Learning Early Blog by Karen Wood of Strider Bike
Today is Global Mumpreneur Networking Day- it’s also the day that I am launching myself onto the unsuspecting public with my new blog. Do I count myself amongst this club of fantastic talented women? Up to last Friday I would have said a flat no, however since then life has changed somewhat dramatically.
Last Friday was a normal day. Up at 5.45am to spend an hour sorting out my inbox, making lists of things to do (in my head as I can never find a pen!) and loaded with coffee wondering why a day only has 24 hrs in it. The standard protests of who wants what for breakfast , finding school shoes reading notes stuck to unidentifiable sticky things in the bottom of school bags and finding helmets for the bike ride to school. Finally sit back down at 9 to start work.
Reading back through my emails I spot an invitation. Wow, I have been invited to a glitzy award in London on the 21st September. Now like most I am always suspect of mail I am not expecting, so with orders to process, I quickly forgot about it. A few hours later whilst trying to find an email, I stumble across an email announcing that I was an O2 Smarta 100 winner! Call me sceptical but still at this stage I doubted the validity of it all. After all, the O2 Smarta Business awards are a celebration of the most resourceful, original, exciting and disruptive small businesses in the UK as voted for by Sarah Beeney (property show) and Michael Birch (Bebo) and Shaa Wasmund, the force behind Chris Eubank and James Dyson. What was my small cycling store for the under 7’s doing featuring here?
Then it dawned on me. The fight has just started! Voting had already started and I was already 24 hrs behind in my campaign. Then adrenaline took over.
I had a chance to really put my business on the map. The one that everyone doubted that would take off and that I had literally put my heart and soul into over the prior 12 months, whilst juggling a toddler on my lap. The same business that had caused more than a few disgruntled words from my better half, about how much time I was spending buried in my laptop and why were there no cleans shirts in the house and we had run out of milk again!
Mind you, finding us in a very public vote with a live leader board has added even more pressure. It will be amazing to meet the judges and Deborah Meaden amongst others who are all there but there was no way I want to be last, without giving it my all first. Strider Bike UK is up against some amazing people to win the Overall Business of the Year, and at the time of writing unbelievably find ourselves in the TOP 20. Can I take pride in the fact one woman has taken on some really big companies with big PR depts and is managing to hold my own. You bet ya! Would I like to win? Yes please.
Please would you take a second to vote for me?
O2 Smarta 100 Winner 2011
