The search for
the most creative Mumpreneur 2008! is over...

MumsClub, the business club for mums, is proud to announce the winner of our 2008 Mumpreneur competition.

Our judges decided that Melanie Riddell, the Mum behind www.sizzlingscience.co.uk demonstrated the most original and inspiring business idea in which provides fun and interactive science workshops for children.

Melanie beat off stiff competition from other mum owned businesses to be crowned ‘MumsClub New Business of the Year 2008’ and has won a whole package of prizes for her and her family.

Melanie, from the Highlands of Scotland where she lives with her husband and two daughters, achieved a BSc (Hons) in Forensic and Analytical Chemistry and spent twelve years working in the biomedical industry for a large corporate organisation.

While her children were toddlers one of her favourite games was playing “Labcoats”, Melanie explains,  “over the years our dining table laboratory has been the place of many experiments – making toothpaste, lipstick, slime, snowflakes, screaming balloons and lava lamps to name a few!”

As a parent helper, she took some of these ideas into the children’s pre-school nurseries and they were very well received from both the children and the staff. Melanie says “The children were so receptive and curious and the staff love being able to do something different.” This positive feedback helped Melanie to formulate these ideas into a working business and Sizzling Science Ltd was born.

The workshops are full of hands-on, minds-on real attention grabbing science experiments using child friendly equipment. All of the experiments are designed to stimulate their interest and be appropriate to the children’s development and motor skills. Children are natural investigators and love experimenting. The aim of a Sizzling Science workshop is to stimulate their curiosity and develop a lifelong love of science, exploring and investigating

Sizzling Science workshops are suitable for schools, out of school care, community groups, corporate fun days and even birthday parties! Workshops can be adapted to accommodate various ages, group sizes and budgets.

Due to the geography of the Highlands of Scotland, Melanie has a limited audience within a reasonable travelling distance, therefore she wrote a number of DIY guides to enable groups and parents to hold their own science events, she then trialled them on eBay which proved a successful move.

 The experiments in the DIY guides all use safe, readily available, household ingredients. Safety notes and full instructions are included, all of which will soon be available to download from her website to complement her workshop service.

Melanie told us, “since my children have started school, it really has been a case of, Kids Back to School, Mum Back to Business! In the last few months Sizzling Science has been growing steadily and I really hope that 2009 will be the start of our boom! Sizzling Science has been my “third baby” since the company was incorporated in 2006 – it’s time she stopped toddling and started to run!”

Our judges felt that overall, Melanie illustrated an original and unique business idea, with an already sound business model and great potential to build on. The benefit of having these workshops around the UK was noted, agreeing that as mothers themselves, the attraction for children is clear. It was also pointed out that this business is potentially a great franchise opportunity which would help other mums work from home with their own business.

Award Judge, Anne Daly said “My own daughter who is aiming for a career in science is being pounced upon as not enough children are pursuing this route these days, so a business that provides encouragement for young children to enter science is great - and the business proposition can work with contracts through local authorities etc. Melanie has the right background to develop the product range.”

T-Shirt designer and printer, Pauline Adams commented“The market for Sizzling Science is potentially huge, and as a home educating mum myself, I’m sure that if Melanie were to get in touch with the home education groups throughout the UK, they would certainly buy into this.”

Personal Development &Career Coach, Glynis Kozma had this to say
“My daughter is doing a 4 year Msc in Chemistry at university and her interest in science only began in roughly year 9, but maybe something like this would spur on other kids- we certainly need more scientists!”

Claire Willis, designer of handmade baby carriers added “Given that as a child I used to love playing with chemistry sets, I think this has enormous potential. I think the franchise and home-edding aspects could be huge. I really like this idea as an educational tool and something that is fun and encourages learning.”

The winner of the additional category for an established business showing the most potential for the future goes to Christine Lewandowski for www.SingleWithKids.co.uk. Christine will receive a 12 month subscription to The Peter Jones Business Builder, plus runners up prizes.

Christine Lewandowski  set up Single with kids to and confront the loneliness experienced by single parents by organising get-togethers with other single parents to support and help each other through the bad times and giggle through the good. Christine explains: “This Christmas will be unlike many of its sad predecessors for me and many other single parents…….I will be spending Christmas with 50 single parents and their children in a barn in Derbyshire. Cheap (only £9 a night so everyone can afford it), basic (absolutely no luxuries here) but despite the splendid isolation of the surrounding Peak District, we’ll be surrounded by fun, warmth and good company. The Kleenex will stay firmly at home.”

Since launching the site in December 2007, singlewithkids.co.uk is now the largest provider of UK breaks and holidays for single parents, they have the most active single parent forum (800 members) and they’re growing rapidly. Forthcoming developments to the site include a new e-shop to bring savings to members and a full database of events around the country. To assist the growth of the business they are also increasing their range of trips to encompass camping/ hostels / holiday parks / tipis / bunk barns / and villas.

Christine told us “I’m a Marketing professional by trade, a single parent by circumstance. It’s only when I experienced the loneliness and isolation of the latter that I realised how few support mechanisms were in place for single parents, and how few opportunities they were to meet up with others in the same boat despite a very desperate need.”

Our judges commented the uniqueness of the idea, and felt a definite need in the marketplace for such forums and support networks. It was seen as an idea that could develop into a major social networking site for the UK and has potential to be franchised overseas.

Runners up
The four runners up will each receive 12 months MumsClub Premium membership, personalised stationery sets for the children from Dannalise.com and a copy of Antonia Chitty’s book “A Guide to Promoting Your Business”.

Bebebel

EcomyParty

mywondercube

LadyPenelopeChauffeurs 

All winners will receive prizes to recognise their achievement and the fantastic businesses they have started, and indeed are growing from home (around the madness of family life!).

Meet our judges

• Anne Daly is a Director of go green bags, a fast growing company in an exciting new market segment – eco friendly bags and has over 20 years experience as a business analyst and investment manager.
   

• Rachel Bloom is a busy Mum with a 2 year old daughter (plus 2 part time step sons). She has been successfully self employed and running several of her own businesses for 10 years.
   

• Antonia Chitty has been advising mumpreneurs on business promotion since she started ACPR after the birth of her daughter in 2002.
   

• Pauline Adams, owner of tees online and kiddie tees, is one of MumsClub’s valued ‘resident experts’. She’s a great supporter of all mumpreneurs and has plenty of experience both as employee and since having children, working for herself.
   

• Having worked as as professional website developer since leaving school, Carol Beck’s main areas of expertise are website design & development and online marketing.  The birth of her first son in late 2005 inspired her to start her first business, Babywear Exchange. Then branching out into Fresh Look Gifts.
   

• Nicky Chisholm is the Founder and owner of mums in biz, which runs business start up seminars that focus on issues that affect busy mums.
   

• Elaine Player is 26 years of age and has been running her own business since she was 23 after the birth of her first daughter.
   

• GLYNIS KOZMA - Glynis is a professional coach who works with clients wishing to change careers, have a better work-life balance, or build new businesses. 
   

• Camilla Braidwood has a degree in economics and marketing and worked in investment banking for several years. She longed to do something more creative and eventually left the city to pursue her photography hobby as a career. Milly Bee was born soon after her daughter.
   

• Claire Willis is a mum to two children, and the owner of SnugBaby. Originally a qualified Dispensing Optician, she discovered babywearing after the birth of her second son, and decided to design and make her own brand of mei tai carriers, which she now sells through her website, snugbaby.
   

• Mary Cummings set up Antecell  Business Services in 2006 shortly after the birth of her second child, to provide marketing support to self-employed professionals and small businesses.