Mummypreneur's blog has moved....

My Mummypreneur's blog has now moved, it is now on our website www.count-on-it.co.uk

http://www.count-on-it.co.uk/blog/"


Please come visit and follow me there, as from today onwards there will be no more posts on this blogspot.

Drop by, make comments and hopefully I'll see you there soon

Lyndsey x

Top tips from Menus4Mums for easy homecooked meals

Like Count On It labels, Menus4Mums aims to help busy families save time, money and get the most out of their food, by supplying family meal weekly menu planning and advice. Here's a great little article from them which shows how you can create easy, healthy and efficient family meals. Enjoy.

More and more parents are aware of the high salt and sugar levels in many processed foods and the danger they pose to their children’s development. That’s why so many would like to cook their families more home-made food, but it’s not always easy to fit into a busy lifestyle. At Menus4Mums we help busy parents ditch the takeaways and ready meals and serve up tasty, healthy food for their families, saving them time and money in the kitchen. So we thought we’d share our top tips:
Tip 1: Cook just one meal for the whole family. You can take out portions for small children before adding salt and strong spices, and you’ll be getting them used to the concept of eating the same as the rest of the family. You’ll also be saving on gas/electricity, not to mention your time.
Tip 2: Cook meals in bulk. We don’t mean in industrial sized quantities. But if you are making a Tomato Pasta Sauce, make twice or three times as much and freeze what you don’t need.*
Tip 3: Use Quick Cook Ingredients. For quick dinners when you’ve just got in the house, centre meals around diced chicken breast, mince, fish, pasta, noodles, and rice.
Tip 4: Slow Cook. Slow cookers are great for taking cheaper cuts of meat and turning them into succulent meals when you get in from work. They’re not just for stews – you can make a wonderfully tasty Bolognese Sauce in 5 hours in one.
For more tips and news of the latest supermarket bargains, please check out our website at www.menus4mums.co.uk
*Don't forget to stick on your Count On It label, so you'll remember exactly when you prepared them.

Freeze!

Despite the recent rise in grocery costs, an estimated 8.3 million tonnes of household food waste is still produced each year in the UK, most of which could have been eaten (WRAP 2010).

The main factors that lead to high household food wastage is due to:
- Overbuying and not using food in time
- Inadequate storage of food
- Over-sized portions
- Confusion over food date labels, use by and best before

Not only does this waste good food and cost us money, it has an adverse impact on the environment. One way of curbing this wastage, whilst saving you time and money is to get re-acquainted with your freezer.

Recent research commissioned by theNewIceAge.com http://www.thenewiceage.com/ identified that when it came to wastage, when cooking with fresh food there was 36.77% more waste than when cooking from frozen.
This is because when cooking with frozen food it is easy to control portion size, simply take only what you need and return the rest to the freezer. Unlike fresh food, which is stored in the fridge or store cupboard, it is also impossible for bacteria to multiply on frozen food (making it safer than any other form of food preservation), meaning you get the most out of your food by using it in time.

But many people assume that whatever they cook fresh is healthier than frozen, but this is not necessarily the case. Did you know that frozen vegetables have been proven to often contain more Vitamin C than ‘fresh’ vegetables. This is particularly true when ‘fresh’ vegetables have been left languishing unloved and unnoticed in your fridge or cupboard. Apparently 'Fresh' spinach loses 77% of its Vitamin C after just two days, but when 'flash frozen', the process which freezes water in the food into smaller ice crystals and minimizes cell structure damage, the nutrients and vitamins are naturally ‘locked in’ with no need for preservatives.

Celebrity chef, Aldo Zilli is also a keen supporter of frozen food and incorporates frozen food into his award-winning meals, which he serves daily at his Soho restaurant Zilli Fish.
Zilli says, “Cooking with frozen does not mean lowering ones standards on freshness or nutritional value. On the contrary, frozen can often be fresher, especially when dealing with seafood and fish,” he goes on to comment that with the British consumer being very financially mindful and environmentally conscious, “frozen food allows consumers certain luxuries without comprising on taste, lowering wastage and ensuring great value for money.”

