What Type Of ‘Preneur’ Are You?

Why have I got a picture of The Red One from Ella’s Kitchen posted on here?

The story is that I remember founder, Paul Lindley, coming into the Delicatessen I owned back in 2005 clutching two pouches of smoothies, one red, one yellow (those were the two products then) and asking if I would stock them on my shelves. Paul was a local to the area and had been inspired to come up with this product for his daughter Ella, being passionate about ensuring that his daughter was getting the best food she possibly could by making and producing organic and additive free food her.

Taken by his story, the quality of the product and one for supporting local business I was delighted to take his stock. From there on in I couldn’t get Ella’s Kitchen products on the shelves quick enough; it was flying out of the door. A few weeks later he secured his first major contract with Sainsbury’s if I remember rightly.

The reason I tell this story is that at no stage did Paul call himself a ‘Dadpreneur’.  An entrepreneur, maybe , a businessman, definitely.

This brings me on to the recent proliferation of ‘Mumpreneurs’ making themselves known in the business world. For those of you who don’t know this is the new buzzword for mothers who have been successful in either online or bricks & mortar businesses.

Now I have to say I am little confused by this. What’s with this desire to have mumsiness attached to your business persona? For years women have been battling for equal respect within the world of business. For me surely you are an entrepreneur fullstop whether you are male OR female. Your gender makes no difference. Is it that these women want to be specially applauded and recognised because they are a woman AND have ideas And are successful? Or is it a community or tribal thing where the ladies that give themselves this label want to share and belong? I would like to know.

You don’t see men shouting from the rooftops in the same gender specific way, if something is branded ‘women only’ that’s fine, if it’s ‘men only’ it creates uproar. I am sure an argument will come back in the form that women have always had to battle to stake their claim in business and surely if that’s the case why label yourself with a term that may well have a negative impact from the testosterone fuelled business world we live in, whether you like it or not.

Are all the men out there, who have started their own businesses and continue to do so going to call themselves ‘Dadpreneurs’…no I don’t think so, next we’ll have ‘Granpreneurs’!

I am all for celebrating success, particularly achievement over adversity, however, being a mum and starting a business and doing well is not a new phenomena. I am proud to be a woman, I am a proud to be a mother, and I have set up and run many businesses over the years, the one thing I am not going to label myself as is a ‘Mumpreneur’, what’s wrong with business woman?

What kind of ‘preneur’ are you?