Nov 25

Why I hate 'mumpreneurs'

Comments (55) by Liz Dawes November 25, 2011 - 7:03 AM

There are many words that irritate me. "Yarden" (yard/garden) used by an estate agent pretending my yard was more than it was. Being asked in a restaurant whether my kids would like a "spork" (fork made in shape of a spoon, in case you're wondering). And the time I wasn't made redundant, but the company was "right-sizing".

But by far and away and without a shadow of doubt, the worst and most contemptible of these is "mumpreneur". At this point I sound the rant claxon, and make not the smallest apology.

"Mumpreneur" describes female entrepreneurs who have children.  An industry has grown up to advise, encourage and support "mumpreneurs". And whilst support of new business is a good thing, I shudder with horror at yet more gender-based labelling.

Women fight an ugly battle for equality at work, where the subjects of gender and childbearing ought to be irrelevant.  And yet here we are, carefully naming new business owners, to make it clear they are female and have given birth.  Why?  Our gender, and any resultant activity in our wombs, is none of your business. Being a female parent does not make us better (or worse) at our jobs, and it does not make our businesses more (or less) profitable. And yet someone felt the need to create the label.

It has an ingrained, low-level sexism that whispers: "We're mums! So that's our priority, but we do have little jobs on the side!"  And that's what I really hate about it.

Not one entrepreneur, parent or otherwise, feels their employment is a hobby. Not one. If you run your own business, and you harbour even the smallest hope of making money, you juggle work, sickness and home life, like all other workers, male or female, parent or not. You work harder than you ever thought, learn skills you never knew existed, and you never, ever switch off.

If you wish to give an entrepreneur advice, please do. God knows running a business is harder than I was ever expecting. But I will bet you have advice that is actually needed by every entrepreneur. Know your target market. Find your unique selling point. Sort your cash flow. Don't shortcut accounting and legal advice. All businesses need the same basics.

It's not necessary to label an entrepreneur as a female that has given birth. It is ​not. Do not allow yourself to be described as such. It devalues your role as a business woman, which you do in your own right, as a professional. And that is how you deserve to be judged.  We need no reference to home life, marital status or gender.

Does it sound more professional, in front of a bank, or shareholders, or speaking at a conference, if you were introduced as a "mumpreneur" or as a "business owner and entrepreneur"? I know which I would rather.  Then ponder this. How many times has Donald Trump been referred to as a Dadpreneur?

by Liz Dawes November 25, 2011 - 7:03 AM


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Comments (55)

