Self-confessed 'shoeaholic' and mum-of-three Andrea Alli is enjoying great success with her handy product, the 'Flexi Shoe Rack' (www.flexishoerack.co.uk). In this exclusive interview, London-based Andrea, 38, shares with other budding mumpreneurs how she found her feet in running her own business.

“Like a lot of women, I love shoes. The problem was I had 200 pairs and a lot of space in my house I simply couldn't use. Corners of rooms, gaps under the stairs or recesses in the laundry room just weren't compatible with the shoe racks available on the market. It frustrated me to buy a shoe rack that was of a fixed width and height with no flexibility built-in. The product just didn't conform with the space I had to play with.

The Chillipeeps Journey Continues – from Yorkshire to Disaster Relief Zones Across the World

Three years ago I embarked on an incredible journey.

I was travelling in the car with my new baby, Mimi, who was screaming for a feed but I’d forgotten to pack a spare sterilised bottle. I had a carton of formula milk but no way of feeding it to my hungry baby with it.

Why hadn’t someone invented a teat that fitted directly onto the baby milk carton I wondered? So I invented one.

The rest, as they say, is history and the Chillipeeps teat was officially born at the Nursery Fair in Harrogate earlier this year.

As mothers, we are always being told we can ‘have it all’ – a fabulous family life, a thriving career, and of course that ever-elusive ‘me-time’. But when you’re spending the majority of your waking life in a haze of sleep deprivation, dressed mainly in yesterday’s milk-stained clothes, just how do you find the time or the energy to develop your own business??

Helen Wooldridge and Polly Marsh managed to do just that when in 2006 they launched Cuddledry, the unique baby apron towel that they took to the Dragons’ Den and have since turned into a thriving business.

In the three years I have been running Motivating Mum, I have come across so many mums with many great ideas, be they product or service.  They say 'necessity is the mother of all invention' and it seems they were right on many fronts; having babies seems to highlight areas lacking in just the right product or service and it is the mother doing the inventing.

I asked Cally to contribute this article as I know that although you have the ideas and the passion, the know-how is an area that many of you could use a little help and who better than the founder of She's Ingenious herself?  Cheers!  Alli

An article by Cally Robson, personal business coach and Founder of She's Ingenious! www.ShesIngenious.org

While grant funding gets harder to win, organized awards and showcases are on the up. Here are some pointers to help you find the pick of the bunch for your idea and stay on top of deadlines.