S
he may just have stepped off
a flight from Australia but
Annabel Karmel doesn’t
betray a hint of weariness
– the celebrity chef and author can
barely contain her enthusiasm for her
latest project, a guidebook for mothers
who want to start a business. “I believe
if you really want to do something,”
she says, “you can do it.”
The entrepreneur and mother of
three is full of positivity, nuggets of
wisdom and advice that hint at the
determination behind her meteoric
and sustained success. “You need to
develop a global business. You can’t
just work in the UK,” she explains
during a chat in Hong Kong on her
way back from launching a food range
with top Australian supermarket chain
Coles. There is no escaping it – she is
one fired up, ambitious, “go-getter”.
Kitchen coup
After building her business empire
from scratch having started at her
kitchen table, Annabel has become
one of the UK’s most trusted and
influential female entrepreneurs,
with 40 books that have sold over 4
million copies worldwide and branded
products from supermarket food
ranges and healthy snacks to weaning
equipment and smartphone apps. Now
she is using her experiences to inspire
other mothers who would like to start
their own business while being at
home with their children.
Hong Kong has more than its fair
share of talented women who have left
great jobs at home to follow husbands
here so her new book, published
Annabel Karmel, household name to parents around the world,
stopped by to talk to
Playtimes
. She and editor-in-chief
Freya
Paleit
had lunch and a chat about her latest book,
Mumpreneur
.
in the UK in February, may prove
particularly relevant and inspiring
here. It tells the story of how she built
a multi-million pound company out of
her desire to feed her children healthy,
nutritious meals. It aims to provide
a guide to starting and running a
successful business, something many
mums dream of – particularly those
who have perhaps left their own
careers reluctantly.
Whilst she admits that “working
from home works for mums”, Annabel
makes clear that running your own
business is no easy option – it is not the
right choice for anyone hoping to while
away their days, cappuccino in hand,
relaxing on the sofa with daytime TV
Mumpreneur extraordinaire
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Playtimes