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  • Report Fri Dec 2, 2011 - 12:46 am
    by  Sonya Stattmann
    Juicy topic! I can't say the I mind the word myself. I am right in the heart of the mumpreneur world. I love what I do (business) and I love my kids, while I absolutely love supporting moms that are entrepreneurs. I find that it unites moms who have a unique juggling act. Moms who are business owners face issues, challenges and triumphs unlike either just moms or just entrepreneurs. The word itself, you can take it or leave it, but the concept is important. I have been involved in amazing groups that were specifically created to support moms who also had businesses. It is not the same as just a woman entrepreneur. Most mamapreneurs that I know are proud of the title. They love that they can be smart and sassy business owners and still navigate raising beautiful children. My whole job is designed around supporting women to do both gracefully and easily. I have never faced judgement around it or not been taken seriously for either role I play. I think it is time we stand proud for who we are and every role we play. We no longer have to fight for our place in the working world, we just have to own it!!!!
    Reply Delete
  • 3 replies, Last reply by Sam Pearce on Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm
  • Report Fri Dec 2, 2011 - 10:12 am
    by  Sam Pearce
    @Sonya Stattmann: Nicely put Sonja. I just don't get how the 'mum' element of the word is perceived as sexist and demeaning? And I agree with you that, in our experience, the term has only helped in uniting people who would otherwise have felt alone and adrift in the business world. So many women who find our site and come to our groups say that they feel relief and excitement at finding a community they can tap into who really *gets* what they are trying to achieve. If having a label helps people find supportive peers then that's a good thing, yes?
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Dec 2, 2011 - 1:36 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Sam Pearce: I agree that mothers who own their own business do an amazing job - well I would because I'm one of them - but I'm afraid I disagree so much about the word. To think of yourself in those terms, and to be proud of how you juggle, is fabulous. But to label yourself as a mother also in business to the outside world is, to me, a backwards step. I don't think anyone takes it as seriously as a job or business title that divorces you from your homelife. And I'm sorry but the workplace is still, by any and every measure, a sexist place. We're still fighting that battle.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Dec 2, 2011 - 2:37 pm
    by  Sam Pearce
    @Liz Dawes: Labelling yourself as a mother in business to the outside world is a *backward step*? I honestly cannot believe you have said that. Clearly we must agree to disagree.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Thu Dec 1, 2011 - 6:07 pm
    by  Sam Pearce
    You *hate* mumpreneurs? Really? It never ceases to amaze me the strength of opinion the word mumpreneur generates. To me it's just a word. I don't know a single business woman that would ever introduce herelf as a mumpreneur. I wouldn't, just as I wouldn't introduce myself as an Aquarian, a graduate or a woman. None of those labels defines me - I'm Sam. But in terms of seeking out like-minded people mumpreneur can be useful to have as a term of classification. We don't actually use the word as such on our site (apart from in the SEO) but we do tailor our advice specifically to mums in business because 3 years ago, when we started our own businesses, there wasn't much support or access to business networking available to us as we had pre-school children at home. So we went out and created somewhere where business mums could access business advice & network, *and* bring their children with them. Of course women have been running businesses around children for years - and every one of them is a super hero - but I think the term has taken on a life of its own in recent years because of the sheer number of mums taking the plunge and becoming self employed, due to the high costs of childcare, lack of flexible job opportunities and parents demanding a better work/life balance. To me, getting hung up on the name we call ourselves just detracts from all the positive things women are doing to create their own destinies. If you don't like the word, don't use it. But saying you *hate* mumpreneurs - that's unecessarily strong, surely?
    Reply Delete
  • 2 replies, Last reply by Sam Pearce on Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 2:31 pm
  • Report Fri Dec 2, 2011 - 1:25 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Sam Pearce: I think it's clear from my column that I don't hate the people. I am one of them - I am the single parent of two kids with additional needs and I am a freelance writer as well as running a business with a friend. So I am very much in that category. I share their struggles with work and family and I am and always will be a huge supporter. But I do hate the word "mumpreneur." I'm sorry but I do. I appreciate all you've said about support and community that you feel it brings. But to me, linking a job to gender, how ever good the intention, undermines women in whatever workplace they find themselves. That's not to say that you don't do good work, I'm sure you do. But the "headline" that most people see is just the word. Mumpreneur. Which now seems to mean: "something for the little woman to do for pin money while the kids are at school". And it's THAT i HATE with a passion.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Dec 2, 2011 - 2:31 pm
