I was browsing the web today for a smart and fun present for a good friend of mine who just had her first baby. You know the situation: it has to be practical, fun, original, useful, cool… and cost somewhere around max 25 euros (since MANY friends tend to have kids this year). Via the great Dutch webplatform Trotse Moeders (‘Proud Mothers’), managed very well by a newly found IRL friend of mine, I stumbled upon some great hand-made Nappy Wallets from the Aussie Mum-invented brand ‘Belly Bumps To Baby Hugs’- and thought — hey! This is a winner!

The Nappy Wallet will hold (surprise..!) those nappies any new mother simply needs to bring as soon as she leaves the house, plus all the other essentials: wipes, small tube of nappy rash cream and other small items that are useful when one is out and about. And has it has small pieces of ribbon at the bottom,one to attach the keys to and the other to attach a dummy to. Finished off with a handy strap, so it can be hung on the stroller.

Handy to just grab and go — and makes that big, bulky, heavy diaper bag, that I used to lounge around, history!

As I’m sure my friend has better things to do right now, with a 2 day old baby in her arms, than read my blog, I am pretty sure it will still be a surprise when she unwraps it. But I’ll surely ask for a review again a few months’ down the line, when the Nappy Wallet hopefully has come to good use!

Today, I met Navah who runs Tag-On; a communication consultancy that develops practical, hands-on Social Media Strategies for brands and companies. We were sitting next to each other the blogger’s group that meets up every two weeks at the business centre where I am based, the Women’s Business Initiative in The Hague: a great way to get some discipline in the blogging, share best practices and — get blogging!

But most importantly, it generates real-life encounters, like this one. Normally, I feature Mumpreneurs who have invented a product, but this time, I make way for Navah.

Navah is a recent Mumpreneur who has a three-year old daugther and started her business this year. Her passion is to share the insight that

“no matter what business you are working in, there is always a way you can benefit from social media!”

Her blog is a stream of good tips and links to useful resources, such as her latest post which is a concise description of how Facebook’s new privacy controls work, illustrated in a simple screen capture.

Follow Navah on Twitter , check out her blog and Facebook page!

Spotted on Springwise: Readeo; an online communication tool to allow children and their families to read together in real time over the Internet. It combines a video chat with online virtual children’s books to create an interactive experience that the team behind Readeo calls BookChatTM. If you subscribe to the service ($9,95 per month) and both you and your kid have access to a computer and a webcam, you can share a bedtime story even if you happen to be at the other side of the world.

I must admit that I’m not a big fan of experiencing a book through a digital reading device. I have no urge whatsoever to jump on the iPad train and will never — ever — exchange my wall of books I have dragged around for a memory stick holding 5,000 volumes. I prefer a good ol’ book, preferably a heavy one, resting on my lap. Also when reading to my daughter.

But — my mother also refused for years to instal a microwave oven in our kitchen in the early 80’s.… Turns out she was only a slow adopter, because now she could not imagine a kitchen without it. And I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree after all — so who knows, perhaps I’ll be reading stories from a screen soon enough.

And for something like Readeo, I would be willing to give it a go. I really see the use  in  providing an opportunity for families who are apart to simultaneously share a story moment together. That reading moment is in our family — as I believe also in so many others — one of the cosiest parts of the day.  An opportunity for interaction, for teaching, listening to each other. And re-living those childhood memories through passing on the stories we ourselves loved when we were kids.

When I travel, this is one of the moments I miss the most. And I dare to bet my daughter feels the same way.

And it was precisely the need to connect and share, and the lack of a good solution for meeting that need, that lead to the creation of Readeo, which is developed and launched by a Chicago-based startup company. Founder and inventor Coby wanted to facilitate the interaction between his son and the grandparents, who lived live 1500 miles away.

In other words — another example of something inventive, by parents for parents, solving a real and hands-on challenge we face in our daily lives. Way to go!

Readeo is currently only available to users in the US, but perhaps someone will pick up a license for Europe soon enough?? Whoever gets going: drop me a line, so I can promote my favourite titles for the virtual library selection ;-)!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by multi-venture entrepreneur and Damir Perge for an article for an online community for entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurdex, where entrepreneurs can learn, share, socialize, connect and conduct business (and have fun!).

Once again thanks Damir for wanting to tell my story — or rather, that of the MummyMug!

It turned out a real cool discussion on the pleasures and challenges of entrepreneurship, product development and life in general. I am surely curious to see what Damir will make out of it.

Let me simply share one quote of Damir’s, which truly flattered me, especially coming from an accomplished product designer such as him:

‘The MummyMug is truly beautiful — the Maserati of Coffee Mugs!”

Now, who would not be happy with that?!

Especially if you consider that ‘Craftsmanship, class-leading performance and a love of engineering finesse: this is the combination of values behind the Maserati legend.’ Even to be mentioned in the same sentence is thus an honour.

However, as the margin on the MummyMug will be just a tiny bit less than the margin on a Maserati .….……

.…… I must admit that I do hope that the nominal annual sales volume of the MummyMug will be somewhat bigger than that of this beautiful car!.