As well as ready frozen produce, your freezer is fabulous when storing chilled meals to be used at a later date. Just look out for the ‘suitable for home freezing’ logo on the packaging, then simply pop on a Count On It label http://www.count-on-it.co.uk/ and mark off the date when it has to be used by – it’ll usually say ‘Can be frozen on day of purchase and kept up to 3 months’ or similar – so, if you bought it today (27 May) just pop on a Count On It label and scratch-off the date 27 August – job done.

And finally, don’t forget your freezer for storing your leftovers, batch-cooked meals and split portions in. Leftovers make a fantastic quick and easy meal, just pop the uneaten leftovers in a storage tub and put on a Count On It label so you can keep track of when it was first prepared and stored. Or to give yourself a night off from cooking, when preparing the days meal simply cook a larger portion than is required and freeze the rest, one meal for now, another for later. Finally, the dreaded ‘buy one, get one free’ or bulk purchases, again save yourself time, money and waste – just split the pack, put some in the fridge and the rest in the freezer – you’ll have food to hand whenever you need it and you’ll have saved yourself a trip to the supermarket and some money into the bargain.

So there we have it, your freezer – your ally in the war against waste.

To see how comedian Sue Perkins gets to grips with her freezer, here is a great little clip from the LoveFoodHateWaste website – enjoy.http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/about_food_waste/sue_perkins_.html

More radio interviews.. BBC Radio Leicester and Lincolnshire

Following on from winning the Extraordinary Entrepreneur award last week, I've since been very busy being interviewed by the Leicester Mercury, being a guest on BBC Radio Leicester and on BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
The article in the Leicestershire Mercury, was great (despite having a couple of mistakes in it, including stating that I worked in a shed, converted into an office!) Here's the article
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/extraordinary-woman/article-2205654-detail/article.html
On Thursday I had a great time on the Tony Wadsworth show, I really enjoyed being on there and Tony was kind enough to say that I was 'truly inspirational', what a great compliment. In addition to that, he asked if I could come back as a regular contributor, which is absolutely fantastic - he even said off-air that I remind him of Rosemary Conley, inspirational, down-to-earth and a lovely lady - well that can't be bad. Here's the interview:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p007v84b/The_Tony_Wadsworth_Programme_Extraordinary_Business_Woman/

Yesterday, another radio interview, this time with the lovely Melvyn Prior at Radio Lincolnshire - another thoroughly enjoyable and fun interview - local BBC Radio presenters and staff are so professional and great at putting you at your ease. Melvyn completely got where I was coming from too, we both talked about how each of us had a dream and went for it - it's great to connect with people like this, it really fires me up to crack on with my goals and ignore those vampires that try to slay your dreams.

Here's the interview: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p007xpzf/The_Morning_Show_25_05_2010/

It is an absolute privilege to have a voice through the media and it is something that I am really passionate about. Through talking on the radio, at presentations and as an Ambassador, I hope to be able to inspire other people who have a dream to go for it. As I said at my talk at the Business Link Staff Conference, 'Don't worry about the 'how to's' and 'what if's', the only thing you need to worry about is living with the 'if onlys'.

Speeches and awards, what a week it's been!

What an absolutely fantastic week it's been this week. Here's just a taste of some of what I've been up to:

Monday

To start off the week, I was invited to address 300 Business Link, UKTI and Train to Gain employees at EMB Ltd's staff conference at the East Midlands Conference Centre. David Polkey and the fabulous PR and Communication Team at EMB Ltd wanted to use me as their Case Study story, somebody who has set up their own business and has an interesting story to tell! Well, with help from David who put together my powerpoint presentation, I told the conference about how my 'Why Not?' philosophy had taken me from inputting electricity meter readings, to Zimbabwe then onto Downing Street. Going from my childhood, I explained that how by setting goals, focussing on my dreams it had enabled me to travel around the world, do charity work, be on TV's Deal or No Deal, win money and invent a successful product, Count On It labels, which now retail nationally and internationally.

