Being a mum is a demanding job in itself, but that doesn't mean a career is off the table. Juggling motherhood and a successful business isn't easy, but it can be done. Meet four of Australia's most successful mumtrepreneurs and read how they handle being working mums.
Mia Freedman
Mother of three, editor and publisher of
mamamia.com, author, and newspaper columnist.
Mia Freedman founded the popular culture network, Mamamia, in 2007. After a highly successful career building communities of women in print media, Mia decided to take her experience online. The site publishes everything from relationship rants to parenting problems to opinion pieces on current events. Its success is evident in its thriving site community and social media following.
Mia's advice for working mums: "Everyone's got to find their own balance but I guess I believe the key thing for women is having something for yourself. It doesn't have to be paid work necessarily, it might just be putting your iPod on and going for a walk … just doing something that is for you and about you. Working mothers are massive givers and end up being last in the queue."
Collette Dinnigan
Mother of one and fashion designer
Recognised as one of Australia's most successful fashion designers, South African-born, New Zealand-raised, Collette Dinnigan is a single mother who launched her first ready-to-wear collection in Paris in 1995. Since the birth of her daughter in 2004, she has expanded her empire with childrenswear collection, Enfant.
When it comes to juggling motherhood and running an international business, Collette admits it's not always easy, but she said her daughter grounds her and "helps her to relax."
Natalie Bloom
Mother of four and founder of
Bloom Cosmetics
Bloom Cosmetics was born in 1993, when a 22-year-old Natalie took the plunge and decided to combine her graphic design skills with her love of natural ingredients and obsession with packaging. Despite being a mum to four young children (her youngest is not yet one!) Natalie's determination has seen Bloom blossom into a world-renowned brand, with high profile celeb fans including Elle McPherson and Kylie Minogue.
In an interview in January 2012, Bloom spoke about how she balances motherhood and her career: "It's a constant juggle; sometimes one takes over another depending on what needs your urgent attention at that point in time and it's constantly changing. I'm very grateful for my supportive husband … and I have a nanny three days a week to help me out at home. Without this support, I definitely don't think I would manage as well as I do."
Janine Allis
Mother of four and founder of
Boost Juice.
Janine said she aimed high from the moment she opened her first store in Adelaide in 2000: "I never had the intention of opening just one store. We always had bigger plans to have world domination!"
At one stage during the early days of building her business, Janine's family was forced to live and sleep in one room as Boost took over the house! But her drive and determination paid off, and Boost is now a multinational empire with 250 stores, 5000 staff and an annual turnover of $130 million.
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