mumpreneur is a label, it’s used to target other mums in business, either to attract new business if that’s your niche or for networking, usually to network with other mums who also run a business.

I am a mum who is running a business, but I don’t call myself a mumpreneur.

I agree, don’t put a label on yourself unless it helps you and your business, I’m not a small business, I am as large as life 🙂

IMHO it’s a non-namer and can’t understand why there has to be soooooo many labels for everyone running a business.

My mentor/accountant takes this view: being called a small business is just a label economist stick on to you because of their beloved statistics and pigeon holing. Don’t stick the label small business on yourself – be big!

What’s in a name? What’s in a label?

Karin H.

Now that’s one I really don’t get and seems to be in contradiction with the rest of your comment.

So if I don’t like the term “mumpreneur” – which I don’t – all those calling themselves mumpreneurs, for whatever reason, would have nothing to offer me? Says who?

Karin H (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

I’ve posted over on http://www.helenstothard.com/whats-in-a-name/ so I’ll just paste my comments here…. 🙂

Ok, I think I need to explain where this started.

The comment was made that the term Mumpreneur raised doubts when used in-line with your business, and that if x person was looking to hire then they would raise the question as to where your commitment lies, business or children. i.e if your child fell over at school, you had to go and collect them, would your business suffer..

I could not understand the connection, and why the doubts would ever surface. Surely, any successful business would have contingency plans in place in order to support their clients no matter what? It’s like saying, because you’re a mum you can’t run a business? that’s how I saw it.

I don’t use the term mumpreneur in line with my business, in fact I don’t really class myself as a mumpreneur, or an entrepreneur for that matter. I’m just doing my thing, and doing it well. I run a successful business, who also has children, a husband and a life.

It is a label, and yes, use it for your business if that’s the market you want to target, I know business owners who do this and do it well. The chances are, if you don’t like the term mumpreneur will not require the services of that business anyway, so why does it matter?

So for me, the argument wasn’t about the term ‘Mumpreneur’ it was more about the comment made about ‘commitment’ to clients.

Hope that made sense! 🙂

I don’t use it as a form of marketing and therefore don’t attract that target market.

Hope that’s a bit clearer 🙂

I can see some of the intention behind it’s creation – but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing!

Surely those of us who are in business are, these days, “businesspeople” (I know, I know, shoot me already – sounds like I’ve joined the PC Brigade!) and our respective genders are irrelevant?

It creates a perception of a small fry business. I won’t repeat what I said on twitter this morning, but I am pleased that as many hard working woman in business, hate this nonsense term as much as I do.

Respect to woman in business, juggling so many tasks, then doing a simlar amount of juggling at home. (If only we fellas could multi-task so well). I just wish such people would stop cheapening their efforts by calling themselves M.P

That said, if I were a mum, running a business selling to other mums (baby products, educational toys, that kind of thing), then it could be fairly effective. I’d probably avoid the label anyway, and just use copy along these lines:

“I can make my 5 year old happy about eating carrots. Imagine how delighted I can make you with our Baby-B-Smart product!” 😉

I salute all women who juggle home and work. I couldn’t do it.

I agree with the comments already made – being a business woman and a mother don’t really have a bearing on each other if you want to project a professional image.

Women have run businesses and been mothers for decades but, as usual, it’s the terms coming from the US that are seen as easy ways to move business forward.

I have to look after a home, husband, dog and elderly father who lives 250 miles away and run my two businesses, but I wouldn’t want that to be titled and used as part of my business marketing strategy.

If I was looking for someone to work with me and they told me they were a ‘mumpreneur’ I may be a little concerned that they were letting me subtly know that their children would come first and client work second.

You don’t hear the word dadpreneur do you? No one cares if you are a man and you run your own business and you are a dad.

YES women who run their own businesses usually also have to keep looking after the kids AND doing the housework but do you REALLY want to be advertising that fact to your clients?

If it comes up and it is appropriate I mention I have children otherwise – what does it really matter?

The only time I see this being something you would want to mention is when your target market, your product or your service are specifically for other mums and then it helps build rapport and provides a basis for communication.

So yes, in a nutshell, it annoys me because it does nothing to recognise fathers who are running their own business and family at the same time. And it’s really just a sham ‘trendy’ term which can actually have negative connotations as discussed above.

I don’t want this to sound like I am being negative toward mums who run their own business, because I think it’s great, but I also applaud mothers and fathers who are keeping down full-time jobs and or /full-time study.

Hat’s off to all “mumpreneurs” out there though as juggling family with business is no small task to achieve!

Other terms I would like to see are “redundancypreneur” and “oldfartpreneur” and “chavpreneur” 🙂 (only kidding)

Mumpreneur hints that you’re mixing motherhood with business. It conjours visions of a stay-at-home mum selling tacky trinkets on Ebay while she looks after the kids all day.

Besides, it doesn’t roll of the tongue, either.