After my presentation I had some great feedback, people said that they really enjoyed my presentation and that it was inspiring to see that someone who had experienced setbacks along the way, still maintained a positive focus on their dreams and aspirations and was doing what they loved.

Since doing my speech, I have been asked to do another presentation which is fantastic. Motivational talking and presenting, is definitely an area where I feel I can make a difference - watch this space!

Tuesday

Funnily enough, my second appointment of the week was again at the East Midlands Conference Centre. This time I was there as I had been shortlisted for the Extraordinary Women Awards 2010, in the Extraordinary Entrepreneur category. What a fabulous day this was, organised by Vicki Espin and her 'extraordinary' team, the day was a fun-filled, enthusiastic and inspirational event. Attended by inspirational women from around the UK, the event aims to recognise the achievements of women who have not been recognised before. Women who are living extraordinary lives, having extraordinary achievements. After listening to fantastic presentations by Sue Stockdale, Lisa Warner, Trish Davidson and Alicia Kite, the time had come to announce the winners, they were:-

Nikki Sharpe who won Extraordinary Personal Contribution 2010
Patricia Eufron Lunn who won Extraordinary Personal Endeavour 2010
Kim Cottee who won Extraordinary Young Woman 2010
Alison Thompson who won Extraordinary Organisational Success 2010

and me, Lyndsey Young, who won Extraordinary Entrepreneur 2010!

I was absolutely flabbergasted as I was shortlisted in the same category as Alicia Kite and Gillian Brown two fantastic ladies who are achieving amazing things. But there it was, I was announced the winner.

What a wonderful day it had been, I couldn't have imagined that just by doing what I absolutely love, my passion, I would have received an award, but I am really grateful and proud. To anyone out there who has a dream go for it, for those who know someone who is doing something extraordinary, nominate them - I cannot recommend it highly enough. Nominations for 2011 are now open and all the details are here: http://www.extraordinarywomenuk.com/

Good luck!

Lyndsey

p.s. Wednesday was a great day too, radio and press interviews and photos, I'll update you soon...

Barclays - Take One Small Step competition - please vote

Hi there, just wanted to let you know that myself and Count On It® labels are now in the running for £50,000 in Barclays' Take One Small Step competition. The competition deadline is in 5 days time and my entry is now live here:-
https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/Entry/View/4457

To increase my chances of being selected I need champions of my product, simply click the 'thumbs up' icon on the screen and your support will be noted. Once you've done this, you can then canvas more supporters on my behalf (that'd be fantastic). You can even post a supportive comment if you wish, anything to show that my idea is worth shortlisting for the big prize.
My plans for the labels are to integrate them into retailers packaging and this is what I propose to use the prize money for. By encouraging supermarkets and food manufacturers to give customers tools which can help them get the most out of their food and enjoy it at it's best, less food wastage will end up in landfill.
I do hope you can support Count On It® labels, I am hugely passionate about the potential of my product and hope you are too.
Thank you, Lyndsey

I've been shortlisted for an Extraordinary Women's award

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I have made the final shortlist of 3 for the Extraordinary Entrepreneurship Category of the Extraordinary Women Awards 2010.

The event, which takes place at the East Midlands Conference Centre on 18th May 2010, is held annually to recognise the achievements of women who have not been recognised before.

On the day there are going to be presentations from inspirational women such as Lisa Warner from Fink cards (I was lucky enough to have met her before - what a great lady she is). Also there will be presentations from Trish Davidson who won the Extraordinary Personal Contribution awards in 2009 who has set up her organisation Unchosen in 2008 which campaigns to raise awareness of Human Trafficking, Alicia Kate, Image Consultant and Director of Alicia Kite Academy and Sue Stockdale, Motivational Speaker, Coach and Consultant.

Aside from being nominated for such a fantastic award, the day is going to be an exceptional day, inspirational and awe-inspiring women sharing their stories - I can't wait.

PR - I'm here, there and everywhere!

What a great couple of weeks it's been for Count On It® labels and me. Not only have I been lucky enough to be asked onto both BBC Radio Nottingham and Lincolnshire, I have appeared in 5 articles.

