7 minutes with...Gemma Whates
We caught up with Gemma Whates, founder of community ALL by MAMA chatting all things business, changed morning routines and her biggest challenge so far.
Read on to find out what brand she admires, what her passion outside of business is and what one piece of advice from Baroness Karen Brady that stuck with her here.
Tell us a bit about ALL by MAMA and how it came about?
ALL by MAMA is a community that supports mothers to grow a business alongside raising a family. I launched the business in 2014, it was the first marketplace in the world to showcase gifts made by mums. I launched it after a trip to a South African township, where I was volunteering for a month. I looked after young children while their mothers went to work and made the most beautiful gifts for the shops in Cape Town. I was so inspired by the entrepreneurial mothers. My original idea was to export the gifts that they made, sell them in the UK and send the funds back to the township, but that idea stalled when I couldn’t work out how to do it (it’s still on the cards for one day!).
When I was back in the UK I fell pregnant with my first son and my career as a Director in a London marketing agency didn’t work for me with family life. So I instead took some time to think about how I could start a business that works around family life. I tried my original idea, couldn’t get it to work and then thought about basically doing the same in the UK – supporting entrepreneurial mothers and marketing their businesses to help them grow.
My background is in retail and customer marketing for brands like Disney. So that’s how it all came about!
What do you enjoy the most about running your own business?
So much. I like the challenge, the opportunity and the flexibility. No two days are the same and I like the accountability of the success of the business being in my hands. I like the opportunity it brings, to support a community of mothers and to make money.
The flexibility is really key for me – to be able to work around family life means a lot.
What have been the biggest challenges so far? Is there anything you know now that wish you'd known when you started?
There is so much that I know now that I wish I had known when I started, but experience is the best teacher. I’ve just started my second business and that has been such a different experience, being able to apply what I know now.
My biggest challenge so far has been raising investment. I wanted to build a good marketplace platform (the biggest marketplaces have invested a serious amount of cash in tech) and I really felt that to do the e-commerce side justice I had to build something that actually worked well. We used Wordpress for the first couple of years and the user experience wasn’t great (but I stand by using a less than perfect platform at BETA stage).
I’ve raised £250,000 for ALL by MAMA and learning how to do that, with a newborn, was a challenge.
What's your morning routine and how do you keep yourself motivated throughout the working day (evening)?
Well, since we are in the midst of a global pandemic the morning routine has changed!
So, at the moment I try to get up around 6am, exercise every other day for 20 minutes and then get a couple of hours of work in while my husband sorts the kids.
Then, I’ll homeschool in the mornings and work in the afternoon and evenings. I keep motivated by looking at my vision board and setting myself weekly tasks that need to be done on time, to move my objectives consistency forward.
I’m also a great evening worker and would work well in to the night every day if my son didn’t wake up early every morning! I also go with the flow. If I’m feeling good – I work. If I need a rest, I take one without any guilt.
What are you currently reading or listening to?
I am not in to podcasts (I know!) so I am always listening to music. Brain FM is great if you want to focus.
I always have a few books on the go – normally a couple of business books and one that helps me switch off. I’m reading at the moment a book called My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite which is a great read! I’m also in and out of a book called The Secret Life of Trees as I love nature.
Business wise I recommend The Lean Start Up, Start with Why and for an easy read - The ‘Do’ series. I also love Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, the story of Nike.
A brand or business you admire and why?
Peanut, run by the incredible Michelle Kennedy. Such an inspiring brand that has achieved so much and Michelle is the CEO and mum to two young children.
Best piece of advice you've been given…
When I was six months in to ALL by MAMA I won a competition that Baroness Karen Brady was judging. I got to meet her for a 30 minute 1-2-1 (and had afternoon tea at the House of Lords). It was an incredible experience.
I asked her so many questions and then at the end of the session I asked her ‘what’s the one main piece of advice that I need to take away from today’ and she said ‘make a plan.’ That has always stuck with me.
Describe an ideal weekend
My absolute passion outside of business is travel. So my ideal weekend is travelling somewhere new, ideally outside the UK and just walking the streets, eating the food and soaking up local culture.
My absolute favourite country is Portugal, there is so much there that I still want to explore. I like to do something new all the time. I also like to be with my family more than anything, so they would need to come too!
With a mission to make life easier for working parents, ALL by MAMA support mothers to start and grow a business alongside raising a family.
Find out more about ALL by Mama here and how you can join the community here.