Welcome to part six of our Wonder Woman Collective and thanks for visiting! Our mission is to showcase inspirational women who have made a leap into their own careers and are following their dream. 

Here’s the story of Warwickshire Mum Lauren, and how she made her entrepreneurial dreams come true and made an appearance on Dragon’s Den!

We first came across Lauren & her beautiful brand Kokoso back in 2014 when we used her gorgeous products on our 1 year old. You can see our Mum’s review on that here. Fast forward three years and Kokoso has launched a new baby wash in addition to it’s already acclaimed coconut oil and has successfully gained investment from the one and only Touker Suleyman in a nail biting Dragons Den.

Kokoso is also now stocked in Boots, thanks to a triumphant win at the Boots ‘Inspired by me’ competition!

Lauren is the perfect example of a Mum who is juggling being a successful entrepreneur and running her own business and in our interview we discover just how she does it.

Tell us a little bit about your job or career before you launched your own business.

Before Kokoso Baby I was a copywriter in advertising and marketing. It’s a skill I’ve been able to use to help build the brand – everything from writing the labels on our packaging to press releases, blog posts, website and social media content.

Tell us all about your current business.

Kokoso Baby offers pure, natural and oh-so-gentle skincare for little ones packed full of organic coconut oil goodness. Our hero product is our premium organic coconut oil and we’ve recently added two gorgeous baby hair and body washes to the range, with more coconutty skincare treats in the pipeline. 

What made you take the leap to decide to start out on your own?

Fate! I was on maternity leave with my first daughter in 2012 when I had the idea for Kokoso. Like a lot of new mums, I was concerned about the nasties in mainstream baby toiletries, so when my little girl developed dry and sensitive skin problems I wanted to find something natural and organic to care for her.

I was a total coconut oil novice at this stage but was literally blown away by how it made her skin feel and the amazing multitude of uses. It magically cleared up her troublesome skin and we continued using it as a baby massage oil, bottom balm, daily moisturiser and so much more.

I started buying coconut oil for friends with new babies and that’s when I had my light bulb moment – to share the coco-love with parents everywhere by sourcing a premium quality organic coconut oil that’s the very best product for little ones.

The idea was born but I’d already arranged to return to work. And then fate intervened. On my second day back in the office I was told my whole team was being made redundant. This was the catalyst I needed. Sometimes life just pushes you in the right direction…

What do you love most about your job and why?

I love working from home with my husband and working my own hours – the flexibility means I can always do the school run and be there for my children whenever they need me. The flipside is we’re often working late into the evenings after the children have gone to sleep.

How do you juggle being a Mummy and having your own business?

The juggle is real! I do find it hard to switch off sometimes and immerse myself fully in mummy mode, especially as work is so easily accessible via my phone. And of course starting a business is all-consuming because you have to put everything into it to make it work. It can leave you feeling guilty and pretty frazzled. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Is there anything in particular that makes things a little easier for you? 

Grandparents!

Do you come across any negativity from others because you’re a working Mum? If yes, what?

No, never. Any negativity comes from myself.

Business nowadays are not just about contact via email, potential clients reach you via social media as well as websites, do you feel a pressure to keep up to date with social media and if so do you find this impacts on your time, especially in the evening?

I try to make sure I respond to customer emails during conventional work hours. My husband is always reminding me that the business won’t collapse if I don’t send that email tonight. Social media is trickier as there’s a sense that you should respond to comments and questions quickly. It does mean I’m often on my phone in the evenings.

What advice would you give another Mummy who is considering changing their job or career to follow their passion? 

You’ll never work harder but no other job will ever mean as much. If you’ve got the support network around you then go for it!

Thank you so much to Lauren for talking to us about her journey! I’m sure you’ll all agree she’s truly Mumspirational!

If you know a #Mumspirational Mum please do let us know we would love to feature them in our series of incredible women who are also parents!

You can buy all of the amazing Kokoso products here on their website. We love this gift set which is perfect for baby showers or for a gift for a new baby/mummy!