AusMumpreneur Awards 2021 finalists: Sydney’s top mum entrepreneurs
From cancer survivors and ex cops to MAFS stars, these are some of the stories behind Sydney’s top mum entrepreneurs who have impressively raised their families while kicking business goals.
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From a cancer survivor who makes stylish headwear for those going through chemotherapy to an ex cop turned advocate for women suffering from domestic violence, these are some of the inspiring stories behind Sydney’s top mum entrepreneurs.
Finalists have recently been announced for the annual AusMumpreneur Awards that recognise mum entrepreneurs who have achieved success in areas including business excellence, product development and innovation.
Here are some of the best and brightest Sydney mums who have raised their families while kicking impressive business goals.
JULES ROBINSON – FIGUR
How did you first come up with your business idea?
Being on MAFS and under the spotlight, I didn’t fit the generic size 8-10 that for a long time had been the standard on Australian TV, especially reality.
Instead I was a confident size 14-16 curvy women with a passion for fashion and genuinely whole heartily looking for love.
There were so many women who reached out to say they felt a sense of connection with me because I represented who they were. Maybe it was the curves, fashion or looking for love. Or maybe it was all three!
While I received so many beautiful messages I also got awful ones.
I was trolled and body shamed and in those times I would have flashbacks of that inner teenager that felt the only way to make it in the world was being skinny. I don’t want young women to feel like that.
I put all the messages of “I want your confidence,” “I wish I could dress like you,” “ I have the same body as you but don’t have the confidence you have” and created FIGUR.
What does a typical workday looks like (balancing your work and family life)?
Being a full time mummy and running a business can have its moments. It can feel like there isn't enough hours in the day at the best of times, but I love working from home and being there for my child always.
I spend my mornings doing all admin and packing orders for FIGUR and this is while my son usually plays around me.
How has Covid-19 changed your business or the way you think/work?
I found out I was pregnant on the day of the FIGUR 2020 body positivity campaign, then officially launching the same month as Covid-19 hit Australia was very scary.
I had funded the whole business myself. I cried for the world and myself as we all didn't know what the future held.
No sales were coming in so I had to focus on how I can help rather than make a profit.
That’s when I created #wewillFIGURitout. I had women nominate other women who really got hit with the Covid stick and made care packs valued at $200 from beautiful brands and sent them to women. In a way it created the FIGUR tribe and signified what the core of FIGUR is about, women supporting women.
What one piece of advice would you give to a mum entrepreneur starting out?
Credible brands start with being true to who you are. Your integrity and honesty becomes your shield. Always ask for help, good people want to help others succeed, you just have to ask.
What’s the next step for your business/your wider goal?
The mission of FIGUR is to make all women be excited about getting dressed with the goal of making women feel beautiful and confident.
I aspire to be stocked in Myer nationwide – that's the dream and I will launch in the UK as soon as safely possible.
The future is FIGUR active, swimwear and more shapewear especially for bridal and evening gowns. And I’d like to have a podcast using my platform to help other women and brands who are reshaping the world.
SONIA FAHEY – LOVE YOUR WARRIOR
How did you first come up with your business idea?
Love Your Warrior was born from my first hand experience with breast cancer, undergoing a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. Although I had the most amazing support from family and friends, it was my collective experience during this time that led me to search, try and create what I needed to help myself throughout each of these stages.
I then realised that if I craved these things, there must be other women who did too.
So with maximum comfort, softness and style in mind I designed and created a range of luxe seatbelt pillows, headwear, arm and neck support pillows and stylish surgical drain bags.
What does a typical workday looks like (balancing your work and family life)?
It’s a lesson in multi-tasking everyday. Sometimes it goes smoothly, others not so much.
After waking up I check emails, pack orders in my pj’s, get school lunches ready then send the kids off to school. I then work at a furious rate to pack in what I can then go back to school for pick up, sport, dinner and homework.
I then review social media and have ad hoc meetings with my husband and by 8.30pm I’m in bed.
How has Covid-19 made you change your business or the way you think/work?
Covid has meant that I now share my office with my daughter in Year 2 in lockdown.
A benefit is that I now have recess and lunch but I also have more distractions.
What is one piece of advice would you give to a mum entrepreneur starting out?
Have belief in why you created your business and in your mission as this will overcome any fear of failure.
What’s the next step for your business/your wider goal?
