Im a mum and run my own business like Rochelle Humes – people dont take me seriously

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Being a working mother is a huge juggle. One minute you might be in a business meeting, the next you could be called to nursery to pick up your poorly child.

Balancing the two things is a struggle that constantly comes up in conversation. Some mothers end up feeling guilty for leaving their children and going to work while others have to become full-time stay at home mums.

Running a successful enterprise alongside bringing up children often turns into a military operation. Mothers like Rochelle Humes, who runs MyLittleCoco and has now rolled the product out into supermarkets, have become pros at doing both.

However, it does not mean that it is always easy, something that Kuku Nukajam, 30, founder of Reign Studio and mum to Noah, two-and-a-half, knows only too well.

She tells OK! that she first decided to set up her brand in June 2018 after she struggled to find swimwear for her honeymoon with husband Dan that suited a fuller bust.

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"I had bought some pieces from a popular retailer that just didn't do the job. It left me feeling quite self-conscious at a time I feel I should have been my happiest and most confident making the best memories.

"I decided to start the brand so that another fellow busty girl wouldn't have to feel the way I felt at that moment," she explains.

Reign Studio launched in August 2019 and now helps empower busty women to feel confident in their skin, supplying wireless swimwear and bralette sets for sizes 28F to 40KK.

Kuku started the company three years before Noah was born and went full-time with it one year before his birth-things soon got very busy.

She explains: "I vividly remember replying to customer emails whilst contracting and packing orders the day I was discharged from the hospital."

Now, her days revolve around tasks including emails, marketing, product development and calls.

Working and looking after Noah is something that Kuku is still trying to balance. "I feel like the goal is to find peace in attending to all that is required of you in a time and pace that works for you", she says.

"Currently, Noah goes to nursery three days a week which really helps me to get some focused time to push out all the important things within the business.

"When he's home I have to be really intentional about being present whether that's taking him to the park, playing with him in the garden, reading books or going to a local mum/toddler group", she adds.

Kuku also sometimes gets mum guilt when she is working, like many other mothers. This means she worries about not spending enough time with Noah and giving him attention.

"Mum guilt is sooo real! And so is business guilt, I always feel like I'm internally battling one of the two. When I'm working and Noah is around I feel guilty that I am not giving him all of me and I wonder how that might be affecting him.

"But then when he's home and I'm not able to work I feel the pressure of wanting a successful business but not being able to give it my undivided attention. It's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster," she explains.

Another challenge Kuku has faced is that she is sometimes not taken seriously when people find out she is doing motherhood and running a company.

She explains: "I have found that due to being a mum some people see what I am doing as more of a pet project than me building a successful scalable business that is meeting the needs of a specific customer base.

"I'm not sure if it's because they don't understand the market I'm in or if it's because people see working for others as more secure than entrepreneurship.

"But I've been doing this for 4 years now and I repeatedly have had people ask me when I'm going back to work or even send me links to jobs despite me saying I'm not looking for roles."

Despite the stereotypes and judgement Kuku has faced, she loves heading up Reign. "The best thing about running my own business is seeing my ideas come to life and seeing women use our products and feel confident.

"As someone who is quite risk-averse, I'm proud of the fact that this passion project is now my full-time job and that we are empowering fuller-bust women by doing what we do," she says.

Browse the Reign Studio website here and follow them on Instagram here.

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