What is your name & how many children do you have?
Julie Hawksworth, 2 children, Sophie age 9, from China, Harry, age 3, from Russia, husband Geoff, 49, from England.
We recently moved from London to Michigan, to the city in which I grew up. My husband suggests I am like a pirate returning home from my travels with all my booty – treasures from China, Russia and England – it does feel a bit like that, at least the ‘treasures’ part. I moved to London in 1990 for one month on an assignment for the financial company I worked for, and my assignment was extended and extended, until 3 years later when it became a permanent assignment and I met my husband, marrying him and setting off on a year long sailing trip, before returning again to London.
What’s the name of your company and the inspiration behind it?
My company, KickboardUSA, which distributes mini kick scooters for kids 2-5, was originally named MicrO-Mum Scooters LLC, but the brand evolved from Micro to Kickboard, which was lucky for me as I found it difficult to say micro mum out loud, having chosen it in an impetuous moment. So the new name is a reflection of the business and brand, rather than me.
ANYWAY, the name MicrO-Mum really came about because of the idea that mums relate to each other, trust each other, and share values when it comes to all things kids, including doing business with each other…buying something from another mum who knows and understands your joys and concerns is something we all enjoy and take comfort in.
What is your current business struggle?
My current business struggle is profitability…in my first year we had sales of $985,000, with virtually no profit. Part of that was First Year new-business investment, as well as being a bit too eager for business and therefore offering pricing that was perhaps too encouraging. There was also a bit too much charity (not the charitable type of charity, but the promotional type as well, but either way, there is such a thing as too much, in business). Also, I do have great enthusiasm for the product and for the millions of ways it can be promoted, all of which of course costs money. However, after a year and a half in business, we had our first really profitable month, in March, a result of simply being further along the learning curve, I learned to say yes to the profitable activities and no to the not-so-profitable ones, despite other people’s wishes–a difficult thing for me.
What is your current business goal?
My real goal is to continue to love to work, and to gain greater control over the family work balance. I do love to work and I do love being a wife and mum. Other than that, my business goal is to pay back my initial investment and to increase sales this year by 30% this year.
What one quality do you think is a “must-have” for a mom entrepreneur?
Cool, calm, creative problem-solving!
What one thing or person has been very instrumental in your success?
Loads of people helped, family and friends, in direct and indirect ways, also a williness to jump into opportunities instantly when I recognize them, trusting myself to sort out the details later—this is not always a neat operation, often expensive, sometimes embarassing, but timing seemed critical and for me the big picture was what mattered, with fine tuning to come later.
What are your 3 favorite blogs?
Adoption Parenting
Mogul Mum
What is your favorite quote?
I read a lot of biographies and love famous clever quotes, but at the moment the one that strikes me is that ‘the best things in life are free’….because it isn’t about money!
What advice would you give to a new mom entrepreneur?
Don’t do it! 
Actually, just to say that it is all a journey, the good and bad days are in some ways equally enjoyable.
How can we connect with you?