We’re excited to grow our wholesalers and stockists so we can reach as many women as possible when they need it most.
PIP RAE – UPSTREAM INVESTIGATORS
How did you first come up with your business idea?
Having spent nearly two decades on the front line of the NSW Police, specialising in domestic violence investigations and alcohol and drug related crime, I was often met with the challenge of supporting the disempowered victims and incidental perpetrators of assault, harassment and intimidation.
I’ve now set up Australia’s first dedicated domestic violence investigations agency called Upstream Investigations and lead a team of female investigators.
We help victims who are unsure about going to the police or are just overwhelmed at navigating the justice system. We also help them identify abusive behaviour patterns and collect evidence to prepare apprehended violence order applications, affidavits and complaints.
Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) is a serious, deadly and insidious pattern of abuse and acts of violence that mainly affect the safety and wellbeing of women and children with a correlation on the mental health of men and fathers.
What does a typical workday looks like (balancing your work and family life)?
I am recently a single mum and have four children. I have a pending divorce and embrace that happiness is something only I can create.
I found my true purpose four years ago after a transformative holiday with the kids in New York.
On a typical day, I wake up at 6am, meditate or listen to inspiring YouTube videos about how to improve the way I communicate (loving Celeste Headlee right now).
I work solidly until about 11am, reviewing case notes, scheduling interviews, contacting referrals and preparing reports so clients have a clear understanding of their situation.
You might see me walking along the beautiful Woolooware Shoreline on a Wednesday for 2 hours and I spend most of my afternoons on the phone to clients.
I stop work at 4pm and spend the afternoon doing the run around for kids sports and preparing dinner and the usual evening flick through socials or writing my book.
How has Covid made you change your business or the way you think/work?
I’ve always been working remotely but I miss going to events like conferences, network meetings or education talks.
I feel work is being done more efficiently as there is no time allocated for travel, even though the notifications on my phone tell me the traffic is light and it’s 10 minutes to the beach for my usual ocean swim, read on the sand, or walk on the promenade.
I’m used to speaking with people over the phone but Zoom puts a face to a name which still allows me to read the body language of clients and their tells of trauma or fear.
What one piece of advice would you give to a mum entrepreneur starting out?
Spend the time doing research and get yourself a strategist who can capture all your ideas, formulate your focus and prioritise what needs to be done.
How many employees do you have and how long have you had Upstream Investigations now?
We are a team of three former police investigators including child protection and an ex prosecutor.
What’s the next step for your business/your wider goal?
We want to provide an Australia wide service that offers a comprehensive understanding of the personal circumstance, influencing and contributing factors for the situation individuals find themselves in.
ERIN MOLAN – BY ERIN
How did you first come up with your business idea?
It was essentially just from my own experience with my daughter Eliza who's now three years old.
When she was born in the hospital she was such a settled little bub until we had to dress her and put on a singlet.
She would just scream because we’d have to almost bend her arms back to the point where you felt like you were dislocating them and then put this tiny hole of a singlet over her head.
I went to look online for a singlet that didn't have to go over a head and they just didn’t exist.
I looked for ages and then I reached out to a heap of other mums and dads if they had the same experience.
So then I started to think well there could be something we could do here that could make life a little bit easier for new parents and that’s how it started. We launched last year and it’s just been incredible.
What does a typical workday look like including balancing your work and family life?
I would get up at 4am in the morning, get ready and head into radio for 2 Day FM then get off at 9am.
I’ll have a meeting there then come home and might have a couple of Zoom meetings for the singlets or for Channel 9 to about 10.45am.
Then I get Eliza back unless she’s at preschool and then her and I will normally have a nap.
In the afternoon I essentially just play with my child and then later we have dinner and bath.
We go to bed very early usually about seven or eight o’clock.
When she’s asleep, I might try and do a bit of kind of football prep for the weekend for Channel 9, radio prep or singlet stuff.
How has Covid-19 made you change your business or the way you think/work?
We were predominantly online from the get go so it hasn’t been a huge kind of pivot for us.
And I guess people are still having babies with Covid which is always great for business.
I tend to do a lot of my stuff via the phone, Zoom or email so it hasn’t really had a huge impact.
What one piece of advice would you give to a mum entrepreneur starting out?
I think you’ve got to be passionate about whatever your business idea is and about the difference that it will make to people’s lives rather than chasing success or money.
