MOTIVATING Mum to Launch Nationwide Mentoring Initiative for Businessmums

It was only last month that we featured an interview with Iveta Tancheva of Mums Like You - a venture geared towards mothers - highlighting the massive draw the internet has for women.  In the same vein, a mentoring scheme to support businessmums across the UK is to be launched on March 15, 2010 by Allison Price, founder of Motivating Mum. This exciting new initiative will enable mums already in business, as well as those wanting to start up, to obtain affordable support and advice to help them achieve their dreams.

____________________________________________________________________________
Launched three years ago, Motivating Mum was set up by Allison Price, professional life coach, mumpreneur and mother of one, for mums who needed help with the everyday challenges they faced. It now helps mumpreneurs across the UK succeed in achieving their business dreams through the provision of support and advice.

Increasing Numberss of Mumpreneurs

An increasing number of mothers are setting up their own businesses, however many of them lack knowledge and/or experience and face difficult challenges right from the start. The Motivating Mum mentoring service will connect mums needing professional guidance to mums who are experts in their field. It will cover all areas of business from law and accountancy to marketing and PR, in addition to getting ideas off the ground.

The Who’s Who of Business-mums

High profile business-mums already signed up as mentors for the launch include Laura Tenison, MD at JoJo Maman Bebe, Rachel Jones, inventor of Totseat and Wendy Shand, founder of Tots to Travel.

When talking about the launch, founder Alli Price said:

“Time and time again I am approached by mothers wanting guidance with their businesses. Many set out with great ideas and huge amounts of passion but struggle to realise their vision. The majority of them simply can’t afford professional help due to the prohibitive costs. I realised that there was a need for mums to be able to access affordable advice, and that the mums out there with established businesses were very happy to share their knowledge. By matching the two together, I can, hopefully, help more mums across the UK achieve their dreams.”

Everyone's a Winner

Not only will mums across the UK benefit from having access to low cost advice, but the mums who do the mentoring can earn money, simply by sharing their expertise.

Nicola Bird, founder of Morethanyourtime.com and Jigsawbox.com, and Motivating Mum mentor said of the venture:

“I wanted to offer my services as a mentor because I’ve been down the path (and wept the tears!) of the new small business owner and it’s now my turn to share my experiences, and help other women build their own successful businesses.”

Charitable Mentoring

It’s not always about the money, however.  Mentors will be given the option to donate the funds they earn through Motivating Mum to the Association of Post Natal Illness (APNI), a charity chosen by Alli.

"The Motivating Mum mentoring scheme is a very positive initiative which will be helpful for businessmums who could otherwise be isolated or alone, a situation that can sometimes lead to post-natal depression. It is a hugely inspiring and worthy scheme," says Siobhan Merrifield from APNI.

A Database of Expert Mentors

Mums will be able to access a database of expert mentors via the Motivating Mum website, selecting whichever area suits their needs. Advice is given over the phone, with a 30-minute session costing only £20. The Motivating Mum website will also offer facilities such as diary management, how to run successful events, plus a forum for mums to chat to each other about issues and challenges.

Saira Khan, runner up in the first series of The Apprentice and founder of Miamoo, said:

“If only I’d had access to affordable, accessible mentoring from like-minded women, when I first started out! It’s the perfect solution for mums who need help with their businesses.”

For more details, please visit MotivatingMum.