Mumpreneur of the Year 2014: Meet the finalists

Starting a business is no mean feat but launching a start-up while balancing the demands of family life is an act to be applauded which is why we have the Mumpreneur of the Year award.

Celebrating the UK’s best and brightest entrepreneurial mums behind some of the country’s most exciting start-ups, this award is for the women who have gone above and beyond to show that, despite the time-consuming challenges that motherhood poses, there are no limits when it comes to business success.

Mumpreneur businesses will be judged on the basis of turnover, growth potential, profitablilty and any major client wins to date.

The finalists

Fieldhouse Associates

Having launched PR agency Fieldhouse Associates in 2012 initially as a one-woman band, Cordelia Meacher is an example of a mumpreneur with a firm resolve. Her company, which looks to support small and medium businesses and investors, has quickly established its position in the mobile, tech and investment space with clients such as Octopus Investments, MMC Ventures and Angel Co-Fund. With offices in London and Silicon Valley and a team of five employees, you would think Meacher’s schedule would be hectic enough but she also manages to juggle motherhood with acting as an advisor to Silicon Valley Comes to the UK and as a mentor for BBC Worldwide Labs.

Read the full Fieldhouse Associates profile here.

Lime Lace

Mumpreneur Samantha King has created an online boutique which, in a short space of time, has made its mark in the e-commerce space – no easy task given the levels of growing competition. Originally a bricks-and-mortar offering, King launched Lime Lace as an online store in June 2014 and her mix of unique gifts, furniture and home accessories has amassed interest from both commercial and retail consumers alike. Despite the demands of parenthood, King has steered the business towards growth; becoming a successful seller on notonthehighstreet.com with a loyal community of fans on Twitter and Facebook.

Read the full Lime Lace profile here.

Rebel Kitchen

Health enthusiast and ‘rebel’ Tamara Arbib is fast growing her business Rebel Kitchen into a global brand with intentions to transform our approach to healthy food. With a socially-minded background – Rebel Kichen was launched off the back of her charity The A Team Foundation – the mumpreneur’s start-up has met with huge support not only from consumers but leading brands, celebrities, and even has commercial interest from the US. Little surprise then that Arbib claims to have achieved 400% growth. With her products already stocked in Waitrose and set to launch in Tesco this month, Arbib is a mumpreneur who means business.

Read the full Rebel Kitchen profile here.

The Judges

As one of the UK’s biggest mumpreneur success stories, Mumsnet co-founder Justine Roberts will be heading up the judging panel. Having juggled work and home life to create a leading resource for parents and parents-to-be, Roberts and fellow judges, including Daily Telegraph journalist Rebecca Burn-Callandar, will be looking for the entrepreneurial mum who best reflects how business and motherhood can go hand-in-hand.