    by  Sam Pearce
    @Liz Dawes: Then we clearly need to educate people that mumpreneur does *not* mean "something for the little woman to do for pin money while the kids are at school". Because that certainly isn't what I understand it to mean. The business mums I know are strong, ambitious women who are accountants, lawyers, PRs, trainers, coaches, VAs, web designers, writers, marketing execs, many of whom are earning more than their husbands.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Thu Dec 1, 2011 - 10:10 am
    by  bubbleboo
    Amen. Although I am still grateful for all the available advice (and grab as much of it as I can!), while inwardly cringing at the word mumpreneur...
    Reply Delete
  • 1 reply, Last reply by Liz Dawes on Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 1:40 pm
  • Report Fri Dec 2, 2011 - 1:40 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @bubbleboo: The advice and support are great. The word is pukeworthy.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Thu Dec 1, 2011 - 11:41 am
    by  Natalie
    It won't be long until we're calling one another Vagpreneurs. The more the term 'mumpreneur' is used, the less I like it. It has been 'useful' to some as a marketing term, but I do think it's one of those terms that makes women look like numpties. I knew I wasn't wrong when one of the women that runs a mumpreneur event said it was a term used by women running businesses as a hobby that put their kids first. Not only was her credibility shot but I just thought it was pure sexist f*ckery committed by one of our own! I don't call myself blackpreneur or a blackmummyblogger. Bejaysus, I don't know why we do this! I think there is some brilliant advice given by some and there's merit in talking about some of the challenges that are faced when you're a mother in biz, but it can be done without saying 'mumpreneur'.
    Reply Delete
  • 3 replies, Last reply by Liz Dawes on Fri Dec 2, 2011 at 1:40 pm
  • Report Thu Dec 1, 2011 - 5:37 pm
    by  Sam
    @Natalie: And there was me thinking we'd changed your opinion when we welcomed you over to the dark side......
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Dec 2, 2011 - 9:21 am
    by  Natalie
    @Sam: Oh jaysus I didn't mean your event! You guys are actually some of the folk that fall under "brilliant advice". I also actually don't associate you with that word - you're called 'Mums The Boss'. Your events and attitude are fantastic and you actually removed my fear of going to networking groups and even mum and baby groups. But I have to say that has nothing to do with the term 'mumpreneur' at all - it's what you guys do. I've never made my feelings about the term a secret - what I've said here I've said again and again for a few years. I think on selfemployedmum we said it made us throw up a little in our mouthes - LOL. Also I think the author of the article meant that she hates the term not the women!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Dec 2, 2011 - 1:40 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Natalie: I AM one of the women! So no, I don't hate them. That's whey the title is in inverted commas, and the article is clear that it's the word I object to. For all the reasons I said, and all the reasons Natalie has outlined. We are women. We work. The two are not connected. Entrepreneurs work absurdly hard, whether or not they have kids, and they do themselves a disservice by making it seem like they are MUM first and PRENEUR later. My business is not a hobby. It's a serious business enterprise. If I introduced myself as a mumpreneur I'd be embarassed.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Sun Nov 27, 2011 - 1:09 am
    by  freelance writing jobs essay
    Written simply and tastefully. It?s pleasant to read. Thank u.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 12:58 pm
    by  Clare Macnaughton
    I am pretty sure that Donald Trump has been referred to as a 'knobhead' more than he has Dadpreneur. #combover - what is with that man's hair? I think it is funny how we re-brand things to make talking points. 'Brangelina' etc. I wouldn't get your knickers in a twist over it. You sound a bit like my dad complaining when kids use the word 'like' all the time. Just roll with it - at the end of the day if following the buzz is better for your business than use it but if it doesn't improve your life don't bother. Work it baby, work it! Please promise that you won't get a ginger combover though. #Ithinkyourockthough
    Reply Delete
  • 7 replies, Last reply by Clare Macnaughton on Sat Nov 26, 2011 at 12:59 pm
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 12:59 pm
    by  Clare Macnaughton
    @Clare Macnaughton: *Damn - total 'though' over use!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 1:29 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Clare Macnaughton: I do roll with it on many things. I do. I really do. Really really though. But on occasion, I have to blow the RANT CLAXON and go for it. Sorry, but there it is. And I make no promises on the ginger combover either.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 1:39 pm
    by  Clare Macnaughton
    @Liz Dawes: Sometimes you just have to dump your custard to feel better so go for it chum. I am a flangeowningskintandneedmoremoneysoworkmyassoffpreneur Shall we start a facebook group?
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 1:44 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Clare Macnaughton: GREAT idea. Though I'd prefer to be known as the: "ImaybepoorerthanachurchmousewhosewifejustranoffwiththecheesebutI'mstillsmilingpreneur" if that's ok with you. Please note that in NO way is this turning into a Monty Python sketch.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 1:59 pm
