Name of Business: Ice the Cake
Your Name and Age: Sue Page – 30 Something
Tell us about your family: Married with two children. Little boy who has just turned two and a twelve year old daughter who is just finding her feet at secondary school.
What did you do before coming up with your business idea and how was it making the transition? I have worked for myself for several years but the inspiration for Ice the Cake came from our wedding in December 2010.
When did you launch? April 2011.
How did you …

Name of Business:
KiddyCharts
Your Name and Age:
Helen Neale, 38
Tell us about your family
I have a wonderfully supportive husband, Paul, whom I have been married to since 2003 – he puts up with my constant jabbering about the business which is no mean feet!  My children are 6 and 4; and they help me make sure that my charts are suitable for my audience, as they are my audience!
What did you do before coming up with your business idea and how was it making the transition?
I have been a business analyst for …

Name of Business: Mummy’s Maid Ltd
Your Name and Age: Kez Luckett aged 39
Tell us about your family: I am married to Andy who is a Network and telecoms manager. We have two children Amelie who is 6 years old (going on 16) who loves Hannah Montanna, high School Musical and anything pink and girly and Jack who is 3 years old and into anything relating to building or bob the builder(although he does secretly love Peppa Pig too). We spend a lot of our spare time renovating our family home …

Peggy Melmoth (39) lives on board a narrowboat with her husband, and daughters (aged two and four). She works from home as a writer, professional blogger and virtual assistant.

 When did you launch?

Before I started my business I was a medical secretary and a self-employed hypnotherapist. My previous career had included bookkeeping, managing a music recording studio, working for Friends of the Earth and managing the administrative office for a neurosurgical operating theatre. I gave up hypnotherapy when my second daughter was born because I found that I was juggling too …

Name of Business:
Charlotte & Co.
Your Name and Age:
Charlotte Semler 41yrs
I co-founded Myla in 2001 and had an amazingly exciting 5 years growing that business into an international brand.
Although the Myla brand and product concept was groundbreaking our business structure was pretty conventional:  A London head office with full-time staff, a dedicated call center and fulfillment warehouse in Essex, 10 retail outlets inLondonand one inNew York.  And a 7 day a week work schedule for the myself and my business partner.
The birth of my twins in 2005 coincided with new investors …

Name of Business: The Handpicked Collection
Your Name and Age: Jo McGivern (Age 39)
Tell us about your family: I have three children, Annabelle age 7, Thomas age 5 and Jack who is nearly 3. And of course my husband Simon. They are all great fun – and we love spending family time together.
What did you do before coming up with your business idea and how was it making the transition? Before starting The Handpicked Collection, I was a director of a Luxury PR Agency. Moving into retail was a steep learning curve – the first …

Name of Business:
eleventyone Limited
Your Name and Age:
Melinda Holohan, 41
Tell us about your family:
I am married and have two little munchkins who are 3 and 5.
What did you do before coming up with your business idea and how was it making the transition?
The transition was easy – I was pushed! =) I worked in asset management and was made redundant, but it was the best thing that had happened to me since my children. I went home and sat down with a piece of paper and made two lists: what was …

Your Name:    
 Sandra Patterson
Age:                        
39
Business Name:       
Kids Bee Happy
Website Address:    
www.kidsbeehappy.co.uk
Date Founded:      
 April 2011
 
My family;
I am married to Alistair, and I have two lovely daughters, Eleanor aged 9, and Jessica aged 7.
 
What did you do before coming up with your business idea and how was it making the transition?
I was a Chartered Accountant by training, working in London, and very disillusioned.  I decided to ditch the lot and move to Scotland.  Within a couple of weeks of moving up to Scotland I met my husband, and we were married a few …

Name of Business: bigbooklittlebookcardboardbox
Your Name and Age:  Frances Weir, aged 35
Tell us about your family:  I’m married with a son aged 3
You featured in a Family Friendly Working profile in September 2010. A year on, how is the business going? The business is going well, far better than I would have anticipated! My sales are increasing month on month and my income exceeds the salary I was earning in the part-time job I gave up to launch my business.
To what or whom do you attribute your success? While I allow …

Name of Business:
The Clothes Tree Ltd
Your Name and Age:
Mhairi Clarke, 37
Tell us about your family
I have a wonderful eight year old son, Ben
What did you do before coming up with your business idea and how was it making the transition?
Prior to starting The Clothes Tree I had carved out a successful career in PR, setting up my own lifestyle PR consultancy whilst juggling client work in other sectors. I then took up position managing the communications for Noel Fitzpatrick, BBC One’s Bionic Vet, splitting my time between Scotland and Surrey. …