What’s the next step for your business/your wider goal?
We were very close to a deal with a major retailer which was amazing but it just wasn't quite right for us at the time. I’d love to go back into discussions regarding that and other opportunities and have our stock in as many places as possible.
I’m also really pushing the hospital side of things as well because when you go to a hospital they provide you with items like blankets and nappies.
I’d love our baby singlets to be in every hospital in the country.
MONIQUE HESSION – SNUGGLE HUNNY KIDS
How did you first come up with your business idea?
When I had my first son I realised there was nothing in the market to fall in love with in the way of swaddling and keeping my baby cosy in his wrap.
My mum made me some gorgeous swaddles for Mason that I loved, and it brought some beauty into this functional but huge part of my babies life.
He slept a lot and he and I found so much comfort in him being wrapped. I wanted others to feel the way it made me feel.
There was a gap in the market for stylish children’s textile products. I’d go shopping for swaddles and be so disappointed.
There was an opportunity for a business offering beautiful things that were targeted towards the mum and her tastes rather than the baby.
What does a typical workday look like including balancing your work and family life?
Half of my week is spent working from home so I can raise my little ones who aren’t quite old enough for school.
On those days we do activities like swimming and soccer and in between those outings I work from home while the children have quiet time.
Sometimes it means working at night or on the weekend to catch up.
It really is an organised chaos. Trying to balance everything and do a good job at all those things is nearly impossible.
It took me a while to accept that their isn’t really such a thing as balance when running your own business as you will work harder than you ever have before.
But once I learnt to be flexible with my own schedule, realising that I cannot always wear all the hats I accepted that sometimes the balance is off and that is OK.
How has Covid made you change your business or the way you think/work?
During Covid there is absolutely no balance, the routine goes out of the window and you have to adapt the best way you can.
I think what I have learnt lately that striving for balance actually creates more pressure. The entire office team works from home with skeletal staff running the warehouse with pick, pack and dispatch.
My dining table is now a work and school station. There is a blur between work and home life as we endeavour to do it all at the same time.
It feels like bombs are thrown at you with every turn and you need to navigate your way through.
When Covid originally hit in 2020 online sales soared and we could not keep with demand.
We realised that our customers considered us essential and we saw huge growth but with that came no stock to sell as everything sold out.
What one piece of advice would you give to a mum entrepreneur starting out?
Be passionate. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, building a customer base will almost be impossible. You need to believe in yourself, your product and the brand you’re creating.
How many employees do you have and how long have you had Snuggle Hunny Kids now?
We started Snuggle Hunny Kids at the end of 2015, trading for six years. We now have 12 employees.
What’s the next step for your business/your wider goal?
My strategic vision is to become the first point of call for baby gifting and birth announcements in Australia.
DANA WEIL – RUGABUB
How did you first come up with your business idea?
My husband and I returned to Sydney after four years of working and living in a tent in the remote Kimberley where we both worked for Helispirit.
During this time, we had four heartbreaking miscarriages, finding out at the 12 week scans that our foetus no longer has a heartbeat.
With the fifth pregnancy I just knew that this was the one that was going to stick and we wanted to have access to good medical attention so my husband transferred to another helicopter company in Sydney.
A week after our baby, Jon Jon River, was born my husband lost his job due to Covid.
We were very distressed and I cried for weeks. I felt pressured to go back to work so that we could financially survive this pandemic. After finally having a baby, I really wanted to stay at home and had to find a way to support my little family.
Luckily, at the time, we were looking for the must-have baby product, a baby play mat.
We purchased a “minimal design” play mat and it just didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like it was a part of our home, rather something that we added to our home, just because we needed it.
Then, I asked my husband: “Why can’t they just look like designer rugs?”
So with an unfettered approach to detail, Rugabub was founded creating the ultimate foam play mats that look like designer rugs for your sanctuary.
They still get mistaken for rugs all the time which is such a compliment.
What does a typical workday look like including balancing your work and family life?
My day starts with my family first. Jon Jon has only just recently started daycare two days a week so my day is really full on.
After we all have breakfast, I start printing all of the labels for our orders and write a message to each of our customers while my husband looks after the baby.
We then swap and my husband rushes to our warehouse to get all the parcels ready for the couriers.
While looking after Jon Jon I do most of the customer service and chat to the incredible Instagram community that we have created with Rugabub.