    by  Clare Macnaughton
    @Liz Dawes: I like that it's catchy. I think it will take off. Lets speak to Gigi and start a community site for cheese eating church mice everywhere. To be honest it's a real hearts and minds piece - mice are so cute and only crazy people don't like cheese and smiling is so positive. How can we fail!!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 4:10 pm
    by  Gigi (Ed.)
    @Clare Macnaughton: How can we fail.... what about the rats? Listen we're an inclusive site - we're all about sharing, cheese, opinions on vagina-business, swag. The mice shall not inherit the earth. No matter what you call them. Is this getting weird or is it just me...
    Reply Delete
  • Report Sat Nov 26, 2011 - 12:59 pm
    by  Clare Macnaughton
    @Gigi (Ed.): I had to lie down.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 3:32 pm
    by  Janie Emaus
    Here in the US, "Women owned" business qualify for special loans and such. As much as we would like to think, it's just not equal out there in there business world. From now on I'll call myself a grandpreneur. I like the sound of that!
    Reply Delete
  • 1 reply, Last reply by Liz Dawes on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 8:44 pm
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 8:44 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Janie Emaus: Now THAT I like!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 4:12 pm
    by  The Hope Fairy
    Hmmm, funny one this. I completely agree with Liz's observations that we are professionals in our own right, and I would certainly NEVER introduce myself as anything other than my professional title. I'm equally incensed at the derogatory way in which it will probably also be used or interpreted. However, I have a confession to make - When I first saw the term, I have to say I had a little heart flicker - ( eek, Im so sorry!). I didnt feel empowered by it, or angry with it - it just felt relieved - like someone had acknowledged and put a name to the complex juggling act delivered by we "talented, professional, powerful ladies who also juggle kids, home, DIY & all the stuff a partner could help out with, but never does!". Mumpreneur ( as patronising as it can sound) did kind of sum it all up into one word. I mused as to whether such a title would subliminally alter peoples demands for 24-7-365 availability, and the blaze assumption that you can be available to drop everything, instantly travel or work away, turn on a sixpence, take calls during cooking or bedtime routine etc, because your work is, naturally, the ONLY thing on your priority list. (Ha-bloody-Ha!). Of course these expectations are unrealistic and unfair for any individual, regardless of gender, marital or kids status......but such things are a reality in my industry.....and any help to soften those expectations is good news to those under immense pressure to cram it all in. So in summary, the term Mumpreneur is out there, like it or not...and I suppose I will react to it very differently depending on who is using the term, and in what context. In a supportive discussion, it can show empathy or admiration & I'll greet it with a smile. In sarcastic environments, the user will be terminated by some suitably polite but cutting comment akin to a swift SAS decapitation with a cheese wire! What ever happens, I still wont introduce myself as a mumpreneur, or even an entrepreneur for that matter......either sounds too kitsch for words!
    Reply Delete
  • 1 reply, Last reply by Liz Dawes on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 8:43 pm
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 8:43 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @The Hope Fairy : I think your points are all valid. But it's telling that you won't use the term. Yes I think it does give a sense of recognition of all we achieve. But it's not used that way. It's used as a professional description. On balance I think it's potential harm outweighs it's usefulness. But you're right, it's out there!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 8:27 am
    by  Alice
    Very well said. I wrote about this a couple of months ago (http://morethantoast.org/2011/06/i-am-not-a-mumpreneur/)... I could never and would never label myself a mumpreneur, it feels like it belittles and devalues everything other than your role as a mother. I had a comment on my post recently from someone at Mumpreneur UK saying they were trying to dispel the myth that Mumpreneurs were hobbyists earning pin money and asking me to celebrate the Mumpreneur revolution, but in my opinion getting mothers accepted into the business world would be a much shorter battle if the Mumpreneur label was done away with.
    Reply Delete
  • 3 replies, Last reply by Liz Dawes on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 8:39 pm
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:00 am
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Alice: I agree. With knobs on. When the dadpreneur movement is as big and prominent I will remove all objections.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 5:27 pm
    by  otherarf
    @Liz Dawes: From the male perspective, i see that "mankle" [a man's bare ankle] and "mamil" [a middle-aged man in Lycra], was also added to the Collins English Dictionary last month - I reckon mupreneurs have got off pretty lightly on this basis...
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 8:39 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @otherarf: I thank heaven for small mercies. *Shudder*
