Birgitte Lydum, one of our business mentors, is to have her invention showcased on a  new BBC show.  Birgitte wrote a blog for us in Mummy Mentoring month (read here), saying how she had great support at the start of her business from attending Motivating Mum events. Indeed it was Alli Price, the original Motivating Mum that encouraged her to apply for the show.

Birgitte was fed up with pegging flimsy muslins onto her pram to stop the sun going into her daughter’s eyes, so she invented a sun cover that solves this common parenting problem. The SunSnoozer has been chosen among thousands of applicants, to appear on BBC Two’s new series Britain’s Next Big Thing, hosted by Theo Paphitis . On the show, which is due to air April 12th 2011, we will be able to follow the SunSnoozer’s journey from concept to consumer product, alongside other up-and-coming products and designers that made it through to the show.

Birgitte was thrilled to learn that something she had initially designed to make her own life as a new parent easier was going to be considered for purchase by the Boots Mother & Baby buyer team. Getting an appointment with a big retail buyer is next to impossible for even the savviest of product developers, so Birgitte knew this could be her lucky break.

“I couldn’t believe it when I got the phone call from the production company telling me I had gone through to the first round of pitching my product to Boots. When Theo and the camera crew a month later witnessed me making it through to the next round by making a successful pitch to the Boots’ buyer team, I was on cloud nine.”

“Being in the final five was a huge confidence boost, and during the months of waiting for Boots to come back with a yea or nay the show’s producers followed me through receiving my first ever batch of pram covers from the manufacturer, to handing out flyers, to exhibiting at a baby show and generally just getting by as a new mother/part time graphic designer/full time 'mumpreneur'.”

Birgitte demonstrates how the 50+SPF SunSnoozer is unlike any other product on the market as it has 7 different configurations, including fully open, half open, two thirds open, sideways slant left or right, peephole or fully closed. It can easily be adjusted while on the go, and furthermore encourages better daytime naps. “Whether you’re at the shops or out on a walk, there is so much to look at that babies can find it hard to sleep. SunSnoozer eliminates bright light and visual distractions that can disturb naptime,” says Birgitte.

Watch Britain's Next Big Thing on Tuesday April 12th at 8pm on BBC Two, and see Birgitte make her nerve wrecking pitch to Boots in the second episode being shown on Tuesday April 19th.

if you would like to get motivated in the early stages of your business, then why not consider attending a Motivating Mum event.  The full list of current events is listed here. Alternatively, if there is nothing in your area, please contact me about organising a Motivating Mum event.

More information about Birgitte, Baby Beamers Ltd and the SunSnoozer can be found on www.babybeamers.com.

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