The community is what makes me stay focused on my journey. While Jon Jon is having his lunch time nap, I do most of my work. I try to finish working by 4pm so that I have a healthy work life balance.
How has Covid made you change your business or the way you think/work?
Ironically, this business was born out of Covid. I have always been a career woman and love the chance to create and be innovative.
Covid has shown me that there is a way. It has shown me what is important in life, and that even when there are disasters, it might just be some sort of blessing in disguise.
I try to stay positive, embracing that I am surrounded by loved ones and I am healthy.
What one piece of advice would you give to a mum entrepreneur starting out?
The one piece of advice that I would give to a mumpreneur starting out, is find or create your community.
What’s the next step for your business/your wider goal?
There’s a saying that you don't really have competitors if you manage to create something different.
Every day I try to create meaningful points of difference for our products and for parents.
I think how can I fulfilling unmet consumer needs by offering new ways to accomplish goals and make their lives easier.
NADINE CATTELL – SURF SOCK
How did you first come up with your business idea?
Living close to the beach, I became concerned about plastic pollution in the ocean. My youngest son is a keen surfer and our house was the go to place for his mates.
They would use plastic bags to make it easier to slide into their wetsuits and my backyard was littered with broken plastic bags.
I wanted to find a lasting alternative to plastic and to teach the boys why it is important to make sustainable choices which is how I came up with Surf Sock.
We were lucky to come across a local sailcloth supplier who were happy to give us spinnaker sail offcuts that would otherwise go to landfill. Stronger than plastic, it doesn’t break and can be reused over and over again.
What does a typical workday looks like (balancing your work and family life)?
My kids are a bit older and more independent now but in the early days having my own business gave me the opportunity to drive them to school and to attend every basketball game they played.
I work part time for a charity and I have two days dedicated to Surf Sock each week, but in reality I work on Surf Sock most days.
My mornings and evenings start by fulfilling any orders that have come in – and on my Surf Sock days I am work on all the other aspects of running a business such as marketing, developing new contacts and updating the website.
I collect and cut the sailcloth material at least once a week. As I use offcuts each piece of material is hand cut.
If the markets are on, you’ll often find me there on weekends, especially in November and December when people are looking for Christmas gifts.
How has Covid made you change your business or the way you think/work?
With retail and markets closed I have to rely on word of mouth and advertising on social media platforms to generate orders.
I’m lucky that many people have chosen to support local, Australian made products.
What one piece of advice would you give to a mum entrepreneur starting out?
Take advantage of the many resources, services and networking groups available for small business and understand the true costs of running a business.
What’s the next step for your business/your wider goal?
I’d love to get a contract with a major surf shop or wetsuit maker so that more people will reach for a sustainable alternative to a plastic bag to put their wetsuit on.
BERNADETTE JANSON – THE SCHOOL OF RENOVATING
How did you first come up with your business idea?
When my children started leaving the nest I had been renovating for about 25 years.
I wanted a new challenge, a way to make my work less about me and more about making an impact on the world.
I have always had a keen interest in female empowerment. As renovating enabled me to retire from nursing at 29, I felt that my skills were best suited to improving women’s finance through renovating and so The School Of Renovating was born.
What does a typical workday looks like (balancing your work and family life)?
I’ve designed my business around how I like to live my life. I work from home and while I no longer have children at home I am able to take an afternoon or a week to spend with them if I need to.
My role in the business is strategy, coaching and content. I regularly check in with my team online to provide direction.
Once a week I produce a podcast episode and I do coaching calls two days a week.
My daughter Madeleine is our social media manager and works from home with three small children.
Lunch is spent with Stephen, my husband. Our workspaces are very separate but we come together for breaks, meals and exercise.
Afternoons are spent on my projects which I am managing remotely including design meetings, ordering materials and managing budgets.
How has Covid made you change your business or the way you think/work?
Prior to Covid, I both filled and delivered my programs with live events.
I avoided the online model; online courses have a notoriously low completion rate and I feared that I would not be able to get to know or help my students as well if I didn't work with them face-to-face.
Covid forced my hand because my business couldn’t function in lockdown.
Over 90 days I recreated and launched all our programs online and the outcome has been remarkable.
I can now impact women in the far corners of the country.
What one piece of advice would you give to a mum entrepreneur starting out?
Build a team before you can afford to. A business without a team is just a job.
