The Hour

A Scottish business woman has won a top award for her business ACE Inspire. She offers a free mum blogger e-course as well as a range of business training, advice and mentoring.

The awards were held by MumsClub, the award winning business support network, and were designed to find and reward inspiring examples of enterprising business women who also happen to juggle family life.

Erica, who lives outside Edinburgh, said: “Winning has given me a real boost. Since leaving my part-time job in May 2009, my mumpreneur journey has been a swift one that has seen me go from attending the job centre to earning a full-time wage in part-time hours.

“I can now afford to attend University where I’m doing a full-time degree and look after my five-year-old daughter.

“I run ACE Inspire with my business partner Antonia Chitty. We offer flexible and affordable training to business woman who want to learn about marketing their business online. Our latest venture is Become A Mumpreneur, a membership site and training program for mums who want to create their own income streams from home.

“Winning the business start up award has given me the confidence to realise that I can grow a much bigger business.”

Two other Scottish business women were nominated for awards. Louise Prunty of Caledonian Therapy was nominated in the advocate category and Victoria Dixon of Enhance Me got special mention for working so well in a business mum community while living so remotely in the Outer Hebrides.

Victoria also got a special award for having acquired the necessary technical skills to make her photo manipulation business a success.

Jane Hopkins, founder of mumsclub and the Business Mum Awards said: "The Business Mum Awards recognise and celebrate the success of ‘mumpreneur’ businesses. The UK is full of thriving and innovative mum owned enterprise, and these winners demonstrate the calibre and talent that is out there.

“These home-grown businesses are being created whilst juggling the demands of daily family life, they are not only surviving but thriving and it has been my pleasure once again to recognise and reward all of their hard work and determination."

The other winners were Best Business Mum Cara Sayer for SnoozeShade, High Growth Award Gill Hayward and Kellie Forbes for YUUbag, Resilience Award Gemma Johnson for BaBeeCard, Mumpreneur Advocate Alison Pinney for My Little Monkey and Best Use Of Media Keira O’Mara for Mamascarf.

MumsClub was the first mumpreneur support network in the UK and is still the biggest. It was created in 2007 by a single mum on benefits and the group now boasts 4500 subscribers, 25 nationwide networking groups, the publishing arm: The Business Mum’s Journal, and the live event – The Business and Baby Show.

Erica Douglas’ businesses are ACE inspire and Become A Mumpreneur.