
““I learned to sew when I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted for my baby daughter. I wanted her special clothing to be made with love and consideration. I wanted high quality beautiful fabrics that would stand the test of time. Above all, I wanted her outfits to capture the essence of her childhood.” Tina Mihalitsis
“I love doing something worthwhile and helping so many mums get in shape and improve their health. I love giving so much support and advice to mums and I love hearing about all of the success stories about how the Lose Baby Weight plans have changes people’s lives. And I love being able to do it all around my baby!” Rhian Allen
Plus Maternity
Being mum to a 3 year old has bought a world of change to Nadine’s working life. Due to time constraints, production deadlines and the ever-changing work environment Nadine was unable to resume working in the event/production arena after her daughter arrived. Seizing on a problem daug she’d encountered during her pregnancy, she sought to ensure that no other mum-to-be should feel unable to purchase plus size maternity wear, and started her journey in establishing Plus Maternity. Nadine used the skills she acquired over her years in the entertainment industry to her advantage. Challenging tasks, competitive situations and being an out of the box thinker help her to remain flexible in her approach with the day-to-day running of Plus Maternity.
Georgie Girl
Celebrating all that it means to be a cherished baby girl, Georgie Girl’s whimsical and vintage-inspired nappy covers have burst onto Australia’s handmade scene in an explosion of florals and ruffles. Hand made from the highest quality f cotton fabrics to the most exacting standards, Georgie Girl pieces are exquisitely beautiful, practical, and importantly, affordable. Coveted by thousands, Georgie Girl ruffled nappy covers are already being preserved as modern-day family heirlooms. Georgie Girl’s creator, Tina Mihalitsis is humbled by her success, genuinely overwhelmed by the demand for her lovingly handmade pieces. www.connect2mums.com.au
Lose Baby Weight
Rhian Allen is a mum of one from Sydney who at 6 months pregnant decided to leave the security of a 12 year long career in the media industry to pursue her dreams of running her own business in the health and weight loss industry. After identifying a gap in the market for a holistic solution to ma post baby health and weight loss Rhian launched www.losebabyweight.com.au in October 2010. Since then she has helped over 1,500 Sin mums across Australia lose their baby weight totalling a collective loss of 10,000kg. Her first baby was born in December 2010 and she has managed to juggle the challenges of motherhood as well as continuing to drive, market & innovate the business dr to ensure that it is Number 1 in the post pregnancy and weight loss market as79 well as Number 1 in client service.
Koolaman Designs
Product innovation Finalists
Alina Sack ErgoPouch
www.ergopouch.com.au
Brooke Nicol Breast Mate
www.breastmate.com
Kim Vespa Vespa & the Ladybird
www.vespaandtheladybird.com.au
Gianna Muollo The Belly Bed
Jo Turner Toosh LopeesCoosh
Melanie Seears On the Gro
Shae Tye Sleepy Wings
www.thebellybed.com.au
www.onthegro.com
www.tooshcoosh.com.au
Michele Blanshard Baby Head Rest www.roseandlily.com.au
www.sleepywings.com.au
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Lisa Heggie Treadley Helmet Hats www.treadley.com.au
Rachel Hodgson Bucklepodz www.bucklepodz.com.au
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Design business of the Year Finalists
Amber Hopwood
Gayle Williams Sprowt Graphic Design I will invitations www.sprowt.com.au
Lety Kemp Fancy Little Me!
