This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
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1. THE BEGINNING
This innovation initially came to life when…
My blog posts about running my business, Strawberry Communications, around children attracted followers and comments, with readers asking for more content like this. I was encouraged to write the book Business & Baby on Board because while there were many books and guides to help people wanting to start a business from home, there wasn’t much available specifically to help entrepreneurial mothers. Mothers in business face all the usual startup stages like market research, registration, taxation and marketing; working around a family reduces time available so they often suffer from mother guilt.
2. WHAT & HOW
The purpose of this innovation is to…
Business & Baby on Board is the mum’s bible for starting out and succeeding in business. These women are mistresses of their own destinies with an armoury of skills that can be utilised while they are bringing up the baby.
It does this by…
Business & Baby on Board looks at all the steps involved in planning, starting and building a successful business, through the eyes of business mums. Each chapter covers an important aspect of business through case studies from expert business mothers on each topic, plus how she started her business, issues she faced, her triumphs and advice for readers.
3. PURPOSE & BENEFITS
This innovation improves on what came before because…
…readers not only get to delve into each woman’s story, but also learn from their experiences and advice. The book covers the basics of setting up a business and the not-so-exciting aspects like accounting, insurance and planning, as well as the fun side of business.
Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…
Women, particularly, learn from sharing stories, so reading about the real-life experiences of others in businesses teaches, inspires, encourages and spurs aspiring entrepreneurs into action.
4. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
In the past, this problem was solved by…
…starting small business guides, like Managing a Small Business in Australia by John English. This was the book I bought when I launched Strawberry Communications and found while it had all the essential information, it was quite dry and lacked the real stories I included as an integral part of Business & Baby on Board.
Its predecessors/competitors include…
Mum to Mumpreneur – A Real Life Guide: contains advice and stories from business mums, covering social media, work/life balance, marketing and customer service.
Millionaire Mumpreneurs: uncovers the secrets behind six successful mumpreneurs and gives tips on starting lifestyle businesses.
5. TARGET MARKET
It is made for…
The main target market for Business & Baby on Board is pregnant women and mothers of young children who know they don’t want to go back to a full-time workplace, but want to contribute to the family income and follow their entrepreneurial dreams. These women have a host of skills from their previous career and have the intelligence, drive and time to make something of those business dreams they have been mulling over for a long time. This is their time to shine.
It is available for sale through…
Print: From the Strawberry Communications Books page (strawberrycommunications.com.au/books) and independent bookstores. Ebook: From my digital publisher Editia (editia.com/books/business-baby-on-board).
Our marketing strategy is to…
I used crowdfunding platform Pozible to raise the money to self-publish Business & Baby on Board. The campaign was a success (in fact it was over-funded), and led to a digital publishing contract with Editia. After publishing Business & Baby on Board I held book launches, spoke at events and used social media and PR to gain media coverage.
FINE PRINT: This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
