How western Sydney ‘mumpreneurs’ are running businesses during lockdown

From running escape rooms to fitting wigs for cancer patients, plenty of western Sydney women are carving out successful business ventures for themselves and their families.

From food, philanthropy and mental health ventures, western Sydney women are excelling in business while using the flexibility to raise their families.

They are part of home-based businesses, which the Australian Institute of Family Studies shows is one of the fastest growing business sectors in the country.

Mothers of young children are up to three times more likely to be self-employed than other working women.

Western Sydney Women founding director Amanda Rose loves seeing women “kick arse’’ in business but loathes the word “mumpreneur” and warns it can come with negative connotations if women rejoin the workforce outside the home.

“Let’s face it, you go to the CEO of a large company and say ‘I’m a mumpreneur and I’d like you to hire me’, he’s going to go ‘What’s that’?

“He’s going to say ‘You’re too busy with the kids, I can’t hire you’,’’ she said.

“That’s what they need to be careful of.

“If it is working for you great, but if things aren’t working, you’ve got to ask yourself why. How am I labelled, what’s my brand.’’

“The meaning of mumpreneurs should be changing. It should be these are women that are juggling being a parent and being kick arse in the business world.”

Meet the women who have tackled hurdles to do just that.

Michelle Follington, Blossom Hair, Windsor

East Kurrajong hairdresser Michelle Follington didn’t know it at the time but being diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder 10 years ago led to a thriving business.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, or MTHFR, a condition which prevented from activating vitamin B, made her reluctant to be surrounded by strong hair chemicals and she decided to study nutrition.

But the 43-year-old mum-of-three still missed her trade, and after discovering organic hair care products with low toxicity, she started Blossom and took over a salon at George St Windsor three years ago.

Using her experience of running a business, first as a salon owner at Pennant Hills when she was 19 and then at a Kenthurst cafe, she transformed the salon.

It went from a shop selling 20 wigs to a business that has 300 on offer and specialises in helping fit wigs on cancer patients, albinos and members of the public keen to overhaul their tresses.

“I think what’s really important in my industry is you offer really good service,’’ Follington said.

“People are looking for an experience these days, not just a hair cut. They want extra. You can go anywhere and get a haircut.’’

Last year, she branched out to open an online service, Wig Emporium Online Boutique, which complements the service-focused bricks and mortar store.

Shelley Cootes and Kit O’Malley, Narrow Escape Rooms, Penrith

Penrith trio Shelley Cootes, her brother Craig and his wife Kit combined their skills to open escape rooms at Penrith in October 2018.

The closest entertainment venue of its kind was in Parramatta and being locals, they decided Penrith was the idea venue for the rooms, which involve patrons solving physical and mental challenges to escape, often by cracking electronic puzzles.

“I worked in human resources before this and we went and played a couple of escape rooms and it was so much fun that we sat around for hours talking about what our escape room would look like,’’ Cootes, of Claremont Meadows, said.

“Then a week later my brother and sister-in-law rang me up and they detailed an outline of a game with a military-themed room.’’

Kit O'Malley and Shelley Cootes show family and business can mix.

Combining Kit and Craig’s experience with electronics and Shelley’s corporate background means they complement each other’s skills.

“I’ve had a bit of finance and human resources background so I look after the business side of it and they look after the technical side of building rooms and making sure they’re running perfectly,’’ Cootes said.

Cootes has a 14-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter while O’Malley has a six-year-old son and newborn daughter.

With nights and weekends being the busiest times at Narrow Escape Rooms, family time can be difficult but Cootes hopes her business venture sets a good example for her children.

“I think it tells my kids they can do what they want, like you don’t have to follow the path,’’ she said.

“So if you want to go and get a job and work for somebody else, you can choose that, which is what I have chosen up until now.

“What’s good about is that I can drop my kids off. I can drop my daughter off at school and pick her up from school, which I wasn’t able to do when I was working in the corporate world.

“The trade-off is that I have to work weekends but I think they realise how much of a passion I have for this, and that I’m following that passion, and I’m hoping that they’ll do similar in their careers if they get the opportunity to do that.’’

Candice Byrnes, Candy’s Cakes, Castlereagh

Candice Byrnes has been indulging Penrith’s tastebuds with her scrumptious cakes for 15 years after a foray at Cake Art and Design in Jamisontown.

“To be honest, when I left school I had no idea what I wanted to do and I looked in the newspaper and there was a job going at cake art and it said full training provided and I thought that sounded cool because it was a couple of door from my house where I was living at the time (in Penrith),’’ she said.

“I went for the interview and I just started and loved it ever since.’’

Equipped with her impressive cake-making skills, she concentrated on Candy’s Cakes full time 10 years ago, delivering treats from the milk and white chocolate marble cupcakes to decadent, tiered creations for weddings, christenings and birthdays.

One of Candice Byrnes' eye-catching cakes.

Candice Byrnes has a legion of fans across Penrith.

“Lockdown stuffed me around a lot. Everyone’s had to cancel cakes because their parties are cancelled so at the moment I’m pretty much just doing cupcakes with contactless delivery,’’ she said.

“Before I was a full-time wage with booking out three months in advance and now I’m down to maybe selling six boxes of cupcakes a week, which is $25 each, so at the moment it’s quiet.’’

