Self-Employed Parent of the Year
Open to any parent who is registered self-employed.  A parent that has overcome many challenges to work for themselves but had created their own flexible employment.  The winner received a Candoo Concierge & Lifestyle Management Service for 1 year worth £250 and an advertising campaign with What's On 4 worth atleast £250!

We are delighted that the well-known baby expert Jo Tantum joined us to present this award at our awards ceremony on 4th November.

Winner: Amanda Farren Ella Announcements  

Amanda Farren is a Coventry mum, expecting her fourth child any day now. Her first business, Ella Announcements was launched in early 2007. At the age of 19, and with two young children, the only way to get into the world of work was through this flexible working opportunity she created for herself. Being self-employed has allowed Amanda to expand her family, her household income, AND her future prospects. 

As well as having run a number of Baby Fair's, local Networking Meetings, charity Projects and more, she co-founded The Mumpreneur Conference and Awards, which has so far run two annual events offering support and celebration for mums in business. From this, her newest business venture Mumpreneur UK was born. 

Ella Announcements is an online business providing unique announcements and invitations for all occasions. Self-taught in design, Amanda has adapted these skills to provide a service and a product that was previously not catered for here in the UK. What started out as a hobby, and a potential pocket-money earner, has turned into a full-time business that 6 year old Ella herself has decided that she'll be taking over when she's a teenager!

Finalists:

Lisa Carpenter Mobile Car Solutions 
 

Lisa and Paul Carpenter started Mobile Car Solutions in March 2008. The company installs hands free mobile phone kits, tracking devices, reversing sensors and other in-car equipment. The couple wanted to better utilise Lisa’s excellent sales and customer service experience and Paul’s technical expertise. 

Being self-employed also gives the couple a better quality of family life as one of them can always be available for their 5-year-old son Mitchell. At the time of starting the business, Lisa was also working part time and looking after Mitchell and Paul was a full time mobile car kit installer for another company. 

The plan had been to build up the business for 6 to 12 months so that Paul could leave his job to work solely for MCS. The business grew so quickly that in July 2008 Paul left his job to work for the company. 

Lisa suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition which causes chronic muscle pain and fatigue. Running a business from home allows her to work around flare ups and to better look after her health. Although she sometimes feels poorly, she always has a smile on the phone for her customers. 

Mobile Car Solutions is built on Lisa’s warm and bubbly personality and Paul’s technical skill. With this great combination, the company goes from strength to strength.

Victoria Dixon Enhance-Me

Victoria Dixon lives in the Orkney Islands. She has two young children. A Five year old daughter Milly and a two year old son Robbie. She runs www.enhance-me.com and offers a range of unique personalised Magical portraits. She lost her baby boy Thomas, eight months into her first pregnancy. Advised not to work in her following pregnancy, she realised she didn't want to leave her baby when she was born to return to full time work. She launched in February 2006 when her daughter was 15 months old. Having had over ten years experience using a variety of different computer programs she can take everyday photos and transform them into enchanting works of art. She says "I just pulled a lot of my skills together - web design, creativity and photography and 'Enhance-Me' was born. Working with these skills meant I was able to develop a service that required very little financial outlay."
 
Being able to choose the hours she works is a huge advantage and allows her to be there for the children and family when she needs to be. She says "When you are a Mum running a business there are things that you almost learn to expect but simply cannot prepare for".

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