Becoming A Mumpreneur: Lisa’s story

An article by Chelle    No Comments

Lisa from www.topsytoesy.co.uk shares her experience of striving to be combine motherhood with launching a business.

Discovering I was pregnant was somewhat of a shock; we hadn’t planned it and I remember feeling immense excitement and panic, simultaneously. Life as I knew it was going to change drastically, although I had no idea quite how drastic those changes were going to be.

Until this point, my partner and I had been running our PR agency together, specialising in live entertainment and celebrity, representing everything from theatre tours of ‘Dad’s Army’, ‘Porridge’ and ‘The Big Ballet’ through to concerts by JLS, Ollie Murs, Katherine Jenkins and The Wanted.

Juggling my life as a mother and a career woman was going to be difficult! Days after giving birth, I contracted a life-threatening infection, this, combined with my daughter’s arrival, led me to reflect on my life and the direction it was taking. I wanted to concentrate my efforts into things that I am passionate about, as well as draw upon everything I was and combine it with everything I am (a mother-in-business), whilst allowing enough time for my family.

Two-years on and my life couldn’t be more different, having subsequently founded an online boutique, TopsyToesy.co.uk which specialises in unique and desirable headwear and footwear for young children, and Lil’ Spin (lilspinpublicity.blogspot.com), a new branch to our PR agency which provides publicity services to ‘Mumpreneurs’.

TopsyToesy.co.uk came as a result of my eternal struggle to find hats and shoes for my daughter to compliment her outfits, whilst providing the necessary protection, quality, fit and comfort I desired, as well as that little extra something special, whether it be in the fabrics used or the way in which it was made. Nothing on the high street really provided me with all these elements combined.

After speaking with other mums, I discovered I wasn’t the only one and so, with a lot of research, sleepless nights and the support of our rather wonderful web designer, the concept was brought to life.

We intend to officially launch the online boutique at the Brighton Baby Expo on Sun, 13 November, where you will find us on stand: 96.

Along the way, I have come across other ‘Mumpreneurs’ with some excellent products and businesses. This inspired me to branch-off from our core PR agency and begin Lil’ Spin, where I draw upon my experiences as a parent, with my connections in the media and entertainment industry, and my worldly knowledge of everything PR and media relations related; implementing my experience as an editor and as a publicist, to help other mum’s and parent duos in business, maximise their publicity potential.

Running the businesses whilst raising a child has not been without its challenges: I contended with the rigorous breast-feeding routine, colic, sleepless nights and the tantrums (on-going), whilst renovating our house (on-going), but it has been made all the more easier by the support of my partner and our super friends and family… if I were to start over, I’d do it again and would definitely recommend it to others!