The business also allowed her flexibility when her children Sam, 5, and Sophie, 10 months, arrived.

“I always wanted to work from home so I could just raise the kids from home,’’ she said.

Byrnes has more than 7000 followers on Facebook and overwhelming demand has meant she has to turn away several orders.

The 36-year-old offers the key to running a successful business.

“I feel like people like fast replies so I stay on top of all the messages so that people don’t have to wait,’’ she said.

“And just giving them perfect cakes, nothing bodgie. Like I’d never hand out anything that I’m not happy with.’’

The business will relocate to a larger premises at Windsor Mall in November.

Katherine Saab, Little Miss Etiquette

The rise of feminism, “lefties” and digital daftness inspired Greystanes mum Katherine Saab to form Little Miss Etiquette, a modern day June Dally-Watkins program bringing manners back to society.

Little Miss Etiquette workshops involve up to 12 girls sitting down for a meal in a private room at a restaurant, honing their dining manners, social skills and confidence.

“As we progress in this environment we realise there are so many gaps and girls aren’t getting the kind of attention and the kind of education and manners that we used to get as children,’’ Saab, a mother to Charlotte, 12, and Fred, 10, said.

“It’s not just holding a tea cup and curtsying and, all those things we’re being slammed by the feminists for, but it’s about the boardrooms and the dining rooms turning into boardrooms because that’s where females are now.

“We’re not teaching them to be oppressive and we’re not teaching them to be insubordinate, we are teaching them to be confident and intelligent to take these skills into the workforce.

“Regardless of whether you’re sharing a meal with an executive or your family, you still need to know which fork to use and which cup to use but we also take it another step further’’.

The tipping point for Saab starting the classes was the lack of “little things” — standing to the right on escalators, forgetting to say please and thank you.

Digital communication means former inheritance lawyer has her work cut out for her.

“These girls are constantly on digital and that’s another big factor,’’ she said.

Scarlet Saad, Charlize Saad, Zara Ly and Charlotte Saab hone their etiquette skills at Old Government House in Parramatta Park. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“Their emotional intelligence is no longer there because they do things like LOL or use emojis.

“They’re not actually laughing but they have no other way of expressing themselves so I think emotional intelligence has also fallen by the wayside.

“We talk about confidence and online etiquette, and social media etiquette, like posting something online will stay there forever.’’

Running such a business in the 21st century is not always deemed fashionable but there is a market for Little Miss Etiquette — pre Covid classes were booked out for the first three months.

“There’s a huge demand contrary to what the leftist would like to think,’’ Saab said.

Karin Lee, Florapeutic, North Parramatta

Flower lover and mother-of-one Karin Lee has some straight forward advice to parents wanting to start their own business.

“Don’t overthink it,’’ she said.

“A plan of where you want to go is a good start. But thinking too much will get you into a swirl pool and self-doubting kicks in. Learn to trust yourself, show up and put your best foot forward.’’

Lee was a finalist in the outstanding new business category in the 2021 Parramatta Local Business Awards and in the AusMumpreneur Awards for NSW and ACT thanks to starting Florapeutic during the pandemic.

Her mission was to boost the community’s mental wellbeing by repurposing event fresh flowers into gifts at hospitals and aged care facilities.

“This business idea sparked at our wedding where the flourishing blooms were sadly trashed following the five-hour celebration,” Lee said.

“It is also common in the event industry where an average of 10kg of stems is wasted at a wedding.’’

Now the simple gesture is showing how much flowers have power.

“They are not only beautiful but also therapeutic,’’ Lee said.

“Scientific studies have proven that flowers help us heal faster by promoting lower stress and perceived pain levels.’’

Karin Lee’s business is flourishing.

Starting a business during the pandemic might seem unwise for many but Lee had the right idea.

Black Dog Institute estimates between 25 and 33 per cent of the community experienced high levels of worry, anxiety and panic tough times.

Her business also helps the environment. Planet Ark said green waste breaks down in landfill to releases greenhouse gas – methane and produce liquid waste – leachate, which harm the planet.

Parramatta Council’s social investment program also supported Lee’s business, which allows her allows her multiple benefits as a fledgling entrepreneur and with her three-year-old daughter.

“I don’t need to choose between my daughter and my business when I can have both at the same time,’’ she said.

“I need an option that works around us and provides financial support, so being a mumpreneur is the way to.’’

The AusMumpreneur Awards will be announced in September.

Tracey Wilson, Allsorts Cakes, North Rocks

Covid lockdown 2.0 has only made people even more hungry for Tracey Wilson’s signature cakes.

“They’re thinking they can’t have a party want to make the day special,’’ the North Rocks mother-of-one said.

Wilson’s outrageous creations are crafted with meticulous detail, often tricking the eye into thinking they’re another item such as a box of nuggets but is actually a cake.

Allsorts Cakes business owner Tracey Wilson. Picture: Monique Harmer

Wilson has been an avid cakemaker for a decade and when she was on maternity leave with her daughter Lillian seven years ago, she started Allsorts Cakes, from her home kitchen.

“I generally don’t make more than five cakes a week because I heavily based my business on my lifestyle,’’ she said.

“I run my business, not it runs me.’’

A kitchen renovation features an island dedicated to cake decorating, as well as two ovens, a commercial mixer and two fridges and freezers.

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