BumpAndMe And The Inspirational Woman Behind It – Rachel Sammut

Rachel Sammut wanted flexibility and quality of life by being self-employed, so she set up her own online business BumpAndMe …

Over the years I’ve spoken and exchanged ideas and opinions with Rachel many times, however, all virtually always on messenger. It was lovely to finally meet up with her and to get to know her in person.

Rachel is a soft-spoken lawyer by profession but also an inspirational businesswoman and a busy, but very organised mummy to her gorgeous children Leila and Hugh.

After spending a few years working in London where her work experience there was very different from working here in Malta, Rachel decided that to have the flexibility and quality of life she was previously used to, she had to be self-employed. Besides doing freelance work as a lawyer specialising in EU competition law, she also set up her own online business. She started off with a Facebook page BumpAndMe, selling pregnancy and baby items that she could not find in Malta, and eventually launched a website. Her ethos is still to import and sell original items and brands not available locally, like Haakaa and Kit & Kin, while the product range has slowly grown to include items for the whole family.

I ask her how she manages to work from home with two little children at her feet.

“My husband says I took on the role of mother like a serious assignment, for which I’m continuously doing research” she laughs. Yes, I say she’s right to do so, motherhood is the most difficult and important job and we should take it on very seriously. She tells me that for her the secret to managing everything is to be very organised and have a strict schedule for her kids. “I’m that mum who plans the day around nap time”, she says. 

When Rachel needs to work at her desk, Leila and Hugh usually enjoy activities like painting, doing puzzles, playing with play dough or “reading” books. It’s a bit more challenging when they’re with her at the warehouse, but “we get things done somehow and the kids love being involved”, she says.

We discuss the importance of good family planning and how important it is for couples to plan before having children. Couples should be clear on how they intend to work, share the parenting duties, the financial costs involved in raising children, before deciding to have one, two or more children.  We chat about the importance of equality in the relationship where both the parents share household, childcare and work duties, where both partners help each other and their roles are valued; “My husband and I are a team, we both work, look after the kids, we’re both hands on and do whatever it takes. We both do what needs to be done” Rachel calmly explains. I think this partnership is the secret to her calm demeanour and positive outlook on life. Rachel has been through some unique experiences but doesn’t seem to let anything frazzle her.

It was truly a pleasure finally getting to meet Rachel, we need more special people like Rachel around and I wish her continued success in her private and business life.

Rachel is offering WHAM readers a special 10% discount on all products from BumpAndMe – visit our website and enter promo code WHAM10 at checkout.

Starting an online business is a good way to increase your income and gain financial independence – if you too would like to start your own online business, a Facebook page is a good place to get started. If you want to turn your Facebook page into a website, contact us or write to us at [email protected]