Last Friday I was invited onto Radio Nottingham's The Frances Finn Show to be a 'Loose Lady' with fellow contributor, local actress and author Joy James. The show, which was hosted by Dominic Busby was great fun, we discussed amongst other things unusual children's names, man hugs and Mark Owen's affair. Joy had some great stories to tell - the best ones off-air, of course! You can listen again here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p006rv30/Frances_Finn_12_03_2010/

Then today, I was lucky enough to be invited onto BBC Radio Lincolnshire's Rod Whiting morning show to be 'on the sofa' - that's us together in the studio pictured above. It was great, Rod asked me about my life, how I got to be on 'Deal or No Deal', my visit to No.10, my travels to Zimbabwe and America, how I coped after having serious spinal surgery and lots of other stuff too. Needless to say I talked a lot, Rod was a great host and made me feel very comfortable. It was also nice when he described me as a person who 'has a lust for life'. To hear how I got on, you can listen again here:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p006v03n/The_Breakfast_Show_with_Rod_Whiting_17_03_2010/

In addition to that I have been featured in 5 different articles, they are as follows:-

Jane from Mumsclub - the online community for mums to make essential business contacts, research new business opportunities, kindly featured my visit to Downing Street in an edition of Mumsclub newsletter.
http://www.mumsclub.co.uk/html/downing_street_lyndsey.html

To celebrate 'mums in business' week, Start Up Donut, the business advice site, invited me to be a guest contributor for the week. My feature was on how I started my business with the help from Noel Edmonds and Business Link!
http://startupdonutblog.co.uk/2010/03/12/how-noel-edmonds-helped-me-launch-my-business/

My visit to Downing Street has already featured on my local paper, The Grantham Journal's website and this Friday, I will feature in the Business section of the Journal itself.
http://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/local-business-news/entrepreneur_lyndsey_shares_her_success_story_at_10_downing_street_1_363847

'Count On Lyndsey's Labels' has also featured on Zeromillion.com, the Entrepreneurship Information website for both Pros & Novices to the World of Entrepreneurship
http://www.zeromillion.com/news/s.php/count-on-lyndsey-s-labels-305

Then finally, I had a great message from Kristen at LandingPad London, who had found my Downing Street article here on my blog and kindly included it on their LandingPadLondon website, the online city guide for travellers who don't like acting like tourists.
http://www.landingpadlondon.com/10-downing-street/

It's all be fantastic for both Count On It®'s and my profile - I love these opportunities and welcome more. So if you want a contributor for TV, radio or press - please give me a call.

Lyndsey x

Help at first site - Sunday Times Business First article

As I have mentioned countless times before, Business Link have been and continue to be an invaluable source of information and advice since I first launched my business and Count On It labels a couple of years ago. From general business information to more complex issues such as protecting Count On It labels design and trademark, Business Link have given me support and straight forward advice which has not only saved me valuable time, it has saved me a substantial amount of money, which as any small business owner knows is vital to its survival. Business Link's 'supersite' clearly and easily guides you through the wide range of issues that all business owners face and has up to the minute advice from a wide body of agencies, including IPO, UKTI and CIM, furthermore it is all available for free.
Therefore, as I am a great advocate of Business Link I am thrilled that Count On It label's story has been used in Wendy M Grossman's article in this Sunday's Times, Business First 'Help at first site'.
Here's the section of the article where Count On It labels and me, Lyndsey Young, mummypreneur feature.

Eco-business and Count On It labels booming in Poland

Some time ago I wrote an article on my blog about Count On It labels - yes here - expecting it to be stored for posterity and little more. However, it has been picked up by a Polish Business Portal
http://przejdznaswoje.pl/artykuly/swiezy-pomysl-na-biznes
and since then I have had over a dozen business enquiries from various towns and cities in Poland.