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 8:57 am
    by  Catherine Ross
    I used to agree, the word mumpreneur used to bring me out in feminist hives, until a freelancer website started a discussion about how people felt about the word. Several mums felt very proud to be described as mumpreneurs, for them it isn't that they are business women who happen to have kids, but that they are work at home mums juggling school runs and snotty noses while managing to also run successful businesses. So, I promise never to refer to you as a mumpreneur if you promise to allow those women who feel empowered by it to glory in their mumpreneur status. Catherine
    Reply Delete
  • 2 replies, Last reply by marketingtomilk on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 1:55 pm
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 10:57 am
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Catherine Ross: I think it is amazing that anyone who runs as business (I do) can also combine it with being a mother. If they feel proud of that achievement (I do) then good. They should. It's bloody hard to get right. I'm glad they feel empowered by their ability to juggle. What worries me though is that a good solid business, and the talent, time and skill it takes to run that, is overlooked when this label is applied. They may feel empowered, but many others just see "mum with pin money". And what they have achieved is so much more than that.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 1:55 pm
    by  marketingtomilk
    @Catherine Ross: looks like me adn you are in agreement, are we in the minority?
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 8:45 am
    by  marketingtomilk
    Were we labelled it, or did we claim the word for ourselves? in any case, i think it's as much about making women feel they can be mums and business creatives at the same time. I also think there's a certain kudos about it - yes she can "do everything". So in sum I'm not totally against it, although your argument makes sense of course. I think i'd quite like to be a mumpreneur, if only i could be bothered. M2M
    Reply Delete
  • 2 replies, Last reply by marketingtomilk on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 1:54 pm
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 10:58 am
    by  Liz Dawes
    @marketingtomilk: She can do everything. Really? Can she? A scary scary thoought. Should she have to be able to just to make a job and kids work at the same time? Here's my test for whether this is just sexism hiding under empowerment: ARE THE MEN HAVING THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT THEIR JOBS AND LIVES? Erm. Errrrrrmmm......
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 1:54 pm
    by  marketingtomilk
    @Liz Dawes: i'm not one or the "women can have it all / do it all" myth (in fact my own blog was based on expounding this) but i just don't find "mumpreneur" offensive. It's women who've found a way to do things differently, to complement their lives - in an ideal world it wouldn't be necessary, but in the real world it is. and the real world is sexist unfortunately.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 12:18 pm
    by  Marissa
    I first saw term the "mumpreneur" on a video article on bnet.com (which I can't find anymore). I hadn't seen it before but as soon as I saw it in the headline it made me click on it. I'm not a business woman with children but I work full time as a web developer and have children. What I saw in that video report inspired me because it featured women who were incredibly brilliant and hard working and they had learned to juggle home life with their businesses. But the fact is, it was the term "mumpreneur" that triggered the action to read more. It triggered an emotion too, I don't know, of belonging and empathy. So I don't hate the word but I can see why it may make a businesswoman cringe after years of working hard and being successful on their own merit, with children or not.
    Reply Delete
  • 1 reply, Last reply by Liz Dawes on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 12:38 pm
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 12:38 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Marissa: I won't deny that it does create a sense of identity. There are a lot of women out there who juggle working from home and running their own business with having kids. And that is hard to do (I know because I do it). So I can see that the term creates a "club" that women are proud to belong to, in the sense that they are all doing the same, difficult job. But what is says to others is what I worry about. Others may well see it as a woman who is not fully committed to her business because she makes such a point of labelling it as inextricably linked to family commitments. It's a battle of prejudice that we've fought for years in a formal work environment. We're now battling iin the work at home environment too, and this label does not help.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 10:10 am
    by  Magz Parmenter
    I couldn't agree more, in fact I wrote a post a few months ago with nearly an identical viewpoint. http://tangerineturtle.net/mummy-bloggers-mumpreneurs-mums-the-word-or-not/ I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way. We definitely seem to be in the minority.
    Reply Delete
  • 4 replies, Last reply by Liz Dawes on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 12:14 pm
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 10:54 am
