Enterprise Nation

Jo Rheam says that giving birth to her social networking site has taken longer than giving birth to her two children. Nonetheless, she’s delighted to be her own boss and launching a service that will make for happy mums and happy families.

When did you start Mummo.co.uk?

I started thinking about it a long time before I actually started it!  The idea began ‘brewing’ when I had my first baby at the end of 2003 and realised what a big deal motherhood was.  It’s not only the most amazingly wonderful experience, it’s also (in my opinion) a huge challenge and a major transition.  To go from being entirely your own person one day to being someone’s mother the next, with total responsibility for their life, health and happiness - it could just be me but I find that quite a big deal!  So I was kind of mulling over all sorts of ideas relating to motherhood whilst getting on with the practicalities of looking after first one child, then two … until in January 2007 we employed a part-time nanny and I went back “out to work”! 

My plan was to set up a business, I just wasn’t sure exactly what it would be.  At first, I was sitting at another mum’s kitchen table doing lots of research, and then the idea started taking shape and I found some shared office space.  I registered the company in September 2007, and the website has been in development since then.  So, all in all, giving birth to Mummo is taking a whole lot longer than giving birth to a baby!

What were you doing before becoming your own boss?

Well, I was already my own boss before starting Mummo, as I was a self-employed learning and development consultant.  But, although I did a few contracts between my first and second children, I learnt quite quickly that it was more-or-less impossible to do without proper childcare. 

My partner used to walk in the door at six o’clock, get greeted with a cursory kiss if he was lucky, get handed a baby in need of a nappy change and then see me disappear upstairs to my computer for the rest of the evening!  I also knew that the type of work didn’t fit well with having the same three days a week childcare.  And I’ve always wanted to set up a business and ‘make a difference’ in some way.  (Sorry, I know that’s a horrible ‘Miss World’ type cliché!)  It was probably my experience of postnatal illness after my second child that finally prompted me to stop talking about it and just do it.  It also made me even clearer that mums need more support … and that probably the best people to provide it are other mums!

What will the site be and do?

Mummo is essentially a social networking site for mums.  So you’ll be able to do all the sorts of things that you can currently do on, for example, Facebook or MySpace … like create your own profile, connect with and message other mums, take part in discussions, publish a blog, and so on.  Mums will also be able to place classified ads and advertise their own businesses, as well as share their expertise.  The whole idea is to make it easier for mums to connect, communicate and collaborate with each other … and, knowing what mums are like, I’m expecting great things to happen as a result!

The key thing about Mummo is that it’s about the mums rather than the kids!  It’s about encouraging mums to look after themselves and their own needs (as well as their children’s of course) so that they are better placed to be effective parents and positive role models.  I fundamentally believe that happy mums make for happy families.

Jo Rheam talks to Emma Jones

To participate in the beta testing of Mummo, click on the link below and visit the site.

• Mummo.co.uk