All are up for one or more accolades at the BizMums Conference and Awards 2017 – launched in 2013 to recognise the achievements of mums in business across the UK. Tony McDonough reports
No less than 10 female entrepreneurs from across Liverpool city region have made the shortlist in a national awards.
All are up for one or more accolades at the BizMums Conference and Awards 2017 on October 8 at The Manor House Hotel in Alsager, Cheshire.
The BizMums Awards were launched in 2013 to recognise the achievements of mums in business across the UK.
The 10 shortlisted Mersey mums are:
- Jane Hawkes from Little Sutton, who founded her coastal seaside homewares business, Seashore No4, in 2014 with the dream of creating work experience opportunities for young people with autism and inspired by her own autistic son.
- Nadine Baynes from Southport, who has developed a social enterprise called Lighthouses Therapy Services, which enables her to provide support to families who have survived the loss of an infant.
- Children’s author Jude Lennon from South Liverpool, who has written 10 books. The former primary school teacher set up her storytelling business, Little Lamb Tales, three years ago. She also runs a local BizMums networking group.
- Lynne Horton from Childwall, is one of these mums who needed to work from home to better manage her family commitments and health. In 2014 she set up Word-Shed, a web design and Search Engine Optimisation company.
- Jan Kiermasz, from Prenton, Wirral, who runs John Jelly Training and Consultancy, helps other business owners thrive and make a success of their digital marketing.
- Happiness coach Jo Howarth from Rainhill, owner of The Happiness Club, who is committed to helping people make themselves happy.
- Mum-of-two Michala Leyland from Southport, an accredited life coach, motivational speaker and founder of Wood for the Trees Coaching, is also a finalist in five award categories.
- Julie Aldcroft, who works with Forever Living Products, but has also helped bring her community to life by starting a Facebook group called Bring Life to Little Sutton.
- Patricia Harland of Harland Consultancy who works in Wirral helping people face up to their fears, phobias and anxieties by offering one-to-one consulting sessions, workshops and seminars.
- Jessica Dixon-Spain of JDS Holistics in Southport who runs baby massage classes that help both babies and parents.
Figures show that a record number of women are now running their own businesses with numbers expected to rise further over the next 10 years.
In 2016 the number of ‘mumpreneurs’ – women starting part-time businesses from home – exceeded 800,000.
Liverpool-based The Women’s Organisation has given its backing to the awards saying “encouraging female entrepreneurship is a vital step towards impacting the local and wider economy”.
Michelle Childs, founder of BizMums said: “This is our fourth time of running the awards and each year the number of nominees has grown significantly showing the importance of giving these mums the opportunity to celebrate their successes.
“The biggest group of finalists are the Merseyside BizMums which is brilliant. We have a really well established supportive network in Merseyside and all of these BizMums getting to the finals is a big testament to this.”