www.fancylittleme.com.au
www.iwillinvitations.com.au
Rebecca Reed Motif Creative Design www.motifcreativedesign.com.au
Sheralyn Woollard Heart2art www.heart2art.info
Best Eco-friendly business Finalists
Donna MacMullin Itty Bitty Greenie
www.IttyBittyGreenie.com.au
Catherine Langman & Michelle Fowler Cushie Tushies
Julie Cottle Natural Transition www.naturaltransition.com
www.CushieTushies.com.au
Nicole Golland Lopees www.lopees.com.au
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Karen Keynes GreenUrLife
www.greenurlife.com.au
Laura Trotta Sustainababy
www.sustainababy.com.au www.connect2mums.com.au
Jacinta Thompson Baby Gecko www.babygecko.com.au
Vote for your favourite Mumpreneur business in the 2011 Peoples Choice AusMumpreneur Awards at www.connect2mums.com.au 85 www.connect2mums.com.au
PEOPLE’S CHOICE CATEGORIES Service Business of the Year people's choice
Hazel Theocharous Assisting U Virtually Danni Guerreiro Rock-A-Bye Baby Equipment Hire Yvette Adams The creative collective Helen Butler Clutter Rescue Karen Gunton Build a little biz Michelle Bowden Michelle Bowden Enterprises Corinne Hasham Virtual Assistant Solutions Vanessa Portors and Amy Ruediger Mamma's market Rosemary Shilo Virtually Yours Lara Renee Hodgson SunnyCoastKids.com.au Melissa Jane Rogers A Little Bird Lorraine Salvi Mums Delivery Alison Paul Coffs For Kids Merendi Leverett Merendi Health & Wellness Jenny Dugard Body Beyond Baby Tanya McVicar Babysitters and More pty ltd Kim McGann Blush Brides Renee Bugg and Alex Shaw The Inspired Occasion Nicole Jones Market Me Marketing Nickie Race Jones LCF Fun Languages Pty Ltd Katrina Louise Beckett LASH ME eyelash extensions Flick Martin Flick will fix it Kim Louise Berkers Toddler Tucker Kelley Elizabeth Krause Practical Gifts.com.au Yvette Adams The creative collective Amber Hopwood Rebecca Michelle Reed Sprowt Motif Creative Design Kelley Elizabeth Krause Practical Gifts.com.au Chaynika Sethi CVS Fashions Kate Facey and Amanda Wright Baby steps Photography and design pty ltd Gayle Williams I will invitations
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Servcorp Customer Service Award
Melanie Sheehan Try two clothing Amber HopwoodSprowt Design Nicole Ashby FIFO ( fly in fly out) families Tanya Jackson Burlesque & Pin-Up Couture Gemma Fazio Cubbly Kids Jocelyn Louise Brewer MamaMore Maternity Jo Samantha Bellas My Posh Baby Boutique Vicki Frittmann Lunalei Rebecca Michelle Reed Motif Creative Design Dr Deborah Latouf Entropy Kacey Enoka Jae Photography Amanda Dyson Chlobell Images Germaine Ailian Tan Chibi Run Vanessa Portors and Amy Ruediger Mamma's market Rosemary Shilo Virtually Yours Renee Mayne BRA QUEEN Eva Van Stripj Oz Baby Trends Laurie McDonald Canberra Furnished Lau Accommodation Julia Mendola Chocolate Freckles Fiona Visser & Catherine Wyrostek Darlings Downunder Melanie Avery Let's Party Additive Free Leini Fiebig Sweet Desires Jenny Dugard Body Beyond Baby Jen Kim McGann Blush Brides Kate Facey and Amanda Wright Baby steps Photography and design pty ltd Rhian Allen Lose Baby Weight Anita Lincolne-Lomax Babes in Arms Chantelle Coote and Danielle Seadon Ellez Cha The Tassie Wedding Planner Alison Covington Agoo Australia Brie Backo Your Defence Michelle Stapleton Sustainable Hemp Products
Best Blog Award Linda Anderson Mums on the go Karen Gunton Build a little biz Favourite Children’s Label Award Katrina Springer The Organised Housewife F iona McPherson and Miyo Fallshaw Oishi-m P Madeleine Booth-Smits NZ Ecochick Megan Dubieniecki gemibaby Renee Mayne Busting Out Tina Mihalitsis Georgie Girl Lea Louise MoateWillow Tree Creative Services Nicola Thomas Enoch and Plonk Alison Paul Coffs For Kids Heidi Kearns Me2Designs Caprice Burrows Bub & Moo Julie Cottle Natural Transition Anita Lincolne-Lomax Babes in Arms www.connect2mums.com.au
PEOPLE’S CHOICE CATEGORIES Handmade Mumpreneur people's choice
Erin Hillman Creative Cakes and Cookies Charlotte Helsham Bubcakes Tina Mihalitsis Georgie girl Louise & Samantha LeahBeautiful Fairy Photobooks Nicola Thomas Enoch and Plonk Heidi Kearns Me2Designs Kate Marshall The Kids Room by Kate Nicole Jackson Little Wrap Bag Pty Ltd Megan Dubieniecki gemibaby Renee Bugg and Alex Shaw The Inspired Occasion Victoria Wright Little Blossom Quilts Louise Vansleve Cupcakes for poppy Felicity O'DonohueThe Karma Soap company
Best Product Award
