Times have changed thankfully and unlike 30 years ago, it's no longer the case that a "woman's place" is in the home with a baby. More women today don't let having children hold them back. Whilst some are going back to work, there's a growing army of women who are becoming "Mumpreneurs".

Mumpreneurs or mums who start up their own businesses, see the advantages of setting their own goals, working their own hours and working flexibly around the children. Whilst many mums agree that they don't actually have more time to spare, some work and thinking time can be done whilst caring for your child, for example when you're up in the middle of the night feeding your baby!

More women are now having children later and so have an installed sense of work ethic and financial independence, which many crave to keep once the baby is born. So this is another factor that is driving women on to get back to work after having a child.

Scientists in 2006 have proved that far from turning a woman's brain to mush, having children actually kick starts the brain into gear. Of course many mums would agree it's not easy work, being constantly on the go, looking after the kids plus juggling the house and relationships but all of this proves that mums are naturally great multi-taskers. So once baby is old enough, it's a natural fit that far from sitting back, mums seek out new challenges.

Many mumpreneurs new businesses are naturally based on "child based" products and services. This is often due to finding a gap in the market for something from personal experiences. So for example, one successful mum recently started making her own breakfast cereal after realising that most of the cereals in the supermarket contained far too much salt and sugar.

For many mumpreneurs, what starts out as a hobby or chance to make a small bit of money on the side, can often end up becoming a much bigger business. Another example is a woman who started making some clothes for her baby and then saw her hobby take off into a business, as word spread amongst her friends and acquaintances.

So, perhaps this may all seem vaguely familiar. Maybe you've got a great idea for a business or you've identified a product or service that fulfils a gap in the market. What do you do next?

* Don't be afraid or push your ideas away

*Talk to friends and family members about your idea and get feedback

* Set yourself some goals about what you'd like to achieve and when

* Get proper business advice. You could talk to a small business adviser at a bank or Business Link. Or try this website which specifically focus on running workshops for mums with business ideas: www.coachingmums.co.uk/mumpreneurs.htm

* Start small. Start by testing your business product or service on a few close friends and encourage word of mouth from there.

To find out more about dealing with changes in your life and for help in creating a life that you love, visit www.horizonsregained.com