According the the British Polish Chamber of Commerce, "Given Poles’ rising consumer awareness, attention to healthcare and the environment, Polish consumers, in line with top global trends, are increasingly more interested in eco-products.' As I can concur with my trade enquiries, the sales of these products have been rising the fastest in large cities. However, as the BPCC confirm 'price comprises the main barrier to the expansion of the eco market. According to PMR’s report, on average eco-products cost 50-100% more than the comparable ordinary products. Thus, many remain interested primarily in exports."

Subsequently, since Polish households are getting more environmentally conscious, many online eco-businesses are emerging and expanding to cater for this market and Count On It labels are an obvious choice of product. Designed to help people get the most out of their food, reduce waste and save money, Count On It labels are the perfect choice of businesses wishing to have a range of eco-products, without having to outlay a huge investment. So, if you have an eco-friendly product and are looking for a new market, Poland may be the market for you.

My Downing Street visit

What a fantastic evening Thursday 11 February was. This was the date that I, along with approximately 100 other entrepreneurs and business people, where invited by Gordon Brown to attend a celebration for SME's at No.10 Downing Street. I had been invited in my capacity of a successful business person/entrepreneur and an example of a business that has been helped by Business Link.

Via the wonderful world of Twitter, I already knew a couple of people who were attending, Claire Young (from The Apprentice) and Nadine Hill, The Dream PA, as well as Julie Meyer, BBC's online Dragon, from Dragon's Den and John Cowell (Simon Cowell's brother) and fellow Business Link advocate, Penina Shepherd from Acumen Business Law, so felt pre-prepared for what lay ahead.

Spookily, on the train heading down to London, I spotted a lady wearing the same outfit Nadine had described as her Downing Street outfit on her blog - and yes, it turned out to be her - we were both sitting on the same train carriage!

Later that evening, once having had my bags screened and body scanned, I was finally walking down the world-famous street - it was amazing. I hate the over-use of the word 'surreal' but to be so close to such an iconic house was 'surreal' - you could be mistaken to thinking you were just seeing a great studio backdrop.

Parked immediately outside of the house was Sir Alan Sugar's car and it was there, on the steps of No.10 that I had my photograph taken - see above.

Once inside we left our personal belongings with security and then headed up the stairs punctuated along the way with paintings and latterly photographs of every Prime Minister our country has ever had - again, another awe-inspiring spectacle.

Just as I arrived at the top of the stairs and into the Reception Room the first person I laid eyes on, and looking back at me was Sir Alan Sugar. We then went into another room where I met Claire Young, Mike Kershaw, from the prestigious event solution company, The Concerto Group amongst others.

Unfortunately The Prime Minster was called away at the last minute, so we had the pleasure of Lord Mandelson who gave a short address thanking us all for our great efforts during an incredibly difficult time and identifying how the Government and businesses can work together moving forwards.

After this address, I then mingled with the other guests including John Cowell, from Cowell Consulting before the party drew to a close.

Suffice to say it was an amazing evening, one which I will always remember, not only for the honour of being invited, but for the great people I met whilst I was there. Next stop, the Queen's Garden party....

My invite from Gordon Brown to attend 10 Downing Street

How exciting, I have just received an invitation from Gordon Brown to attend an event at no.10 Downing Street to celebrate the success of Britain's small and medium sized businesses.
The reception, which will be held in a couple of weeks time, aims to bring together a wide variety of entrepreneurs and business owners to toast their success through what has been a very testing time. I suspect I have come to the attention of Downing Street's Events Office through Business Link, whose help and support I have received over the last couple of years. Since starting my business in 2007, I have been in touch with Business Link from the outset. Primarily I got in touch with them to ensure I got solid advice and support to build the foundations of my business, then latterly they have been there to help with more complex issues such as Intellectual Property law and PR for my first product, Count On It food labels.
Since receiving my invitation I have found out via conversations on Twitter that Claire Young (you may remember her from the BBC programme The Apprentice) and Nadine Hill, another mumpreneur will also be attending. I am really looking forward to the event, not only will it be a fantastic opportunity for me to meet like-minded people, on a personal level it is a once in a lifetime opportunity - something will definitely be telling the grandchildren about.