Rachel Emmilene Hodson Buckle with care Shae Tye Sleepy wings pty ltd Kirralee Baker My Playhouse Adventures Brooke Nicol Oogy Baby Sharon Thurin Slim secrets Melanie Seears On the Gro Nikki Carden Mums on the Run Nicole Shulman and Ilana Pilcus Belly Art Melinda Charlesworth Nioka Botanicals Leticia Vergas Kemp Fancy Little Me! Gianna Lucia Muollo The Belly Bed Pty Ltd Renae Harrison Huglees Michele Blanshard Rose & Lily Pty Ltd Kacey Enoka Jae Photography Nicky Johnston Nicky's Art Nicole Jackson Little Wrap Bag Pty Ltd Kim Vespa Vespa & The Ladybird Ruth Tomas WheelieDesigns.com Laurie McDonald Canberra Furnished AccoM Alina Sack ErgoPouch Katherine Irwin Poppets Palace Narelle Plapp Food for Health Megan Dubieniecki gemibaby Alita Howlett Bello Alito Pty Ltd Amanda McCallum, Sonya Havu, Kylie Foley Signing Stars Amelia Singh Bambooty Rebecca Anne Mudridge The Pram Diet book Chantelle Coote and Danielle Seadon Ellez The Tassie Wedding Planner Angela Black The baby bling store Jodie Ann Byerlee Nappies Covered Catherine Langman and Michelle Fowler Cushie Tushies Kristy Massey Bubbabutts Amy Dowling Allergy riders Lisa Heggie Treadley Helmets Lety Kemp Fancy little me
Best Boutique Award Raegan Foldesdy A little bit of cheek Bernice Greenacre The Bees Knees Kids Jayne Day Swish Lily Karen Gardner For Eva Lilah Nadine Newell Plus Maternity Ne Jenny Gordon Hopscotch Children's Boutique Tanya Jackson Burlesque & Pin-Up Couture Samantha Bellas My Posh Baby Boutique Vicki Frittmann Lunalei Debbie Harrison Best Dressed Pets Jocelyn Louise Brewer MamaMore Maternity Dr Deborah Latouf Entropy Julia Mendola Chocolate Freckles Chelsea Hart Spruced Goose Eleanor Roberts Buy Hand Fiona Visser & Catherine Wyrostek Darlings Downunder Laura Maree Trotta Sustainababy Pty Ltd Jayleen Considine Beach Maternity Cath Baker Lunch boxes with love Bianca Kristallis Pamper Hamper Gifts Kylie Nash Bubs in Arms Gift Boxes Glenys Elaine Power Cupcake city Julie Jackson The Little Doll House Angela Cuzilla Wee Willie Winkie Linda Wood Sleep secrets Joanne Ipock The Natural Newborn Chaynika Sethi CVS Fashions Donna MacMullin Itty Bitty Greenie Christine Poole Kawaii for you Brie BackoYour Defence Angelene Bourne Angelfish Dragonfly www.connect2mums.com.au
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We Love Gorgeous office accessories to keep you inspired at work! Paris Mug
typoshop.com.au
Canvas Quote - Go Confidently $34.95 by: MiniStyle
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Silver Swarovski Bling USB $25
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Silver Chrome Chandelier $249.00 by: MiniStyle
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88 www.connect2mums.com.au
Silver Swarovski Bling ‘Hello Kitty’ 4GB Cute USB Necklace $25
www.madamcharli.com.au
idea notebook
typoshop.com.au
File Folder - Map of the World $24.95
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Crystal Rhinestone Pink & Pearl Bling Optical USB Computer Mouse $25
www.madamcharli.com.au Butterfly Rubber Stamp Kit $49.95 by Cavallini & Co.
www.ministyle.com.au
Desktop organiser
www.smiggle.com.au
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What’s been the best business advice you’ve received? The best advice I’ve received is to get your products out to the people via markets. It’s a great way to meet my customers and establish conncetions with potential and current customers too! It’s also an inexpensive way of advertising and a great way to move product if things are quiet online as well. angelene bourne - angelfish dragonfly www.angelfishdragonfly.com.au ww
Mine is quite simple but really puts everything into perspective for me. Know your Why, and success will follow. vicki frittmann - lunalei www.lunalei.com.au
Best advice I received was to; • Write down every idea you have whenever you think of it • Then document, prioritise and sort out all of those ideas on a regular basis kylie nash - bubs in arms gift boxes ww www.bubsinarmsgiftboxes.com.au
Wise words from my Dad: "Don't lose sight of your dreams. Believe in your dreams and they may come true; Believe in yourself and they will come true!"
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melanie seears - on the gro www.onthegro.com www.connect2mums.com.au
“Give your self twice the time you think you need." shauna mcgee kinney - perth write www.perthwrite.com.au
Don't compare your business and it's growth, to somebody who doesn't have the responsibilities and time you do. If you are a Mum running a household and looking after the family, obviously you don't have as much time to dedicate to your business, as others do. There are only 24 hours in every single person's day! carolyn harli - madam charli www.madamcharli.com.au
"Ready..Fire..Aim" - ie you must just do.. and then tweek or you'll never do. glenys power - cupcake city www.cupcakecity.com.au
Don't try and do everything yourself. Be honest with yourself with what you are good at and for the rest, find a way to outsource the other stuff. It will save you money, time and anguish in the long run! michelle wright - mishfit www.mishfit.com.au
“Believe in yourself. Even when others doubt, even when the figures don't add up. If you believe in yourself you will succeed!" jodi gibson - the scribble den www.jodigibson.com.au
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facebook:connect to aussie mums
the online community connecting mums
Free to join!
www.connect2mums.com.au