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Magz Parmenter: I think that's because it is hard for anyone to criticise what working mothers do for fear that the headline will be all that is read, rather than the argument. I am a single working mother of two children with additional needs and I run my own business, so I am in no way critical of working mothers. I just think the label does them a disservice.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 12:06 pm
    by  Magz Parmenter
    @Liz Dawes: Liz, I agree, which was a big point in my post. I have great respect for what 'mumpreneurs' DO, and I certainly dong have any issue with the people, heck, I'm one of them! It's just the label that gets my back up. I think the issues that any working parent faces whether they work from home or in an office somewhere else, are the same. I know there are some differences and @law4mumpreneurs write an interesting perspective about that, but I still think it minimises the professionalism of work from home mums.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 12:07 pm
    by  Magz Parmenter
    @Magz Parmenter: Uh! Writing on my phone... Sorry for the typos!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 12:14 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Magz Parmenter: To be honest I think the mumpreneur label has just become a marketing tool. It says "If you are in this group then here's what you need". And like lots of marketing, it's a fake, in the sense that it's an artificial group, created to make it seem like specialist advice is needed when it isn't. What can a lawyer offer a mumpreneur that an entrepreneur doesn't need? It's nonsense. On stilts. With knobs on.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 8:05 am
    by  Fiona
    This article is very good - it really hit home with me as I'm setting up my second business and I have a family - a large number of people see this new business as they did my first - a job on the side and a little pin money for the weekend because after all I must first be a wife and mother - no thank you - I'd rather run my own company and have the husband and children on the side! Thank you for highlighting this and making me smile this Friday morning!
    Reply Delete
  • 6 replies, Last reply by Liz Dawes on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 12:12 pm
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:01 am
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Fiona: Stick to your guns Fiona. You are a business woman who happens to be married with kids. Compete with all the others and be judged by how well you run your business. THAT'S the proper measure of an entrepreneur.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:41 am
    by  Fiona
    @Liz Dawes: Thank you Liz - nice to have the encouragement! Onwards and upwards!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 12:12 pm
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Fiona: You already know that this is going to be difficult. My advice, for what it's worth, is Just Keep Going. The one's who succeed are the ones who just keep doing it.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:25 am
    by  Gigi (Ed.)
    @Fiona: Pin Money - that just kills me! Like we don't need real money. Just some extra bits of cash for our ruddy hair pins? GRRRRR!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:37 am
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Gigi (Ed.): Now now. Stop worrying you're little head about it. You'll get frown lines and then what will you do!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:45 am
    by  Fiona
    @Gigi (Ed.): oh I know perlease! My mother is the the worst one for belittling what I do - I swear after 10 years she still has NO idea at all .... I can't wait to show her AND the world that you can have it all - work/home/social life - it can be done
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:17 am
    by  Helen Hampton
    @Liz - exactly and well put. If anyone dares call me a Mumpreneur they will receive extremely short shrift. How patronising. There, there the little mummy has found herself something to do (with all her spare time) - bless her fluffy little head. AAAAAAAARGH
    Reply Delete
  • 2 replies, Last reply by Helen Hampton on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 11:28 am
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:22 am
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Helen Hampton: Oh Helen I would LOVE to see someone call YOU a mumpreneur....! If they walked away from that I'd eat my hat!
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:28 am
    by  Helen Hampton
    @Liz Dawes: I guarantee, in that eventuality, you will NEVER have to eat your hat.
    Reply Delete
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:14 am
    by  Fireman
    What's in a name? Well, quite a lot, as it happens. Being called a 'firefighter' and not the traditional 'fireman' can cause some of my male colleagues to go apoplexic with fury. Actually I don't mind the firefighter term as it accurately reflects the make-up of today's non-gender-specific fire service, although admittedly I do use 'fireman' outside of work, because GF loves it (shallow, I know). I don't like Mumpreneur for all the reasons above - and because it makes me flinch when I hear it - it just sounds wrong and it is an exclusive, not inclusive term. A bit like fireman. Ahem....
    Reply Delete
  • 1 reply, Last reply by Liz Dawes on Fri Nov 25, 2011 at 11:23 am
  • Report Fri Nov 25, 2011 - 11:23 am
    by  Liz Dawes
    @Fireman: Thanks for your contribution. And stop calling me shallow.
    Reply Delete

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