Aim: The SMBN exists to tackle stigma and support single mums who embark on enterprise to overcome barriers to work, homes and finance.
Since 2019 we have worked hard to raise awareness of the needless barriers that exist, resulting in economic inactivity, debt, depression, loneliness, stigma, misconceptions and the poverty premium.
With lived experience of choosing enterprise as a measure to work and contribute to society, around the dependency of our children, we knew that women like us needed support to succeed in business, whilst tackling the root causes of barriers to work. We have progressed, but we are not there yet, the stigma remains rife.
Hate speech on social media always suggests blame, poor choices, and evidences the assumption that the person started a family in hardship, which is far from the truth.
We have always been self-sufficient and self-funded, and we have been proud of that, our members pay a nominal fee of £2.50 per week, to chip in, and with that money we pay our overheads and print magazines, to support members in gaining exposure off-line. We host monthly zoom meetings to offer support combined with business networking and we offer 1-1s and email support.
Our mission is to continue to support our community and to grow membership by raising awareness of our existence and our work. With circa 3 million single mums in the UK, there are so many who are at home in isolation feeling helpless and being preyed upon by unethical employers taking advantage of their desperation to work and earn money and are making them work for free (commission) under the ruse of self-employment. We plan to hold national physical meetings again, as we did pre lock down. It is so important for mental health and personal and professional development to network with like-minded women.
We do signposting for men, but we focus on women as the conscious and unconscious bias is different for single mums.
Many of us work in full-time or part-time jobs, but barriers remain and consequent barriers to homes and finance leave us extremely vulnerable. Enterprise is a great way to bridge the gap or increase income and it improves skills, confidence, and reduces physical and mental ill health.
Our ultimate aim is to ensure that tax is outgoing, rather than incoming, and that we can hold our heads high, have equal opportunities to homes and home ownership, and access to finance to prevent falling and encourage growth and stability.
We host annual events that are magical for our community and their children, offering a lifetime of memories where we are often excluded from social events and invitations. We install pride, courage, hope, and self-belief.
We have been proud to be self-sufficient, but as voluntary Directors, sacrificing billable hours to run the SMBN, we have begun to feel the hardship that we fight so hard to overcome, and we need to ask for support to help us commit our time to the SMBN to help us reach more single mums and work on addressing the removal of barriers that ultimately put a strain on the economy.
We will hold more meetings, print more magazines, engage help with social media, data, reporting, accounts, workshops and more.