Photo source: Press Pack AutoRai2007

Are you an aspiring (Mum)blogger but not sure where to start and how it is done?

I’ve got a good tip for you. Being a beginner myself, I have signed up for the Mum-bloggers E-course, run by Erica from LittleMummy.

Divided into three courses of 10 weeks each (Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced) she takes you step by step through the basics, such as starting a blog, posts and pages and commenting etiquette, basic SEO, joining groups and reviews and competitions — and more. She tells me that the Intermediate and Advanced courses will cover  Slideshows, video, analysing blog data, podcasting, monetizing, Email list building, newsletters .… and finally e-courses and ebooks, so you can end up knowing how to share your knowledge as well!

I am about two thirds through the Beginner’s level. the obvious plus-points is that for free, it is informative and — it is extensive.

What I most like is its structure and careful avoidance of information overload. Thanks to the weekly pace, you actually not get more information than you can digest during the startup of a blog.  I see the E-course email in my inbox, it takes no more than 15 minutes to internalise what it says. Because it is not more information than I can digest, the message actually sticks.And I am encouraged to apply and try what she is talking about.

Also, Erica’s style is to the point, informed and has a friendly tone.

So, thumbs up for Erica — and wishing all you prospective bloggers out there some happy reading!

I don’t plan to make this blog a classic product review platform — there are enough good ones out there doing that already.

But I do plan to share inspirational stories of other successful Mumpreneurs and their product or service. First and foremost, I simply feel tremendous respect for what they have accomplished. I know from my own experience that succeeding in product development, branding, establishing an IP portfolio, convincing partners and potential customers of your idea, sourcing manufacturers, going to trade fairs and, last but not least, raising the capital needed is a daunting and 360 degree challenge. So, these Mumpreneurs deserve publicity and that we help spread the word about them. I also simply feel extremely encouraged and inspired, as they are living proof that they can be done! I hope they will inspire you as much.

Today, I would like to put Solvej Biddle in the spotlight. She’s a classic Mumpreneur and has built her business while raising two children, now aged 6 and 4. She is the inventor behind Content&Calm CotCanopy, which already is selling well in the UK market. The CotCanopy is a clever baby sleep solution; consisting of a light-weight canopy  that you can mount over your baby’s travel cot, to create an instant night time feeling. It will allow your child to stick to its routine and sleep well wherever you go. Check out the video where Solvej explains in her own words what the CotCanopy is all about. The awards and press coverage has come rolling in during 2009, the CotCanopy is sold online and also stocked at some major UK retailers. Solvej is now busy with expanding into sister products such as a canopy for the car seat, and will expand into a full product range.

Solvej originally had the idea for it in 2003 when she took her first child, Andrea-Anna, with her on travels and outings as a baby, and found herself struggling to provide a fitting and practical sleeping environment for her child. I’m sure you recognise the situation: you are away at friends for dinner on a summer’s evening and struggle with hanging up blankets for the windows to blackout the light. Or your baby wakes up at home in at 5 a.m on a summer’s morning when the sun comes up, but neither baby nor you has had anywhere near the amount of sleep you need to feel rested. With the CotCanopy, this is no longer a challenge, as the little one can enjoy his or her own personal darkened and familiar environment, even when the lights are on or the room is light.

Obviously, the CotCanopy first and foremost helps to us as parents to protect a little one’s precious routine and I think a regular, good sleep is one of the number one things we as parents all aim to provide for our kids.

But importantly, this product also has benefits for the rest of the family. It avoids putting everyone else in the room in the dark when baby needs a nap, and grants us that flexibility to travel or staying with friends. In all honesty, at least I find that it does kind of took some of the fun out of the holiday to turn out the lights at 19h30 while on holiday, and spend the rest of the evening yourself fumbling around a dark hotel room so that baby can sleep.

Now, that is my kind of product — it meets the needs of both the children and the adults in the family. It is useful, it has been designed to meet real needs. And it has been created and brought to market with passion and perseverance.

That is inspirational! Congratulations and good luck Solvej.

When browsing through my Google reader today, I stumbled upon an irresistible picture of the Noonie on Babygadget.

The Noonie caught my eye as a smart and stylish baby swaddle; designed and manufactured by US Mumpreneur and creative designer Lalas Pequenos, based in Virginia. It looks so cuddly I almost feel inspired to try for another baby just to have an excuse to buy one.

According to her profile, Lalas is the mother of two ‘very busy boys’ aged 7 and 8 and wants to create keepsake, environmentally conscious and entirely handcrafted items which she sells online. What I was even more impressed by, however, that this Mom not only manages her family as well as her business and makes gorgeous swaddles. Along with her family and business partners, she also owns a 1500 acre primary rain forest in Costa Rica and a portion of all proceeds from the Lala’s Pequeños line go to help preserve the Rainmaker Conservation Project.

In other words: she proves that Corporate Social Resposibility is not a luxury, but also something small businesses can do. That is a word worth spreading!