Mum’s the word: National finalists’ top tips on juggling business and motherhood

Three entrepreneurial mothers from Cairns who have been recognised for their business endeavours in a national award, have shared their top tips for juggling business and motherhood.

Far North Queensland business women Christine Foudoulis, Nicola Baker and Crystal Leonardi were named finalists in the AusMumpreneur awards in Sydney on Thursday, August 24.

Three entrepreneurial mothers from the Far North have been recognised for their efforts at a national awards ceremony in Sydney.

Moyamoya Australia founder Nicola Baker, who founded non-for-profit organisation MoyaMoya Australia after her son Jed was diagnosed with the disease as a child, won the People’s Choice Non-Profit and Social Enterprise category.

Mrs Baker said she was excited to be recognised in the category as it gave her the opportunity to talk to people about Moyamoya Disease.

“It has led to more conversations and raising awareness, and the relationships built at the AusMumpreneur Conference and Awards are so valuable,” Mrs Baker said.

Superior Recruitment’s Christine Foudoulis and Bowerbird Publishing founder Crystal Leonardi were also named as finalists in the AusMumpreneur Awards by The Women’s Business School.

The awards recognise and celebrate Australian mums in business achieving outstanding success in areas such as business excellence, product development, customer service and digital innovation.

All three mums have shared their top tips to help encourage other women start their own business.

AusMumpreneur winner Nicola Baker, pictured with son Jed, has shared her top tips for women in the business sector juggling work and motherhood. Picture: Brendan Radke

Nicola Baker, founder of Moyamoya Australia and People’s Choice Non-Profit and Social Enterprise winner

“My main tip would be to put your family first always. Just because you’re a mum, doesn’t mean that’s definitive of what you can do. If you have a dream, follow it because tomorrow is never guaranteed,” Mrs Baker said.

Gathering an A-team was Mrs Baker’s next tip for success.

“Get involved with people who are professionals in their field so it frees you up for the things you’re good at,” she said.

Mrs Baker said ultimately, she was thankful to be nominated so the spotlight could shine on MoyaMoya.

“The opportunity to be nominated was an opportunity for me to continue talking about MoyaMoya disease and raising awareness. It’s a really important opportunity that we couldn’t let slip,” she said.

AusMumpreneur Author of the Year 2022 winner and 2023 finalist Crystal Leonardi started Bowerbird Publishing after self-publishing her debut novel Boy of Steel about her youngest son’s battle with brain cancer. Picture: Supplied

Crystal Leonardi, founder of Bowerbird Publishing and AusMumpreneur Awards in the Author of the Year finalist

Author, publisher and keynote speaker Crystal Leonardi was shocked when she found out she was named an AusMumpreneur finalist for the second year in a row, after winning the category last year.

“I was up against some stiff competition, but it was really exciting to be there as a finalist again,” Mrs Leonardi said.

Mrs Leonardi who started her publishing business in 2020 after self-publishing her first book, Boy of Steel, spoke about the challenges of balancing business and motherhood.

“Something I’ve learnt this year is that it’s difficult to find balance between the two, so it’s important to prioritise what’s important in life and remember that family always comes first,” she said.

“Be present in your priority in the moment, whether it’s being with your kids, your partner or work, so you can focus on them properly.”

She also advised being able to set realistic goals on how much time to divide between work and business without cutting into time spent with children and partners.

“It’s almost impossible to have equal balance, so just be in the moment with whatever your priority is,” she said.

Superior Recruitment founder Christine Foudoulis was a finalist in the Consulting Services category of the 2023 AusMumpreneur Awards in Sydney and shared her top tips for women in business.

Christine Foudoulis, founder of Superior Recruitment and AusMumpreneur Awards Consulting Services finalist

After losing her job as a recruitment officer during the Covid pandemic, Christine Foudoulis decided to turn her passion into a business.

“My business was born at the height of the pandemic when I found myself without a job. I wanted to continue in my passion for recruiting in a corporate space and to create personalised recruiting services in Far North and regional Queensland,” Ms Foudoulis said.

Now on the other side of the pandemic, and an AusMumpreneur finalist, Ms Foudoulis has opened up on some of the challenges she faced as a mum in business and shared some key tips to help women starting out.

“The biggest challenge is wearing all the different hats as a mum and businesswoman. Setting up a business takes time and you need to be able to prioritise business, work and home life. I had to find that balance for my own family while also being able to provide quality service,” she said.

Her biggest piece of advice to women starting out would be to research as much as they can for their desired industry.

“Do your research. Find out as much as you can about whatever business you’re trying to build. Reach out to people in your industry with similar businesses and build that network,” she said.

“Business owners and mums in business can share their tips because they understand the challenges so building that network is important so you have people you can lean into in challenging times.”

Crystal Leonardi, Nicola Baker, Sandy Davies, Christine Foudoulis and Hannah Boon attended the AusMumpreneur Awards in Sydney last week, recognising the efforts of mothers in the business sector.

Sandy Davies, founder of Happy Pause

Daintree author and businesswoman Sandy Davies loved nothing more than supporting her friends who were finalists in the 2023 AusMumpreneur Awards in Sydney last week.

The Far North mum and founder of Happy Pause, a menopause relief product, said despite not being nominated this year, she loved the sense of community provided at the conference.

“I came to know about AusMumpreneur coming out of Covid and semi-retirement so for me it was lovely to have that validation from women’s health care businesses and through the AusMum network,” Ms Davies said.

Her biggest tip for mums thinking of starting a business was to start with an idea and don’t be daunted by financial or location barriers.

“Believe in what you set your mind to do and don’t feel like there are financial barriers. A lot of people in the beauty industry say you need capital behind you but I started Happy Pause with nothing and built an empire one jar at a time,” Ms Davies said.

Despite a career in tourism and hospitality, Ms Davies said she made the switch to women’s healthcare out of desperation.

“I struggled with menopause in my 40s and thought I was too young. I didn’t have support from my GP and found there was nothing natural for dryness so I went to the drawing board and formulated something,” she said.

After realising there was a demand for natural menopause products, Ms Davies launched Happy Pause in 2020.

“You don’t have to launch your business into industries you’ve worked in before. The knowledge you have pre-motherhood and the connections in your community can be the magic to build any business venture,” she said.

Hannah Boon, founder of Boon Creative

Supporting women in business has been a key focus for Boon Creative founder Hannah Boon.
Ms Boon, who was awarded Cairns Volunteer of the Year in Australia Day celebrations earlier this year, travelled to Sydney to support friends Nicola Baker, Crystal Leonardi and Christine Foudoulis who were named as finalists in the Aus Mumpreneur awards last week.
“I myself am not a mother, but mothers and businesses are generally my clientele so I wanted to go down and support the ladies,” Ms Boon said.

As a woman in business, Ms Boon said it was important for those in the industry who did not have children to come alongside mothers in business and lend a hand whenever possible.
“For mothers especially, it’s a juggling act in how to run a household with kids as well as a business and I think that’s where it helps having community coming together and helping to guide them through the early stages of business,” she said.

Her best advice for women and mums in business was to build community and support each other.

“As non-mums, I think the biggest thing we can do for mums in business is just being there for them through the motions, being that support as friends, mentors in business and taking them under your wing to support them where they need and help alleviate stress,” she said.

Originally published as Mum’s the word: National finalists’ top tips on juggling business and motherhood