Name: Anna Dickson
Age: 35
Children: Daughters , Niamh 4 and Zara 7 months
Job title: Company director (accountant, sales exec and chief
bottle washer!)
Business: Mummy Mitts (Gloves that stay attached to prams and pushchairs)
What was the motivating factor for starting your own business?
The need to provide a solution to the problem that Mummy Mitts now rectifies.
What are the best bits about working again?
I feel I still have something to offer and get great satisfaction from knowing that I am providing for my daughters? future.
Running a business can be a mixed bag sometimes. What have been you highs and lows so far?
The highs have been the response from BBC2?s Dragon’s Den appearance in that it confirmed that our belief in the product had been right all along, and the subsequent sales figures. The lows have been the frustration with the time it took to finalise the distributorship agreement,
as it held us up from capitalising on the UK market last year.
What is available to mothers now that you wish you had access to when your family was young?
The obvious thing would be the internet but my family still are young so things have not changed that much since I last worked, as it was only a year?s break.
How have you managed to stay on top of your career with the demands of motherhood?
Hard work, late nights and determination.
What has been the high point along the way?
Signing the worldwide distribution agreement.
What is your worst experience along the way?
I?ve not really had one yet, but I suppose it would be preparation for Dragon’s Den if anything!
Any tips for expectant mums, or mothers who feel that you can’t have a successful career and a happy family life at the same time?
If you work hard enough for things and are prepared to make sacrifices then you can achieve what you want, whatever shape or form it takes.