
A businesswoman whose handmade mugs have been shared by influencers corresponding to Molly-Mae and Stacey Solomon, mentioned “mum-guilt” is considered one of her greatest challenges.
Mollie Warrington, from Cardiff, began her marketing strategy whereas pregnant and launched Naetive Studio whereas on maternity go away in 2022.
Educational Dr Lauren Josie Thomas mentioned girls usually confronted added limitations, together with strain to be “a rockstar working mum who can deal with all of it”.
Enterprise Wales mentioned it was dedicated to supporting feminine entrepreneurs to begin and develop companies.
After settling for an insurance coverage job after college, it was solely when the pandemic hit that Mollie, 30, had the time to decide on a enterprise thought.
“I had eight weeks of being at residence, not allowed to depart the home. I used to be watching influencers and so they’d all the time have a cup, however no-one was sharing the cup.
“[I thought] I’ll make a cup value speaking about,” she mentioned.
The inside design graduate had all the time wished to create one thing of her personal, and when she bought pregnant, she noticed it as the chance to take the leap.
“I used the 9 months that I used to be pregnant to plan what I used to be going to do with my maternity go away, after which saved each month then in order that I could possibly be OK in maternity go away.
“I simply knew then, I’ll have a pottery enterprise,” she added.

The enterprise proprietor mentioned she made positive she didn’t put any strain on herself, however as quickly as her child, Rio, settled right into a routine, she started making mugs.
“I would have the monitor subsequent to me and he’d cry or he’d begin shifting, so I would go see him, after which he would return to sleep.
“I might then return to my little mug and keep on pinching it,” she described.
The mum-of-one would make about 15 mugs per week when the enterprise launched in July 2022, with small drops that may promote out in minutes.
Now she has a staff of 12, making 400 customized orders per week and is, available in stores corresponding to Anthropologie.
A part of her progress has been pushed by producing mugs for influencers within the hope they could share them, with former Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague doing simply that.
“I did not truly plan what was going to occur if she shared, and he or she did share, and we had like 40,000 individuals on the web site and at that time I did not have something to promote,” she laughed.
Mollie mentioned she discovered from that have. She wanted to broaden her manufacturing, and now runs two items to deal with any further demand.
She mentioned the method had not been with out its obstacles.
“There’s sufficient strain. Mum guilt is considered one of my greatest challenges, even when it rains, I really feel responsible, and I am unable to management the climate,” she mentioned
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For anybody considering of beginning a enterprise whereas on paid go away from their job, consultants recommend checking the phrases of their contract.
Dr Lauren Josie Thomas from the College of South Wales has spent the final yr working with the Confederation of British Business (CBI) researching girls and management in Wales, and what limitations they have been dealing with.
“Plenty of challenges that entrepreneurs face are precisely the identical, besides these girls are main a enterprise and probably making an attempt to develop it with out a number of the conventional assist you may discover within the office,” she added.
The educational cited childcare as a serious barrier for ladies, in addition to the strain to “have all of it”.
“To be somebody’s companion, somebody’s mom and be current in a enterprise, and making good selections when even a type of issues requires 100% of you. It is close to unattainable,” she added.
She pointed to how a lot funding female-led companies got in contrast with males.

The British Enterprise Financial institution Fairness Tracker Report 2023 discovered feminine founders have been much less more likely to safe funding for his or her companies, and confronted gender bias.
Dr Thomas added, anecdotally, she knew of ladies who had “taken off their marriage ceremony ring”, or eliminated their “lockdown social media”, to cover their household life from potential buyers.
Knowledge from Longitudinal Small Enterprise Survey 2023, run by the UK authorities’s Division for Enterprise and Commerce, confirmed 16% of small and medium sized enterprises employers in Wales reported being women-led.
Enterprise Wales mentioned it was dedicated to supporting a tradition of entrepreneurship and supporting feminine entrepreneurs to begin and develop companies.
The service has supported 3,995 start-ups led by feminine entrepreneurs since 2016, which is 55% of all companies supported.
“Enterprise Wales has additionally helped 6,499 present female-led companies with their growth and progress plans over the identical time – which is 46.8% of all companies supported,” a spokesperson added.