It took me a while to figure that every member added to my team expands my capacity to deliver our message and our particular brand of magic to those who need it.
What’s the next step for your business/your wider goal
I want to amplify our message of female empowerment with renovating through more success stories and build a leadership and peer support program to grow our community.
The AusMumpreneur Award winners will be announced on September 15.
FULL LIST OF SYDNEY MUMPRENEUR FINALISTS
Danielle Loader, We Recruit. Group
Elizabeth Zaki, One Site Finance
Bernadette Janson, The School of Renovating
Kerrie Otto de Grancy, Evolve Yourself Institute
Sheena Polese, FitMind Coaching
Sian Brennan-Todd, Bays Gymnastics, Cheer and Dance
Dana Weil, Rugabub
Erin Molan, By Erin
Kelly Walker, Klipsta Hat Clips
Carlie Victor, Real Active
Eman Soliman, EduTech Australia Pty Ltd
Cathy Dimarchos, Solutions2you
Sally Cummins, Inner Style Queen
Nikki McLennan, Lion & Cub Photography
Donna McNulty, Time Coach Donna
Bron O’Loan, O’Loan Family Law Pty Ltd
Emma Allen, Active Property Investing
Jessica Symes, Symes Group
Yemi Penn, Yemi Penn Ventures
Vanessa Rowed, Awakind Pty Ltd
Arija McQuillan, Ari Agency
Sharon Russell, Slice Ave
Anneke van den Broek, Rufus & Coco
Fideliz Cruz, Fideliz Cruz
Fiona Jones, Bake Believe
Karina Lane, Karina Lane Parenting Coach
Donna Fisher, SheSaw
Nadine Cattell, Surf Sock
Jules Robinson, FIGUR
Liama Aesha, Inspire Yoga and Wellbeing
Michelle Russell, Strata Revolution
Angela Raspass, Your Next Chapter
Davina Borrow-Jones, The Mumpreneur Lawyer
Josephine Borovac & Carmel Lloyd, The Cohive Collective
Kelly Roberts, Wild Kindy
Angela Yoo, Bubzi Co.
Sonia Fahey, Love Your Warrior
Charys Caldarella, Styelle Swim
Catherine Nolan, Gender Gap Gone
Glaiza De Leon, Glaiza De Leon Author
Karin Lee, Florapeutic
Sarika Singh, Pre Uni College
Tina Bangel, One Voice School of Singing
Yona Signo, Kaya Services
Laila Sanchez, Laila’s Beauty & Laser
May Zaki, Rashaqa by May
Allana Frisken, We Are Wylde
Allana Frisken, Muse Pilates Studio
Maria Dalamaras, Rio Consulting Group
Viria Charitos, MEBEME
Sonia Bestulic, Flourish for Mums
Shantelle Tagg, Shimmy Shakes
Cass Spies, Twisted Healthy Treats
Kristy Donohoe, Donohoe Accounting Services
Amy Tasker, Groove Nation
Kimberley Smith & Lyz Evans, Empowered Motherhood Program
Lisa Laing, The Uncomplicate
Georgie Donaghey, Creative Kids Tales
Pip Rae, Upstream Investigations
Amber Daines Ungar, Bespoke Communications
Cassandra Kalpaxis, Kalpaxis Legal
Kathy Hubble, Amelio Health
Lydia Shelly, Shelly Legal
Raquel Manning, Blue Diamond Property Group
Donna Sillett, Prima Donna – Business Diva
Bronwyn Papantonio & Nicole Young, The Maternity Market
Jenni Eaton, Eaton Cakes
Jaimie McKegney, MCKCAW Designs
Donna Sillett, Flaky Bakey Neenish Tarts
Kate Flippence, Align Recruiting Solutions
Nicole Mulholland, CORE Kids
Renu Tondak, Renewed By Renu
Aimee Paananen, Facekiss
Aimee Paananen, The Elegant Life
Aimee Paananen, The Australian Academy of Brows and Lashes
Emily Grover, Emily Grover Designs
Nilar Alom Ispahany, Prepare Women for Wealth
Kelly Adams, Fitmindz 4 Kids
Laura Turner, Wild Indiana
Monique Hession, Snuggle Hunny Kids
Stephanie Pinto, Stephanie Pinto EQ Coaching
Melissa Bartlett, Mel’s Beauty on the Run
Jenna Milne, The Scribe Studio
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