'I used maternity leave to launch my mug business'

A businesswoman whose handmade mugs have been shared by influencers such as Molly-Mae and Stacey Solomon, said "mum-guilt" is one of her biggest challenges.

Mollie Warrington, from Cardiff, started her business plan while pregnant and launched Naetive Studio while on maternity leave in 2022.

Academic Dr Lauren Josie Thomas said women often faced added barriers, including pressure to be "a rockstar working mum who can handle it all".

Business Wales said it was committed to supporting female entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses.

After settling for an insurance job after university, it was only when the pandemic hit that Mollie, 30, had the time to settle on a business idea.

"I had eight weeks of being at home, not allowed to leave the house. I was watching influencers and they'd always have a cup, but no-one was sharing the cup.

"[I thought] I'm going to make a cup worth talking about," she said.

The interior design graduate had always wanted to create something of her own, and when she got pregnant, she saw it as the opportunity to take the leap.

"I used the nine months that I was pregnant to plan what I was going to do with my maternity leave, and then saved every month then so that I could be OK in maternity leave.

"I just knew then, I'm going to have a pottery business," she added.

The business owner said she made sure she did not put any pressure on herself, but as soon as her baby, Rio, settled into a routine, she began making mugs.

"I'd have the monitor next to me and he'd cry or he'd start moving, so I'd go see him, and then he would go back to sleep.

"I would then go back to my little mug and carry on pinching it," she described.

The mum-of-one would make about 15 mugs a week when the business launched in July 2022, with small drops that would sell out in minutes.

Now she has a team of 12, making 400 custom orders a week and is, stocked in shops such as Anthropologie.

Part of her growth has been driven by producing mugs for influencers in the hope they might share them, with former Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague doing just that.

"I didn't actually plan what was going to happen if she shared, and she did share, and we had like 40,000 people on the website and at that point I didn't have anything to sell," she laughed.

Mollie said she learned from that experience. She needed to expand her manufacturing, and now runs two units to cope with any extra demand.

She said the process had not been without its obstacles.

"There's enough pressure. Mum guilt is one of my biggest challenges, even when it rains, I feel guilty, and I can't control the weather," she said

For anyone thinking of starting a business while on paid leave from their job, experts suggest checking the terms of their contract.

Dr Lauren Josie Thomas from the University of South Wales has spent the last year working with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) researching women and leadership in Wales, and what barriers they were facing.

"A lot of challenges that entrepreneurs face are exactly the same, except those women are leading a business and potentially trying to grow it without some of the traditional support you might find in the workplace," she added.

The academic cited childcare as a major barrier for women, as well as the pressure to "have it all".

"To be someone's partner, someone's mother and be present in a business, and making good decisions when even one of those things requires 100% of you. It's near impossible," she added.

She pointed to how much funding female-led businesses were given compared with men.

The British Business Bank Equity Tracker Report 2023 found female founders were less likely to secure funding for their businesses, and faced gender bias.

Dr Thomas added, anecdotally, she knew of women who had "taken off their wedding ring", or removed their "lockdown social media", to hide their family life from potential investors.

Data from Longitudinal Small Business Survey 2023, run by the UK government's Department for Business and Trade, showed 16% of small and medium sized enterprises employers in Wales reported being women-led.

Business Wales said it was committed to supporting a culture of entrepreneurship and supporting female entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses.

The service has supported 3,995 start-ups led by female entrepreneurs since 2016, which is 55% of all businesses supported.

"Business Wales has also helped 6,499 existing female-led businesses with their development and growth plans over the same time - which is 46.8% of all businesses supported," a spokesperson added.